Dr. Carolyn J. Stefanco
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Dr. Jenifer CushmanPresident of University of Maine at Augusta since July 2023, Jenifer Cushman earned her PhD in German from Ohio State in 1996, and then taught English in Russia and Poland, first with the Peace Corps and then privately.
Cushman first engaged with international education administration through the University of Minnesota study abroad curriculum integration effort, as assistant then associate professor of German at the University of Minnesota, Morris 1998-2005. After serving as director of off-campus study at the College of Wooster 2005-2007, Cushman was dean of international education at NAFSA Simon Award-winning Juniata College 2007-2014 and chaired the 2014 Simon committee. AIEA Presidential fellow in 2009-2010, American Council on Education fellow in 2010-2011, and member of the AIEA executive board 2013 to 2016, she was president of AIEA in 2015. Cushman served as campus dean at Ohio University Zanesville 2014-2016 and chancellor of Penn State Beaver 2016-2023; during that time she participated in the Harvard Institute for Education Management summer 2014 and the Harvard New Presidents Seminar summer 2024. Throughout her career, Cushman has participated in Fulbright Seminars to Eastern Europe, India, and France; she also contributed to the 2013 NAFSA publication "Improving and Assessing Global Learning” and the 2016 “Internationalizing the Undergraduate Psychology Curriculum: Practical Lessons Learned At Home and Abroad.” Founder of Penn State’s Experiential Digital Global Engagement (EDGE) program, she has interacted with Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) since 2011 and is a board member of the COIL Virtual Exchange Foundation. |
Dr. Margee EnsignDr. Margee Ensign is President, American University in Bulgaria. She was previously Vice Chancellor of the United States International University—Africa after an extensive international search. She came to USIU having been the President (Vice-Chancellor) of both a very old and distinguished university in the United States—Dickinson College—and a very new and pioneering African one—The American University of Nigeria.
A native of California, Prof. Ensign earned her BA from New College in Florida and her Ph.D. in Economics and Politics from the University of Maryland, with a dissertation in Artificial Intelligence and Economics. Her distinguished career as both a teacher and an academic administrator has taken her to Columbia University, Georgetown University, Tulane University, and the University of the Pacific where she was Dean of the School of International Studies and Associate Provost prior to taking up her first university presidency. In all these programs, she was able to pursue her interests in development, global and international education, and community development. The author of six books, she has worked as a consultant for several African governments, testified before the US Congress, has appeared on CNN and the BBC, is widely published in both academic journals as well as the popular press, and is frequently called upon to speak at international conferences. She has received honorary degrees from the American University of Paris and New College in the U.S. Professor Ensign was particularly drawn to USIU by its international character, its leadership role in African education, and its exceptional quality and promise. She considers her greatest challenges to have been dealing with the refugee and educational crisis in NE Nigeria following the Boko Haram uprisings there, and with the Covid Pandemic crisis which necessitated the closing of Dickinson College and the rapid transition to on-line learning. In both cases, building bridges between the university and the local community proved essential, and she looks forward to building similar bridges in Nairobi. She believes that universities should be active and constructive member of their communities and nations. She loves to play squash, is a fierce opponent, and she takes enormous pride in her daughter, Katherine, who has just completed her PhD at the University of Massachusetts. |
Dr. Kyle FarmbryDr. Kyle Farmbry is an educational consultant and past president of Guilford College. Previously, he served as a professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University-Newark. From August 2013 to July 2019, he served as Dean of the Graduate School at Rutgers University-Newark.
In 2017-2018, Dr. Farmbry served as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow. In this role he worked with the Vice-Chancellor (President) of the University of Pretoria in South Africa and examined university- based innovation and the implementation of the University of Pretoria - Mamelodi Campus’ anchor institution strategy. In 2016 he served as a Fulbright Fellow examining European Union immigration policies -- with an emphasis on the challenges and management of the North African refugee movement and integration in the nation of Malta. In 2009, he served as a Fulbright New Century Scholar and engaged in research examining factors of youth entrepreneurial and civic engagement in South Africa. He is the author of four books: Administration and the Other: Explorations of Diversity and Marginalization in the Political Administrative State (2009); Crisis, Disaster, and Risk: Institutional Response and Emergence (2013), The War on Poverty: A Retrospective (2014); Migration and Xenophobia: A Three Country Exploration (2019). In early November 2021, he was inducted as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. In October 2024, he was elected to serve as a Trustee of The College Board. Dr. Farmbry received his BA, MPA, and Ph.D. degrees from The George Washington University. He completed his J.D. degree at the Rutgers University School of Law. |
Dr. Carl Jubran
Dr. Carl Jubran is founding President of the American College in Southern France (ACM-American College of the Mediterranean) in the city of Aix en Provence. ACM is a liberal arts college with campuses in France, Spain and Morocco.
From 2012-2016 he served as President of the Institute for American Universities, a study abroad college founded in 1957 by American diplomats in France. From 2001 to 2011 Dr. Jubran was a tenured professor in linguistics and Vice Provost at the University of San Diego where he led the university’s internationalization efforts. He holds two masters degrees in history and literature from New York University and the Sorbonne in Paris. He also holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of California, San Diego. He is fluent in Arabic, French Spanish and English. His research interests and publications include Mediterranean Studies, post colonial studies and the relationship between Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Dr. Jubran has worked extensively on several International Boards and organizations such as the World Affairs Council, NAFSA, the Forum and is currently the President of the AAICU (The Association of American International Colleges and Universities). |
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Dr. Leon-Garcia was President of the International Association of University President (IAUP) for 2021-2024. He has been President of CETYS University since 2010, leading the institution to institutional and program accreditation in the USA (WASC, ACBSP, ABET) and one of the most internationalized universities in Mexico. Prior to that, he served as Chancellor of City University of Seattle‘s International Division, with a presence across the Americas, Europe and Asia.
He currently serves or has served on national and international boards and/or advisory groups: Commission on Internationalization and Global Engagement of the American Council on Education, Council of Presidents of the Association of Governing Boards, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, NAFSA International Educators Association, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Mexican Federation of Private Universities, Mexican Association of Colleges and Universities, Santander Universidades-México, Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration and International Association of Universities. Dr. León-García holds a doctoral degree in Educational Administration and Policy Analysis and an M.A. in International Development Education from Stanford University, as well as a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from CETYS University. He has been named to the Top 300 Leaders in Mexico (Los 300) from 2019 to 2024. In addition, Dr. León García has received Honorary Doctorates from Vysoka Skola Financi a Spravni (Czech Republic), Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University (Romania), and Caucasus University (Georgia). |
Dr. Hilary Link
Hilary L. Link, Ph.D., is the 15th president of Drew University. Previously, she served as the first female President of Allegheny College — one of the nation’s oldest and most innovative four-year colleges where multidisciplinary learning breaks the conventional mold.
In more than 20 years of experience across a broad range of institutions of higher education, she’s energetically built programs with the faculty and increased resources, while providing students with a cross-disciplinary path for preparing students to think critically, communicate creatively and question everything. Recognized as a multidisciplinary scholar and globalist, she has served as Dean of Temple University Rome as well as Vice Provost at New York City’s Barnard College. A visionary, dynamic and entrepreneurial leader, President Link saw Allegheny College over the finish line to become one of the first 10 U.S. colleges to achieve carbon neutrality. She was a member of the Climate Leadership Steering Committee of Second Nature’s Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitment, signed by presidents of higher education institutions that are taking action on climate change and preparing students to solve the challenges of the 21st century. President Link is the recipient of a variety of honors, including selection to the Stanford University Associates, the Elizabeth Deering Hanscom Fellowship in the Humanities at Yale University, and the Pi Mu Iota Award for the highest achievement in the Italian Department at Stanford University. She served as a Presidential Fellow of the Association of International Education Administrators and was named Administrator of the Year by the Barnard College Student Government Association. President Link sits on the board of directors of Highmark Inc., one of America's leading health insurance organizations, and Kallion, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing better leadership through the study of the humanities. In addition, she served on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Honors Committee, which selects the recipients for several prestigious national awards presented at the annual NCAA Convention. President Link is a member of The International Women’s Forum, an invitation-only global network of C-level women leaders with a common mission of advancing women’s leadership and championing equality worldwide, and an inaugural member of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) Presidential Ambassadors Council. President Link earned a B.A. in Art History and Italian from Stanford University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Italian Language and Literature from Yale University. She and her husband have three sons, ages 19, 16 and 11. |
Dr. Lynn Pasquerella
Lynn Pasquerella was appointed president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities in 2016, after serving as the eighteenth president of Mount Holyoke College. She has held positions as Provost at the University of Hartford and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Rhode Island, where she taught for more than two decades.
A philosopher whose work has combined teaching and scholarship with local and global engagement, Pasquerella has written extensively on medical ethics, metaphysics, public policy, and the philosophy of law. Her most recent book, What We Value: Public Health, Social Justice, and Educating for Democracy, examines the role of higher education in addressing some of the most pressing contemporary issues at the intersection of ethics, law, and public policy. Pasquerella is a past president of the Phi Beta Kappa Society (2018-2021) and the host of Northeast Public Radio’s The Academic Minute. Pasquerella’s awards and honors include Phi Beta Kappa’s President’s Award and Judith Krug Medal; the William Rogers Award and Horace Mann Medal from Brown University; the STAR Scholars Network North Star Lifetime Achievement Award; Mary Baldwin University’s Algernon Sydney Sullivan Service to Humanity Award; the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences Advocacy Award; Quinebaug Valley Community College Champions Award; and the Mount Holyoke Alumni Association’s Elizabeth Topham Kennan Award. She holds honorary degrees from Elizabethtown College, Bishop’s University, the University of South Florida, the University of Hartford, the University of Rhode Island, Concordia College, Mount Holyoke College, Bay Path University, and St. Mary’s College and was named by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education as one of America’s top 35 women leaders. She serves on the boards of the Lingnan Foundation, the National Trust for the Humanities, the Coalition for the Common Good, and Handshake. |
Dr. Javier A. Reyes
Javier A. Reyes, PhD, became the 31st leader of the University of Massachusetts Amherst on July 1, 2023, following his selection as chancellor by the UMass Board of Trustees. He was formally inaugurated on April 26, 2024.
Reyes, an economist who has devoted his career to the cause of public higher education, has held leadership positions at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), West Virginia University, and the University of Arkansas. Prior to joining UMass Amherst, Reyes served as interim chancellor of UIC. Committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, during his tenure, Reyes outlined a bold vision to address critical gaps in racial equity across the institution, with a specific focus on increasing Black student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. Reyes has been a National Science Foundation proposal reviewer, invited lecturer, and visiting scholar at a number of institutions both domestically and internationally, including the Clinton School of Public Service and the International Monetary Fund. He has also served as an academic scholar in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, and as a research analyst for the investment firm Value Casa de Bolsa, headquartered in Mexico. He has served on the Board of Trustees and Directors for the Field Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Miller Industries (NYSE: MLR), and City Holding Company (NASDAQ: CHCO). He has also been involved at the national level with UPCEA, TIAA Diversity Council, and the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA). Reyes received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Estado de Mexico, in 1998, and his doctorate in economics from Texas A&M University in 2003. Born and raised in Mexico, he is the first Hispanic person to serve as chancellor of UMass Amherst. |
Dr. Suzanne M. Rivera
Dr. Suzanne Rivera is the 17th President of Macalester College. She also is a Professor of Public Affairs, and her scholarship focuses on research ethics and science policy. She is engaged in numerous professional leadership roles nationally, including serving on the board of AAC&U and as an elected Member-at-large of AAAS’ Social, Economic, and Political Sciences section. She also is involved in a number of civic organizations, including as a board member for College Possible and the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Previously, Rivera was an appointed member of the EPA’s Human Studies Review Board and the DHHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections. Before arriving at Macalester, Rivera worked at Case Western Reserve University, UT Southwestern, and UC-Irvine. She received a BA in American Civilization from Brown University, an MSW from UC-Berkeley, and a PhD in Public Affairs (health policy emphasis) from the University of Texas at Dallas. She and her spouse, Dr. Michael Householder, have two adult children. |
Dr. Ben Vinson III
Ben Vinson III, PhD, a distinguished historian, began serving as the 18th president of Howard University on September 1, 2023. An accomplished visionary leader, President Vinson guides the institution’s direction as a comprehensive, research university consisting of 14 schools and colleges; 13,000 students; 2,900 staff; and 1,200 faculty. He also serves as a tenured professor of history in the University’s College of Arts and Sciences. Prior to accepting the presidency at Howard, Dr. Vinson served as provost and executive vice president of Case Western Reserve University from 2018-2023. During his tenure, Dr. Vinson led the University’s “Think Big” strategic planning initiative, which received national recognition for an innovative and inclusive planningprocess. He was also co-principal investigator of the Humanities in Leadership Learning Series(HILLS) program, funded by a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to promote leadershipdevelopment and diversity in the humanities.
Dr. Vinson’s scholarly work centers on the African diaspora with a focus on Latin America history and culture. His latest book project, Frank Etheridge: Jazz Age Musician of the African Diaspora, which he co-edited, chronicles Etheridge’s experience playing in interracial orchestras and for mixed audiences while traveling abroad during America’s Jim Crow era. As a historian and author on Latin America, he is a recipient of the 2019 Howard F. Cline Book Prize in Mexican History for his book, “Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico,”(2018). He has also co-authored and served as an editor of numerous other publications and journals. Dr. Vinson’s prior executive administrative appoints also include serving as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at George Washington University (2013 – 2018); Director of the International Studies Program at Johns Hopkins University (2012-2013); Vice-Dean for Centers, Interdisciplinary Programs and Graduate Education at Johns Hopkins University (2010-2013); and Director/Founding Director of the Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University (2006-2010). He began his academic career at Barnard College in the Department of History and has since served as a faculty member at Penn State University, Johns Hopkins University, and George Washington University. He received a bachelor's degree with honors as a double major in history and classical studies from Dartmouth College and a Master of Arts, Master of Philosophy, and Ph.D., in Latin American history, with distinction, from Columbia University. Dr. Vinson is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Antiquarian Society. He is also president-elect of the American Historical Association. He serves on the Boards of the American Council of Education Board, Fulbright Scholar Advisory Board,National Humanities Alliance, National Humanities Center, Middle States Committee Review Panel for the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras (Chair), Council of Library and Information Resources Board of Directors, Dartmouth College, Guarini School for Graduate and Advanced Studies, Advisory Board. President Vinson is married to Yolanda Fortenberry, Ph.D. They are the proud parents of daughter Allyson and sons Ben and Brandon. |