Spring 2021 EducationUSA Seminar

COVID-19 has presented challenges but also opportunities as higher education institutions adapt, execute, and re-envision international student recruitment. Join panelists as they evaluate past recruitment strategies, examine current models and trends, and speculate about what the future looks like related to mobility, recruitment events, and admission policies.

Director of Global Engagement, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

Lindsay Addington is the Director of Global Engagement at the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). She guides the association on strategies, partnerships, and resource development to meet the needs of college counseling and admission professionals worldwide who advise, recruit, and enroll students in an increasingly global landscape. Prior to NACAC, Lindsay worked at the American Council on Education’s Center for Internationalization and Global Engagement and at the George Washington University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication from University of Delaware, and master’s and doctoral degrees in higher education administration from the George Washington University.

Regional Education Advising Coordinator, Middle East & North Africa, EducationUSA

Melissa Deschamps is a Regional Educational Advising Coordinator (REAC) with EducationUSA, based in Doha, Qatar. She manages a dynamic portfolio of centers covering 13 countries in the Middle East and North Africa.  With over 20 years of experience in the field of international education, she has worked in non-profit, university and governmental settings. Throughout her career, she has facilitated intercultural learning experiences, developed educational programs, managed exchange opportunities, and worked with both students and professionals in an advisory capacity. Melissa completed her education in the United States, earning a Bachelor’s in Communication from Seton Hall University and a Master’s in International Education, from New York University. 

Regional Education Advising Coordinator, Maritime Southeast Asia, EducationUSA

Luke Yim, based in Jakarta, Indonesia, is the Regional Educational Advising Coordinator (REAC) for Maritime Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau. Luke joined EducationUSA in February 2020 after spending three years at the IIE office in Hong Kong where he worked as an International Outreach and Recruitment Specialist on the NYU Abu Dhabi program, recruiting students in China, South Korea and Hong Kong. 

Before coming to IIE, Luke served as the Founding School Principal and Director of Education at the Cornerstone Global Academy in Indonesia. Luke holds two degrees from U.S. institutions: a BA in Intercultural Studies from Biola University in California and an MA in International Educational Development from Columbia University in New York. He is fluent in English, Chinese, Korean, and Bahasa Indonesia. Early in his career, Luke served as an English-Korean interpreter for the Republic of Korea Army and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

After a U.S. college or university admits an international student, a new job begins–to support and retain students throughout their time  on campus. Colleges and universities are utilizing a variety of strategies to help students successfully adapt to life and academics in U.S. higher education. Campuses must also support students to meet career goals within the structure of U.S. immigration laws. This session will discuss the support services for undergraduate and graduate students on two U.S. campuses.

Director of Global Learning Opportunities and International Student Services, Boise State University

Corrine Henke is the Director of Global Learning Opportunities and International Student Services at Boise State University.  She has a Master’s degree in International and Intercultural Management from SIT in Vermont.  She has worked at Boise State since December 2000.  Prior to working at Boise State she was the Study Abroad Advising Center coordinator at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.  In 2009, she received the Provost’s “Excellence in Advising” award, as well as a $100,000 grant for education abroad scholarships. For NAFSA, she led a team of trainers to create an e-learning course for NAFSA: Association of International Educators “Mapping Short Term Programs Abroad”.  She is the Fulbright Scholar Advisor at Boise State and was a recipient of a Fulbright International Education Administrators award to Germany. Currently, she is a co-editor for the 5th edition of NAFSA guide to Education Abroad. 

Assistant Director of International Programs, Cascadia College

Lisa Lyman has worked in international student services since 2010, at both community colleges and a public university. She currently works at Cascadia College as Assistant Director of International Programs, which includes both international student services and study abroad. Lisa Lyman has also served as a volunteer-leader of the Association of Washington International Student Affairs (AWISA), the Washington state Community College Consortium for Study Abroad (WCCCSA), and as a member of NAFSA’s Crisis Management Subcommittee (CMSC).

Partnerships between two-year and four-year schools help students to transfer successfully while also diversifying recruitment pipelines and maximizing recruitment budgets. Join us for a conversation about the benefits and challenges of partnerships, how to think about them strategically, and suggestions for developing beneficial relationships.

Director of International Admissions, Boise State University

Since 2018, Brian Stelbotsky has served as Director of International Admissions at Boise State University, where he is responsible for oversight of all aspects of international admissions at the university. In this role he has sought to grow international enrollment sustainably while also improving access for students from around the globe. Prior to coming to Boise State, he led the admissions and enrollment effort at the University of Utah Asia Campus, an overseas branch campus in Incheon, South Korea, and worked for several years at the University of Pittsburgh. Outside of international education, Brian has consulted for non-profits facing organizational crises and has spent time in the private sector in startup environments.

Brian holds bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and English Writing from the University of Pittsburgh, where he also earned his MPA. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Boise State University.

Assistant Director, Global Engagement Manager, International Admissions, Orange Coast College

Born and raised on the island of Kaua‘i and a son of immigrant parents from Ilocos Norte, Philippines, Kristoffer Toribio has 12 years of professional experience in undergraduate admissions and international education. He is currently the Assistant Director, Global Engagement/Manager International Admissions for Orange Coast College (OCC), a 2-year community college in Costa Mesa, California. Throughout his career, Kristoffer has travelled to more than 50 countries for international student outreach including more than 100 engagements, college fairs, and conference presentations with EducationUSA. His most memorable professional achievement with EducationUSA was helping Orange Coast College become the first community college accredited by the Ministry of Education in Brunei and earning the distinction of being the leading college and university in the U.S. for the enrollment of Bruneian students. Prior to his current role, Kristoffer has worked for Kapi‘olani Community College, his proud alma mater the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and the University of California, Riverside. Kristoffer is involved with International ACAC, the largest global professional association for college admissions counseling and student recruitment with a membership of 3,000 professionals representing more than 1,500 universities, colleges and secondary schools across 141 countries. In 2020, he was awarded the International ACAC Distinguished Service Award for his work promoting global student access through community colleges and transfer admissions, and in 2021, he was elected President becoming the first community college representative and the first Asian-Pacific Islander to serve in this role in the association’s 25 year history.

What does internationalization mean and why is it important, especially today in a (Post)COVID environment? How can your institution effectively engage in internationalization efforts? This session offers tips on advocating for comprehensive internationalization beyond the recruitment of international students to your campus, and provides strategies to demonstrate to institutional leadership why internationalization is essential to the overall success of your institution. Examples from diverse perspectives will be shared along with helpful resources for influencing your campus’s internationalization plan.

Senior International Officer & Executive Director, Global Engagement Office, University of Montana

Donna Anderson, PhD, is an international education administrator with over 20 years of experience in international higher education. She has held senior leadership positions at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and currently serves as SIO at the University of Montana. Donna has provided leadership in the areas of Education Abroad, International Partnerships and Agreements, International Student and Scholar Services, Intensive English Language Programs, and International Student Recruitment.  She has worked with administrators, faculty, and staff to create global opportunities; expand international components of teaching, research, and engagement activities; recruit and support international students and scholars; provide education abroad opportunities; and facilitate development of international partnerships. Donna’s major research interests include the areas of international student identity development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in international education. Her most recent publications appear in the Journal of International Students and IIE’s Member Voices. Donna is an active member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA). She has been a frequent presenter at NAFSA state and regional conferences and serves as an affiliate of Gateway International Group, LLC.  Donna holds a bachelor’s degree in German and Sociology from Luther College, a master’s degree in Education from Loras College, and a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Colorado State University-Fort Collins.

Assistant Provost for Global Education, Boise State University

Gonzalo R. Bruce serves as Assistant Provost for Global Education at Boise State University. As the Senior International Officer, he provides leadership in areas that support strategic internationalization, including Global Learning Opportunities, International Recruitment and Admission, the Intensive English Program, International Scholars and Academic Immigration Services, International Students Services, and the Peace Corps Prep Program. He has more than 20 years of experience in international education at public and private higher education institutions, in the U.S. and in Chile. In his current position, he provides oversight of the Center for Global Education, a division of Academic Affairs that is dedicated to advance campus internationalization efforts, where he is directly involved in developing new international programs and partnerships and managing externally funded projects with global partners. Gonzalo is active in several professional associations, including NAFSA, AIEA and EAIE.

Executive Director, Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA)

Darla K. Deardorff is Executive Director of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA). In addition, she is a research scholar at Duke University’s Social Science Research Institute and holds faculty positions at universities in several countries, including as a research associate at Nelson Mandela University (S. Africa), Meiji University (Japan), Shanghai International Studies University (China) and adjunct faculty at North Carolina State University. She is on the faculty of Harvard University’s Global Education Think Tank and has served as faculty for Harvard’s Future of Learning Institute as well as the Summer Institute of Intercultural Communication in Portland, OR. With over 20 years of experience in international education, she has also held national leadership positions with NAFSA and with Forum on Education Abroad. She is the author/editor of 8 books and over 60 book chapters and articles, and regularly gives invited talks, trainings and workshops around the world on intercultural competence, international education assessment, and global leadership and serves as a consultant and trainer on these topics, including with UNESCO and OECD. Founder of ICC Global, her areas of specialty include cross-cultural training, assessment and evaluation, teacher/faculty preparation/development, curriculum internationalization, global leadership, and intercultural coaching. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees from North Carolina State University.

Executive Director, International Education, Shoreline Community College

Samira is the Executive Director for International Education at Shoreline Community College, located in the greater Seattle area. Shoreline is among the top 20 U.S. community colleges hosting international students and currently enrolls around 800 international students from over 50 countries. The College has also been the recipient of NAFSA’s Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization (Spotlight award), and IIE’s Andrew Heiskell Award for Internationalizing the Professions. Samira oversees Shoreline’s dynamic International Education (IE) department that serves a key role in advancing international engagement at the College. IE’s work encompasses marketing and recruitment, admissions, academic and university transfer advising, immigration advising, student engagement, study abroad, international partnerships, and working with faculty and staff on campus to further global engagement. 

Samira is very active on campus, having previously served as the Vice Chair of the campus-wide Strategic Planning and Budget Committee, as well as Communications and Marketing steering committee, and Strategic Enrollment Management committees, and is a member of the Student Learning, Equity and Success Leadership Team comprised of instructional and non-instructional deans, executive directors, and the Vice President overseeing the instruction and student services. 

Having previously worked at the University of Michigan and Brown University gives Samira a unique perspective on the role of international educators at community colleges vis-à-vis their university counterparts. Samira grew up in Mumbai, India, and has also lived in Germany and Austria.

The Department of State is committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the United States by both immigrant and nonimmigrant travelers, and student visas continue to be a high priority.  Join Visa Policy Analyst, Kathryn Strong, from the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the U.S. Department of State to learn more about consular operations worldwide, and key information that every prospective international student should know when they apply for a student visa.

Program Officer, Higher Education Engagement, EducationUSA, U.S. Department of State

Robin Lathrop is a Program Officer with a focus on higher education engagement for EducationUSA at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.  Robin connects with the U.S. higher education community to build collaboration with the EducationUSA network, strengthen international student mobility, and promote resources to strengthen internationalization.  Before joining EducationUSA, Robin spent 12 years managing a variety of U.S. government and privately funded international exchange, research, and training programs in Eurasia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.  She has presented at both domestic and international conferences to promote international education.  Robin holds B.A. in English literature from Wesleyan University and an M.A. in Russian Studies from American University.

Visa Policy Analyst, Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Kathryn Strong is a Consular Officer and a career member of the Foreign Service. She is currently the Visa Policy Analyst for student and exchange visitor visas. She has previously served as a consular officer in Brasilia, Brazil. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she lived and worked in Japan with the JET Programme. She is from Dallas and lives in Washington DC.