To find evidence of the jet-setting, international life Pechman leads, start looking at the photos framed and hanging on the walls in the hallway just outside her door.,”

This is the first in a five-part series profiling a day in the life of a Wisconsin professional.

Christen Pechman's office consists of a desk, a computer, non-descript chairs for visitors and a small window that allows the weak afternoon sun to leak through.

To find evidence of the jet-setting, international life Pechman leads, start looking at the photos framed and hanging on the walls in the hallway just outside her door.

Pechman pictured with former Mexican President Vicente Fox. Pechman and President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic. Pechman with businesspeople from India and China.

A 2003 Marquette graduate with degrees in international business and economics, Pechman is the director of operations at World Trade Center of Wisconsin. Her organization helps southeastern Wisconsin businesses expand abroad.

Her major responsiblity is to mediate conferences between local and foreign companies.

"Practically speaking, I use the international business degree more often," Pechman said. "I pull on the economics when I'm trying to figure out how to tackle a problem."

Pechman said she has strong ties to Marquette's College of Business Administration and the organization often hires interns from Marquette.

"The professors in the business school made a significant impact on me," Pechman said. "Especially the economics professors are very internationally minded."

The wider world is something that Pechman knows quite a bit about.

Although she was born in Milwaukee, Pechman's family bounced around. Her father's work in the hotel business often transferred them. Pechman settled in the Dominican Republic when she was 6 years old and remained there until arriving at Marquette.

"I think her background is suited to the international marketplace and working with companies abroad," said Christian Bartley, executive director of the World Trade Center of Wisconsin.

Pechman said she ended up at Marquette through "dumb luck."

An old friend of her mother's contacted Pechman's family just as Pechman was beginning her college search. The friend plugged Marquette and the business school.

Pechman also credits the efforts of College of Business Administration officials for drawing her in.

"Marquette was not even on the radar," Pechman said. "But they heavily recruited me. They gave that extra touch that others (schools) didn't."

At Marquette, Pechman double-majored, which is required for all international business majors. Another requirement of inernational business students is studying abroad. Pechman spent a semester in Tuscany, Italy. Pechman satisfied the third requirement, fluency in a language, before arriving at Marquette. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, she became fluent in Spanish.

"She has international experience, speaks a foreign language and her training at Marquette is a bonus as well," Bartley said.

The combination of growing up abroad and watching her father run his hotels gave Pechman an intense interest in international affairs and business.

"I had strong American roots but growing up in the Dominican Republic gave me an appreciation for different cultures," Pechman said.

The World Trade Center of Wisconsin is a nonprofit organization that sets up conferences between the senior officials at local companies and businesses abroad.

The organization is able to help local companies that want to move manufacturing abroad, set up partnerships with corporations in other countries or expand into untapped international markets.

Pechman started at the organization as an intern during her senior year at Marquette. The internship turned into a "real job" upon graduation and Pechman has since worked her way up the ladder.

Pechman has been on business trips to China in September 2005 and India in February 2006. Pechman said her travels usually last a couple of weeks as she sets up and attends meetings with her clients.

"It's non-political. It's strictly business to business to establish contacts," Pechman said. "It's very important to learn the culture before you go over."

She has plans to return to India and visit Vietnam and central Europe.

"It's very important to have a person like Christen who understands cultural nuances and has cultural background," Bartley said.

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