Together, Wayne and Cindy create a unique, engaging, passionate and informative tag team for teaching the concepts and principles of their popular workshops and speaking engagements. Highlighting the distinct differences between them actually enhances the learning environment for participants. It makes Wayne and Cindy not just talk theory, but live it out before their audiences.

Wayne demystifies the concept of “culture” by combining his professional experiences with his personal background of being raised in a bi-cultural family. As a result, CDAWN Learning is the only firm of its kind that integrates all three aspects of cross-cultural skill development-- organizational culture, global skills, and domestic diversity.

Wayne's experience prior to starting CDAWN Learning was diverse. After graduating with engineering honors from Purdue University, Wayne was a design and manufacturing engineer. Then in the early 1970’s he served in Iran with a consortium of four multi-national corporations that trained 1,000 Iranian engineers and technicians.

From 1973 to 1977 Wayne was a liaison engineer for United Technologies of Detroit, Michigan. As Manager of Automotive Electronics, he was responsible for facilitating communication between the electronics industry and the automotive industry.

Cindy’s first global adventure and teaching position were in Tehran, Iran before a class of international third graders. That impactful experience changed the course of her life. Since co-founding W. Shabaz Associates in 1977, she has worked as a cross-cultural consultant, a member of the instructional staff and a substantial developer of new material.

Cindy’s observations, experiences and commitment to being a life-long learner are fundamental to the material she contributes to periodicals, newsletters and personal speaking appearances. Her insights help clients make healthy adjustments to changing organizational cultures dynamics, the challenges of a changing U.S. culture, and global interdependence.

Given the fact that without cross-cultural skills, the person of the new millennium is truly disadvantaged, Cindy used unusual family vacations to Eastern Europe, Western Europe, West Africa and a move to West Michigan to equip her children with the necessary mindsets and skills for their world.

Cindy is a graduate of Evangel University.