Steve directs the Business Management Department and the International Programs Office at Calumet College of St. Joseph, located in Whiting, Indiana. Previously, he was a Visiting Professor of Management at Fort Hays State University’s China campus, and also an Assistant Professor of International Business at Tunghai University located in Taichung, Taiwan.
Dr. Varela earned his B.Sc. in Computer Science/MIS and a M.Sc. in Telecommunications from DePaul University, an M.B.A. in International Management from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management, and a Ph.D. from the International School of Management based in Paris, France. Steve developed new courses such as East-West Negotiation for Asian audiences in Taiwan and also localized first year of studies courses for Nigerian students while at Northeastern University. His primary research interests are in the fields of international negotiation and cross-cultural competence.
Dr. Varela is a Fulbright Scholar and has spent nearly half of his adult life overseas. His recent presentations include Varela, S. (Presenter and Author) “Advancing Cross Border Education Programs: A Case Study of Taiwan and the United States (July 2017); Varela, S. (Presenter and Author), “The Primacy of Cultural Metacognition in Intercultural Business Negotiation” presented at the Marketing Asia Group Scholar Conference, Porto, Portugal. (June, 2015), and Varela, S. (Presenter and Author) “The Influence of Cultural Intelligence on Intercultural Business Negotiation”, presented at the Society of Business, Industry, and Economics. Destin, FL. (April, 2014).
Prior to teaching, Steve served in various international business development roles for firms such as AT&T, Motorola International Ventures Corporation, Iridium Satellite LLC, and Telefonica S.A. in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, and the US.
Steve serves as a member of the college’s Graduate Programs and Social Justice Committees and his professional contributions includes service as the North American Director of the Marketing in Asia Scholar Group, as a board member of the Northwest Indiana World Trade Alliance, and the Hudson Lake Conservation Association. Dr. Varela is also certified in Cultural Intelligence, is a FAA Licensed Private Pilot, a member of the National Ski Patrol, and has held a NFA Series-3 Commodity Broker’s license. He lives in New Carlisle, Indiana with his wife and two daughters and regularly engages in the art of international negotiation as each member of the family hail from a different continent.
More details can be found on his LinkedIn profile at
