The Nominations Committee of The Forum Council is pleased to announce the following slate of candidates for the six open positions in this year’s election:
- Devin Foxall, Director of Institutional Relations, The School for Field Studies
- Emily Gorlewski, Associate Director of Study Abroad, Wesleyan University
- Rob Hallworth, Vice President for Academic Administration, IES Abroad
- Hannah Hopkins Kilgore, CASA-Trinity Programme Director & Study Abroad Manager, Trinity College Dublin
- Kyle Rausch, Director of Education Abroad, Purdue University Northwest
- Craig Rinker, Director, Office of Global Education, Georgetown University
- Bianca Schonberg, Executive Director, Education Abroad and Scholar Services, University of Houston-Clear Lake
- Bianca N. Sylvain, Study Abroad Advisor, The State University of New York at New Paltz
Institutional Representatives from Forum member institutions and organizations have received an email with voting information (please check your spam/junk folders!). If you are an Institutional Representative and you did not receive the email ballot, please contact us at info@forumea.org.
The deadline to vote in the 2020 election is 5 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, May 22.
Devin Foxall, Director of Institutional Relations, The School for Field Studies
Devin Foxall’s primary interest is developing economic strategies to help the Education Abroad field remain financially sustainable during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we face an existential threat, Devin believes the Forum has a unique opportunity to research, develop, and disseminate the data-driven tools and resources that members need to continue their missions.
Devin works for The School for Field Studies, an environmental study abroad organization, and has experience using data to address real world issues. With Mercy Corps in Niger, he developed economic toolkits for reducing famine caused by climate change. He served on the Forum’s Data Committee, the HBCU Working Group, and presented at the 2018 and 2019 Forum conferences. Most recently, he discussed the economics of carbon offsets for the Forum’s “Greening Your Education Abroad Programs” webinar. He holds a Master’s in International Economics from Johns Hopkins and an English degree from Dartmouth College.
Devin would bring to the Council a diverse background of experience. He spent several years traveling across the globe, setting foot in 40 countries on five continents, and writing about young people living in conflict and post-conflict countries such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iran, Laos, Rwanda, and Somalia. As he wrote in his book, this showed him the value of traveling and meeting people beyond his imagination. He returned to Afghanistan to serve an NGO operating schools for girls in Kabul. This taught him the value of education, why it is precious, and that there is joy in giving something back.
Emily Gorlewski, Associate Director of Study Abroad, Wesleyan University
Emily Gorlewski, Ed.D., is the Associate Director of Study Abroad at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Emily would be honored to be a part of the Forum Council as it promotes the new Standards, engages in strategic planning, and grounds the conversation on the future of education abroad. As a member of a two-person office, she enjoys interacting with colleagues from other organizations and having space to reflect on trends and best practices in the field. She has done this as a leader in the state, regional, and national NAFSA organizations, and most recently as Chair of The Forum’s Standards Update Working Group. She has been in the field for fifteen years and earned a Master of Science and Doctor of Education degree along the way.
As Chair of the Standards Update Working Group, Emily is intimately familiar with the recently released 6th Edition of the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad. As a member of the Forum Council, she would have the opportunity to introduce the Standards more broadly and help promote their adoption and use throughout the field. The updates to this edition were perhaps more significant than those of previous editions in terms of the form and structure, and the first professionals to see them had many questions. Ultimately, the updates were right and necessary, but it can be challenging to see an important document appear so different from what it was before.
The Forum will be soon be undergoing a strategic planning process. As a member of the Forum Council, Emily would be honored to participate or assist with this. She has been involved with strategic planning in various ways in the past and enjoys the process of thinking about what an organization is really about and tying everything back to the mission. Ideally a strategic plan inspires staff and volunteer leaders, providing the backbone for why they do the work they do. Thinking about why we work in education abroad is crucial at this time in history. As we deal with the devastating COVID-19 crisis, global and intercultural learning are still essential. The Forum, its staff, and its volunteer leaders will have an enormous role in promoting and preserving them in higher education.
Emily brings diverse experience, which helps her to understand and identify with many different Forum constituents. She knows what it is like to work at a small, private, liberal-arts university, as well as a regional state university and an R2 doctoral university. This brings different perspectives on financial aid, athletics, housing, campus culture, equity and inclusion, etc., all of which are germane to education abroad. She has also worked, studied, and/or lived in the Midwest, West, and Northeast, as well as in urban, suburban, and rural areas of the U.S.
One of Emily’s research interests has been the intersection between multicultural and intercultural education. For her dissertation, she interviewed multicultural student affairs professionals about their engagement in internationalization. Since equity, diversity, and inclusion and internationalization are values which, according to their proponents, should be infused throughout an institution, it is useful for The Forum to think about ways to internationalize multicultural education and build equity, diversity, and inclusion into international education. Some great work has already been done in this direction, and Emily would be happy to continue this as part of the Forum Council.
Rob Hallworth, Vice President for Academic Administration, IES Abroad
The mission of the Forum on Education Abroad has been a guiding principle throughout my career and I greatly appreciate the opportunities the Forum affords to the field of international education. Over more than two decades, I have served the Forum in a variety of roles. I am currently a member of the Forum Council and am seeking a second term. In the past, my service to the Forum included serving on the Forum Strategic Partner Committee, the Standards of Good Practice Consensus Body, the Forum Council Nominations Committee, the Good Business Practices Working Group, the European Conference Planning Committee (2018), the Forum Institute Planning Committee, the Forum Trained Facilitator Team, the Curriculum Committee, and the Curriculum Award Selection Committee.
I have presented and/or conducted more than twenty Forum Conference sessions/workshops over the years. I hope to continue my work with the Forum on issues related to diversity and inclusion, the Standards, program assessment, and crisis management. In this current time of crisis, the work of the Forum is more important than ever. Creativity, innovation and cooperation will be crucial for international education to persist and grow. I believe that my experiences working in a variety of settings (public and private universities, the private sector, and currently with a program provider and partner) allow me to bring a breadth of knowledge to the Council. Thank you.
Hannah Hopkins Kilgore, CASA-Trinity Programme Director & Study Abroad Manager, Trinity College Dublin
Hannah has worked in the field of study abroad for over a decade, first at Harvard College for six years, followed by Trinity College Dublin, where she now serves as the Study Abroad Manager. As part of her role at Trinity, she also serves as the Resident Director for Trinity’s program with the Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA). At Trinity, she focuses in particular on study abroad strategy, programme development and management, partnership management, student advising and academic advising, and health and safety. Her experience at a US sending university, direct enroll receiving university and a US program site abroad, have all provided her with a keen understanding of the field from many perspectives.
She has been a passionate advocate for study abroad since her first experiences studying abroad in high school, followed by a summer study abroad in Paris and a full year abroad at Trinity College Dublin as an undergraduate. She holds a Masters in Higher Education from Harvard and an MPhil from Trinity College Dublin in Medieval Studies. She serves as a volunteer reviewer for the Fund for Education Abroad, is an active member of the Association of Study Abroad Providers in Ireland, and has served on the Board of the Harvard Club of Ireland since her arrival in Dublin, first as the Schools & Scholarships Chair and now as President.
Hannah is an active member of The Forum on Education Abroad, presenting at and regularly participating in its conferences, workshops and webinars, and has served as the Chair of The Forum’s Outcomes Assessment Working Group. Leading the working group and working collaboratively with colleagues across the field on the topic of Outcomes Assessment was very rewarding, and she hopes to continue this work by lending her time and expertise to the Council.
If elected, Hannah would be a strong advocate for resident directors, non-US universities, and US universities alike. The Forum has already placed an increased emphasis on diversifying the types of institutions and voices represented, and Hannah is particularly interested in supporting this work – as well as contributing to work such as creating new resources in light of COVID-19, contributing to the new Forum strategy and five year plan, and continuing work on outcomes assessment. The Forum’s place in the field is more crucial now than ever before, and it would be a privilege to give back at such a pivotal time in our field by serving on the Council. Thank you for your consideration.
Kyle Rausch, Director of Education Abroad, Purdue University Northwest
I am interested in serving on the Forum Council because during my past several years in the field of education abroad, I have found the resources and advocacy that the Forum spearheads to be among the most important available. Education abroad has continued to professionalize over the past couple of decades and the Forum has been an important driving force behind this. I would like to contribute to the critical work being done in this space.
I believe that my experience working in education abroad at three different institutions affords me a breadth of experience, which would allow me to contribute thoughtfully to the Forum Council’s efforts in developing resources and content that speak to the wide variety of institutions and organizations that comprise its membership. Additionally, as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, a first-generation college student who studied abroad on multiple occasions, and a scholar-practitioner who has conducted research on supporting diverse populations in education abroad, I would like to advance the work being done to support underrepresented students’ access to education abroad. I believe it is time that we come together to bolster the academic reputation of the field through data and research and would like to contribute to projects that support these initiatives.
Craig Rinker, Director, Office of Global Education, Georgetown University
Craig Rinker has spent 25 years as a higher education professional promoting student development through intentional, transformative learning experiences. He believes in the critical role education abroad plays as a high impact practice for student engagement and intercultural learning. Through his work, Craig has been able to engage in nearly every facet of education abroad recruitment, development, and management including on-site program delivery, student advising, program development and marketing, and health, safety, and security management. In his current role as Director of Global Education at Georgetown University, he provides strategic leadership and oversight to a diverse study abroad unit within a complex private research university. He has worked in higher education domestically and internationally at many different types of organizations including Arcadia University – College of Global Studies, Babson College, Davidson College, the University of Georgia, and the University of Florida.
Since 2017, Craig has served the Forum on Education Abroad member organizations as a representative on Forum Council. He has been an active and outspoken participant of the Forum and has supported and lead a number of initiatives for the field of education abroad. Most recently, Craig served on the Standards Updated Working Group, responsible for revising the Standards for Good Practice for Education Abroad. Previously, Craig served as a member of the Advocacy Committee, developing a clearinghouse of campus-based advocacy resources; and on the Marketing Committee, serving as a volunteer to develop best practices for marketing on college and university campuses. Craig has completed the QUIP (Quality Improvement Program) Peer Review Training and has provided ongoing contributions to the Forum through volunteering as a new member resource, participation in discussions about the progression of the field of education abroad, and facilitation in conference presentations and workshops.
As higher education evolves, the field of education abroad must continue to evolve. The current pandemic crisis is further evidence that we live in a borderless world where our well-being depends on global cooperation. Education abroad has never been more important in the broader concept of global education and understanding. Craig would be honored to continue to serve the needs of the Forum on Education Abroad member organizations.
Bianca Schonberg, Executive Director, Education Abroad and Scholar Services, University of Houston-Clear Lake
The quickly changing landscape of education abroad and campus internationalization demands and needs become variables to consider as institutions face enrollment, risk management, and retention goals.
Dr. Bianca Schonberg has worked in the field of international education for over twenty years. She is the Executive Director for Education Abroad and Scholar Services at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. A Fulbright Russia alumnus, Bianca, has been a passionate and effective leader in the international field, developing visionary services and progressive initiatives in higher education. The opportunity to transform educational experiences and broaden international opportunities is a commitment to Bianca.
Bianca has engaged and collaborated with highly regarded professionals in the field to problem solve, increase higher education internationalization, and to enhance the academic experiences for faculty and education abroad participants. Under Bianca’s leadership, she has increased education abroad awareness, strengthened partnerships with foreign institutions, and expanded services with the LGBTQ+, first-generation, and disabled students. Her efforts in creating an environment for growth and development have resulted in vast numbers of students and scholars attaining their academic and professional goals.
Bianca has lived internationally and traveled extensively, thus allowing her to develop a keen understanding of the diverse global market. Some of the leadership roles and honors that reflect her commitment to the international community include the National Association of International Educators (NAFSA) Region III co-chair of the multicultural special interest group and the United Nations Association Houston chapter membership co-chair. She has been published in the International Educator Magazine and continues to present her work globally.
The Forum on Education Abroad allows for a greater opportunity to build on collaborations domestically and internationally to strengthen the education abroad industry. Bianca views the Forum Council role as an opportunity to advocate and be a proponent for the collective needs of colleagues and the industry. The education abroad industry has fiercely dedicated colleagues that stand to learn from each other and use networks to be transformative and thriving in this unprecedented time.
Bianca N. Sylvain, Study Abroad Advisor, The State University of New York at New Paltz
I have been in the field of education abroad for over three years as a study abroad advisor at SUNY New Paltz, and I have dedicated my work to making study abroad accessible to all students. I strongly believe global learning should be embedded as an integral part of education, especially for students from a minority background.
Collaborating with these offices has allowed me to serve with offices such as the Equal Opportunity Program and Scholars Mentorship Program which serves students from underrepresented backgrounds to excel in higher education. Collaborating with these offices, has allowed me to serve as an application reviewer for Gilman, Fund for Education Abroad and Capacity Building Grants for U.S. Study Abroad for greater access to students from an underrepresented background.
In addition to accessibility to all students for education abroad, I have taken a keen interest in the student experience upon their return. I have routinely planned our re-entry workshop, providing new and fresh ideas on how to engage students. More recently, I have taken the lead with our Spring 2020 students who need a revised re-entry series catered to their unique study abroad experience shaped by having top return abruptly to the US during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another area, I am passionate about is working with colleagues from the field on how to recruit and retain professionals of color. I strongly believe that students of color will participate more in education abroad if they see someone like them advocating for them. I have engaged in conversation with various colleges at different institutions and study abroad providers on how professionals of color could be better represented in the field.
In conclusion, I am committed to my work in education abroad and look forward to potentially being a part of the Forum Council.
