Our Team

Experienced practitioners. Complementary expertise. Helping people work effectively across differences.

Interculturalist brings together experienced practitioners in intercultural development, leadership and management development, coaching, learning design, and organizational development. Our team combines deep subject-matter expertise with practical experience helping people and organizations strengthen communication, collaboration, adaptability, and effectiveness.

Intercultural Development · Leadership & Management Development · Executive Coaching · Communication & Team Effectiveness · Learning & Curriculum Design · Organizational Development

Leadership

 
Principal Partner, Coaching Director

Akiko maeker, PhD, PCC

CEO, Principal Partner & Coaching Director
Executive Coaching · Intercultural Development · Leadership Development

Akiko brings together expertise in intercultural development, executive coaching, emotional intelligence, and organizational leadership. For more than fifteen years, she has worked with leaders, teams, and organizations across public, education, nonprofit, and corporate settings to translate greater self-awareness and intercultural understanding into more effective leadership and workplace behavior. Akiko is an International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and has served on the faculty of the Intercultural Development Inventory® since 2013, preparing professionals to become IDI Qualified Administrators. She holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership Policy and Development from the University of Minnesota, where her doctoral research examined culture and intercultural competence in professional coaching.

Paul Maeker

Vice President & Chief Content Officer
Curriculum Design · Communication & Conflict · Emotional Intelligence

Paul is a learning designer and facilitator with more than 20 years of experience in intercultural development, communication, conflict, and curriculum design. He develops learning that translates complex concepts into practical tools people can use in everyday workplace interactions, with particular attention to communication across differences, conflict navigation, collaboration, and behavioral adaptation. Paul has been a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory® since 1998 and is a Certified Administrator of the Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory. He holds an MA in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development from the University of Minnesota.

 

Our Practitioners

Interculturalist works with an experienced group of practitioners whose expertise spans intercultural development, coaching, organizational and leadership development, higher education, research, learning design, and facilitation. All are Intercultural Development Inventory® Qualified Administrators, and several have also helped prepare other professionals to become IDI Qualified Administrators.