OUR PEOPLE
Cherine Badawi, Co-founder / Lead Trainer
Cherine has devoted her life to developing and facilitating experiential trainings that bring diverse individuals together in authentic, purposeful exchange. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Studies from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and her Master’s degree in Public Administration and Peace and Conflict Studies at the premier graduate school of diplomacy in Tokyo, Japan.
Cherine's past professional experience includes serving as a senior trainer for Challenge Day, an innovative inclusion program recently featured on the Oprah Winfry show; supporting a multitude of non profit, corporate and transnational non governmental agencies including the American Friends Service Committee, A Safe Place, the Mosaic Project, the Goi Peace Foundation, the Scholar Ship, the ILO and Rotary.
In 2005, Cherine was awarded the prestigious Rotary World Peace Fellowship which provided her with the opportunity to support the International Bureau of Education-UNESCO in developing a handbook to support member states’ diversity and intercultural education initiatives. In 2007, Cherine served as an intrinsic member of the inaugural voyage of The Scholar Ship, a transnational floating university, working as an experiential education specialist, interculturalist and community builder.
Currently, in tandem with her work at Integral Trainings, Cherine serves as the Curriculum and Training Director for The Mosaic Project, a San Francisco Bay Area-based non-profit that unites ethnically and socio-economically diverse groups in cultivating inclusive communities that value and understand the asset of difference.
Arthur Romano, Lead Trainer
Arthur Romano is a certified nonviolence trainer and accomplished international educator who has worked globally to challenge violence and promote peace. Arthur focuses on social issues and helps non-profit agencies and schools design, plan and implement programs for a variety of causes. He most recently worked with university students and staff from more than fifty nations implementing key community building projects that challenged violence on campus and supported peaceful ways of living. Arthur has spoken several times at the United Nations and has collaborated with the Department of Public Information to promote the Gandhi-King Season for Nonviolence and the International Day of Peace. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious Rotary World Peace Fellowship for the study of conflict resolution and he has conducted research on university level peace studies programs in India, Japan, the US and the UK.
In the days following the violence of September 11th, Arthur joined with a group of concerned citizens to counteract the narrowing national debate and increasing calls for retaliatory measures in response to those attacks. The World Peace Walk resulted with members walking more than three hundred miles from the former site of the World Trade Towers to the Pentagon. During that time Arthur met with people from all walks of life and helped to provide a space for communities to grieve and explore the possibilities for nonviolent responses to those acts of hatred. Arthur continues to work to further cross-cultural and interfaith understanding, including efforts to promote dialogue between Americans and people from abroad with focused interest on increasing direct face-to-face diplomacy and exchange.
Shereef Bishay, Co-founder / Lead Trainer
Citizen to both Egypt and Canada, Shereef has worked extensively on both sides of the planet. As a transnational citizen, Shereef is committed to cultivating inclusive spaces of understanding that capitalize on the advantages of diversity. His professional experience includes working as senior trainer for Challenge Day, as a facilitator for the Mosaic Project and as a counselor and coach to dozens of clients.
Shereef completed his graduate studies in Computer Science and Theater at the American University in Cairo. Immediately following his studies, he founded and launched CareerMidEast.com, the first career portal in the Middle East, now operating in 13 countries. Shereef relocated to the US to manage a multinational team for Microsoft, where he served for several years. Through his experience in the corporate world, Shereef was struck by the intercultural conflicts that emerged on his team - and the lack of effective and engaging interpersonal, intercultural and basic human relations training available to support him and his staff. He left hoping to learn more with the aim of returning to bridge the gap.
Shereef deepened his understanding and skill set through a multitude of professional development and educational opportunities including extensive training in Non-Violent Communication, becoming a certified mediator for the King County Dispute Resolution Center and studying counseling and human relations at the Esalen institute, and through a yearlong training in counseling and facilitation.
Currently, in tandem with his work at Integral Trainings, Shereef also has a private counseling and coaching practice where he serves clients from a multitude of professional backgrounds.