NAFSA's Board of Directors

LaNitra Berger, PhD, is the Associate Professor of Art History and Director of African and African American Studies at George Mason University (GMU). She has helped students secure more than 60 prestigious fellowships such as the Fulbright, Boren, Gilman, Truman, Udall, and Critical Language...

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...

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...

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...

Shinn Ko serves as Assistant Vice Provost of international student and scholar services, global strategy, & initiatives at Emory University. She has presented numerous sessions and workshops at conferences and seminars. She has also held various national and regional leadership positions within...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Fernando León-García, PhD, has been president of CETYS University since 2010, leading the institution to accreditation in the United States (WASC, ACBSP, ABET) and to one of the most internationalized universities in Mexico. Prior, he served as chancellor of City University of Seattle’s...

Heather Barclay Hamir, PhD, is president and CEO of the Institute for Study Abroad. Hamir has worked in international education for 2 decades at both public and private universities. Over her career, she has focused on inclusion in study abroad and enhancing the quality of the educational experience...

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...

Ann Mason has more than 20 years’ experience in international education, higher education administration, and U.S.-Latin American academic cooperation. Mason currently directs her own international higher education consulting firm, Mason Education Group, based in Bogotá, Colombia. Her previous...

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...

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...