Our Staff

AYUSA staff members are professional, experienced, international, and hold cultural exchange and youth leadership as the cornerstone of their everyday lives.

AYUSA staff members are part of every aspect of the program experience, from:

• Presenting at high schools or study abroad fairs
• Speaking with you about the program details and helping you to apply
• Communicating with the professors and developing the curriculum
• Arranging all your accommodations and activities on campus
• Planning site visits and guest lectures
• Greeting you at the airport
• Living with you on campus and providing support and guidance in any way they can
• Staying connected with you after the program ends … and often becoming lifelong friends and mentors

John Wilhelm, Chairman, co-Founder of Intrax Cultural Exchange

John Wilhelm is the Chairman and co-Founder of Intrax Cultural Exchange an organization dedicated to international education and cultural exchange. John has been a business partner with Takeshi Yokota, CEO for over 25 years. In 1982 they began AYUSA International a 501(c)3 to provide international students the experience of one year of high school in the US living with a volunteer host family. AYUSA International was so successful, one year later they started Intrax Cultural Exchange, an s-corporation based in California. Over the past 25 years they have grown the organization to provide cross cultural exchange experiences to over 40,000 participants a year from over 80 different countries.

John has extensive experience in sales and marketing, program operations, government relations, and administration. Before starting Intrax Cultural Exchange, John was the Director of Operations for Foreign Study League, Inc. and was responsible for program operations in Europe, Mexico, and the Far East.

Over the course of John’s career he has had the pleasure of working with several US Senators and Congressmen to further the youth exchange field.

John received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Southern Illinois University.

Takeshi “Take” Yokota, CEO, co-Founder of Intrax Cultural Exchange

Takeshi Yokota is the CEO and co-Founder of Intrax Cultural Exchange an organization dedicated to international education and cultural exchange. Takeshi has been a business partner with John Wilhelm, Chairman for over 25 years. In 1982 they began AYUSA International a 501(c)3 to provide international students the experience of one year of high school in the US living with a volunteer host family. AYUSA International was so successful, one year later they started Intrax Cultural Exchange, an s-corporation based in California. Over the past 25 years they have grown the organization to provide cross cultural exchange experiences to over 40,000 participants a year from over 80 different countries.

Take received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Keio University and has extensive experience in business management, finance, and cross cultural relations. Take started his career working for Yanase Company Ltd and then Marubeni Corporation in Tokyo, Japan. Both companies are major international trading companies where Take frequently traveled to the US for business. Working for both of these organizations provided Take with his first international experience. In 1978, Take moved his family from Japan to the United States and met John just three years later.

Take takes personal interest in the international exchange field. He currently runs his own private exchange program for equestrian riders from Japan.

Geoff Watson, President of Intrax Cultural Exchange

Geoff Watson is President of Intrax Cultural Exchange and has an extensive background in management, marketing and entrepreneurship in growth oriented companies. Prior to Intrax, Geoff worked in Silicon Valley at a variety of start-up companies, serving most recently as Vice President of Marketing for iPhase Technologies (acquired by IBM). Previously, Geoff was responsible for global branding and partner marketing for Siebel Systems (acquired by Oracle).

Geoff started his career in advertising at Saatchi and Saatchi in New York City. He managed global consumer brands for Procter and Gamble and General Mills. Geoff graduated with honors from Dartmouth College. While at Wharton Business School, Geoff had his first international internship experience working for a joint venture between Sprint, France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom.

Geoff received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Dartmouth College and a Masters in Business Administration from University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. Geoff lives in San Francisco’s East Bay with his wife and three sons and their Turkish au pair.

Sherry Bargagliotti Carpenter, AYUSA Executive Director

Sherry Bargagliotti Carpenter has worked in international education for almost 20 years. Her first international education experience was when she was an exchange student herself to Toulouse, France, in the 1980s. Sherry still keeps in contact with her host family.

Sherry’s international career began as a teacher in Japan at an international girls’ high school in Yokohama, and since then she has conducted several programs, all focusing on developing international understanding and cross-cultural exchange. In her current position as Executive Director of AYUSA, she manages one of the premier youth exchange organizations in the U.S., bringing 1,500 students each year from overseas to experience life in the United States with a host family and high school. AYUSA is a founding member of the YES Department of State–sponsored program.

Prior to joining AYUSA, Sherry served as Director of U.S. Territory and International Student Recruitment for the Junior Statesmen Foundation. While there, she implemented a preparatory study program for students in the U.S. Pacific Territories geared toward equipping students with the necessary skills for successfully completing summer studies in politics and speech at Yale, Princeton, Northwestern, Stanford, and Georgetown Universities.

Sherry received a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from the University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA. Sherry resides in San Mateo, CA, with her husband, Jeff, and they both enjoy learning new languages and exploring the world.