As the CEO of Intrax, Dennis leads the organization guiding its mission into the next generation and fostering the entrepreneurial spirit envisioned by its founders. He leads the Executive Team and directly manages Accounting and Financial Planning, IT Technology, Global Media, HR, and Program Development. Dennis has a BS from Brown University and MS from Stanford University. While starting his career in engineering, he followed his passion which led to design, technology, and entrepreneurship. Upon joining Intrax, Dennis grew inspired by the impact cultural exchange can have on our communities and future generations. He has a strong commitment to International Exchange Programs and is using his diverse skills to grow and develop Intrax’s wide range of programs.
Marcie Schneider joined Intrax in 2014 as President, reporting directly to the CEO. She is responsible for leading the strategic programming and operations of all of Intrax’ s esteemed programs - Ayusa, AuPairCare, Work Travel, AmeriCamp, and Intern and Trainee. Marcie is also responsible for Intrax International Offices, External partnerships, and advocacy and Government Relations.
Marcie is a passionate senior executive with over 25 years of global experience in the international education, new business development, and cultural exchange industries. Marcie has studied, worked, and lived overseas multiple times, has visited over 82 countries, and understands first-hand the importance of cross- cultural exchange and its impact on communities globally. Marcie currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of The Alliance for International Exchange. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, exercising, meeting new people, and traveling.
Marcie has her Bachelors and 2 Masters degrees in Psychology, Business, and literature.
Lola has been with Intrax since 2003, managing the Accounting department, Finance, and Office Facilities. She was inspired by the impact of cultural exchange as a student when she went on a summer study abroad program to Taiwan, which enabled her to personally connect with Intrax’s mission. She has over 25 years of Accounting and Finance experience and received her Bachelor degree at San Francisco State University.
Inspired by his own high school exchange year, he joined the AYUSA Germany team in 1994 and quickly advanced to the position of the Executive Director. He made use of his previous work experience at one of the largest German Banks and his educational background in finances and economics to continuously grow the Intrax programs in Germany. Relocated in Berlin, the German office soon became starting base for further expansion within Europe. Three years as Director of Program Development in the San Francisco office allowed Martin to further pursue his passion for new developments including the start of the Intern & Trainee program, a Teacher exchange program, as well as new partnerships. Since then, a central task of Martin has been to enable growth and international expansion of Intrax, especially in Europe and Latin America through Intrax owned offices and partners. His desire to enable young people to immerse in a different culture fuels his passion to grow Intrax in Europe and beyond.
Makiko Boyden joined Intrax at Headquarters in San Francisco in 2003. She is an innovative professional with 26 years of progressive experience in the education and training industry. With an abundance of international experience, she has a strong understanding of various markets throughout Asia. Currently, she oversees Japan and Korea offices and ensures highly productive relationships and partnerships for the benefit of the organization. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Ayusa high school exchange program. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Nihon University.
Sarah joined Intrax Cultural Exchange as the Director of Marketing and now runs Intrax's largest division AuPairCare. AuPairCare is the premier international au pair childcare agency in the world servicing thousands of participants each year. As the Designated Responsible Officer with the U.S. Department of State she ensures legal and regulatory compliance and also helps navigate the forward momentum of the company as a member of the Global Senior Leadership Team. Cultivating a culture of revenue growth, Sarah overseas all new business initiatives, Domestic and International partnerships and operations. Her background is in lifestyle marketing, spanning online and offline strategic marketing initiatives for companies including Macys.com, Hewlett-Packard, Realtor.com and CareGuide. Having studied abroad in University, Sarah knows the benefits of international cultural exchange and how one experience can have a lifetime impact. Sarah and her family have welcomed many au pairs into their home and are proof that AuPairCare is a great childcare solution for busy parents and a wonderful exposure to new languages, food and cultures.
Courtney began her journey with AuPairCare as a host family in 1994 and began working for the program January 1995. Her experience is in corporate training and marketing with a background in international studies and languages.
As Vice President of Field Operations, she oversees 200+ field staff working to support our participants and host families nationwide ensuring U.S. Department of State program regulations meet compliance guidelines. Her team’s mission is to support culturally rewarding and safe program experiences for our participants and host families.
Courtney joined the AuPairCare program as the right fit for her childcare needs and a way to open up the world to her family. She found a lifetime career in offering this amazing program to other American families nationwide.
Rachel Wells joined the leadership team as Director of Business Development, where she aims to develop and diversify international partner relationships across Intrax’s range of renowned cultural exchange programs. Rachel has worked in the International Education and Cultural Exchange sectors since 2002, in academic, senior operational, and strategic leadership roles, gaining an MBA from Keele University in 2013. Having lived and worked in a variety of places across the UK, South East Asia, Europe and the US, she is passionate about providing transformative experiences to international students and participants and believes strongly in the power of cultural exchange as cultural diplomacy. Rachel is committed to international education advocacy efforts and serves on the Executive Board of EnglishUSA. She loves to travel, read and spend time with friends and family.
Estella Burns has been an integral part of the Intrax and AuPairCare teams since 2008. With a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Santa Clara University and a background in education and family services, Estella's journey has recently elevated to the role of Vice President of Sales & Systems at AuPairCare.
Committed to innovation and efficiency, Estella's leadership at AuPairCare has introduced new products and fostered a dynamic, collaborative work environment. Her blend of personal experience and professional expertise underscores her dedication to both the company's success and the values of cultural exchange.
Beyond the office, Estella relishes spending time outdoors with her family, appreciating the work-life balance fostered at AuPairCare. She values the diversity of her coworkers and aligns with the company mission, making cultural exchange a vibrant part of both her professional and personal journey.
Kaitlin Sinclair is the Vice President of Intrax’s Summer Work Travel program and the Camp and Hospitality Internships programs. She has been with the company for over 11 years. Kaitlin is passionate about travel and loves interacting with Intrax's participants and partners from around the globe. For her, the best part is hearing from Intrax various clients about how cultural exchange has enriched and positively impacted their lives. The reach that Intrax programs have and the number of people whose lives are enhanced is impressive! Kaitlin feels fortunate to be a part of a company who promotes relationships through educational and work programs that improve public diplomacy by uniting a diverse group of people with the common goal of cultural exchange.
Rachel Levine is the program director for Intrax’s Intern and Trainee programs. She has extensive experience developing and managing private sector education programs with a focus on international education. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed working with clients from diverse backgrounds and all levels including students, recent graduates and young professionals, host employers and organizations, and university partners. Rachel has a MA in International Development Education from Stanford University and a BA in International Relations from University of Southern California and has been with Intrax since 2015.
Fariba has been a leader in the cultural exchange industry for over fifteen years, helping build various programs and guiding strategic operations involving people and organizations from dozens of countries. She got her start in the industry working with Intrax’s AuPairCare program from 2006-2007 before rejoining the Intrax team in the spring of 2022. Upon taking on her role as Senior Director of Camp, Fariba oversaw the integration of the UK’s AmeriCamp brand and development of the Intravelr program.
Fariba earned her Executive MBA from Saint Mary’s College of California in 2015 while concurrently serving as President of Net Impact, a global philanthropic non-profit for students and professionals using business skills in support of social and environmental causes.
Coming from an international family – her mother being of Swedish descent and her father from Iran – Fariba always embraced the value of a multi-cultural experience and worldview. She gets the most joy from meeting participants first-hand while traveling and seeing the positive impact these programs are having on young people from around the world.
Debra Slagle joined Ayusa by Intrax as its Director of Program Support before becoming Executive Director. Debra has over 30 years of experience working in education and behavioral health. Prior to working with Ayusa, Debra spent 25 years in education, that last 18 as a school administrator. As a high school administrator, Debra has seen the incredibly positive impact that having exchange students attending can have on a learning community. Both the exchange students and American students have cultural experiences with a life-long impact, and learning becomes more relevant in this global society. Debra’s experience in international education includes starting an international high school program, being the PDSO for the international program, recruiting internationally and being the host parent for many international students, including hosting some Ayusa students through out the years. Debra is a certified school administrator and secondary education teacher, as well as a Licensed Professional Therapist. Prior to entering education, she was in the field of behavioral health, working primarily with children/teens and families. She earned Masters Degrees from Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University after getting her Bachelors Degree from the University of Tampa. Debra is married and has two children and one grandchild. She enjoys writing, traveling, reading, gardening, doing home renovations/remodeling and just spending time at the beach.
Jessica is the Senior Director of Field Operations for Ayusa. She joined the company in February 2007. In her current role, she oversees 200+ field team members working to support our participants and recruit host families across the United States. Her passion for team building and cultural education has created a team that is dedicated to the mission of promoting global learning and leadership. In her free time, she loves travel, cooking, puzzles, and watching Memphis Grizzlies NBA basketball games!
Shailesh as VP of Engineering leads Intrax product development and digital transformation. He has over 25 years’ experience in software engineering with about 15 years in designing, developing, integrating, and delivering state of the art SaaS products for clinical trials, healthcare, supplies management, and international payroll.
Over the last 14+ years, Shailesh has focused on digital transformation, cloud-first, agile methodology, and process automation. He played hands-on tech leader role in the AI-driven migraine management product development before joining Intrax. Prior to that as VP of R&D Software Development and Technical Delivery at Signant Health Shailesh played key role in designing and launching SaaS based Randomization and Trial Supplies Management product. He has extensive experience in the clinical operations including clinical supplies forecasting, manufacturing, distribution, data collection, data management, and submission. He also played a lead role in the rollout of regulatory compliant Clinical Trial Software Product Development Lifecycle (PLC) and has attended dozens of process compliance audits. Shailesh has vast experience in CFR 21-part 11 software validation and HIPAA compliance. Shailesh has BS Comp Sci and an MBA. Shailesh enjoys running, hiking, sports, and volunteering in his spare time.
As former CIO of Center for International Career Development (now Intrax) and Associate Director of NorthWest Student Exchange, Dennis has over 20 years of experience working in cultural exchange and is passionate about the transformative impact of exchange programs on people around the world. Driven by a deep interest in design and technology throughout his career, Dennis has focused on developing user-friendly tools and systems that streamline operational workflows and processes. A cultural exchange kid himself, Dennis first came to the U.S. from Germany as a dependent on the J-1 Teacher program. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in International Business and Information Systems from the University of Washington.
Su-Tsen Wu joined Intrax in May 2015. Su-Tsen brought with her over 15 years of human resources experience in various industries including retail, technology and financial services. As the head of Human Resources and Payroll, Su-Tsen oversees development and implementation of employee programs and services including legal compliance, HRIS, compensation, benefits, employee engagement and development, and people operations best practices.
Su-Tsen received her B.S. and MBA degrees from San Francisco State University. She is also a certified HR professional with PHR-CA and SHRM-CP designations.
Chris An is the Country Director for Intrax Korea and has been with the company since 2011. He is responsible for leading, managing, representing, and setting the overall direction of Intrax Korea’s strategy and programs. He has more than 30 years of diverse experience in project management, finance, sales & marketing and international relations. He places a high emphasis on and is passionate about giving people access to global experience learning opportunities through various Intrax programs that will aid in their career and personal growth. Chris earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Oregon State University, OR, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Project Management from University of Washington, WA.
Marcela graduated from Universidad Andrés Bello, with a degree in Communications and Journalism. She also has a Diploma on Sales and Marketing at Universidad de los Andes in 2011 and Diploma on Digital Marketing on 2019. At EF she started as a salesperson working her way up to Country Manager in 2008, which motivated her to pursue a Master’s in Marketing and Sales. After graduating, Marcela started working for Intrax and has been General Manager of the country since July 2010.
Her main reason for working in cultural exchanges is her own experience in these programs. At the age of 15, she participated in a high school program in Spokane, Washington, an unforgettable experience. The friendships she made on this trip remain a part of her life, and the experience allows her to connect with students looking to participate in Intrax exchanges.
"What really drives me to work every day is the passion I have for my work and what I give my students will change their lives forever."
