Dr. Steven J. SACCO

Born and raised in a family business in Chicago where my father worked in 5 languages to enhance customer intimacy. My first intro into world languages, cultures, and global business. An “outlier” in academic, business, and consulting circles. Example: Promoted academic and business/industry partnerships in curriculum development, internships, research projects, and employment (University of San-Pedro’s logistics program and ARISE, the logistics giant headquartered in Dubai; The Idaho Department of Commerce and the Modern Language Department at Boise State University). Offered customized language and culture courses to multinational corporations like Hewlett-Packard onsite at H-P vs. Berlitz’s generic offering of language courses at night at Berlitz. Prepared local companies to participate in trade missions to China, Mexico, etc. and provided them with interns to help follow-up on trade leads upon the company’s return. In essence, we became the “think tank” for local and regional companies and business organizations. Awarded 57 grants and gifts for $16 million in support of languages and global business. Secured $325,000 from the Coca-Cola Foundation by bringing an underserved student to the foundation’s headquarters where she made her case for funding to the program officer. Developed new bipartite and tripartite majors in U.S. higher education to prepare graduates for employment in Africa. (Examples: French and International Development; French, Women’s Studies, and Sustainability) Co-authored 71 articles and books with 55 students, several of them focusing on sustainability and Africa. Currently seeking funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Qatar Foundation to help elevate underserved college-level Pakistani women for employment opportunities in the global marketplace. Developed first partnership between the University of Havana (Cuba) and an American business school. Negotiated the contract in Spanish with my team consisting of a senior representative from Major League Baseball, a Hollywood film executive, and a representative of the San Diego Biotech Community. The event was featured on CNN. 73-year-old long-distance runner and hiker.

Areas of Expertise

• Public Policy Governance and Sector Reform

• Management of Complex, Donor-Funded Programs

• Strategic Analysis and Data-Driven Decision Making

• Institutional Capacity Building and Public Leadership

• Regional Integration and International Cooperation

• Cross-Cutting Expertise

• Monitoring, Evaluation, Performance, and Accountability

• Translating Technical Data into Strategic Insights for Decision-Makers

• Public Policy Dialogue with Technical and financial Partners

• Evidence-Based Advocacy