The National Association of Small Business International Trade Educators recently awarded Utah State University-Moab professor Cynthia Gibson the title of Certified Global Business Professional.
This certification will allow her to provide international trade counseling and resources to USU-Moab students and to the community and businesses of Moab.
Gibson’s interest in international business stems from her many years of travel and teaching international business at colleges and universities in the United States and abroad, most recently within the USU system. Many of the classes she has taught focus on international business, including classes on international business management and marketing.
In addition to teaching these subjects, Gibson has lived and worked in other countries, including Canada, China and Singapore.
“I have seen first-hand the reality of international trade while I worked at the international level,” Gibson said. “I worked at brokering deals between companies in different countries. Exporting is a huge boon to the U.S. and Utah economies, and I’d like to help promote this business practice.”
Having recently moved from USU’s Brigham City campus to the USU-Moab campus, Gibson has taken on the role as Grand County Economic Development Liaison in addition to her teaching responsibilities. Seeing that Moab did not have an office or position providing information on exporting, she began working on her certification to assist in this area.
While her previous business experience provided more than a head start on the process, several additional steps had to be taken to receive the certification.
“I attended an intensive two-day boot camp for training and preparation, and I studied several books on international trade for several months leading up to the exam,” Gibson said. “I also visited several trade organizations’ websites, including the U.S. Department of Commerce, the State Department, and Homeland Security.”
Gibson said the certification process taught her much about U.S. exporting laws and regulations, which she can now share with the students and businesses in Moab.
For more information about USU-Moab classes and programs, visit moab.usu.edu.
