Member-only resource
Introducing the new EAIE leaders and volunteers to the EAIE ecosystem
Central to what makes the EAIE unique is our international community of dedicated volunteers. This diverse group of passionate professionals commits their time and energy to sharing ideas, providing inspiration, and shaping the future of international higher education. It is their hard work and generosity that helps us navigate the dynamic future of international higher education, allowing our EAIE ecosystem to flourish.
In April 2024, current members of the EAIE community stepped forward for a range of governance and volunteer positions. From serving on the EAIE’s General Council to sitting as Board members or volunteering on our nine Thematic Committees, each appointed member will play a key role in driving the EAIE’s activities for the coming period. We are thrilled to introduce you to the new EAIE leaders and volunteers.
General Council
At the helm of the Association's governance, the General Council, elected by the members, safeguards their best interests and provides strategic oversight on our long-term vision, finances and longevity. The newly elected members hail from 8 countries and promise to enrich our global perspective, ensuring continued growth and sustainability of the EAIE. Congratualtions to the new General Council members and thank you to the other 10 candidates who put themselves forward. The newly elected General Council will serve a three year term, from 2024–2027, beginning in September. You can view the final elections results here.
Robert Buttery
Advancing meaningful mobility and knowledge transfer in higher education.
Robert is Head of International Relations at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz – FHNW). He has served on the EAIE General Council, and he was previously Chair of the EAIE Expert Community Business Education. His academic background includes graduate work in Spanish area studies and applied linguistics, postgraduate work in European law politics and economics and a postgraduate certificate in education, as well as various professional business and management diplomas. Robert’s work portfolio includes international issue monitoring for key operational and strategic decisions in internationalisation and their implementation. Robert lectures in management and international studies at FHNW and attends all major higher education international conferences and events, giving presentations and workshops on student and faculty mobility, the use of social media and the study of destination marketing. In 2008, Robert successfully launched an intensive and ground-breaking programme for faculty from business schools and was awarded the BCCIE Award for Outstanding Programme in 2013 and the CBIE Panorama Award for Outstanding International Education Program (Capacity Building) in 2014. Robert is an expert on programme innovation, curriculum internationalisation and mobility and was elected as an EAIE General Council member for the 2022–2024 term.
Adriana Pérez Encinas
Adriana Pérez Encinas completed her MBA and PhD on strategies for welcoming international students, with a special focus on services provided and volunteer associations. She is lecturer and researcher on business organisations and internationalisation of higher education. Adriana was formerly head of the International Relations Office in the Faculty of Business and Economics at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) in Spain, and is currently an evaluator for Spain’s Erasmus+ national agency. Since 2005 she has volunteered for the Erasmus Student Network, serving as a national representative, president of the UAM chapter, project coordinator and researcher.
Adriana won the EAIE Rising Star Award in 2017. She is an EAIE trainer on international student experience, served the Expert Community Mobility Advising from 2020 to 2022 term and is currently a member of the EAIE General Council. Adriana was recognised as the 2017 EAIE Rising star.
Anna Grönlund
Anna Grönlund is the Head of Higher Education Policy at the Division of Policy & Strategic Planning at the University of Jyväskylä (JYU), Finland. She serves as policy adviser to the university leadership in matters related to strategic planning, development and management of higher education and research, with a special focus on internationalisation as well as societal interaction and impact. As the previous Head of Internationalisation at JYU and with her strong professional background in international communications and marketing, she continues to contribute to the development of the university’s internationalisation through several projects related to quality assurance, education and research evaluation, international university rankings, international student recruitment, global responsibility and sustainable development in higher education. Anna holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Communications and Public Relations from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland and also serves as the Chair of the Universities Finland UNIFI’s Strategic Advisory Group for Internationalization. Anna is part of the EAIE Board since 2020 and was elected in 2022 for the 2022–2024 term.
Caspar de Bok
With a pragmatic and analytic approach, Caspar creates bridges between professionals in higher education
Caspar de Bok is Head of International Affairs at the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. His main tasks are in strategic advice and policy with respect to internationalisation (in education, research, support and international relations management) and in the implementation of the Faculty work programme for internationalisation. He is chair of the Internationalisation team and coordinator for the Diversity programme at the Faculty. Caspar oversees and coordinates various internationalisation initiatives and advises the Board of the Faculty on strategies to improve its internationalisation ambition in its broader sense, both internally and externally. He previously worked for 10 years as Senior Policy Adviser, Internationalisation at Utrecht University Corporate Offices. Caspar has a great deal of experience in international networking in higher education at various levels, including as Utrecht University’s Senior Officer in LERU, as Secretariat of Utrecht Network and as a Coordinator of various EC-funded projects. He holds a master’s degree in Environmental Biology from Utrecht University, the Netherlands and is currently a member of the Conference Programme Committee.
Dyane Koreman
Down-to-earth enthusiastic people person, influencing international higher education programmes and strategy
Dyane is an international higher education professional with more than 20 years of experience in different managerial positions, responsible for strategic policy development, international relations, international program management, curriculum development, student and staff mobility, admissions, and marketing & recruitment. Dyane Koreman is currently a strategic Program Director at Fontys University, the Netherlands. She is always on top of innovative impactful growth, such as the current development of a European University, and a Center of Expertise for an Inclusive Society. Additional she is the project director of a cross-sectoral multi-stakeholder master for Life Long Learning. She has a passion for coaching, training and team building, and has been a lead trainer for workshops at many international conferences. She graduated from Tilburg University with a Master’s degree in Social Sciences and completed different international (leadership) programmes in Australia, Buenos Aires, Denmark, the UK and the USA. Dyane has been involved in the EAIE since 2015 as a session evaluator, mentor, associate, expert community member, and conference speaker. Dyane was elected as Chair of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
Michelle Stewart
Michelle Stewart is the Immediate Past President of the European Association for International Education (EAIE) and Director Internationalisation (Humanities & Social Sciences) at the University of Strathclyde. She has worked in higher education for over twenty years. After graduating in Public Administration she worked for four years in Spain where she developed executive education courses. When she returned to Scotland she was an adviser to the Lord Provost, Glasgow City Council. Having worked in internationalisation for several years, Michelle has a strong commitment to partnership development and student mobility. At the University of Strathclyde she established many overseas links including the Mexico UK Study Abroad Consortium in partnership with a number of UK universities. Michelle has served on external boards including: Operating Board Education UK Partnership; Chair, Scottish Universities International Group (SUIG); Chair, BUTEX (British Universities Transatlantic Exchange Association). She has an extensive network of colleagues across the UK and overseas.
Alfonso Díaz Segura
The global classroom is the training space for those who will transform the global future.
Alfonso Díaz Segura is Corporate Director for Business Operations, Marketing and Internationalization at the Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU. Before that, he was Vice Chancellor for Internationalisation at the University CEU Cardenal Herrera in Spain. He was responsible for international policies at the University and has implemented the Global Classroom, a framework of initiatives that allow students to acquire soft skills in internationalisation, regardless of where they come from and which degree they are studying. Therefore the international experience permeates all the layers at the institution, from teachers to staff, focusing on the students. Starting in 2019, COIL projects can be found in all the faculties and currently the challenge is to expand the offer with mirrored classes, guest lectures, or international weeks in every degree. Alfonso studied Architecture and has a PhD in Architectural Projects, combining for years both the professional and the academic activity. He also has an MBA. He was elected as a Steering Member for the EAIE Expert Community Internationalisation at Home for the term 2022-2024.
Celine Nygaard
Celine is International Adviser at the University of Stavanger (UIS) in Norway and is in charge of implementing internationalisation across all departments of the Faculty of Social Science. She handles all international agreements at the faculty level and supports the academic staff in applying for and managing international programmes, projects and funding. She is also currently Norway’s representative in the Nordlys university network. Prior to her current position, Celine was an international coordinator at the Faculty of Arts and Education, where she was in charge of all mobility and international activities of the faculty. Celine holds a Master’s degree in comparative religion from the University of Tromsø – the Arctic University of Norway. Her formal education includes several study periods abroad as well as internships at the Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Armed Forces. Celine was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Herwig Dämon
Herwig is Head of Public Affairs and Communication at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Prior to this he was Head of Communications at the University of Liechtenstein, Principality of Liechtenstein. In his roles he oversees the university’s branding, communications and marketing activities. His team provides communications and marketing consultancy services to internal partners. He holds a Master’s degree in German philology, psychology and communications as well as a degree in public relations, both from University of Vienna, Austria. Prior to joining the University of Liechtenstein in 2011, Herwig held positions as head of communications at an international medical foundation in Davos. He also worked as chief communications officer at a globally active Swiss industrial company. In the higher education field, he has been advocating an experience-centred communications and marketing strategy with a focus on brand ambassadors. Herwig was a session speaker and workshop facilitator at multiple EAIE Conferences and was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022–2024 term.
- Twitter:
- @herwigdaemon
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/herwigdaemon/
Jeroen Ouburg
Jeroen is Policy Adviser International at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, where he was selected for the Young Talent Programme in 2012. Jeroen has a Bachelor’s in facility management and has completed trainings in professional leadership, English for professional purposes and the EAIE course ‘How to run an international office’. In addition to these content-related courses, he is a trained company emergency response unit member. Jeroen is a member of the Internationals Relations Officers (IRO) group of the Euroleague for Life Sciences University network (ELLS). On a national level, he is involved in a number of different communities related to mobility obstacles and the Netherlands Fellowship Programme. Jeroen was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
Michael Rosier
Michael works at the University of Hertfordshire in southeast England as Associate Dean (International) of Hertfordshire Business School and Director of International Education of the University. He holds a BSc in Economics, an MBA and an MSc in Computer Science. His subject area is industrial relations. He has substantial experience in the field of international education, both nationally and internationally, and has given seminars and workshops on internationalisation, mobility and business school accreditation. He was previously Head of Undergraduate Programmes and Head of International Collaborative Programmes at Hertfordshire Business School and Director of Studies at Oslo School of Management (Markedshøyskolen). He is Secretary of the Association of UK Higher Education European Officers (HEURO) and a member of two UK HE International Unit Communities of Practice for European and Outward Mobility. In addition, he is a member of the UK Association of Business Schools (ABS) International and External Relations Committee.
Michael served as a member of the EAIE Board from 2018 to 2022.
Claire O'Leary
René Teunissen
Rene Teunissen works as a Senior Advisor International Education and Acquisition at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Rene holds a Master’s Degree in Human Movement Science, a IPMA-C/D Project Management certification, and a Bachelor's Degree in Educational Dance Teaching and Theatre, and in Social Work. He works on strategic policy development, creating an international and intercultural context and internationalisation at home. Through partnerships and collaborating with other institutional and (inter)national departments and networks, he focuses on bringing together people to share, connect and gain awareness. Creating options for others, staff and students, to gain life experiences that will allow them to become globally competent citizens understanding and enjoying diversity and intercultural awareness. Rene served as Chair of the Expert Community Health and Welfare Education from 2020 to 2022 and is currently a member of the EAIE General Council.
- Twitter:
- @Rene_Teunissen
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/ragteunissen/?originalSubdomain=nl
Sabine Sainte-Rose
Sabine Sainte-Rose is Associate Director for Promotion and Internationalisation in the International and External Affairs of the Université Grenoble Alpes, France. She has worked in five different countries, being in leadership positions in the French diplomacy and cultural network, developing extensive skills in management, academic policy, marketing; PR, and curriculum development. Since 2002, she has enjoyed managing diverse teams of international professionals. Sabine served as a Steering group member of the Expert Community Strategy and Management from 2020 to 2022 term and is currently a member of the EAIE General Council.
Nidhi Piplani Kapur
Board
The Board plays a vital role in guiding the Association’s future by developing and implementing the strategy. Four new Board members have been appointed by the current General Council following rigorous evaluations and interviews, joining Sara López Selga, who will succeed Piet Van Hove as EAIE President. Tayyeb Shah will assume the role of Vice President. All new roles will begin in September.
Sara López Selga
I believe in the transforming power of a truly international and global education.
Sara joined Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona, in 2007, where she is currently Director of International Relations. She is responsible for influencing and implementing internationalisation strategy, promoting agreements and projects for mobility and academic cooperation worldwide, supervising international student services and programme development. Previously, she gained professional experience at the Teaching and Learning Institute of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – UPC) and in Brussels, thereby becoming involved in coordinating an EU capacity building project with Latin America. In 2014 Sara conducted research in international education as a Schuman-Fulbright Scholar in the USA and received the EAIE Bo Gregersen Award for Best Practice as part of the Network of Catalan Universities. She holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in political sciences and sociology and a Master’s in public and social policies from UPF and has received executive training at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
Sara was elected Vice-President of the EAIE for the 2022–2024 term.
Tayyeb Shah
Tayyeb Shah is an experienced international higher education and business development executive with a deep knowledge of global markets. He is the Senior Vice President for International Higher Education at Espalier Ventures. He serves as an advisor at several organisations including Wells Advisory and INTO University Partnerships and sits on several boards including the European Association for International Education and Nurture Higher Education. He also advises and mentors several university senior international officers and is a regular speaker at conferences worldwide.
Tayyeb was previously Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Partnerships) at the University of Western Australia, responsible for a portfolio that spanned Global Engagement, Innovation & Industry Engagement, Arts & Culture, and Development & Alumni Relations. Before that, he served as Deputy Vice President (Global Business Development) at King’s College London, where he was responsible for identifying and developing major strategic projects that expanded the university’s international and commercial partnerships, particularly in China and the Middle East.
Educated at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London), and Imperial College London, Tayyeb spent more than a decade in the commercial sector and creative industries before moving to higher education in 2007 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.
Between 2020 and 2022 he was Chair of the EAIE’s Professional Development Committee. Tayyeb was elected to the EAIE Board for the 2022–2024 term.
Edyta Lachowicz Santos
“The world is a book, and those who don't travel read only a page" - St. Augustin
Edyta is Director of Internationalisation Strategy at the University of Economics in Katowice, Poland. She has been engaged in diverse activities related to the process of internationalisation of higher education institutions within various positions for the past 20 years. She has coordinated and participated in many international projects involving higher education institutions and employers. She has also co-founded and is a board member of the Silesian Universities Network (SUN).
Since 2018 Edyta cooperates with the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) as an expert and consultant. She has been involved with the EAIE since 2002, received the EAIE Rising Star Award in 2015, has been the Chair of the EAIE Expert Community Employability for two terms and, since 2020, is a General Council member.
Joanne Pagèze
Committed to the transformation of higher education for the global common good.
Joanne Pagèze is Vice-President for Internationalisation at the University of Bordeaux, and university lecturer at the Department of Languages and Cultures. She has worked in university language education for over 25 years and has a research interest in the internationalisation of the curriculum and education for global engagement. She has wide experience in teacher development having set up an award-winning programme at the University of Bordeaux (national PEPS prize 2017) and participated in EQUiiP (an E+ Strategic Partnership). Her current position covers all aspects of internationalisation but she still enjoys working alongside lecturers in the classroom. Assistant-editor of the European Journal of Language Policy, she is a board member of RANACLES affiliated to CERCLES. She holds a research Master's degree from Ecole Normale Supérieur de Cachan/ University Bordeaux Segalen and another Master’s degree from St Catharine's College, University of Cambridge.
She served as the Chair of the EAIE Expert Community Language and Culture from 2020 to 2022 and is currently a member of the EAIE General Council.
Stephen Orme
Stephen Orme is Senior Vice-President at Studyportals after previously being employed by Navitas, Study Group, Nuffic and Leiden University. He has a wide range of experience in the field, covering admissions, international recruitment, pathway education and management. Stephen was born in Northern Ireland but was educated in the Netherlands. He holds a Master of Arts degree in English Language and Literature. Stephen was awarded the EAIE Rising Star award in 2009 and, since 2020, is an EAIE General Council member.
Thematic Committees
The nine new Thematic Committees will contribute to the creation and curation of high-quality, relevant content within the EAIE, helping to enrich the professional journeys of our members. Appointed by the current Board, taking into account a Member Consultation and various other considerations to achieve a balanced composition, these Thematic Committee members are poised to make significant contributions. The new Thematic Committees will serve a two-year term, from 2024–2026, beginning this September. Congratulations to the new Thematic Committee members, listed below in alphabetical order, and sincere thanks to all who expressed interest in serving.
European-funded programmes
Adam Lipski
Adam Lipski currently works at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences as their Director International Office. He studied History and East Asian Studies in New York, as well as English Literature and Linguistics, History and Political Science in Braunschweig, Germany.
From 2008 until 2012, Adam worked for the International Office of the TU Braunschweig, during which time he was also a visiting scholar at Shizuoka University in Shizuoka and Hamamatsu, Japan. Since 2013, he has coordinated European university partnerships and EU programmes at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, with a special focus on the ERASMUS programme. He has been selected to serve on the panel of German Erasmus Experts by the National Agency DAAD for four consecutive years. Adam was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Andreas Winkler
Dorothée Brac de la Perrière
Mojca Maher Pirc
Creating cross-cultural opportunities for the professional and personal growth of students, staff and higher education institutions.
Mojca Maher Pirc is EU Project Manager and Deputy Director of International Relations at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. She has more than 19 years of experience in international education. Experienced in coordinating and leading various international projects and events involving student and staff and their mobility to and from partner universities worldwide She plays a key role in providing them with an opportunity for professional and personal growth. Mojca has a broad range of experience in the field from project and event management to writing EU and Erasmus+ grants. Flexibility, adaptability, problem-solving, sustainability, continuous learning, innovation and development in an international environment are her sources of motivation and inspiration. She holds a Master’s Degree in Business and Organisation with a specialisation in Marketing. Mojca was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Business Education for the 2022–2024 term.
Niamh Burke
Niamh Burke is Associate Director for Partnerships and Global Mobility at Trinity College Dublin, where she oversees all central mobility programmes including international exchanges, study abroad programmes and Erasmus+. She also oversees the Partnerships and Networks team which manages the development of dual, joint and articulation programmes and Trinity’s engagement with university partner Networks and Consortia.
Niamh has worked in the Global Engagement Office at Trinity College Dublin for almost ten years. Previously, she worked with a leading Irish law firm and in the Australian public sector.
Niamh was elected as a Steering group member of the Expert Community Mobility Advising for the 2022–2024 term.
Rui Branco Lopes
Since 2009, Rui Branco Lopes has worked as International Relations and Communication Specialist at Coimbra Health School of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra. In this role, he has been responsible for the management of online communication platforms (webpage and social media), press relations and management of exchange programmes and international cooperation, with emphasis on the Erasmus+ programme. He has participated annually in international staff weeks of development and professional dialogue, which has allowed him to continuously increase his personal and institutional network of knowledge and experience. He has a degree in Modern Languages and Literature (English and German studies) from the University of Coimbra and a Master's degree in Business Communication from the Instituto Superior Miguel Torga. Rui was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Veronika Kupriyanova
Passionate about the impact of internationalisation and academic mobility, professional development of higher education staff, and global talent attraction
Veronika Kupriyanova is the Deputy Directorat the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA). She has almost fifteen years of experience in the design, implementation, coordination and evaluation of EU policy initiatives and projects in higher education and research. In her current position, Veronika is responsible for monitoring, analysing, and consulting ACA members on key European policies and programmes in the field of higher education and research while serving as the co-chair of ACA’s thematic peer group “European policies and programmes”. Before joining ACA, Veronika worked as Policy Analyst at the European University Association (EUA) focusing on funding, institutional autonomy and governance, as well as on efficiency and effectiveness in the higher education context. She has gained hands-on experience in university collaborations at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HUB). Veronika studied International Relations and holds a joint master’s degree in World Politics from the Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO) and the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po). Since 2022 she is serving as an EAIE Associate in the European Collaborative Programmes Expert Community.
- Twitter:
- @v_kupriyanova?lang=en
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/veronika-kupriyanova-33406752/
Leadership, strategy and policy
Christel Vacelet
Iryna Sikorska
Jacqueline van Marle
Marina Casals Sala
Marina Casals Sala is the Director of Member Relations for Europe, Ireland and the UK at International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) in Spain. Previously, Marina spent 19 years as the Director of International Relations at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, Spain), where she was in charge of the strategy and management of internationalisation. Within this role, Marina developed several institutional internationalisation strategies and led European projects such as SUCTI to empower administrative staff through training courses to help them engage in internationalisation.
Marina is currently completing her PhD studies, within which she has extensively studied professional development in relation to empowering staff. Marina firmly believes that internationalisation needs to be embraced by all stakeholders for it to be truly comprehensive. She serves as a member of the EAIE Thematic Committee Leadership, strategy and policy for the 2024–2026 term.
Olga Krylova
Sandra Slotte
I am thoroughly passionate about internationalisation, higher education and combining these two to make the world a better place.
Sandra Slotte is Senior Policy Advisor, Internationalisation at Arcada University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland. She has more than 15 years of experience working in international higher education within a wide range of roles, providing her with a systemic view of HEIs as organisations, as well as of the broad and complex ecosystems they belong to together with societies and other stakeholders. As of 2017, her tasks have focused specifically on strategic and comprehensive internationalisation with emphasis on developing services to international degree students through systemic and networked cooperation internally and with external partners. At Arcada, she is responsible for the national Talent Boost programme for attracting and retaining international talent in Finland. She is also Project Manager at Arcada for the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership INTERLOCALITY – Increased Local Employability of International Degree Students 2022–2025. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Helsinki University, majoring in Leading and Developing the Learning Organisation at Aalto University.
Sandra has been a member of the EAIE since 2018 and was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/sandraslotte/
Vicky Lewis
Marketing and admissions
Alejandra Otero
Edupreneur, CMO and Former Director Specialized in Digital Marketing and Student Recruitment
Alejandra Otero is the Founder & CEO of geNEOus. Alejandra created geNEOus with the aim of reshaping the future of education by giving support to educational institutions in the integration of marketing and admissions solutions in line with the expectations of the 21st century. Through geNEOus she focuses on marketing and recruitment consultancy to higher education institutions, K-12 schools, agents, and language schools. Prior to that, she was a higher education intrapreneur in the USA and Europe with roles within the Marketing, International Relations and Admissions Departments. Alejandra is also a speaker in subjects such as digital innovation, marketing automation, international education and sales enablement. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economic and Social Administration and a Master's degree in Enterprise or Business Unit Management. She was elected as a Steering Group member for the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022-2024 term.
Kris Achten
Kris Achten leads the international marketing team at Karel de Grote (KdG) University of Applied Sciences and Arts, in Antwerp, Belgium. He has been at KdG for seven years, starting as a lecturer and recruiter, and later as the project lead responsible for building the integrated services for its fast-growing portfolio of English-taught degree programmes. In this role, Kris helped build and align KdG's international marketing, admissions, and student services efforts and teams. As a story strategist and fractional Chief Marketing Officer, Kris helps startups and scaleups develop their marketing and teams.
Kris has been involved with the EAIE as a mentor and speaker at previous EAIE Annual Conference and Exhibitions. In 2024, Kris was appointed to the EAIE Thematic Committee Marketing and admissions for the 2024–2026 term.
Magdalena Setlak
In her current position, Magdalena is responsible for evaluating international credentials, analysing the data, monitoring the entire application procedure. Her main focus is on credential verification, quality enhancement, program-level equivalency, digitalization, innovation and new technology management. She was involved in the creation of the International Admissions Office at the Politecnico di Milano and has been working within the Internationalization Project.
Magdalena has 16 years of experience working in International Higher Education including work in professional training of other credential officers and consultancy in the field of foreign degrees. On a daily basis, she collaborates with the International Marketing Office and International Students office.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Modern Languages and Literature as well as a Master's degree in Cultural Heritage Studies. Over the years she worked as a Senior Credential Evaluator at the Bachelor, Master and Phd level.
Magdalena is a current member of the Admission and Recognition Expert Community.
Marlies Overbeek
Marketeer with a keen eye on what it takes internally for universities to gain international ground
Marlies Overbeek is College Director at Navitas. Before that, she worked as Senior Marketing Adviser at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, where she headed a team of 10 marketing and communication professionals working on the university’s internationalisation goals. She was also previously involved in organisational change projects at Delft University of Technology and building Delft’s international presence from 2005 onwards.
The common thread in her career so far is connecting marketing and recruitment of graduate students and universities’ strategic policies and activities. Her interests involve building bridges within the university to facilitate enrolment of qualified students. In the past, Marlies has been a board member of the Dutch higher education marketeer network DHENIM. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and Languages from HAN University of Applied Sciences, and a Master’s Degree in Communication from the University of Twente, both in the Netherlands. Marlies was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Admission and Recognition for the 2022–2024 term.
Marybeth Gruenewald
Monique Swennenhuis
Monique Swennenhuis is Strategic Advisor International Marketing and International Affairs at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands. Within the EAIE she is a trainer and presenter and was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022–2024 term.
Monique has worked in various disciplines within internationalisation since 1996 and has 18 years of experience in international higher education marketing.She has experience with all aspects of marketing and recruitment, be it enrolment management, CRM, marketing and recruitment tools, website, or portfolio management. She is a board member of the Dutch Higher Education Network on International Marketing, and a regular presenter and workshop leader at the EAIE Conference, on topics such as the basics of marketing and CRM. Monique has an MA in English Language and Literature, an MA in Language and Speech Pathology, an International Certification as NLP trainer, and a teaching degree.
Tom Wilmot
Think about your enrollment processes from your students' point of view!
Tom Wilmot is the Director of Recruitment and Admissions Solutions at StudyLink Connect, UK. He works with universities to ensure that their international student journey is yielding as many enrollments as possible by maximising conversions. Tom has been working with or in universities for nine years having begun his career at the University of Leicester Students' Union and then working at Endsleigh in the UK before moving into international higher education in 2016 with the International Student Admissions Service (ISAS). When ISAS was acquired in 2018, Tom was asked to head up Studee's University Partnership team and he has been working to help Studee's partners bridge the gap between their marketing and admissions departments. Tom studied Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester before completing his Master’s degree at Aston University Business School in Human Resource Management and Business. Since 2020 he serves as Steering group member of the EAIE Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment.
Partnerships
Anna Pellegrino
Anna Pellegrino is Head of International Development at LUISS University, Italy. Anna has more than 10 years of progressive experience in the field of international education management. Her activity is focused on the implementation of the University’s internationalisation process, both abroad and at home, as well as through the management and development of a team of young professionals. Key areas of her activity are strategic planning, partnership management and mobility programmes, implementation of student welcome services, accreditations and rankings, staff development, intercultural communication. She holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science, and a Doctorate in Communication Studies. Anna was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Business Education for the 2022–2024 term.
Anna Stina Sinisalo
Professional of higher education with a special interest in international relations and collaboration
Anna Stina Sinisalo works as a Head of Development, International Affairs at the University of Helsinki. In her current role she acts as the University of Helsinki Operational Lead of the Una Europa alliance. She has been working with diverse tasks within higher education international relations for close to fifteen years and has broad expertise on international higher education cooperation, joint degree programmes, international exchanges and collaborative projects carried out with external funding. She has contributed in steering groups and development committees of various international networks. Anna Stina holds a Master’s degree in French Language from the University of Turku that includes studies in international marketing and organisational management at Åbo Akademi. She was elected as a Steering Group member of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Hanne Liv Østtveit-Moe
I believe internationalisation promotes understanding and intercultural competence.
Hanne Liv has been working in the field of internationalisation for the last 10 years. She has extensive experience with the administration of international mobility in higher education. In her current role, she supports academics and leaders through the development of staff trainings, student and staff mobility, and supporting international projects. She has worked with health and social work programmes for the past seven years and also has a strong interest in and has worked to promote Internationalisation at Home within these programmes. She also has volunteer experience in non-formal training in intercultural learning. Hanne Liv holds a Master of Science in Globalisation, Global Politics and Culture from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Since September 2022, Hanne Liv is an Associate in the EAIE Expert Community Health and Welfare Education.
Karin Kim Lim
Karin Kim Lim is Head of International Cooperation and Partnerships at the Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon) in France. In her current position, Karin is in charge of international cooperation agreements and projects with foreign universities and institutions. She also leads a task force on International Rankings strategy. Originally from Mauritius, Karin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and a Master’s degree in International Business. Before joining the Higher Education sector, she worked as a senior consultant in intelligent transport systems and smart cities, with proven success in managing European projects and networks.
Karin joined the EAIE Expert Community as an Associate for the 2022-2024 term and is a new associate in the Mobility Advising Expert Community.
Leasa Weimer
Mirko Varano
Mirko Varano serves as Vice Rector for International Affairs at Tecnologico De Monterrey - ITESM. Mirko has been active in the field of internationalisation of higher education for the past 25 years. He covered different positions of responsibility at the Turin Technical University between 1992–2008 in the field of international relations. He was appointed as CLUSTER network coordinator from 2008 to 2010. He was previously internationalisation officer at KTH Royal Institute of Technology where he was appointed a member of the international strategy group from 2013 to 2016. He is currently an adviser for international projects at the same institution, with a focus on Erasmus+ and university networks. Mirko holds a Master’s degree in Political Science with a specialisation in International Relations and European Studies from the University of Turin, Italy. Mirko was elected Chair of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Tallulah Forrest
Research on internationalisation
Adinda van Gaalen
Agata Mannino
I firmly believe that internationalisation of higher education will contribute to making the world a better place.
Agata works at the University of Padova, Italy, as Management and promotion of National and International educational projects. Previously, she has worked as International Partnerships Coordinator at the University of Trieste, Italy, where she also managed international networks. She worked as a project manager in designing and launching Bachelor degree courses in Economics in English, then as event manager and web and communication manager at the Erasmus office, and finally in international relations. She gained extensive experience in partnership agreements, coordination of international networks and managing projects on different levels.
Since October 2018, Agata is also a member of the Executive Committee of the SGroup European Universities’ Network. She holds a Master’s degree in Translation and Interpretation, a Teaching license for German as a Second Language and a Vocational Master’s in Public Communication. Agata is pursuing her PhD at the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation (CHEI). Since 2020, she is a member of th EAIE General Council.
Emmy Arts
Jarosław Tomaszewski
Jeanine Gregersen-Hermans
Jeanine Gregersen-Hermans received the Bo Gregersen award in 2008. The Awards Committee acknowledged that her work has “taken our profession to a higher level”, noting the “significant and long-lasting contribution to the careers of all those members who once, twice and even more times have attended her training courses, workshops and sessions.” When she received this award, Jeanine was Director of Communication and Spokesperson of the Executive Board at Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Jos Beelen
Jos Beelen is Professor of Global Learning at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands as well as Visiting Professor at the Centre for Global Learning at Coventry University in England. He has facilitated workshops and coached academic staff in internationalising academic programmes at universities in the Netherlands and across Europe, as well as in Colombia, Brazil, South Africa and Australia. He edited the EAIE’s Toolkit publication Implementing Internationalisation at Home (2007) and has since written a range of articles on the same topic, often co-authored with researchers from Europe and Australia. Jos is currently researching the internationalisation of learning outcomes in academic programmes, focusing on developing the skills that enable academic staff to assume ownership of curriculum internationalisation. In addition to being an EAIE senior trainer, he was also Chair of the Expert Community Internationalisation at Home and a member of the EAIE Publications Committee. In 2022, he was elected to the General Council for the 2022–2024 term.
Jos was honoured with the 2018 President's award by the President at the time, Sabine Pendl in recognition for his productive commitment to the Association.
Simone Hackett
An international educator with a passion for innovative learning and strategic collaboration
Simone works at The Hague University of Applied Sciences as Researcher & Senior Lecturer. She previously worked at the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences for eight years, where she coordinated internationalisation activities and developed and implemented internationalisation strategies. She established international agreements and strategic relation management with partner universities and networks worldwide. She also set up Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiatives, developed international curricula and lectured in sociology and psychology. Simone holds a Master’s of Education degree and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology from the National University of Ireland.
Simone has been involved in the EAIE since 2010 presenting workshops and sessions, as well as being a session evaluator, a mentor and member of the EAIE Conference Programme Committee. She is currently a member of the EAIE General Council for the 2022–2024 term.
- Twitter:
- @Simone_Hackett
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/simone-hackett-9a79638/
Social responsibility
Ceren Genc
Ceren Genc is Team Leader for International Student Admissions at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. For over a decade, Ceren held positions as admissions officer at a prominent university and as academic partnership coordinator. Over the years she has built up a strong international network and has gained expertise in different aspects of internationalisation of higher education. She has delivered several sessions and workshops on admissions and on recognition for refugees. Her professional interest lies in informal and non-formal learning recognition, as well as formal learning recognition. She has been awarded the EAIE Rising Star Award in 2016. Ceren was elected Chair of the Expert Community Admission and Recognition for the 2022–2024 term.
Claire Cox
Passionate and committed to bringing the youth of the world peacefully closer together
Claire Cox is Head of Partnerships and Engagement at Griffith College in Ireland. Personal development, lifelong learning and active citizenship are what drives Claire. At Griffith College, Claire is responsible for supporting the Director of the International Office in overseeing international marketing, recruitment and academic collaborations. Claire’s focus is on the implementation of the College’s internationalisation strategy both abroad and at home. Key areas of her activity are strategic planning, partnership development and management, mobility programmes, staff development through Erasmus projects and student recruitment.
She holds a Bachelor’s (Hons) degree in French and Spanish and an MSc in Management from Dublin City University. She has also completed several management trainings at NAFSA, EAIE and AIEA.
Claire was elected as a Steering group member of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
Hege Kristin Widnes
Hege Kristin is International Adviser in the Central administration at University in Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (UiT). She is the institutional coordinator for Erasmus+ ICM in addition to being the coordinator for cooperation with India, China and South-Africa and the Global South. She has extensive knowledge and experience with externally funded collaboration programmes with the global South funded both by Norwegian agencies, EU funded programmes (especially KA2).
She was elected as a Steering group member of the Expert Community Cooperation for Development for the 2022–2024 term.
Martin Bogdan
Peter Kerrigan
International educator with experience in communications, marketing, strategic development, programme design/implementation, training and partnerships.
Peter R. Kerrigan is the Deputy Director of the German Academic Exchange Service’s (DAAD) Regional Office in New York and is the Director of Marketing and Outreach for DAAD in North America. He is responsible for all areas of the marketing of German higher education and research and DAAD’s scholarship programmes in the U.S. and Canada. Peter served as Vice President of Membership Development and Services at The Forum on Education Abroad, Assistant Director of the Higher Education Resource Group at the Institute of International Education (IIE) and Senior Program Coordinator in the Work Abroad Division of the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE).
He currently serves as Chair on the EAIE Expert Community Inclusion and Diversity. He was Chair of the EAIE’s Professional Development Committee, a Resource Person for the EAIE Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment and a member of the EAIE General Council. He also served for many years as a member of the Standards Committee of The Forum on Education Abroad. In September 2016, Peter received the EAIE’s Transatlantic Leadership Award. Since 2000, Peter has volunteered weekly for God’s Love We Deliver, a provider of meals to people who are too ill to cook for themselves. Peter was awarded an M.A. in Political Science by the Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany and a B.A. in Political Science and German by Bates College, Maine, USA.
Rosalyn Eder
Stella Saliari
Community is that safe space, where we can meet as we are, a place that asks 'What can we do for each other?'
Stella Saliari is a researcher, trainer and community builder who works as an independent consultant. She has worked for more than 10 years in global relationship building in the higher education realm and as a researcher and trainer with organisations in both the higher education and the not-for-profit sector, focusing on impact/need assessments, organisational policy changes and feminist research practice. Stella is a board member of the Syrian Female Journalists Network (SFJN), founder of Salt the Podcast, an intersectional feminist podcast and an experienced trainer and speaker passionate about changing the way we conduct research.
She worked as an English and German teacher, as a researcher and editor for the Centre for Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (CEMMIS) and for the TOEFL program at ETS Global, overseeing the Client Relations Team in Europe. At the TU Braunschweig (Germany), Stella studied English and German Language and Literature at the University of York (the UK) Linguistics under the ERASMUS scheme. She holds an MSc in Middle East Politics from SOAS and an MA in Gender Studies from Utrecht University.
From 2018-2022 she was a steering group member of the Language and Culture Expert Community. In 2022 she was elected as a steering group member of the Inclusion and Diversity Expert Community where she is committed to identifying unjust structures and implementing changes in educational and organisational policies to achieve diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in international education.
Student and alumni services
Christèlle Cronjé
Géraldine Dufour
Expert consultancy in student counselling and mental health, training and supervision.
After 20 years working in universities, Géraldine set up Therapeutic Consultations to work directly with individuals and organisations across the sector on issues related to counselling, mental health and wellbeing. As a former head of counselling at the University of Cambridge, chair of national executive committees for student mental health and counselling, and founding member of national research groups in student mental health, Géraldine has wide-ranging therapeutic experience. Former French Erasmus student, she developed an international outlook, working on different continents with students and staff from all backgrounds, collaborating with international colleagues, and gaining a visiting professorship at Fudan University. This spurred her interest in cross-cultural work, difference and diversity.
Géraldine holds an MA in counselling, supplemented by professional training in online counselling, clinical supervision, alcohol and drugs interventions, consultation and coaching.
In September 2022, she became an Associate in the Expert Community Guidance and Counselling.
- Twitter:
- @DufourGeraldine
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/geraldine-dufour-45a2654a/
Jessica Price
Jessica works as Programme Leader of Health and Wellbeing at the LUNEX University in Luxembourg. She is also an academic lecturer and higher education consultant in the field of diversity and mental health for various universities in Germany. Her passion for working with internationals and the challenges they face when moving abroad is central to the work she is doing. Since 2008, after relocating to Bremen, she worked as a consultant for higher education institutions in mental health, diversity and inclusion. Since 2018, she also worked partially with “Refugio Bremen e.V.”, an organisation that offers psychological therapy to refugees and victims of war. Her website, “Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapy”, is a trusting and safe space where international clients can be truly open about the challenges of being “lost in translation” and “lost in culture”. She teaches at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen and Jacobs University on topics such as Gender and Multiculturalism, Intercultural Competence and Sensitivity and Organisational Behaviour, among others. She holds two Master’s degrees from New York University and Jacobs University and a PhD in Psychology also from Jacobs University. Jessica was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Guidance and Counselling for the 2022–2024 term.
Kevin Chevillon
Laura Spencer
Enjoys brokering connections and community building at scale to enhance the student experience.
Laura Spencer is International Development Manager at Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK. Working alongside people with different cultural experiences and perspectives is what motivates Laura. With nearly twenty years of experience in international education, she has an instinctive understanding of what good customer service and student-orientated marketing mean. She is particularly keen to champion the embedding of alumni into student recruitment practices and regularly promotes the value of building and nurturing sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships as a result.
Laura holds a BA Hons in History and Politics from the University of Warwick, a PG Cert Management of International Higher Education from Edge Hill University and a Global Alumni Relations certificate from the University of Albany, SUNY.
She joined the EAIE Expert Community Alumni Relations as an Associate in September 2022. She has written blogs highlighting the value of alumni relations and is an enthusiastic supporter of the EAIE Mentorship programme.
Stephanie Griffiths
A specialist in student mental health, with a focus on outreach and training within higher education
Stephanie is an intercultural consultant/trainer at her own intercultural consultancy for higher education institutions, which focuses on the internationalisation of students. She recently retired from the position of Associate Director for Counselling and Mental health Support at King’s College London, after having worked in the field of psychological counselling for over 30 years. Stephanie has developed a programme of outreach and training, with the aim of enabling home and international students, academics and frontline administrative staff to be trained in the psychological pressures that they may encounter. She embarked on a study trip to Fudan and Shanghai Jaio Tong Universities in 2015, with the objective of understanding the presentation and treatment of mental health issues amongst students in China and has since been invited to speak at several conferences in China, organised through Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute. Stephanie studied English and Education at Goldsmiths University; Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London; Guidance and Counselling at Reading University and is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. She was the recipient of the King’s College Principal’s Award in 2018, which recognises an individual who has ‘gone above and beyond to champion the goals of the university and has delivered outstanding service as a King’s Ambassador’.
She has been a trainer at the EAIE Academy for the past five years and was one of the keynote speakers at the AACSB and EAIE Expert Community Business Education in 2020, on the topic of ‘avoiding virtual burnout: maintaining engagement, motivation and mental health in students, staff and faculty’. She is currently Chair of the Guidance and Counselling Expert Community.
Stephanie received the EAIE Award for Outstanding Contribution in 2022 in recognition of her important contributions to supporting international education by ensuring that the students and staff within our institutions can thrive.
Student and staff mobility
Adrijana Lazic
Adrijana has been working in international education for over 10 years and is currently responsible for short-term programmes at the School of Economics and Business at the University of Ljubljana. She has been involved in various internationalisation activities, e.g., outgoing mobility, staff mobility and digitalisation of processes in general. She is an expert in managing summer and winter schools, both on-site and online and has been involved in the organisation of tailor-made programmes and study abroad tours for international partners.
Adrijana holds a Master’s degree in Business Studies from the University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business. She has been involved with the EAIE since 2018 and was elected as a Steering group member of the Expert Community Summer Schools for the 2022–2024 term.
Alejandra Vicencio
Alejandra has been working in international education for 20 years and is currently Head of International Mobility at Northumbria University, where she manages all aspects of international mobility programmes for students and staff, funding and partner relations.
Originally from Chile, she is passionate about internationalising higher education and based her postgraduate research on this topic in a development context. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Chile and a Master’s in international development from Northumbria.
She has been involved with the EAIE since 2014 as a session evaluator, and an EAIE mentor for the last 5 years. Alejandra was elected as Chair of the Expert Community Mobility Advising for the 2022–2024 term.
Angeliki Psychogyiou
Iris Waringer
Kristin Torp Skogedal
Marijke van Oppen
Marijke van Oppen is an expert in interactive, creative workshops and training in cross-cultural development in Higher Education. She has been a Senior Educational Consultant and Intercultural Trainer at the Education Support Centre of Wageningen University & Research since 2000. She also has teaching and training experience, with a focus on inclusive education, in Russia, China, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. She holds a MA in Social Education and a MA in Fina Arts and specialises in inclusive intercultural learning and education on an individual, group and curriculum level.
Since 2010, she has been an active EAIE member and a speaker, trainer or chair at EAIE events. Marijke was elected as Steering Group member of the Expert Community Guidance and Counselling for the 2022-2024 term.
Tom McAlear
Teaching, learning and curriculum
Alexandra Bočkova
Alicia Betts
Alicia Betts leads international strategic projects at the Universitat de Girona in Catalonia, Spain. Alicia graduated from the Universities of Oslo (Norway), Tampere (Finland) and Aveiro (Portugal) with an Erasmus Mundus Master's degree in Higher Education Policy and Management. Since 2009, she has been responsible for the joint internationalisation strategy and activities at ACUP. These activities have involved representing the ACUP in international forums and networks and participating in several cooperation for development projects (capacity building and strengthening of higher education institutions).
Since 2014, she has participated in the coordination of the worldwide GUNi Reports and international conferences, in addition to leading the conversations and activities of GUNi regarding SDGs and higher education and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).
Alicia was a Steering group member of the Expert Community Cooperation for Development for the 2020–2022 term and is currently Steering group member in the EAIE Expert Community Strategy and Management.
Eva Haug
Connecting the world, one classroom at a time
Eva Haug works as Educational Advisor for Internationalisation of the Curriculum and COIL in the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Eva was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Internationalisation at Home for the 2022–2024 term.
Eva has an MA in Spanish Literature and Culture from the University of Amsterdam and did a Postgraduate in Higher Education. She's worked in higher education since 1992. As the Coordinator Internationalisation, she's specialised in internationalising the curriculum and campus experience of the students at AUAS. As COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) coordinator, she provides entire cohorts the possibility of experiencing international teamwork by pairing Amsterdam students with students from around the globe. Lecturers and students collaborate, at a distance, on real life challenges. She's presented about COIL at conferences in Brasil, South Africa, and the US, as well as the EAIE Conference, and is regularly invited by universities to train staff in intercultural and online collaboration.
- Twitter:
- @EvaHaug1
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/eva-haug-80406a29/
Julia Zuber
The importance of psychology cannot be overstated.
Julia Zuber is a psychologist at the student councelling center in Linz, and a lecturer at the University of Applied Science Upper Austria. Julia studied psychology at the University of Salzburg and got her PhD in Psychology at the University of Linz. She works in psychological research and clinical psychological counselling. In the Psychological Counselling Service, she is responsible for providing counselling for students and student relevant workshops for national and international students. In her research, she deals with learning and teaching settings and how they can be improved. Julia is currently completing her training as a psychotherapist. Julia is a member of the EAIE Expert Community Guidance and Counselling.
Lucie Weissova
Pouneh Eftekhari
Thierry Villard
Experienced language teacher and International Project Manager
Thierry is a language teacher, mobility officer, and head of Studies at IUT de Bordeaux at the Université de Bordeaux, France. As a language teacher, Thierry has always been involved in European projects. Since he started his work at the Institute of Technology of Bordeaux, he has focused on internationalisation of the curricula. Since the creation of the 'Pôle Langues' in 2017, a structure gathering language and communication teachers, he has also been involved in the development of the language policy, a huge and exciting task. Thierry holds a Masters degree in English from Université Bordeaux Montaigne and was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Language and Culture for the 2022–2024 term.
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