The Language Flagship distinguishes itself as an initiative built upon an active partnership between education, government, and business.  During the past four years, Flagship has convened sessions around the United States to learn from businesspeople what role and value language skills play in their business operations.  The call from the business sector for global professionals with the language and cultural skills to succeed is very clear and documented in the What Business Wants report.  The call to action emanating from those sessions prompted several individuals to champion the Flagship initiative, bringing their expertise and knowledge of the business sector to effectuate support for the goals of The Language Flagship. The first cadre of Business Champions joined this effort in 2009.   They look forward to engaging business interest throughout the U.S. and abroad to further the support for The Language Flagship and for advanced language education.

If you are interested in engaging with The Language Flagship, please contact Dr. Susan J. Duggan, Senior Strategist at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Mr. Michael T. Byrnes

"Globalization poses a challenge to the economic health and well being of our nation that is every bit as serious as the strategic challenges of the Cold War.  It is a challenge where economic competitiveness and not military power is central to the outcome for all Americans.  One of the keys to meet this challenge of globalization is language and cultural education.  The Language Flagship initiative is an effort which brings together the key stakeholders of government, academia, and business to develop creative language solutions to address this challenge." - Michael Byrnes

Former president of Tyco International China and retired Brigadier General of the U.S. Army, Mr. Byrnes brings a wealth of international experience to his role as a Business Champion for The Language Flagship. Mr. Byrnes is currently the President of Middle Kingdom Advisors as well as a Senior Advisor to Yuan Associates, a Beijing based government affairs services firm that assists US enterprises to enter, expand and operate in the China market. He serves on the Advisory Board of the International Education Program at the University of Rhode Island and speaks publicly about the importance of language skills for business success.  Mr. Byrnes is based in Rhode Island.  

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Mr. Robert Maynard

Robert Maynard is a former Navy JAG officer, US Justice Department trial attorney, Special Assistant to the Interior Department Solicitor, US Senate Legislative Assistant for environmental, natural resources and science policy, Director of Ohio EPA, and partner in two major US law firms.   He is Senior Advisor to The Ohio State University's Chinese Flagship Program which he regards as a US strategic asset and template for highly-effective, large-scale, private sector-driven foreign language and culture instruction.  Mr. Maynard is an active angel capital investor who helped assemble business participants for the groundbreaking 2007 Ohio Language Summit. He is a member of the Advisory Team of the Global Markets Division of the Ohio Department of Development and President of Tappan Woods LLC, Columbus, Ohio, promoting US technologies and technology businesses in domestic and international markets.

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Mr. Paul Ruppert

"America was founded--and since flourished--as a global gamble. Yet today our global posture is strained by our dearth of international language and cultural skills.  The Language Flagship, with its integration of academic, government and business engagement, has emerged as the key national effort to improve U.S. language competitiveness as we confront 21st century economic globalization and international instability.  Language Flagship schools and universities are turning out our nation's next frontline--globally smart--leaders who communicate in a true dialogue, leveraging language and command of culture across all the world's borders" - Paul Ruppert

Mr. Ruppert is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Global Point View, Ltd. Paul Ruppert is a successful entrepreneur and executive in the mobile telecommunications industry.  His work has taken him around the world having visited 80 countries, with extensive experience in Asia. He is the founder and CEO of Global Point View Ltd. a management consulting firm centered on the global markets of the mobile industry.  His strong interest in Mandarin education stems from extended residence in Beijing, seeing first hand how being globally competent sparks cross border business, international understanding and cooperation. His activism promoting Mandarin education nationally in the US led him to the Flagship family. In addition to being a Business Champion for The Language Flagship, Mr. Ruppert is on the Board of Directors of The Language Flagship Group.  He is based in the Maryland/D.C. area.

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Mr. Thomas Hannum

Mr. Hannum is the co-owner and director of sales for Hypercomp Engineering, Inc. His work takes him all over the world, including areas where we have Flagship programs, most notably India and Central Asia.  He serves as an advisor to the international education effort at the University of Utah.  He was instrumental in helping to convene businesses for the 2009 Salt Lake City Language Summit, contributing more insights for the Utah Language Roadmap.  Mr. Hannum is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mr. Jeff Standridge 

“Our efforts are about more than just building up workforces in various geographies; we have to be able to work seamlessly across the enterprise, regardless of location. That requires us to overcome any language barriers that exist between workers in different geographies.  Without the ability to communicate clearly, concisely and effectively in both directions, significant risks begin to enter the equation, including lower quality, lost productivity and increased training costs.  By addressing these needs early on, companies like ours can see a significant financial impact with global initiatives.”  - Jeff Standridge

Mr. Standridge serves at the Vice President of Global Operations for Acxiom, Inc.  Mr. Standridge contributed to the 2008 Metro Language Series session in New York City where he shared specifics about losses in productivity in business operations due to the lack of language skills on staff. He is committed to shaping the future workforce that will support U.S. success globally. 

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Website: http://www.acxiom.com

Ms. Elisabeth Lord Stuart

“The lack of language skills among U.S. businessmen is an enormous barrier to increasing greater U.S. participation in overseas markets.” - Elisabeth Lord Stuart

Ms. Stuart is the Operations Director of the U.S.-Algeria Business Council.  In 2008 she participated in the Washington, D.C. Metro Language Series contributing insights about the need for language capabilities among U.S. companies looking to do work in the Middle East & North Africa.   She brings a wealth of experience in engaging corporations, as well as federal agencies in her work.   Her language skills in French and Arabic inform her commitment to language education.   Ms. Stuart is based in Washington, D.C.