2019 AIEA Leadership Academy for New SIOs 

Aryn Baxter began working as the Executive Director of International Programs at the University of Idaho in January 2019. Previously, she was a faculty member and director of the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at Arizona State University. Aryn is a scholar-practitioner with a longstanding commitment to expanding access to transformative global learning opportunities. She holds a doctorate in Comparative and International Development Education from the University of Minnesota and has worked with study abroad programs in Rwanda, Tanzania and Haiti. She currently serves on the board of the Comparative and International Education Society and has presented her research on engaging underrepresented international students, higher education scholarship programs, and university partnerships at NAFSA, CIES and ASHE.

Gwen Burrows is Executive Director, International at the University of Toronto (U of T).  As part of the executive team of the Office of the Vice President International, she is responsible for strategy development and for leading the implementation of the International Strategic Plan.  Her portfolio includes deepening international research partnerships, brand building, as well as a focus on enhancing international student experience. Before joining U of T in August 2017, Gwen held various leadership roles at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), serving as Executive Director, Communications, Public Affairs and Advocacy (2013-17); Director of Strategic Projects at the Research Institute (2006-13); and Director of the SickKids Foundation National Grants Program (2000-2006). Gwen holds a Masters in Philosophy from Johns Hopkins and a BA from McGill University.

Paul Clark serves as Senior International Officer at West Texas A&M University where he previously held the positions of Coordinator of East Asian Studies and Coordinator of International Studies.  He is also a Professor of History and is a two-time Fulbright Research Fellow to Japan.  He has published widely on topics related to Japanese language policy, foreign policy, education policy and scandals.  He holds a doctorate in East Asian History from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jeff W. Cohen, PhD, currently serves as the Executive Director of the Office of Global Affairs and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Washington Tacoma. The Office of Global Affairs at UW Tacoma supports global learning through study abroad, international student and scholar services, and student fellowships and awards. In his capacity as Executive Director, Dr. Cohen also serves as the senior international officer at UW Tacoma. As a faculty member, he has (co)led study abroad programs to South Korea, The Netherlands, and Ireland/Northern Ireland. 

Claire Cox is the Deputy Head of the International Office at Griffith College.  As Deputy Head of the International Office, Claire is responsible for supporting the Director of the International Office in overseeing international marketing, recruitment and academic collaborations. She is an active member representing Griffith College in the following international higher education associations: EAIE: the European Association of International Education; Forum on Education Abroad; AIEA: Association of International Education Administrators, NAFSA: Association of International Educators. She holds a BA (Hons) in Applied Languages and an MSc in Management from Dublin City University.

Nishi Dhupa is Executive Director of the Einaudi Center and serves as Associate Vice Provost for International Affairs at Cornell University. Her work focuses on aligning infrastructure to support the international activities of faculty and students, enhancing support for international students, and improving student access to global experiences by addressing financial and informational barriers. She is also executive director of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, where she handles administrative oversight for the center and its eight area- and thematic-studies programs. Dhupa holds a bachelor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Nairobi and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.

Roberta Espinoza, Ph.D. serves as Vice Provost for Global-Local Initiatives and Professor of Sociology at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). As LMU’s inaugural Senior International Officer, her role is to facilitate collaborations and professional relationships among LMU faculty, staff, alumni, and other institutions on efforts related to comprehensive internalization (global) and strategic community engagement (local). She draws from 10+ years of professional experience in diverse higher education environments, including at a large, public Hispanic-Serving Institution (California State University, Fullerton) and at a small, highly selective private liberal arts college (Pitzer College). Dr. Espinoza received her B.A. from Pomona College and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Megan Gibbons is Coordinator of International Education for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.  In this capacity, she oversees the HEPC J-1 Consortium, the Global WV education abroad programs, and the statewide virtual exchange Collaborative Online International Learning program.  She is also a tenured Associate Professor of Spanish at Glenville State College. In addition to teaching language, literature and culture, she serves as Director of International Programs at Glenville State, focusing on virtual exchange and faculty-led study abroad. Dr. Gibbons received her Ph.D in Hispanic Language and Literature from Boston University. Her international experience includes time spent in Italy and Panama, as well as completing a master’s degree in Madrid and a Fulbright placement in Oviedo, Spain where she conducted research on COIL. 

Binbin Jiang is Executive Director of the Division of Global Affairs, Director of CIFAL Atlanta and professor of international education, leadership and research at Kennesaw State University. Dr. Jiang is an international scholar and leader with over 25 years of experience in teaching, research and administration in multiple international contexts. She presents frequently at national and international conferences on international education, diversity and leadership preparation. Her books include Transforming America (2011) and Transforming Education: Global Perspectives, Experiences and Implications (2013). She also served as the Editor-in-Chief of a peer-reviewed international journal New Waves: Educational Research and Development (2011-2014).

James (Jim) Lynch is Senior International Officer and Director of Institutional Effectiveness at the College of Coastal Georgia, where he leads global initiatives to advance campus internationalization. His institutional effectiveness portfolio has contributed significantly in helping build the academic infrastructure to provide access to global opportunities, intercultural collaboration, and international partnerships. Jim completed a Fulbright Scholarship Program in the United Kingdom that provided him with new perspectives on how to promote a diverse and global education for students through potential educational partnerships and student exchange opportunities. He holds an MFA from Columbia University in the City of New York and a doctorate from the College of William & Mary in Virginia. On a personal note, Jim grew up in Athens, Greece, and is fluent in modern Greek; he enjoys reading, writing, athletics, community service, and outdoor family activities in his spare time.

Jenifer Saffi has been the Vice-President and Head of the Internationalization Office at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), in Brazil, for the last two years. She is a Biochemistry Professor at UFCSPA, researching in the area of DNA repair and  cancer, and was the first coordinator of the Graduate Program in Biosciences. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and Post-Doc from the Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy, France.

Andrea Thomas is the Director of International Education at the State University of New York at Farmingdale State College where she builds strategic partnerships with international universities for global programs and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL).  A U.S. State Department Alumna, Andrea has worked in Southern Africa, South and Central America, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Andrea is the vice president of the Long Island chapter of Partners of the Americas and on the Board of Directors for One World United and Virtuous.  Currently, Andrea attends the Global Executive Doctor of Education program at the University of Southern California where she studies the impact of virtual exchange programs on building cultural intelligence and applying it to Educational Leadership and Administration.