Region XII Team
The following NAFSA members have volunteered their time, support, and expertise to serve on the current Region XII Team. Please feel free to contact them for assistance.
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Nusha Shishegar
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Glendale Community College
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...
Sharon Ericsson
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University of California, Davis
Chair Elect, 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...
Christina Delgado
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Irvine Valley College
Past Chair, Region XII
Christina Delgado is the Director, International Student Program at Irvine Valley College and is the Chair for Region XII. Christina has been involved with NAFSA on both the Region and District level throughout her career. Most recently she served as the Community College Rep (2018-2019) and the...
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...
Erik Williams
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UC Santa Barbara
Conference Planner, Region XII
Erik is currently the Assistant Director of the Office of International Students & Scholars at UC Santa Barbara. Erik oversees the international student services team and provides advising to F-1 and J-1 students as well as H-1B scholars. His international education career spans 14 years...
Katherine "Katie" McClure
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UC Berkeley
Secretary, 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...
Victoria Hudak
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San Jose State University
Communications Coordinator, Region XII
Victoria Hudak currently serves as an International Student Advisor at San Jose State University, and now serves as the Communications Coordinator for Region XII. Victoria has worked in international education for 10 years, in positions ranging from ESL teacher to coordinating international programs...
Jenny Hanner
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Los Angeles Film School
Conference Apprentice, Region XII & IEM KC Representative, Region XII Southern District
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...
Raelyn Alvarez
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Mt. San Antonio College
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...
Kerry Gonzales
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Whittier College
Mentorship & Membership, 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...
Denise Folga
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Loyola Marymount University
Education and Training Coordinator, Region XII
Denise Folga is the Director of the Office for International Students & Scholars at Loyola Marymount University and has worked in the field of international education for more than 25 years. Denise has been involved with NAFSA on the National, Region and District level throughout her career. Most...
Sarah Brockmeyer
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Santa Clara University
District Rep & Chair (Northern California), Region XII
Sarah Brockmeyer manages the Center for Global Law & Policy at Santa Clara University School of Law. In this position she is responsible for overseeing the law school's global offerings, including the largest JD study abroad program in the world, expansive international visiting student and scholar...
LaSharon McLean Perez
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University of California, Riverside
Region XII Southern District Chair
LaSharon McLean Perez is the Assistant Director for of Education Abroad at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). She has been at the forefront of international education, providing service not only to the university and the students, but actively involved in the community and international...
Aster Yehdego
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College of Southern Nevada
Nevada District Chair, Region XII
Aster Yehdego is the Assistant Director of the International Center at the College of Southern Nevada and has worked in ISSS/Higher Education for over 25 years. She is primarily responsible for overseeing the F-1 immigration regulation matters and federal reporting requirements and counseling and...
Jennifer Ontai
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University of Hawai‘i System
Chair, Hawaii & Pacific Islands District, Region XII
Jennifer N.M. Ontai is an Operations Specialist in the Office of the Associate Vice President for Academic Programs and Policy at the University of Hawai'i. A graduate of Penn State University (BA in French and History) and the University of Hawai'i at MÄnoa (MA in French), she is responsible for...
Kathy Tran
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University of Hawai'i at Manoa
KC Education Abroad, Region XII
Kathy Tran is the Outbound Advisor and Exchange Specialist for the Manoa International Exchange program at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. She is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the outbound exchange process for all UHM students.
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...
Mary Alurwar
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University of California, Davis
KC Rep ISSS, 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...
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...
Randeep Kullar
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CEA CAPA Education Abroad
Advocacy Rep, Region XII & Sponsorship Representative, Northern California District
Randeep is a higher education professional and more specifically a Career Counselor and International Educator. In her current role, Randeep serves as Institutional Relations Manager at CAPA. Prior to this, Randeep spent the first part of her professional career developing global internship programs...
Daniel Yoder
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California Institute of Technology
Advocacy Apprentice, 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...
Holly Masako Nigorizawa
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UC San Francisco
Postdoc Rep, Region XII
Holly Nigorizawa is the International Programs Director of Career Advancement, International and Postdoctoral Services (CAIPS) at UC San Francisco. She develops policies and procedures for international employees in collaboration with HR and maintains strategic campus partnerships to advocate on...
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...
Niko Garbacz
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K-12 Representative, Region XII
Niko Garbacz has worked as a program administrator, teacher and teacher educator for over 20 years, supporting teachers and admin in K-12 and adult education in the U.S., Timor-Leste, and Germany. He holds a joint MPA/MA in Int. Ed. Mgmt. from the Middlebury Institute, focusing on Intercultural...