An Interview with SAUPO Planning Committee Member Dr. Mayo

KENNESAW, Ga. (Nov 24, 2015) — Dr. Charles Mayo has been part of the Kennesaw State University (KSU) family since 2006. He is currently the director of graduate studies as well as a professor of communication. Since working for KSU, he has helped create the M.A. in Integrated Global Communication, the Ph.D. in International Conflict Management, and has also helped re-establish the Department of Communication’s National Advisory Board. In addition to all of this, he also was a planning committee member for SAUPO 2015.

“SAUPO is becoming a signature KSU event that brings together people with a wide range of interests--business, government, not-for-profit--all related to establishing and/or strengthening ties between the U.S. and its Asian partners,” said Dr. Mayo in an interview over the importance and significance of SAUPO. He goes on to say, “To me the panel discussions were extremely interesting. People with different backgrounds and occupations addressed their experiences on a given topic, and the interactions among the panel members were often more enlightening than the the content each presented during their individual presentations.”

But what is the key benefit to SAUPO? We found the same answer from Dr. Mayo as we found from our student volunteers- the networking opportunities. Dr. Mayo explains that SAUPO is such a great networking opportunity because, “As the largest conference in the southeast devoted to Asian business, the conference attracts many movers and shakers in business and in government.” The business professionals that SAUPO attracts are looking to make connections themselves, either with other businesses or students. Some SAUPO speakers are looking to partner up with other-like big businesses, while others are looking for qualified interns.