NAFSA's Board of Directors

Ahmad Ezzeddine, PhD, is the vice president for Academic Student Affairs and Global Engagement at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, Michigan, where he leads the university’s national, global, and corporate educational outreach programs. As the senior international officer, he is responsible...

Nancy Kidd is a sociologist who most recently served as executive director of the American Sociological Association for eight years. She spent the previous eight years serving as executive director of the National Communication Association. Earlier in her career, she worked as a program officer at...

Elena Anderson specializes in global workforce development, and her work as director of talent and culture at CET Academic Programs addresses global human resources; global mobility; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and duty of care, among other issues impacting global business operations. She...

Samantha Lu is the director of international student services in the International Students Scholars Office at Columbia University. Lu has worked in the field of international education for more than 22 years. She is an active member of NAFSA, serving in many roles both at regional (Region XII...

Joanna Regulska, PhD, vice provost and dean of global affairs and professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at the University of California-Davis, has for more than 30 years led large-scale programs that transform institutions, establish collaborative partnerships, and significantly...

Julie Sinclair is the associate director of the Office of International Studies in Education at Michigan State University (MSU). In this role, she works with the international engagement of the College of Education, including education abroad, curriculum internationalization, international...

Fanta Aw, PhD, currently serves as the executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, having previously held its presidency from 2013 to 2016. NAFSA is the world’s largest and most comprehensive international education association, with more than 10,000 members at more...

Shabeer Amirali currently serves as VP of enrollment management at D'Youville University, previously, he was the director of graduate admissions and enrollment management at the University of Louisville. He has a MBA degree in the area of management and leadership from Bradley University and a...

Stephen Appiah-Padi directs Bucknell University’s Office of Global & Off-Campus Education and leads its international education initiatives, including strategic planning and campus internationalization efforts. He is an active member of NAFSA, having served as chair of the Africa Member Interest...

Eylem Atakav, PhD, is a professor of film, gender and public engagement at the University of East Anglia where she teaches courses on women, Islam and media; and Middle Eastern media. She also serves as the associate dean - international for the faculty of arts and humanities. She is the recipient...

Jenny Bowen has been involved in international student advising for nearly 25 years at Indiana University, and she currently serves as the university's director of international student advising. Active in various NAFSA roles at the national and regional level for 20 years, including with the ACC...

Courtney Brown is the vice president of strategic impact and planning at the Lumina Foundation, the nation’s largest private foundation focused specifically on increasing U.S. citizens’ postsecondary success. As the foundation’s chief data and research officer, Brown oversees its efforts in the...

Tamara Cunningham has been a transformational leader in higher education for more than 20 years, with 13 years focused on global education. As the inaugural assistant vice chancellor of global initiatives at the University of California-San Diego, Tamara is the lead architect for the institution’s...

Samba Dieng is the Senior International Officer (SIO) and Executive Director of International Programs at Louisiana State University, where he leads global engagement initiatives. Prior to LSU, he served as Director of International Students and Scholars at several institutions. He is active in...

Katherine S. Hammett has more than 30 years in U.S. higher education, having held international education positions within student development and academic affairs at a number of institutions. She currently serves as senior director of the Center for Global Engagement at Rose-Hulman Institute of...

Amanda Kelso is Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at Duke University where she leads the Division of Experiential Education and serves as Executive Director of the Global Education Office. In an international education career spanning three decades, Kelso has extensive experience in...

Michael Pelletier is founding executive director of the Institute for Global Engagement at the University of Houston, supporting comprehensive international engagement. He served as a U.S. diplomat from 1987–2021, including as U.S. ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros. A graduate of Georgetown and...

Francis J. Ricciardone served as President of the American University in Cairo from 2016 to 2023. His US Foreign Service Career (1978-2014) included appointments under Presidents George W. Bush and Barak Obama as U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Turkey, and the Philippines, and as Chargé d’Affaires and...

Lawrence Schovanec, PhD, began his role as the 17th president of Texas Tech University in August 2016. He previously served as chair of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, interim university president, and, most recently, provost. During Schovanec’s...

Malaika Marable Serrano, PhD is the VP for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) at Guild and leads the integration of DEIB principles and best practices across the organization. Most recently, she was the inaugural Head of DEI at WorldStrides and has served in a number of leadership...