Agile Leadership will support you in building productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders. There are three modules in the Inclusive Programs package:

  • Relationship Cultivation
  • Leadership
  • Communications

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About Relationship Cultivation

Proficiency in Relationship Cultivation for an international educator is about being able to nurture, build, and maintain constructive, reciprocal alliances with internal and external stakeholders. At the end of this relationship Cultivation module, you will be able to:

  • Articulate the importance of goal alignment and relationship building with internal and external stakeholders
  • Explore strategies for managing partnerships to advance common objectives and support program collaboration.
  • Understand cultural awareness as a tool for navigating the complexities of working with individuals form different cultural backgrounds.
  • Investigate etiquette, customs, and protocols to effectively engage with diverse stakeholders.

Meet Your Relationship Cultivation Guide

DuBois Jennings is the Director of Engagement in North America for Education New Zealand and has been in the field of international education for 12 years. He received an M.A in international education from the School for International Training (SIT) and has worked on university campuses and study abroad organizations. Prior to working for Education New Zealand, DuBois has worked on university campuses and for a study abroad organization where he was responsible for institutional partnerships in the northeast United States. With a training background focusing on academic and professional development, DuBois has been a panel participant and guest speaker at institutions across the northeast and mid-Atlantic as well as for international education organizations like NAFSA and Diversity Abroad. His passion and expertise are in developing ways to increase access to and better support for underrepresented students in education abroad.

About Leadership

Proficiency in Leadership for an international educator is about being able to contribute to superior results and performance across the enterprise as they advocate, educate, and innovate for the profession at all stages of their careers. At the end of this Leadership module, you will be able to:

  • Identify key leadership traits in international education, including soft skills, innovation, mentorship, and leading without formal authority.
  • Articulate how to create clear value propositions that align with institutional goals and address diverse stakeholder priorities effectively.
  • Explore strategies for coalition building in international education, focusing on strategies for fostering collaboration, overcoming challenges, and building trust across diverse stakeholders.

Meet Your Leadership Guide

Parinaz Zartoshty, EdD, is the Senior Director of Global Programs and Services at San Jose State University (SJSU). In her role, she serves as the Senior International Officer (SIO) and is charged with leading and facilitating the university’s comprehensive internationalization efforts through supporting international students academic and socio-cultural success, increasing global learning opportunities, facilitating faculty exchange, and other programming. She has served in volunteer positions with NAFSA, both at the national and regional levels, including Chair-Designate/Chair of NAFSA's Trainer Corps, Region XII's Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Representative, Region XII's conference team, and most recently, she is serving as the International Education Leadership representative as part of the 2025 Annual Conference Committee. Parinaz has presented multiple sessions and workshops, at both regional and national conferences. In 2021, she was the recipient of Region XII's outstanding international educator award. She was a participant in the Fulbright Japan IEA Seminar in June 2018 and the Fulbright IEA Seminar in France in October 2023.

About Communications

Proficiency in Communications for an international educator is about being able to cultivate productive stakeholder relationships and to demonstrate intercultural competence by communicating across cultures, both verbally and non-verbally. At the end of this Communications module, you will be able to:

  • Articulate the importance of developing intercultural competence through the use of effective verbal and non-verbal communication strategies.
  • Identify effective communication techniques for cultivating productive relationships with diverse stakeholders.
  • Examine approaches for adapting communication styles to meet the needs of culturally diverse audiences in various geographic and institutional contexts.
  • Analyze methods for building trust through clear, transparent communication that aligns with the goals of both internal and external audiences.

Meet Your Communications Guide

Guido De Wilde is a seasoned professional with over 20 years in International Student Affairs. At the University of Amsterdam since 2006, he leads global student experience initiatives. Holding an MSc in Communication Science, he is a licensed Erasmus Plus Coordinator and has completed diverse training, including vocational studies in goldsmithing. Inspired by a staff exchange at San Francisco State University, Guido collaborates internationally and organizes sessions for EAIE, NAFSA, and APAIE. He founded the UvA Cultural Exchange Ambassador Programme, which promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion, and won the Orange Carpet Award. Guido specializes in creating student communities and mobility programmes that build 21st-century skills, such as intercultural competence and experiential learning. Additionally, he is Vice-Chair of the ESN Amsterdam Supervisory Board and contributes to EU-funded projects like NICE, Digipass, and TICKET. Guido is also the Director of Global Learning of his own foundation called Cascade.