About Us
This group was founded in February 1 2016 by Susan Gobbo and Danielle do Olival. They led together this group until August 17 2018, when Dani decided to leave the group to pursue new opportunities.
This group is sponsored by St. Louis Mosaic Project, a regional initiative within The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and the World Trade Center St. Louis. Any international ethnicity is welcome to join us. We started this group because we are foreign, expat spouses, who have been through the acculturation process in USA and other countries. We are experienced and culture-sensitive and would love to ease your acculturation process. Whether you are here for a short-stay, or have already been here for a long time, we look forward to meeting you. We offer fun social interactions between friends and at small gatherings to exchange our experiences and help you live better in the St. Louis area.
If you sign up to be a member of the St. Louis International Spouses Meetup Group you can also benefit from the membership of the St. Louis Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. under our group.
To learn more about our activities and events, please click here
Co-Founder - Coordinator
Susan Gobbo is Brazilian with a mix of Portuguese and Italian Heritages. She is married and has a beautiful daughter. Susan has a Bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy and a Graduation degree in Respiratory Therapy. In Brazil, she worked as a Physical Therapist for more than 15 years in the ICU of a Heart Hospital.
Finding no support for herself as an expatriate spouse—and passionate about learning different cultures and connecting people—she co-founded the St. Louis International Spouses Group to help other international women feel welcomed and accepted in their new home. Susan also co-founded The International Mentoring Program (IMP)which connects international women with local women to help integrate their families into the St. Louis area. This organization became officially a 501c3 organization and she is now the IMP Program director.
Furthermore, she co-founded the Immigrant Professional Women's Network Group with the mission to educate and elevate immigrant professional women to integrate and thrive in the St. Louis region. This organization became officially a 501c3 organization in which Susan is part of the Board.
Susan works as a part-time consultant for the Women's Connector Program of the St. Louis Mosaic Project / The St. Louis Economic Development Partnership which represents a larger effort by the region to attract and retain immigrants in our region, where she plays an important role as a Mosaic Ambassador and part of the Mosaic Women Connector Program.
Susan also holds positions in other organizations, bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion to the table, and contributing to St. Louis’s economic and cultural growth, enriching life for the community.
Susan received the St. Louis Mosaic Project Award in 2018 for outstanding dedication to growing the St. Louis region, the St. Louis Women of Achievement Multicultural Enrichment Award in 2020, The United Nations of St Louis Diversity as a Mary T Hall Award in 2022, the International Institute's Community Advocacy Award in 2023, among others.
By loving “The Lou,” Susan wants everyone who moves to St. Louis to have this same feeling. Susan and her husband Mauricio and their daughter have been living in St. Louis since 2008 which they now call home.
Co-Coordinator
Ines Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. At the age of one, her family moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil. At the age of sixteen, her family moved to Canada where she completed her high school education and started a Bachelor's degree in English Literature at York University. Ines is an avid learner about health and nature. She completed a technical course in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2010 and she loves and supports upcycling and everything that is related to nature preservation. She speaks Korean, Portuguese, and English. Her passion for writing prompted her to write her first novel "Unspoken-Efil," which she self-published in 2008 and it is available on Amazon. In 2017, Ines and her husband moved to St. Louis and during a Brazilian Consulate event in which she volunteered, she first met the head organizer and International Spouses Consultant, Susan Gobbo and her husband Mauricio. Whenever time permits, Ines supports and helps Susan to coordinate some of the events with the St. Louis International Spouses. Ines is a full-time real estate agent with Keller Williams in Kirkwood, Missouri and she is eager to welcome and support any newcomers in our area!
ISG - Cultural Ambassadors
Our cultural ambassadors are members of our group who support our group helping to welcome and connect our members, hand out our questionnaires and assist our events. Our Cultural Ambassadors: Frances Pires, Juddy Park, Maria Balogh, Marina Malkina, Meire (May) Ferreira, Pei Downey, Qian (Emily) Yang, Sherley Moran, Sinem Fisonoglu and Vanessa Ribeiro.
97 Countries/Regions Represented
