Gilda Poliakin has been working for close to ten years with WDHB Consulting Group, Inc. as a meeting planner, handling the logistic details of WDHB seminars: hotels, meals, transportation, cultural events, etc.

Gilda Poliakin is the daughter of a "stateless" father born in Russia and a Romanian/Bulgarian mother holding an Iranian passport. She herself was born in Alexandria, Egypt. Several languages were spoken in the household, French being the most common. Attending French schools in Alexandria and Cairo gave her a great love for French culture.

The 1960 exodus of foreigners from Egypt brought her to the United States. Settled in Chicago, she studied Political Science and participated in the '68 liberal movement. She subsequently lived in Portugal and Venezuela, studying the language and literature of these regions. In 1974, she came to San Francisco where she opened a store selling foreign magazines and records. Later, with an Italian partner, she co-founded a magazine in four languages geared to foreign tourists.

Having always thought, as Heine, that "My country is the sole of my shoes," she finds herself surprised to still be residing in San Francisco and still in love with the city. Fascinated by music (she is descended from five generations of musicians), literature, film, and gastronomy, she finds in San Francisco everything to nurture her interests.

Beyond providing flawless logistics for WDHB Learning Expeditions, Gilda Poliakin personally aims to help participants shed any Hollywood notions they may have of America and discover the true United States.