Meet the Team
Region XII Mission
Region XII, in accordance with the governing documents of NAFSA and, until properly amended, consists of California, Hawaii, Nevada and the U.S. Pacific Islands. The mission of Region XII is to advance NAFSA's mission and Strategic Plan within Region XII while responding to the needs of its members. Region XII leadership strives to reach these goals by: providing a robust calendar of professional development activities across the different NAFSA Knowledge Communities; fostering a leadership pipeline within the Region; administering various grants to encourage professional development; supporting the activities of the Districts within the Region; planning, developing, and hosting the annual Region XII Conference; and ensuring the Region’s financial health through fiscally-responsible decision making at all times.
Region XII Team
Sharon Ericsson
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University of California, Davis
Chair, Region XII
Sharon Ericsson is an International Student Advisor (DSO/ARO) at University of California Davis Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS). In addition to advising students on maintaining their status and work authorization, she builds successful collaborations and assists with the...
Anna McCreedy, MA
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Berkeley International Office
Conference Co-Chair, Region XII Northern District
Anna McCreedy, MA, works at the Berkeley International Office at UC Berkeley, where she is an International Student Adviser and the Programming Lead for the office. She is also actively involved in volunteering in the local international education community, acting as the Chair for the NAFSA...
Nusha Shishegar
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Glendale Community College
Past Chair, Region XII
Nusha Shishegar began her international student services career at UC Irvine Extension in 2001. She has previously held positions as P/DSO and/or A/RO at Claremont Graduate University, CSU San Bernardino’s College of Extended Learning, and Keck Graduate Institute. In 2019, she assumed her present...
Ashley Arvanites
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UCEAP
Treasurer, Region XII
Ashley is an Operations Specialist at the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) and works with programs in Canada, China, Spain, and Taiwan. She graduated from UC San Diego and began her international education career teaching English in Chang Mai, Thailand. After she returned, she was an ESL...
Jenny Hanner
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Los Angeles Film School
Conference Planner, Region XII
Jenny Hanner is currently an International Relations Administrator, DSO at The Los Angeles Film School. With a Bachelor's degree in Communications from UC San Diego and a Master's degree in International Education from School of International Training, she has been volunteering for NAFSA conferences...
Katie McClure
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UC Berkeley
Communications Coordinator, Region XII
Katie McClure serves as an International Scholar Advisor at UC Berkeley where she supports academic departments, international scholars, and their families navigate the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program. She has a MS in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University and previously has held...
Lena Zadorozhna
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Conference Registrar (2024 Conference), Region XII Northern California District
Lena Zadorozhna (she/her/hers) is an International Student Intake Advisor (DSO/ARO) at University of California, Davis' Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS). Lena has been working in the field of international education for over seven years now, following five years working in the...
Mary Alurwar
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University of California, Davis
Conference Apprentice, Region XII
Mary has been in the field of International Education for over 10 years and hold an MA in TESOL/ Linguistics from SIUE. Since 2014, she has been working for the University of California, Davis initially as an international student advisor focusing on F-1 and J-1 student employment and other student...
Raelyn Alvarez
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Mt. San Antonio College
2025 Regional Treasurers Cohort Coach; Development Coordinator, Region XII
Raelyn Alvarez works on the Administrative side of International Education at Mt. San Antonio College. Raelyn has been involved with NAFSA and international education for over 5 years. Raelyn has worked in community college for over 10 years and has experience in budget management, recruitment, and...
Liz King
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University of Southern California
Education and Training Coordinator, Region XII
Liz is the Senior Visa Specialist with USC’s Faculty/Staff Visa Services where she supports hiring units with employment sponsorship and permanent residency processing. Prior to joining USC in 2017, Liz spent three years as an employment-based immigration paralegal, and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA...
Jessica Fareri
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UC Davis
Northern District Chair, Region XII
Jess Fareri has served on the NAFSA Region XII Northern District team since January 2023 starting as the Conference Logistics Chair. She works at UC Davis’s Global Learning Hub as an Intercultural and Experiential Programs Coordinator, focusing on intercultural programming for graduate students and...
Kathy Guillen Quispe
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Pomona College
Southern District Chair, Region XII
Kathy has worked with international students since 2016. She is currently the Assistant Director of International Student & Scholar Services at Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she has worked since 2021 where she serves as their PDSO and RO. Kathy gives back to her colleagues in...
Aya Hara-Joesting
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Leeward Community College
Hawaii & Pacific Islands District Chair, Region XII
Aya Hara-Joesting is the Interim Program Manager of the Office of International Programs and a lecturer at Leeward Community College - University of Hawaii Community Colleges. Aya has been in the field of International Education for almost 20 years. She currently serves as a Two-year College...
Adilia Ross
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University of Nevada, Reno
Nevada State Representative, Region XII
Adilia Ross is an Assistant Director at the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) at the University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada). She started working at OISS in June 1999 while pursuing a bachelor's degree in Biology at Nevada. Upon completing her degree, while still working at OISS, she...
Kerry Gonzales
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Whittier College
KC Education Abroad, Region XII
Kerry Gonzales is the Assistant Director of the Office of International Programs at Whittier College, where she is responsible for International Student Services and Faculty-Led programs. She holds a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis on College Student Affairs from Azusa Pacific...
Violet R. Ket
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California Institute of Advanced Management
KC Rep IEM, Region XII
Violet is a seasoned international education leader with extensive experience across multiple institutions of various sizes and academic profiles. As a former international student, she is very familiar with the challenges foreigners face when arriving to America and aims to help students and...
Hiromi Mei Cooley
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UC Law San Francisco
KC Rep ISSS, Region XII
Hiromi “Mei” Cooley is the Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (UC Law SF), formerly known as UC Hastings. She handles all visa-related matters for international scholars and students as the PDSO and the RO of UC Law SF, and she...
Bernie Wolfsdorf
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WR Immigration
Postdoc Representative, Region XII
Bernie Wolfsdorf is state bar of California Board Certified Specialist in immigration law and the managing partner of WR Immigration with ten offices throughout the U.S.. The firm specializes in providing high touch services to universities, research institutions, multinational companies, as well as...
Patrick Agullana
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University of Hawai'i at Manoa
KC Rep TLS & KC Rep IEL, Region XII
Patrick Agullana is the Academic Advisor and Coordinator for the Department of Second Language Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. With over 19 years of teaching and experience, Patrick has taught internationally in Japan for 10 years. After returning home to Hawai‘i, Patrick has had...
Daniel Yoder
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California Institute of Technology
Advocacy Rep, Region XII
Daniel is the International Student Advisor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). His career in international education has included teaching high school in Japan, advising sponsored students for a Saudi Arabian oil company, and managing international student and scholar services for...
Matthew Williams
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University of Southern California
Advocacy Apprentice, Region XII
Matthew serves as a senior international student advisor (DSO/ARO) at the University of Southern California. His journey in international education began while he was still a student at Loyola Marymount University, where in 2016 he was hired into the role of student manger at the Office for...
Chikako Walker
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San Mateo Community College District
Community Colleges Representative, Region XII
Chikako Walker is the Acting Director of International Education for the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD). In this role, she works closely with the international education teams at all three colleges on key areas such as student recruitment, admissions, support services and...