InnovateEA Mentors Share Insights into This Year’s Competition

Innovation has long driven the evolution of education abroad, and The Forum on Education Abroad’s InnovateEA pitch competition provides a platform for the field’s most creative thinkers to shine.  

Featured during the Closing Celebration Luncheon at Annual Conference 2026, the InnovateEA finalist pitches and live voting spotlights visionary projects that could meaningfully reshape how students engage with the world. Meet this year’s finalists.

​A defining element of the competition is its mentorship component. Finalists are paired with experienced leaders who offer strategic guidance, helping them refine their pitches, strengthen their concepts, and elevate the impact of their ideas. ​

This year’s InnovateEA mentors include (pictured below from left to right):  

• Sara Dart, Education in Ireland 

• Maggie Mahoney, University of Houston Institute for Global Engagement 

• Meg Ramey, WorldKind, InnovateEA 2025 Winner 

• Uttiyo Raychaudhuri, South Asia International Education Network 

• Angie Schaffer, Fund for Education Abroad ​

To gain insight into the impact of InnovateEA and the role mentorship plays, we spoke with this year’s mentors. Hear what motivated them to take on the role, how they supported finalists in strengthening their ideas, and the impact they hope the competition will have on the field. 
 
What motivated you to become a mentor for the competition this year, and how does this role connect to your work in education abroad? 

Sara Dart (SD): “I was so inspired, watching the pitches in last year’s InnovateEA competition. The ideas were all so different, but what the finalists had in common was that their ideas sprung from a deep love of global education and a belief that change was both necessary and possible. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that? Much of my work involves building partnerships among the range of stakeholders in education abroad--institutions, provider organizations, associations, government groups--and what these big, bold ideas require to succeed is true buy-in from folks across the field. My hope is that I can bring that experience to bear in supporting these fantastic ideas.” 
 
As this is your first year mentoring, what has surprised you most about supporting innovators through the process? 
 
Angie Schaffer (AS): “I was blown away at the range of ideas that were pitched, for starters. I think as international educators, we are in a time when we’re just trying to make sure students have international opportunities; to see that our colleagues are willing to push the boundaries of what’s possible and get us all to think outside of our (sometimes self-made) boxes is inspirational and necessary right now. I love how much I am learning from mentoring and am surprised at how co-invested I feel in my mentee’s InnovateEA idea.” 
 
Uttiyo Raychaudhuri (UR): “What has been both surprising and also gratifying is to witness how profoundly personal this work is for innovators--even when they're pitching technology. Where one would have expected the conversations to be primarily on the technical mechanics of the AI Context Playbook, the most meaningful discussions were centered around how the work evolved and why this mattered personally. It transformed the presentation from an innovative product demo into a mission statement about scaling care across the field.” 
 
Can you share some examples of how you have helped your finalist shape or strengthen their idea since the start of the competition? 
 
Maggie Mahoney (MM): “I’ve helped my team translate their passion and drive along with their technical expertise into a pitch that will relate with every audience-member; we’ve focused on the storytelling narrative, ensuring as many views will be taken, but then how to wrap that up into a succinct and authentic presentation.”​

UR: “The key areas where we helped refine the idea and pitch were reframing the narrative arc, sharpening the core value proposition, connecting the innovation to The Forum's Standards of Good Practice, and addressing the equity dimension. These were not mentoring sessions but mutually enlightening learning discussions, and I am better appreciative and informed of the innovation through this process. Abandoning my own preconceived notions and biases through curiosity helped build trust and hopefully substantive guidance while respecting the innovators' expertise.” 

What qualities or mindsets do you think are essential for innovation in education abroad today? 

Meg Ramey (MR): “One of my grad school professors once told us: The people who finish their PhDs aren't always the smartest in the room--they're the ones who refuse to quit. The same is true for innovators. In addition to time and money, innovation requires a great idea and the grit to see it through. Oh, and you also need a cheering squad that will come along beside you for encouragement and support because innovation doesn’t happen alone.” 

MM: “One mindset I would love to see more often is those who can tow the organizational line while fighting the good fight or pushing the buck. Being skilled at driven diplomacy, adjusting your approach while not stopping when the question must be asked and answered, is essential in today’s field--one filled with limits, laws, and policies that keep our efforts from taking true flight.” 

In what ways do you hope the InnovateEA competition influences the broader education abroad community in the long term? 

SD: “InnovateEA reminds us all of what’s possible, that we don’t have to accept the status quo or do what’s always been done, and that if you have an idea for making things better, it’s worth pursuing. I hope that it helps people to see that there is a whole community of folks here to offer support, to be a sounding board, a cheerleader, or a helping hand in service of making the positive change that make education abroad better, more accessible, and more impactful.” 

MR: “I’m hoping this competition helps us become more comfortable with risk-taking—with institutions being willing to pilot new ideas that might not always work out...or that might lead to huge leaps forward. This year's finalists are tackling real problems: smart technology that gives overstretched teams their time back, programming that expands access, and support that helps all students belong. Imagine if our entire field became willing to take more risks and surround these innovators with the support they need to succeed. That's the culture shift I'm hoping for.” 

What advice would you offer to future applicants or mentors who might want to participate in next year’s competition? 
 
AS: “For future applicants–don’t feel like you have to have a perfectly pitchable idea to submit. If you believe that what you want to do will benefit someone in international education—students, practitioners, faculty members, membership organizations--then shoot your shot! Your idea will become more refined over time and will improve with every pitch you make. And for future mentors–volunteer! This is such a cool way to have your finger on the pulse of ideas and be inspired by the ingenuity, creativity, and innovation of our wonderful colleagues.” 
 
Participants of The Forum’s Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, will vote to select the InnovateEA winner in real time at the Closing Celebration on Friday, March 13, 2026. Register now for Annual Conference 2026 if you haven’t already!