Forum Council Candidates Announced

The Nominations Committee of The Forum Council is pleased to announce the following slate of candidates for three open positions in this year’s election:

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• ​Mark Blakemore, Co-Founder and CPO, Big Pond Education, Ireland
• Kira Espiritu, Ph.D., Assistant Provost for International Affairs, Director, University of San Diego 
• Monya Lemery, Director of Study Abroad and International Student Services, Southwestern University
• Jeanette Owen, Ph.D., Director, Critical Language Scholarship Program, American Councils for International Education
• Andrew Smith, Professor of Practice, Kansas State University

 
Main Contacts from Forum member institutions and organizations will receive an email with voting information on Wednesday, May 7, 2024 (please check your spam/junk folders!). If you are the Main Contact and you do not receive the email ballot, please contact us at [email protected].

​The deadline to vote in this year’s Forum Council election is 5 p.m. EDT on  Thursday, May 16, 2024.

Candidates' Statements

Mark Blakemore

​Mark Blakemore, Big Pond Education, Ireland.  I have worked in international education for 20 years and am Chief Partnerships Officer and Co-Founder of Big Pond Education, Ireland.

I was born and educated in the U.K. and my professional life and all my formative experiences have been outside the U.S.. Before co-founding Big Pond, I worked in several global education offices with responsibility for developing partnerships in Europe and the ‘global south’. I have also lectured in current affairs and led the external relations and marketing teams at FIE, a London-based study abroad provider.

If I were elected to the Council, I would be bringing a voice from the field, representing the perspective of those of us in the sector who see first-hand the challenges we experience  in education abroad. Ireland, for instance, is an interesting lens to view these trends.   Ireland is a country well known to U.S. Americans, but one which faces acute study abroad challenges such as housing shortages, ecological and infrastructure pressures and concerns that visitors do not engage with the local community. There can be a belief these challenges are exacerbated by international students. These considerations are well known in the study abroad community in the U.S. and there is much literature devoted to them.  If elected to Council I would relish the opportunity to engage these discussions and play my part in helping to address them.

I am committed to progressing a vision of education abroad that fosters personal growth through nurturing a sense of responsible global citizenship. In real terms, this means firstly: addressing in our operations and programming an appreciation of the role a strong sense of identity and belonging plays in mitigating division and forging local communities. Secondly, proactively inspiring students to think about the planet in their own behaviors by practicing what we preach as a sector.

In fact, I have written a blog on “The new frontiers? Community and climate’s place in Study Abroad”, and am co-author of the upcoming Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad article “Climate Action in On-Site Study Abroad in Europe” which together indicate the path I believe we ought to be on as a sector. It is my hope that through embedding this in an education abroad program, students will apply these learning points in their own lives within the U.S. when they become local, regional and business leaders. In short, these are central benefits of giving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a position of primacy in education abroad. At Big Pond, we are privileged to have had our own work in this regard recognised through being awarded the 2023 Forum Award on Advancing the SDGs Through Education Abroad.
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The Forum’s “Think Big” visions directly address ‘Global citizens’ and ‘Reimagine Education Abroad’ and I hope the belief and values I’ve outlined above show that if elected I would be an active voice from the field in addressing them.
Thank you once again for considering my nomination!

Kira Espiritu

With over 20 years experience in international education and experience as a volunteer-leader with various professional organizations in the field, I am seeking the opportunity to expand my involvement with the Forum on Education Abroad as a member of the Forum Council. I am currently a member of the Forum Working Group for "Advancing the Profession of Education Abroad" and have enjoyed developing ideas and resources for the education abroad community. I have spent many years serving as a mentor for new professionals and enjoy training and mentoring and believe that I can provide perspectives from this population as well as my perspective as an SIO within the Council. Based on my prior volunteer-leader work and my work experience I feel I will be a strong contributor to the Council.

​I enjoy working collaboratively and am detail-oriented, creative and enthusiastic. I have strong time management and communication/presentation skills and have dedicated my entire professional career to the field of international education. In my role as Assistant Provost for International Affairs, I oversee international programming at both the undergraduate and graduate levels across the entire campus as well as facilitate international activities (both curricular and co-curricular) for faculty and student organizations with Student Affairs and University Athletics. I have experience leading internationalization efforts in alignment with a strategic plan and am passionate about providing accessible and sustainable international education opportunities for all students and faculty. I look forward to the opportunity to serve the field through the work of the Forum Council. ​

monya lemery

Monya's passion for advancing international education and her extensive leadership experience uniquely qualifies her to serve on the Forum Council. With over two decades of expertise, she has demonstrated her commitment to the field through initiatives such as the Latin America Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin, which significantly increased engagement in the region. Monya's diverse background, spanning large-public, medium-sized public, and small private universities, as well as experience as a program provider, equips her with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the field.
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As a Council member, Monya would actively advocate for The Forum's mission and foundational principles, drawing from her past engagements as a speaker at international conferences and participation in Forum Working Groups. Her dedication to excellence and innovation would be invaluable in vetting projects and proposals to ensure alignment with the Council's objectives. Moreover, Monya's leadership in promoting diversity and inclusion, evidenced by her advocacy for underrepresented demographics and her fluency in Spanish, align closely with the Council's commitment to equity and accessibility in education abroad. By fostering inclusive environments and advocating for the needs of diverse stakeholders, Monya would contribute significantly to creating a more equitable space within the Forum Council, ultimately advancing its mission of promoting global engagement and diversity in the field.

JEANETTE OWEN

It has been an honor to serve on the Forum on Education Abroad Council for the past three years, contributing to committees and working groups that advance the Forum mission. I appreciated the opportunity to collaborate on the development of resources for education abroad professionals and to support the work of the Forum Standards Resources committee.

My current interests include expanding outreach to institutions, as well as student audiences, that have not traditionally had exposure to the study of critical languages and education abroad opportunities, which feels particularly acute as more foreign language programs close across the United States and as institutions may be reconsidering their commitment to global engagement.

Together with the members of the Forum and international exchange professionals in the U.S. and abroad, I am working to develop materials and trainings to help our students be better prepared for the discomfort that comes from encountering different values and perspectives and find joy in serving as citizen ambassadors even as they develop the skills to engage and share experiences in a mutually beneficial and respectful way.
Having benefitted from the expertise and learning community that the Forum on Education Abroad has fostered for so long, I would welcome the opportunity to continue serving as a member of the Council

ANDREW SMITH

It is humbling and exciting to be nominated for the FORUM Council and I am eager to serve. Since my entry into academia, I have been focused on providing opportunities for those who traditionally would not be part of a study abroad cohort. creating experiential and storytelling experiences. As a member of the Council, I would tirelessly advocate for inclusive and diverse education possibilities for students who want to expand their horizons no matter their background or challenges.  Thank you for considering my inclusion in this important group of education abroad professionals.