Lisa Dewaard

About Lisa Dewaard

has been working in the field of cross-cultural communication for almost 20 years, specialising primarily in the language and culture of Russia. As a linguist and teacher of Russian and Spanish, her research focused on linguistic miscommunication due to cultural differences. Now, as an Associate Partner at Hofstede Insights, she hopes to use this expertise to help businesses achieve success in the international realm.Lisa, a native of the United States, has visited Russia on and off for more than 25 years, working with schools and university programs. She is a member of the Board of Directors at Johann Goethe Schule, an international school in St. Petersburg, Russia. She has also lived in Italy and traveled extensively while working as a professor, providing teacher training and sharing research in the United States, Argentina, Russia, France, Canada, Italy, and Hungary.Lisa has always had a broad range of interests and, desiring a new challenge, came to Hofstede Insights in September of 2017. This change was a very natural one, given that her previous research and teaching used the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions extensively, and that she has 8 years’ administration experience managing both people and programs. She is certified in Intercultural Management and can provide trainings in Trust Building and Global Virtual Management.When she is not working, Lisa can be found traveling the world with her husband, Kirk, a kindred language learner and adventurer, with her dogs, or curled up in a comfortable chair knitting.

Experience

1. CEO and Principal Consultant

   Roots Roaming Intercultural Consulting

   May 2025 — Present · Chattanooga, TN, US

Education

• University of Iowa

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Russian, Spanish, Second Language Acquisition

  1998 — 2006

• The University of Alabama

  Bachelor's degree, Foreign Language Study (Spanish, Russian, French, Italian, Arabic)

  1992 — 1996