Joanna Shoemaker Crain ’96 grew up about 7,500 miles from where she now lives and works.

That’s the distance between Portland, Texas, near Corpus Christi, and
Beijing, where she runs her own business. Chin-EASE Corp. is a
corporate destination management company that plans culturally
sensitive business trips to China.

A journalism and political science student at TCU, Joanna went on to
work for then-Fort Worth Mayor Kay Granger doing public relations for a
special program, “Our City, Our Children.” Joanna worked on Granger’s
successful Congressional campaign. Later she moved to Washington, D.C.,
where she was the director of advance and protocol for the secretaries
of Commerce and Homeland Security.

Honing organizational skills in a campaign and protocol skills working
for cabinet members, Joanna laid the groundwork for her own business in
China. Her business doesn’t just make travel and hotel arrangements.
Chin-EASE also provides briefing books on the culture and the companies
American business people will be visiting in China. Her staff also
provides interpretation. Clients have included The Kennedy Center, the
American Council of Life Insurers and the Financial Services Forum.

On the Web:
www.chin-easecorp.com