Joshua Safier

With deep belief in the power of intercultural education and the transformative options and opportunities it affords, Joshua has spent over 25 years in higher education committed to leading, building, and managing organizations and centers of excellence devoted to international learning and exchange.

As managing director of global programs and initiatives at Columbia Business School’s Chazen Institute for Global Business and Columbia University’s Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy, Joshua oversees a wide array of curricular, extra-curricular, research, and industry outreach programs and initiatives. In this capacity he is responsible for strategic planning, innovative program design and development, capacity building, project management, and operations.

Concurrently and prior to these positions, Joshua oversaw Columbia University’s Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), funded by the U.S. Department of Education, where he developed educational and outreach programs to increase and promote the nation's capacity for international understanding and competitiveness.

As senior associate director of Columbia Business School’s Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Joshua spearheaded research programs and public forums promoting knowledge and understanding of Japanese business and economics in an international context. At Columbia University’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Study Center, he fostered and managed collaboration on Asia Pacific policy research, exchanges, and joint conferences to help establish an emerging region-wide network of personal and institutional relationships for all member economies in the Asia Pacific region.

Joshua holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College, an M.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultures with a focus on contemporary Japanese history from the University of Kansas, and is pursuing an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration at Teachers College.

He has traveled to nearly 35 countries and lived and taught English in Japan on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program.