MYX Founders MYX was founded by Josette Bonafino and Ian Cross, two Philadelphia entrepreneurs whose respective companies, Culture Quest, Inc. and I-SITE, Inc. were recently honored on the prestigious "Philadelphia 100" list of 2001. The list recognizes the fastest-growing, private companies in the Greater Philadelphia region. Josette is the founder and director of Culture Quest, an educational tour company that leads the way in custom-tailored travel for high school and college groups across the United States. Since 1993, Culture Quest's innovative travel programs have ranged from a study tour in the Peruvian Amazon to a youth pops concert tour throughout Italy. As an authority on student travel, Josette has been featured several times on Philadelphia's WB17 News at 10:00 and has had several articles published in American Language Journal. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Josette holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Ian is co-founder and CEO of I-SITE, a leading provider of Internet solutions for the healthcare industry. Founded in 1996, I-SITE's clients include Aventis Pharmaceuticals, the National Dairy Council and Johnson & Johnson. In 1996, Ian co-founded the Philadelphia Area New Media Association (PANMA), now a division of the Eastern Technology Council with over 800 members. He sat on the Advisory Board of the Mayor Rendell's E-Commerce Commission and traveled with other technology leaders in September 1999 on Governor Ridge's Trade Mission to the UK and Germany. Born and raised in England, Ian holds a B.Sc. in Ergonomics from Loughborough University of Technology. In 2001, he was named one of the Philadelphia area's "40 Under 40" by the Philadelphia Business Journal in its annual listing of people who shape the direction of the community in which they live and work. As a husband and wife team, Cross and Bonafino share an avid love of foreign travel and cultural immersion. Their experiences, such as staying with an indigenous family on Taquile Island in Peru and camping in the remote interior of Iceland, have strengthened their commitment to provide similar opportunities for the younger generation. © 2002 - 2008 Multicultural Youth eXchange.