Managing Conflict With
Cultural Intelligence
Speakers
CJ Beckmann
COO, RockCuff, Inc | Master Facilitator, Cultural Intelligence Center
Charles (CJ) Beckmann is an officer in the United States Army with more than 10 years of military service, bringing extensive experience in leadership, education, and organizational development. Throughout his career, he has held leadership roles in multicultural organizations of more than 100 personnel, managing annual budgets exceeding $5 million.
The majority of CJ’s military service has been focused on the learning and education domain, including a tour in the academic sector as an Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of Utah. In this role, he contributed to leadership development, curriculum design, and the preparation of future military officers.
One of CJ’s most significant accomplishments was leading a collaborative initiative with academic and commercial partners to develop a premier language and cultural training program for service members preparing for overseas assignments. This effort culminated in the creation of the Polyglot Games, a multifaceted assessment exercise designed to evaluate language proficiency alongside cultural and intercultural competence. It was during this work that CJ discovered Cultural Intelligence (CQ®) and began collaborating with the Cultural Intelligence Center to integrate CQ into his training programs. Since then, he has consistently applied CQ principles to develop and sustain high‑performing, culturally effective teams across multiple military assignments.
Denise Ryan
Founder, HER Time Career Coaching | Associate Facilitator, Cultural Intelligence Center
Denise Ryan joined the Cultural Intelligence Center as an Associate Facilitator in 2026. Based in Dubai, Denise is a Learning & Development consultant, executive coach, and communications specialist with more than 20 years of experience designing and delivering transformational professional development programs for organizations and government entities across the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.
Throughout her career, Denise has worked with thousands of professionals, from Emirati nationals navigating career development to senior leaders in defense, government, and corporate sectors. She has designed and facilitated customized learning experiences focused on leadership development, communication, self-leadership, strategic thinking, workplace effectiveness, intercultural competence, and professional growth. Most recently, she served as Lead Facilitator and Instructional Designer for a comprehensive leadership development program commissioned through Intuition Publishing, supporting senior professionals in the defense sector through multi-module learning experiences focused on self-leadership, communication, and strategic thinking.
Originally from Canada and now a resident of Dubai for more than nine years, Denise brings both personal and professional insight into the realities of working across cultures. Living and building a career in one of the world’s most culturally diverse regions has reinforced her belief that Cultural Intelligence is not simply a framework, but a critical skill for effective leadership, inclusion, and global collaboration.
HOST: Cortney Schaefer
Chief Operations Officer, Cultural Intelligence Center
Cortney Schaefer has over 30 years of business experience and a broad financial and business consulting background, with work spanning manufacturing, technology innovation, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. She has partnered with privately owned, multi-generational organizations as well as publicly traded companies, serving both domestic and international clients. Throughout her consulting career, Cortney has frequently assumed short- to mid-term director and executive roles, supporting organizations through growth initiatives, consolidation efforts, process implementation, and major business transitions. She attributes her professional success to a deep curiosity about people and a keen understanding of what shapes their perspectives and drives their actions. Although she joined the CQ Center in June 2024, Cortney recognizes that she had been applying the principles of Cultural Intelligence long before she formally understood its definition or influence.
An accountant by education, Cortney identified early in her career that data is only valuable when it is clearly understood and meaningfully applied. She developed the ability to anticipate and bridge gaps in perspective and communication, translating complex financial and operational information into insights that resonate with diverse stakeholders. This capability extended into her work in information technology, where she served as a liaison between business teams and software developers to design custom, proprietary systems tailored to highly technical operational needs. Cortney has supported entrepreneurs in launching their first ventures and has also led the structured wind-down of entire organizations. These experiences have reinforced her appreciation for the human assets within every organization and the responsibility inherent in developing, empowering, challenging, and, at times, reducing those resources.