Happy International Education Week! In celebration of this week, where we recognize the value and impact of international education, I am honored to announce the results of the NAFSA annual election, which concluded at midnight on October 31, 2024. On November 4, 2024, Malaika Marable Serrano, Chair of NAFSA’s Governance Committee, reported the election results to the Board of Directors and the Leadership Development Committee. I am pleased to share that all nominees for national leadership positions have been duly elected by the membership at large. I extend my deepest appreciation to all NAFSA members who participated in this election by voting and nominating colleagues.
A special thank you to the dedicated volunteer member leaders on the Governance Committee and the Leadership Development Committee, who worked diligently throughout the year to identify and vet potential candidates in alignment with our bylaws. Their commitment to reviewing open positions, seeking nominations, and interviewing candidates ensures that our leadership slate represents a diversity of perspectives and skills.
Congratulations to all the 2025 elected leaders! We are grateful for your service in advancing the strategic plan and the work of the association over the coming years. I encourage all members to consider nominating a colleague or applying for a leadership position when the next call for nominations opens in May 2025.
Warm regards,
LaNitra Berger
NAFSA President and Chair of the Board of Directors
President and Chair of the Board of Directors, NAFSA Board of Directors
Ahmad Ezzeddine
Ahmad Ezzeddine is the senior vice provost for partnerships, workforce, and international initiatives at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, Michigan. Ahmad’s responsibilities include leadership and management of WSU’s academic and corporate educational outreach programs, workforce development initiatives, and off-campus programs. As WSU’s senior international officer, Ahmad leads the university’s global engagement, which includes oversight of all international university affiliations and partnerships and strategic and operational responsibility for the direction of international initiatives and activities. A member of NAFSA's Board of Directors since 2019, he’s currently serving as NAFSA’s vice president for scholarship and institutional strategy.
Vice President for Professional Development and Engagement, NAFSA Board of Directors
Samantha Lu
Samantha Lu is the director of the international student services at the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) at Columbia University. She is an active member of NAFSA and has served in many elected positions at regional and national levels as well as on the NAFSA Board of Directors. Samantha has worked in the field of international education for more than 24 years. Additionally, she has presented at numerous international and national conferences; served as a mentor, coach, trainer, facilitator, and presenter; and was an elected member of the United Nations Department of Public Information’s Nongovernmental Organization Executive Committee.
Members-at-Large, NAFSA Board of Directors, 2025–2027
Eylem Atakav
Eylem Atakav is associate pro vice chancellor for global engagement and professor of film, gender, and public engagement at the University of East Anglia. She has served as a mentor on the NAFSA Executive Internationalization Leadership e-Institute (2023–24) and chaired NAFSA's Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Knowledge Community. Eylem is a national teaching fellow and a principal fellow of Advance HE. She uses documentary filmmaking as form of activism for social and political change. Eylem is the author of Women and Turkish Cinema: Gender Politics, Cultural Identity and Representation and the director of Growing Up Married (2016), Lifeline (2020), and Left Behind (2023). She is recognized internationally for her work on Middle Eastern media and gender politics and for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Jennifer A. Bowen
Jenny Bowen serves as director of international student advising in the Office of International Services (OIS) at Indiana University-Bloomington. She has worked at OIS for more than 25 years. Jenny has been active in NAFSA, training and presenting at numerous conferences and serving in Region VI and national leadership roles, including as chair of the Regulatory Ombudsperson Subcommittee, chair of the SEVIS Policy and Practice Subcommittee, chair of the Knowledge Community for International Student and Scholar Services, member of the Leadership Development Committee, and chair of the Annual Conference Committee.
Tamara T. Cunningham
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 comprehensive strategic internationalization plan. She is completing a doctorate in educational leadership at St. Peter’s University, and her dissertation centers on the democratization of global learning for underrepresented populations. She earned a master’s in communications and information studies from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in English from New Jersey City University.
Katherine S. Hammett
Kathy Hammett has more than 30 years’ experience in U.S. higher education, having held international education positions within student development and academic affairs at numerous institutions. She currently serves as senior director of the Center for Global Engagement at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Kathy has held multiple regional and association-wide positions at NAFSA, including chair of Region VI, regional council coordinator, chair of the Subcommittee on Information Management, International Education Leadership Knowledge Community representative to the Annual Conference Committee, and member of the Membership Engagement Committee. She served as chair of the NAFSA 2020 Annual Conference & Expo, leading the transition to a virtual conference, and served on the NAFSA International Education Professional Competencies 2.0 Commission. Kathy received a Fulbright International Education Administrators Award to Japan and was selected to travel to Myanmar and Thailand as part of the U.S. Department of State Advisor’s Professional Partnership Program. She has a BA in international studies and an MS in college student personnel services, both from Miami University Ohio.
Amanda Toler Kelso
Amanda Toler Kelso is associate 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. Amanda has extensive experience in global program development, operations, and compliance; student well-being and crisis management; and higher education policy and strategy. She has held leadership positions on education-serving boards and in international education professional organizations at the state, regional, and national levels, serving as NAFSA’s Education Abroad Knowledge Community chair in 2016. Kelso holds a BA and MA in Spanish and a doctorate in higher education administration.
Michael Peter Pelletier
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 Columbia Universities, he is a board member of Amideast and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Diplomacy, the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and the Public Diplomacy Council of America.
Lawrence Schovanec
Lawrence Schovanec assumed the role of the 17th president of Texas Tech University in August 2016. Prior to this, he held positions as chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, interim university president, and provost. During his tenure as president, Texas Tech has been designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution, was reaffirmed as a Carnegie Foundation Research 1 institution, and opened a branch campus in San José, Costa Rica. In 2018, Texas Tech received the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization from NAFSA.
In all his administrative roles, Lawrence has emphasized the importance of student success, teaching excellence, and scholarship support. He received a doctorate in mathematics from Indiana University and has published primarily in the areas of biomechanical and physiological control systems and solid mechanics. He serves as board chair for the Texas International Education Association and was the recipient of the President’s Award at the 2021 National Diversity and Leadership Conference.
Chair-elect, Education Abroad Knowledge Community
Carolina Robinson
Carolina Robinson is the director of education abroad at the University of Alabama, overseeing strategic and operational aspects of the department with a focus on faculty-led programs. With more than 15 years in international education, she excels in strategic partnerships, program development, risk management, and integration of new technologies to create more effective and forward-thinking operational strategies. Carolina is active on national study abroad boards and previously served as the development coordinator for NAFSA Region VII. A Colombian native, she holds degrees from Clemson University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Alabama.
Chair-elect, International Education Leadership Knowledge Community
Chad Hoseth
Chad Hoseth is the assistant vice provost for international affairs at Colorado State University (CSU), where he helps shape and advance the university’s internationalization strategy. He focuses on building impactful global partnerships; expanding international opportunities for students, faculty, and staff; and leading units across CSU’s International Programs team. Chad earned an MA in international affairs from the George Washington University, is pursuing a PhD in higher education leadership from CSU, and is a Fulbright scholar (Korea). Chad joined NAFSA in 2007 and has been actively involved in NAFSA’s International Education Leadership Knowledge Community.
Chair-elect, International Enrollment Management Knowledge Community
Sean Cochran
Sean Cochran is director of international enrollment management at California State University-Long Beach, strategically managing the university's international recruitment efforts, global agent network, and international admissions. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Concordia University Irvine and an MA in linguistics from California State University-Fullerton. Sean is a proud "NAFSAn" and is always eager to volunteer and participate in the association's many professional development opportunities.
Chair-elect, International Student and Scholar Services Knowledge Community
Matthew Loehrer
Matthew Loehrer holds a master’s degree in international education with a specialization in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and a BA in History. He currently works at the University of California-San Francisco as lead immigration adviser. Matthew has served on the Region XII leadership team as both regulatory ombud and regional liaison for the Knowledge Community for International Student and Scholar Services and is currently a member of the Regulatory Sessions Working Group. He has also been a member of Trainer Corps since 2020 and has presented a number of times at both regional and national NAFSA conferences.
Chair-elect, Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Knowledge Community
Dilnoza Khasilova
Dilnoza Khasilova is a scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)/assessment specialist at the Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Wyoming (UW). With more than20 years’ experience in international education, she founded the World Language and Culture Program and Wyoglobal Alumni Initiative at UW. As a SoTL scholar and practitioner, Dilnoza has published articles, developed courses, and conducted research and workshops locally and globally. Her research focuses on SoTL, qualitative methodology, intercultural learning, adult learning, global partnerships, and program assessments. Her work is dedicated to supporting and enhancing the academic experience for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and emerging professionals. As a former international alumna of UW, Dilnoza brings authentic insights to her roles, contributing to international education advancements.
Chair-elect, Leadership Development Committee
Roopa Rawjee
Roopa Rawjee is executive director of the Office of International Engagement and senior international officer at Illinois State University (ISU). Prior to becoming responsible for all internationalization efforts at ISU, she served as primary designated school official (PDSO), responsible officer (RO), and assistant dean of students in different states. She has also taught high school English and social studies in India and English as a second language to international students in the United States. Roopa has served NAFSA as a member of the Leadership Development Committee and Trainer Corps, coach and chair of the NAFSA Academy for International Education, and inaugural mentor for the RISE Fellowship recipients.
Chair-elect, Member Engagement Committee
Maki Natori
Maki Natori is currently director of strategic partnerships and partnerships at the International Student Initiative at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She serves on NAFSA's Member Engagement Committee as a member-at-large and started her NAFSA volunteer journey as the British Columbia representative with NAFSA Region I, followed by her time on the Canada Member Interest Group committee. She enjoys being an active member of NAFSA and the international education community, as she believes in the positive impact of higher education on the individual level and for society as a whole. Maki holds a bachelor of commerce from UBC and is currently earning her master of education from the same institution.