Meet the Cohort

Current participants
Check back for updates on the status of the 4th cohort of Global Learning Launchpad educators. 

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Alumni

GLL alumni come from a range of institutional types, disciplinary/professional interests and experiences.  Learn more about them below.

Spring 2025  Cohort

LEE ARMSTRONG, UNIVERSITY of CINCINNATI

Lee Armstrong, Director, International Programs
Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati
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Program/Course: Cultural Competence: Study Abroad Mexico​ ​

About

With 25 years in international education, Lee Armstrong specializes in developing impactful study abroad experiences. As a Spanish language major, Lee's career began coordinating tropical ecology programs in Costa Rica's cloud forest. At the University of Cincinnati, Lee has maintained Spanish fluency through leading service learning programs in Guatemala.
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Currently, Lee teaches an introductory freshman honors Cultural Competence course including travel to Mexico during spring break. The course integrates professional development skills with cultural learning, designed to push students beyond tourism into deeper cultural understanding while improving their communication, adaptability, critical thinking, and global perspectives.
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Brian hunter, Auburn University

​Brian Hunter, PhD. ​Lecturer of International Business, Harbert College of Business, Auburn University

Program/Course: 
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About

Brian Hunter has led student teams across multiple countries including South Korea, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama. His research has been published in the University of Chicago's Journal of Economic Development and Cultural Change and the Journal of World Development.
Brian has served as a Visiting Global Faculty Member at Mexico's Tecnológico de Monterrey and consulted for the Small Business Administration and the US Pan-Asian American Chamber of Commerce. He holds a Ph.D. in Consumer Science from Purdue University.

JEssica Howell, Flagler college

Jessica Howell, PhD. Assistant Dean for Global Education and International Partnerships, Associate Professor of History, Flagler College

Program/Course: develop a professional development curriculum to onboard new faculty to design high equality faculty-led, short-term programs
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About

Jessica is the Assistant Dean for Global Education and International Partnerships and an Associate Professor of History at Flagler College, with over 20 years of experience in higher education. She has significant prior experience in leading education abroad programs.  In her leadership role as assistant dean, she oversees the College’s strategic plan for global education and teaches courses on 19th and 20th-century Russian and Latin American history. Passionate about fostering global citizenship and critical thinking, she collaborates with colleagues, students, and partners to advance Flagler’s mission and vision for international academic exchange. You can learn more about Jessica’s leadership for global education HERE.

Yukie KURUmiya, The Chicago School Of Professional Psychology

Yukie Kurumiya, PhD. Applied Research Project Instructor, Dept of Applied Behavior Analysis, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
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Program/Course: Business Administration (BA) 197 with an embedded study abroad component
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About

Yukie is a contextual behavior analyst, educator/coach, consultant, and researcher who is passionate about promoting and disseminating prosociality within and across selves and groups at various levels through the lens of contextual behavioral science, evolutionary science, and the science of behavior analysis. She believes that creating psychological and behavioral flexibility at the individual, group, and cultural levels will foster a nurturing environment that prevents various social issues our world faces. Therefore, her practice and research are rooted in Behavior Analysis, Relational Frame Theory, Prosocial work, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training, emphasizing cultural diversity and sensitivity.

Yukie is interested in exploring the multitude of selves within an individual and organization, understanding how they develop collective and individualistic cultures within themselves and the group through dynamic contingencies, and finding ways for these selves to coexist harmoniously.

Born and raised in Japan and educated and living in the U.S., Yukie provides training, education, and consultations for individuals and groups of students, professionals, and organizations in both countries in Japanese and English, focusing on the areas mentioned above. She holds the position of Advanced Research Project Instructor at Graduate and Professional Studies at the Chicago School and the President and CEO of ACT Prosocial Design as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the Doctoral level and International Behavior analyst. 

Charmon Parker Williams, The Chicago School Of Professional Psychology

Charmon Parker Williams, Ph.D., Professor and Internship Director, Business Psychology Department, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Program/Course: Exploring education abroad offerings and designing a collaborative faculty exchange program​

About

Dr. Williams is the Principal Consultant for Parker Williams Consulting with expertise in Organizational Effectiveness, Strategic Planning, Change Management, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Leadership Assessment, and Executive Coaching.
She has led education abroad programs for Masters' and Doctoral level students in China, Peru, and the Netherlands, and will be co-leading an immersion in Italy with another faculty member in Summer 2025. Dr. Williams has also arranged and managed visits from J-1 scholar faculty and researchers at The Chicago School.

Lynnessa M. Rico, The Chicago School Of Professional Psychology​

Lynessa Rico, PhD. Department Chair and Associate Professor, Business Psychology Department, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Program/Course: 

About

Dr. Rico is a results-driven Strategic Consultant with over 25 years of experience enabling leaders to meet strategic business objectives. She leads workshops on the creative mindset, women's entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence, and the value of design thinking within entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Her consulting services include educating leadership on the creative mindset, emotional intelligence, design thinking, and leadership styles to support inclusive, creative workplaces.

joshua Shorr, the chicago school Of Professional Psychology

Joshua Shorr, PhD.: Adjunct Professor, International Psychology, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Program/Course: new course entitled Artic Psychology, Nunavut
– Nunavut.

About

​Dr. Shorr attended Rutgers University, studying economics and political science before completing his master's in international relations at the London School of Economics. He has participated in study programs in Israel and Costa Rica, and in 2021, obtained his Ph.D. in international psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. His published dissertation focused on PTSD in Biafra War survivors (Nigeria), with field experiences in Kuwait and Hong Kong.

​He works for the Federal government at JFK International Airport while teaching at The Chicago School. Having traveled to 93 countries and all 50 US states, Dr. Shorr specializes in combining international experience with education. His proposed study abroad course focuses on interactions with indigenous peoples in Western cultures.

Loraine Au Tham, university of Toronto

​Loraine Au Tham (she/her), Director of Professional and International Programs (Summer Abroad), Woodsworth College, University of Toronto

​Program/Course: Inclusive teaching and learning resources for faculty-led Summer Abroad programs 

About

With over 15 years of experience in international education at the University of Toronto, Loraine advocates for the transformative power of cross-cultural educational experiences. She has witnessed how international education broadens perspectives, fosters cross-cultural understanding, and equips students with essential skills for an interconnected world.
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As Director of the Summer Abroad program, Loraine oversees faculty-led, credit-bearing courses across more than 20 international locations, focusing on inclusive pedagogy to create supportive learning environments during these compressed four-week courses.

Spring 2024  Cohort

Ali Freter, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign 

Ali Freter, Director of Study Abroad, College of Agricultural, Consumer, & Environmental Sciences (ACES), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ​

Program/Course: Faculty-led Pre-departure Course Syllabus (template for new program development) ​

About

I was first introduced to International Education through my year abroad in Costa Rica and France. My focus in both countries was on language learning, but of course, I fell in love with the whole experience and decided to pursue a career in the field the minute I learned that was an option! From there, I earned my master's degree in international education from George Washington University and have had the good fortune to work in education abroad ever since. In my current role, I get to be part of the many different aspects of undergraduate student mobility, both in person and virtual. One of my primary responsibilities is to help develop and support a large portfolio of faculty-led study abroad programs within our college. As part of the Global Learning Launchpad, I hope to develop a syllabus template for faculty who are designing new programs. The opportunity and challenge of this project will be to create a syllabus that is equal parts impactful and flexible, as it will need to be used in a wide range of program types, locations, and fields of study. I’m excited to get started! ​

Melissa LaBuda, Penn State University-Scranton Campus

​Melissa LaBuda, PhD; Assistant Teaching Professor, Human Development & Family Studies, Penn State University, Scranton Campus

Program/Course: Palermo, Italy
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About

Once I started in academia full time, 10 years ago I immediately joined the global programs subcommittee. We tried for several years to do a study abroad trip but out of the 24 Penn State campuses, the one I work with has the second lowest per capita income, so students were not able to go because of cost. I teach in the HDFS program, so I am preparing students to work in the human services field. It is imperative that students explore intercultural communication. To enable students to experience other cultures I became involved in COIL. This is a cost-effective way to have students interact with global partners around the world.

Over the past four years, I have been involved in COIL. I am pursuing how intercultural communication exercises between students in different countries change preconceived notions. The next step will be to find ways to measure how these experiences impact students' intercultural understanding in the long term.

​From a pedagogical standpoint, I am looking for ways to bridge what a student is experiencing in a study abroad program and making the connection to what they are learning in the course. In other words, I want to ensure that what they are experiencing is in alignment with the stated Student Learning Outcomes.

Abril Martínez, Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas (CIMAT)

Abril Martínez, International Program Administrator, Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas (CIMAT) - Mathematical Sciences Research Center, International Program Department, Mathematical Sciences in Mexico​

Program/Course: J Term Cultural Immersion Course for STEM equity
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About

I recognize the value of an intercultural environment thanks to my house being a homestay for foreign students for almost 20 years. Now I work in a Research Center (CIMAT) focused on mathematical sciences (math, statistics, data and computer science) in the education abroad department, in charge of the management of the international program.

For this reason, I work with the academic board to generate educational proposals that, in addition to providing theoretical and applied knowledge of mathematical sciences, provide ample opportunity to develop the intercultural and socio-emotional competencies.

I want to focus on the development of the J-Term, which consists of an intensive three-week course, which has 45 contact hours offered in English for both US and Latin American students at the undergraduate level. Likewise, it maintains 4 to 6 hours per week of sociocultural activities, which involve both learning Spanish and the culture of Mexico.

​Since our program attracts STEM students, we would like to focus it on maintaining interculturality and gender equity. Then the question is how to make a program focused on mathematical sciences relevant for study abroad and encourage the development of intercultural skills with a gender perspective in STEM area?

Celeste Newcomb, Penn State University

Celeste Newcomb, Academic Adviser and Instructor, Smeal College of Business, Undergraduate Education, Penn State University 
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Program/Course: Business Administration (BA) 197 with an embedded study abroad component
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About

I have been interested in global learning since I went to college. Participation in programs abroad has fueled my desire to open the study abroad door for others. Fifteen years ago, I started an interdepartmental international program in Costa Rica.
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In the last five years I have transitioned from teaching to advising.  We have a special cohort of students that take BA 197, the change of campus students.   The class is a wonderful opportunity for the students to rub shoulders with each other online and learn about how they can be successful in their transition to the main campus. Our desire is to provide this group of students with an optional international travel experience over spring break. We want these students to have time to get to know each other in person and experience international travel. For many of them, this will be an opportunity to obtain a passport or take their first flight. A question that we are exploring is how can a shared experience involving international travel improve outcomes (graduation rates)?

Andrew Smith, Kansas State University

Andrew Smith, Professor of Practice, Asst. Director News and Sports Media for the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication, News Director, KKSU-TV, Kansas State University

Program/Course: Short term program for journalism students, Barcelona

About

Andrew Smith has been at Kansas State University since 2016, after a 25-year Emmy-award-winning career as a television sports journalist.  As the Assistant Director of News and Sports Media for the A. Q. Miller School of Media and Communication, and the multi-media news director for the student television station KKSU-TV, his primary focus is on student media and journalism instruction.  Smith also leads multiple education abroad trips and programs, both faculty led and university sponsored, for the department and University, an interest coming after living in Europe for close to a decade. 
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Smith is developing an experiential learning course for journalism students to be held in Barcelona in the spring of 2025. Using the five senses to first experience, then tell, the stories of the people in Barcelona on a variety of content platforms are the goals of this program with a focus of providing an opportunity for first generation and underserved students with study abroad.  Smith will be using the GLL as a collaborative space to develop new ways to engage with a new culture and best support students who are experiencing education abroad for the first time.

Carolyn Stevenson, Purdue University Global​

Carolyn Stevenson, full-time faculty and faculty advisor Purdue University Global, School of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies, Department of Professional Studies.

Program/Course: Short term professional studies program that integrates virtual global engagement.

About

Carolyn completed her Ed.D. from Roosevelt University, M.B.A. from Kaplan University, M.A. in Communications from Governor’s State University and B.A. in English from Northern Illinois University.  She has been cited for her expertise in online learning, qualitative research, open educational resources, and prior learning. She is also a regular reviewer for conference papers and textbooks and has served on various offices and committees for the American Education Research Association.

Carolyn has over 25 years teaching and administrative experience in higher education at both the undergraduate and graduate level.  She has published texts on technical communication, building online communities, open educational resources, and environmental education. I am currently developing Global Capstone courses for the Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Professional Studies. These courses are unique because they are a virtual global experience for adult learners.

Spring 2023 - Inaugural Cohort

Eric Archer, Western Michigan University

Eric Archer, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, Western Michigan University

Program/Course: Global Leadership and Social Change in Albania

About

Eric is an associate professor of educational leadership whose research focuses on topics including diversity and inclusion in post secondary education, international education leadership, and the internationalization of higher education both in the U.S. and globally. He teaches courses on global leadership, international and comparative education, and diversity and inclusion and is active in teaching and consulting in various countries including Albania, the Dominican Republic, Singapore, and Malaysia. One interesting facet of his proposed education abroad program in Albania is that it is one of the least visited countries by Americans in Europe even though the U.S. has maintained close diplomatic relations with the country for over 100 years. One issue he plans to explore during the Global Learning Launchpad program is how to better integrate effective experiential and reflective learning activities for students participating in education abroad activities.

Elisheva cohen, indiana unversity-bloomington

Elisheva Cohen, Director of International Education Programs & Outreach, Indiana University-Bloomington

Program/Course: Refugees and Forced Migration in the Context of Jordan

About

Elisheva (Elly) is Director of International Education Programs and Outreach at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. In her role at the Lugar School, Elly develops, supports and implements global learning programming and outreach for undergraduate and graduate students, K-12 teachers, businesses, organizations, and the general public. Her academic and professional experiences are in the field of international development with a particular focus on education in and about areas of conflict and crisis. Through the Global Learning Launchpad, she is working to strengthen a course on refugee studies that takes students to Jordan and building out a course where students learn about international development through travel to Mexico.

Debra Dreisbach, Penn State University-Lehigh Valley

Debra Dreisbach, Assistant Teaching Professor, Penn State University-Lehigh Valley

Program/Course: CRIM 225N Organized Crime in Film & Society

About

I am an Assistant Teaching Professor and Program Coordinator for the Criminal Justice program at Penn State Lehigh Valley. Prior to entering academia, I was fortunate to have opportunities in my work where I traveled and worked with global partners, which ignited my interest in global learning.  I’ve worked with PSU Global for the past four years in an effort to deliver the course, Organized Crime in Film & Society. This is an inter-disciplinary course that examines the relationship between criminological and justice theories of organized crime using the portrayal of the mafia in popular Italian American film as an entry point. My students and I examine the anti-mafia community movement in Sicily, a movement that was spearheaded by college students and which severely mitigated the mafia’s influence. Students examine the value and importance of looking at systemic inequities, the patterns of power and privilege, and how they shaped the country. Through this course-embedded study abroad program, I am working to explore avenues, where students, through examination of the student-led movement in Sicily, are motivated to organize and engineer meaningful change movements.

William Geibel, University of California-San Diego

William Geibel, Sixth College Faculty & Associate Director of Experiential Learning, University of California- San Diego

Program/Course: Sixth College Internships in Dublin

About

A global scholar and practitioner, Bill Robertson Geibel currently holds a dual appointment at UC San Diego’s Sixth College as a faculty member and the Associate Director of Experiential Learning. In this role, he oversees and teaches within the College’s experiential learning program and works to develop educational programming and partnerships that provide students with real world learning opportunities including study abroad, internships, and community engagement.

Bill’s teaching and scholarship lies at the intersection of globalization, diplomacy, and higher education. In particular, much of his work is focused on understanding how globalization is shaping the way universities prepare students to be engaged citizens, both within and beyond national borders. This interest is reflected in his faculty-led study abroad program in Dublin, Ireland, which seeks to blend the values of career, civic, and global learning, as well as his other global-local experiential learning courses at UCSD.
Prior to joining UC San Diego, Bill worked at UCLA’s International Institute, the Foundation for California Community Colleges, and the US State Department as a Fulbright scholar in Kirikkale, Turkey. He holds a BA from UC Santa Barbara, an MA from Brandeis University, and a PhD in International Education from UCLA.

Scott Griffin, The Ohio State University

Scott Griffin, Director of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship & Lecturer, The Ohio State University

Program/Course: Sustainable Business Global Lab

About

Scott is the Director of the Keenan Center & Lecturer in the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. He brings three decades of experience in starting, managing, and growing businesses across a variety of industries nationally and globally, with a proven track record for building high-performing teams.  As part of his role, Scott teaches courses on New Product Development and Innovation at The Ohio State University’s Fisher Graduate School of Business. He also served on the Board of Directors for several non-profit institutions, including Ohio State Parks and Columbus State Community College.
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Griffin is a patent holder and has led the successful commercialization of several new products. Examples include the Earth minded Rain Station and the social venture PackH20 that was awarded the 2013 Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt’s People’s Design Award. Griffin received his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University in 1987 and his MBA from Xavier University in 1992.

Lauren Karplus, University of Illinois-Champaign

Lauren Karplus, Academic Advisor & Experiential Learning Coordinator, Agricultural & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois-Champaign

Program/Course: ACE 436: International Business Immersion Program

About

I am an Academic Advisor and the Experiential Learning Coordinator in the Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois-Champaign. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to spend my junior year of high school living in Germany. That early experience was pivotal in sparking a desire to live in cultures much different than my own, and I have since spent many years traveling internationally whenever I can and living for years in Africa and Europe. Higher education was the best fit for me to be able to live near family in central Illinois while still experiencing a huge diversity of world cultures daily. I’ve worked in immigration advising, study abroad advising, and now work with faculty on building high-quality short-term study abroad programs.

Currently, I am assisting a professor in our department to lead a course on Recreation and Tourism Economics in Croatia this May. I am interested in exploring ways to seamlessly weave in cultural values/worldview differences into course and program content for students who may be primarily focused on the touristic and academic aspects of study abroad programs.

Ramona Meraz-Lewis, Western MIchigan University

Ramona Meraz-Lewis, Master Faculty Specialist, Western Michigan University

Program/Course: CEHD 3050 Seita Scholars Study Abroad: Exploring Themes of Social Justice & Youth Empowerment in Education & Social Services in the Dominican Republic

About

I am a Master Faculty Specialist [equiv. – Clinical Professor] in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research & Technology at Western Michigan University. My work as a faculty member centers on teaching and supporting undergraduate and graduate students in exploring themes of leadership and intercultural development in a variety of educational environments, with a special focus on higher education leadership. I am passionate about helping create opportunities for global perspective taking, particularly for students from first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented backgrounds.

My work in this area has included launching a variety of initiatives including the development of three different study abroad programs: Canada, Malaysia & Singapore, and the Dominican Republic that serve both undergraduate and graduate student populations.  In addition, I have created globally focused courses, expanded the number of global internship partners available to graduate students, and co-designed an award-winning global classrooms experience for graduate students.  This work is highlighted in publications, presentations, and podcasts and has been funded and awarded through professional associations.

Jennifer Miskec, LongWood University

Jennifer Miskec, Professor, English, Longwood University

Program/Course: Continuous Quality Improvement/Faculty Program Leader Resource Center

About

Jennifer is a professor of English at Longwood University. Dr. Miskec’s interests include contemporary American children’s and young adult literature, popular picture books, Early Reader books, Middle Grade Reader books, global children’s culture, and place-based pedagogy.  She was a 2019 Fulbright Scholar in Croatia and has extensive experience leading study abroad programs.

Spotlight on Curriculum

To see example of Jennifer's work, view her contribution to The Forum's Curriculum Toolbox for her faculty-led program called Studies in Children's Literature.
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[Note: to review this resource in the Toolbox, you must be logged into your Forum Account. Don't have an account? No problem. Learn how to create one]. 

Girija Shinde, Volunteer State Community College

Girija Shinde, Professor, Biology, Volunteer State Community College

Program/Course: Special Topics in Biology – Galapagos Program

About

I am a biology professor at Volunteer State Community College, where I have taught for more than 20 years. I am the chair of the international education committee at VSCC. I was an international student, came to the United States in 2001 and since then I have learnt so much even about other states in India and about other cultures across the world. That is why I have always encouraged my students to have a broader world view, to interact with people from other cultures, to travel when there is an opportunity, and expand their horizon to help them to be global citizens. I have done this by inviting Humphrey Fellows to our campuses to meet and chat with students.

I have created opportunities for my students since summer 2013, who live in very rural counties to travel abroad to countries like India, Ecuador, Japan, so that they can get out of their comfort zone and see the world. Today I am proud to say that some of these students have become world travelers! So, over the 2 decades I have been a faculty in the education system in the United States, I have tried to improve the quality of teaching and learning for my students using the global perspective, and helped them to widen their lens, think critically, and cultivate a community of global learners.