About
International Resource Development and its education division US-China Connect is committed to offering immersion experiences abroad, with particular focus on exchanges between the United States and China. It’s the experience of IRD’s President Kim Kirkendall and Education Specialist Eric McGraw, that immersion in the culture is the best way to become “fluent” in Chinese. Not just in the language, but in how to be effective in the culture. These are two executives who both got their feet wet in Chinese at Ohio State University and then made that long plane ride for the first time to see what China was really like. Kim scoured the streets of a much different Beijing, via bicycle, more than 25 years ago, while Eric explored Wuhan’s Yangtze River banks in 2006, more often on foot and crowded buses. Today Kim continues her commitment to expanding Chinese language by sitting on a variety of University education committees and represents the interests of both American and Chinese schools, while Eric spent more than three years in Wuhan teaching and working with various Chinese companies develop a more international mindset.
Realizing these type of opportunities were difficult for many students, faculty, and individuals to find, IRD has since established a vast education network on both sides of the Pacific to allow people like you the same opportunities. This is your chance to sample a small noodle shop in a back city alley or refresh yourself at a flashy new Starbucks in the middle of the Central Business District where the world is making deals. ESL jobs, study abroad programs, and internships in China is only the first step to an international life and interacting with a variety of cultures and people.
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Kimberly Kirkendall, President, International Resource Network and China Resource Network
Kimberly’s China-related career spans international development, manufacturing, and operations. She first went to college in China in 1986 after attending The Ohio State University. After graduating she managed factories for an American company in China, was General Manager of an export firm in Hong Kong, and later moved to California where she directed the international manufacturing, importing, and costing programs for a major U.S. company. This was followed by over fifteen years in accounting, finance, and management consulting, first at a large regional CPA firm and then with her own firm. She is an adviser to many government, non-profit, and privately held companies and a regarded speaker for various organizations. She is also the founder of a non-profit to promote Chinese Language Education in the U.S.
Eric McGraw, China Project Manager, International Resource Development
After being impressed by China during a 6-week trip in the summer of 2005 to Beijing, Wuhan and Shanghai, Eric met Kim at a talk she was giving at Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business later that year. Eric already had his BA in Public Relations and was close to finalizing his MA in Communication and Negotiation. Realizing that her experiences were something he wanted to emulate, he started to work with her in developing his career path via email and returned to Wuhan the following year to further develop his Mandarin. While in China he had an opportunity to develop his skills in conflict resolution for American and Chinese companies. Four and a half years later he’s still studying Chinese (and will never be able to stop studying) but succeeded in the latter. He currently lives in Shanghai and still enjoys looking for the best noodle shops in town while meeting people from all over the world.
