Women’s Business Center Selects New Director
By Space Coast Daily // May 29, 2012
Experienced Leadership
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA –Beth Gitlin has been named the new Women’s Business Center director at Florida Institute of Technology.
She replaces Donn Miller-Kermani, Ph.D., who was promoted to deputy chief operating officer at the university.
Beth Gitlin was president and owner of Global Passages LLC in Melbourne, an international trade consulting company. At Global Passages she assisted and trained small to medium-sized businesses in the areas of import-export and small business startup procedures.
She has 18 years of experience in retailing, manufacturing and the importing and exporting of consumer packaged goods.
Prior to owning Global Passages, she was vice president of imports and product development for General Foam Plastics Corp., a manufacturer and importer-exporter of Christmas trees, wreaths, outdoor lighting, swimming pools and pumps, and gardening products.
Additionally, she served nine years with Wal-Mart in various merchandising and international positions with responsibilities involving trade with over 26 different countries. She also served four years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
As a volunteer, she has been actively involved with the Women’s Business Center at Florida Tech, Women for Women International and Rotary International Youth Exchange. She is also president of the Rotary Club of Indialantic.
Cross Cultural Management
Gitlin is an adjunct professor for Florida Tech’s Nathan M. Bisk College of Business where she teaches courses in cross cultural management and the essentials of business development to undergraduate and graduate students.
Beth Gitlin served nine years with Wal-Mart in various merchandising and international positions with responsibilities involving trade with over 26 different countries. She also served four years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
She also serves as co-chair of the steering committee for the Institute for Cross Cultural Management at Florida Tech.
She earned an MBA degree at Chaminade University of Honolulu and a master’s degree in Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii. Gitlin is currently working on her doctoral degree in industrial/organizational psychology at Florida Tech.
She lives in Indian Harbour Beach with her husband, Scott Hoffman, where they enjoy combining their love of bicycling and kayaking with international travel in their free time.
