​Request a Forum expert to present at your organization!

Forum staff have extensive experience in education abroad and related fields, and knowledge of the latest trends.
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To request a presentation or research briefing complete this form. 

Patricia (Pato) Lin-Steadman, Ed.D.

​ Pato has worked in international education across three different institutions and taught university courses in cultural adjustment and ESL. She completed her Master’s in International Studies, and her doctoral dissertation focused on evaluating changes in several factors of intercultural attitudes and awareness among students who studied abroad, providing valuable insights into factors which promote optimal outcomes for student experiences before, during, and after their foreign study.
 
In her professional work, Pato’s portfolio has included developing focused trainings for higher education staff who work with foreign students, facilitating study abroad opportunities for students, boosting overall campus internationalization, and directing intercultural exchange programs.  
 
Most recently, Pato worked at Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) as the Associate Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Through this role, she built valuable relationships with higher education leaders across the country, and she led a diverse portfolio of educational programs and initiatives.
 
Pato holds a B.S. in Elementary Education, an M.A. in International Studies, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. She speaks fluent English, Spanish, and Chinese.​

​AMELIA DIETRICH, PH.D.

​Areas of expertise: 

• Developing and refining research questions and methodologies for forward-thinking education abroad research 
• Coaching for manuscript proposal, development, and editing 
• Collaboration on research and/or capacity-building efforts and grant applications 
• Quality Improvement driven by the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad  
• Implementation of Forum Guidelines and resources.

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​Amelia believes in asking interesting questions and finding creative ways to arrive at solutions. She brings this passion to brainstorming sessions and coaching conversations, as well in workshops and professional development activities she facilitates. Serving as a thought partner and cheerleader, she is committed to helping institutions, organizations, and individuals engage in data collection, research, and scholarship with practical applications that move the field of education abroad into the future. As the leader of The Forum’s Research and Publication efforts, she has been an integral part of the selection, development, and publication of a variety of academic and professional publications in our field, in addition to her own record of published scholarly and academic works.

​ELIZABETH FROHLICH, PH.D.

​Areas of expertise: 

• Advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through Education Abroad 
• Quality Improvement driven by the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad 
• Implementation of Forum Guidelines and resources

​Elizabeth is committed to helping organizations leverage Forum resources to achieve their goals. She has worked with over 50 Forum members on quality improvement initiatives designed to establish a culture of excellence and a framework for continuous improvement, grounded in the Standards of Good Practice. She leads The Forum’s sustainability efforts, and is excited to work with clients to make their programs more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable.  

​MARISSA LOMBARDI, ED.D.

​Areas of expertise: 

• Intercultural learning assessment 
• Internationalization of the curriculum  
• Supporting Non-traditional Students 
• Faculty Led Program Design

ANNETTE MARES-DURAN, MA

Areas of expertise:

• Getting the most out of Forum Membership/Suggesting learning pathways and resources.
• Creating structures and processes for short-term international programs from start to finish
  • Selecting international partners
  • Program planning/proposals
  • Budgeting 
  • Program marketing and recruitment
  • Student advisement strategies
  • Health & Safety and student preparation (before, during, and after the program)
  • Student return and transition
• Faculty recruitment, retention, and training
• Stakeholder buy in (upper administration, department chairs, deans, etc.)
• Relationship building strategies
• Quality Improvement of short-term programs driven by the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad

Annette believes that Education Abroad is all about the relationships and understands that those relationships start with you, the members and EA professionals.  She supports institutions, organizations, and individuals in getting the most out of Forum membership by listening to needs and suggesting learning pathways and resources. She can talk to you and your team about all things Forum!
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Annette has extensive experience as an education abroad administrator for Faculty-Led and short-term programs and has led groups to Ecuador and Peru. Serving as an enthusiastic and motivating partner, Annette is committed sharing how The Standards of Good Practice in Education Abroad and resources can support program planning, design, and assessment.
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MARY PRICE, PH.D. 

Areas of Expertise: 

• Academic Unit Visioning and Strategic Planning 
• Faculty engagement strategy development 
• Integrating and scaffolding civic and global learning agendas [dept/school/institutional level] 
• Community Based Global Learning/Global Service Learning 
• Education Abroad as quality experiential education and HIPs 
• Academic-Community Partnership Assessment and Evaluation Capacity Building 
• Coaching and Mentoring Strategies to advance faculty equity and success in education abroad  
• Making the shift from to educator-scholar  
• Documenting education abroad in your dossier to best effect  
• Architecture of Full Participation – Supporting Program and Community Partners as Co-Educators in Student Success.

Mary works with scholar-practitioners, students and community members as a thought partner and critical friend to strengthen practice, deepen learning and co-create actionable knowledge through intentional and equitable community-academic partnerships. She has over 20 years consulting experience working with faculty, academic units, and service units to integrate and assess high impact educational practices including: service-learning, study abroad, learning communities and faculty-mentored undergraduate research. She also brings expertise on strategies to strengthen department climates to improve the design and outcomes of education abroad programs for all involved and works with education abroad leaders to advocate locally for policies and practices designed to remove barriers to full participation and success for engaged scholar-practitioners.
 
Mary’s current scholarly interests emphasize the influence of community-academic partnership relationships on learning and community outcomes, the socialization and success of publicly-engaged faculty as part of campus equity, civic and student success agendas, and improving institutional climates for ethical and equitable community engagement locally and globally. 
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