Faculty & Staff

Ken taught in schools in Switzerland, Australia, and the USA before becoming a professor of international teacher education. He has been a Fulbright Scholar to Sweden and Poland, and a visiting professor in China, Serbia, Bahamas, and Australia. Ken has traveled with young people and teachers on all seven continents. Ken serves as Executive Director of the Int’l Academy for Intercultural Research; has become active with Givat Haviva, an Israeli organization devoted to Arab and Jewish reconciliation; and the Orkeeswa School, a Maasai community school in northern Tanzania. This will be his 6th voyage with SAS.

Dr. Bonnie Simpson is Associate Professor, DAN Department of Management & Organizational Studies and is a consumer researcher – aiming to make the world a little bit of a better place through understanding why consumers act as we do. She’s most interested in how and why individuals engage in prosocial actions such as sustainable behaviours, charitable giving, and purchasing that supports social good. Her teaching often focuses in these areas – introducing students to marketing concepts that focus on how marketing shapes and is shaped by non-profits, sustainability, and the consumer’s daily life. Bonnie has studied and taught in countries around the world and loves how an international classroom brings new perspectives into collaborative applied learning.

Dr. Deborah Che is originally from the Washington, DC metro area. Tourism research and practice were integral to her studies which included internships to develop tourism and recreation programs on US Army bases in Germany and to improve regional tourism promotion and branding in rural, resource-dependent communities.
Deborah has extensive teaching experience at universities in the US and Australia. She has taught a wide range of tourism, hospitality, food studies, geography, and environmental studies courses. A common theme in Deborah’s research, which draws upon her disciplinary background in geography, involves the interconnection between economic restructuring and shifting land uses towards a greater emphasis on tourism and recreation.

Dr. Preece’s research and teaching centers on both the Entrepreneurship and Business & Society fields of specialty. Most recent research has focused on the challenge of Arts Management (music, theater, opera, dance) including areas such as partnerships, sponsorship, funding, marketing, etc. Stephen is a successful entrepreneur, having founded The Jazz Room in Waterloo, Ontario (now in its 13th year).

Dr. Tim Hibsman is very excited to serve on the Semester at Sea voyage. In Spring 2025, he will be serving as the Director of the onboard Writing Center and teaching Business Communications and Non-Fiction Writing.

Dr. Tim Hibsman has always had a sense of adventure and desire to experience different cultures. In 2014 he taught Professional Communications and Nautical Film & Literature at Sichuan University in Cheng Du, China. In 2016 he taught Sports Film & Literature at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea. Dr. Tim Hibsman is a Professor of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

He is delighted to be joining the program for an amazing adventure.

Heidi Keller-Lapp is a historian with a PhD in European history/French empire, focusing on gender, religion, and the impact of maritime voyages on identity. On this voyage, she will teach Global Studies and Modern World History. She taught and administered a global studies program at UC San Diego and is now at San Diego State University where her courses include the global history of religion, ideas, revolutions, social movements, and gender/sexuality. As a first-gen student, Prof. Heidi values education as her best investment and is passionate about learning and teaching. She has lived and worked in Europe and the Mediterranean. Teaching Global Studies on the Spring ‘22 voyage is her most rewarding professional and personal experience. She can’t wait to see what this voyage will bring!

June Cotte is Professor of Marketing at the Ivey Business School, Western University. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Ulster, and has taught at the Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business across the world (North Carolina, China, Thailand, Germany, and Kazakhstan), the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, and the University of Connecticut.
Professor Cotte’s research interests focus on behavioral issues, including why and when people will pay more for ethically produced products, how people perceive time and how that influences their behavior at work and at leisure, family influence on behavior, and consumption issues in gambling.
She is also a leader in the Marketing field and is currently the President of the Association for Consumer Rese

Roger Hanna has designed 200 sets for theater, dance, and opera since 1990. He is an associate professor at Colorado State University, where his students and he collaborate to design all departmental productions for the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.
Hanna’s off-Broadway work at the Mint Theater Company has been recognized by four Henry Hewes Design Award nominations, three Drama Desk nominations, and the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Set Design. His 30 opera designs have been seen at Sarasota Opera and in five prominent NYC venues.

Laurie McConnico is marine biologist and native Californian who grew up in Fresno (the hot, land-locked central valley). Her interests in marine biology developed as a child, often camping along the coast with her family (although her mother never liked to admit to having once tolerated camping). At her home campus, Laurie teaches marine biology, general biology and field studies courses, including some in Baja, Mexico. She has received several awards for teaching and faculty excellence over the years and is passionate about field courses that take her students throughout California and abroad. Research and professional highlights, so far, include diving 2 miles below the ocean’s surface, nerding-out on algae anywhere she can, and of course sailing with Semester at Sea!

Ursula Quillmann is passionate about the role the ocean plays on shaping the Earth’s environment, our climate, and life. She began her career in researching the link between ocean and abrupt climate changes during the past 12,000 years in the northern North Atlantic. Today, she focuses on investigating how human activity affects ocean environments.
Ursula sailed on Semester at Sea for the first time in Spring 2017, a voyage that crossed the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. Here she witnessed first-hand some of global challenges human activities created. She firmly believes that we can work towards solving global challenges we created. In Spring 2022, Ursula sailed as part of the Global Studies team on the first SAS voyage since Covid was declared a pandemic.

Colleen’s interests include sustainable food systems, global nutrition, public health, and foodways. Her passion for this discipline stems from curiosity about the physiological and psychological interplay associated with health behaviors, and the relationship among food, culture, and society. It is a dynamic field where everyone has a voice, opinion, and story to share. The influence among social, environmental, historical, political, and economic variables on food, nutrition, and health is complex and constantly evolving and responding to change. The Semester at Sea voyage will provide a unique platform to explore these interacting factors through a global comparative framework. Colleen looks forward to sharing this journey with you and her partner, Jeff!

David Hackett is Professor and former Chair in the Department of Religion at the University of Florida. As a child, David boarded a ship in California with his parents and set out for Japan.

In recent years, he has taught in the University of Florida’s London Study Center and from there led students on field studies throughout Great Britain; participated in a Council on International Educational Exchange faculty seminar on “Music, Society, and Conflict in Ireland and Northern Ireland”; and taught a seminar on American religious history, sponsored by the State Department’s United States-China Education Trust, at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Dr. Meg Jay is a clinical psychologist at the University of Virginia who specializes in twentysomethings. A narrative nonfiction writer, she is the author of The Defining Decade and Supernormal. Her work has appeared in numerous media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, O Magazine, and on the BBC and NPR.
In The Defining Decade, Meg elevates what it means to be a twentysomething. She argues that, rather than a developmental downtime, the twenties are a developmental sweet spot a time when the things we do—and the things we don’t do—will have an enormous impact across years and even generations to come. The Defining Decade has been published in more than a dozen countries around the world, and her related TED talk has been viewed more tha

Lori Catalano is an Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture at Colorado State University. As a teacher and licensed landscape architect, she fosters an environment that inspires students to think critically and creatively about the world around them by making complex concepts relevant to the student’s individual experiences. Prior to teaching, she worked for nationally recognized landscape architecture firms designing parks, urban plazas, and college campuses. Her career has been guided by the desire to create a more sustainable and ethical world that is beautiful. She is an avid traveler, runner and artist, and is incredibly grateful to participate in this amazing adventure.

Cynthia Vannucci is an enthusiastic supporter of the hospitality, convention, and tourism industry. She worked for 20 years in the hospitality industry, working primarily in the Southwestern portion of the US before entering academia.

She is a recipient of the Life Time Achievement Award from Professional Convention Management Association, the Meeting Industry Council Leadership Award, Educator of the Year Award and holds a Level II Sommelier Certification.

Cynthia has flunked retirement! Her third act now includes service as a Certified Career Coach, Job Coach with the State of Colorado for the Intellectually Developmental Disabled, and she is certified to teach English as a Second Language (ESL), where she taught ESL in Montefiascone, Italy in Fall 2022.

Dr. Dane S. Claussen is Editor-in-Chief/Executive Director of Nonprofit Sector News, a small nonprofit organization (founded in 2020) that covers US national nonprofit organizations for the general public and for other news media. Dr. Claussen has most often taught courses in media law, media ethics, media history, media management, journalistic reporting/writing/editing, and social science research methods, and he also taught social media management, media and society, media literacy, integrated marketing communications, public opinion, mass communication theory, and other courses.

Dr. Erin Davis is an professor at Indiana Wesleyan University with over 25 years of experience in the fields of student development, higher education, psychology and graduate counseling. She enjoys interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly in the areas of psychology, neuroscience, and sociology. Dr. Davis has studied and participated in service work in several countries around the world, including England, Uganda, Egypt, Australia and Portugal, and her research interests include cross-cultural and international psychology. Dr. Davis’ areas of interest include international student adjustment; neuropsychology and empathy; relational aspects of sexuality; dreamwork; cross-cultural and international psychology; positive psychology and coaching.

Sona Karentz Andrews is a professor emerita of geography & provost emerita at Portland State University. She has held faculty positions at the Univ of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Univ of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Boise State Univ, Portland State Univ, and taught at Semester at Sea. Her academic area is geography, cartography, and Geographic Information Science. Sona has held administrative positions at several universities, including Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs at Portland State University, Vice Chancellor of the Oregon University System, and Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs at Boise State. Sona is bilingual (she speaks fluent English and Armenian). She grew up in New England and she and her husband, Steve, like to hike, bicycle, travel, read, and attend live performances.

Alissa Arp has extensive experience as a marine scientist and educator. She has conducted research, mentored graduate students, and published articles on the physiology of life in challenging environments ranging from the deep ocean to suburban estuaries. Alissa has been to the bottom of the ocean in research submarines, and at sea on many university research vessels. She currently travels extensively as an eco-tourist and has sailed on more distant oceans, including the Arctic, Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean and South Pacific. These travel experiences are woven into her teaching, bringing personal first-hand experience to classroom discussions. Alissa recently relocated to Portland, Oregon, and is an avid collector of folk art from her world-wide travels, and an avid textile enthusiast.

M. Travis Maynard, Ph.D. is a Professor and Associate Dean of Graduate Programs in the College of Business at Colorado State University (CSU). He received his doctoral degree from the University of Connecticut with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior. He also holds an undergraduate degree in accounting from The College of William and Mary, and an MBA degree in Organizational Behavior from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. Travis has had several international experiences while on the faculty at Colorado State University. Specifically he was a Fulbright Scholar in 2015 and worked with the faculty and students at ISCTE-Instituto Universitario de Lisboa in Portugal. Additionally, he has been a visiting professor at SRH – Hiedelberg (Germany) in 2018 and 2016, Foreign Trade University (Vietnam) in 2017 and 2012, and Aalto University (Finland) in 2014. Additionally, Travis served as a Global Teaching Scholar on the spring 2017 voyage of Semester at Sea.

Pete Seel is professor emeritus at Colorado State University where he taught video production, photojournalism, telecommunication, and documentary history/production. This is his fourth voyage with Semester at Sea and his positive experiences with students and experiential education on these voyages led to the creation of media-related study-abroad courses for Colorado State that he led in Europe and Australia/New Zealand. He has extensive professional experience in photojournalism and video production. His research is focused on the global effects of new communication technologies, primarily concerning the internet, artificial intelligence, and social media.

Gayle Allard is a professor of Economics at IE Business School in Madrid. She is a native of California, but has lived and worked in Europe for most of her adult life. Her research centers on labor markets in developed countries, and development issues, mainly in Africa and in relation to innovation. She has an NGO that funds projects in water access and women´s education in Ethiopia. Besides her academic publications, she appears regularly in international media as a commentator on economic issues.
Dr. Allard teaches three courses on Coursera and her “MOOCs” have had hundreds of thousands of students. She has authored numerous interactive exercises and games to enhance learning in the classroom, and has written three e-textbooks.

Dr. Jen Johnson is a faculty member in the School of Education and the Director of the Office for Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement (SLiCE) at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. She has worked in higher education for more than 20 years and has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in Education, Leadership, Service-Learning, and Student Affairs.

Born and raised in a small college town in central Iowa, Dr. JJJ’s passion for travel and learning about other cultures and communities stemmed from her 2-year experience living overseas as a United State Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa. Since that time, she has been fortunate to travel across 5 continents.

Nancy Hartley spent thirty plus years in higher education with her last 20+ years at Colorado State University as a faculty member, Director of the School of Education, and Dean of the College of Applied Human Sciences (now the College of Health and Human Sciences). Nancy was the Semester at Sea Spring 2018 Academic Dean!

During her career in higher education Nancy received numerous honors and special awards including: Health and Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award, Colorado State University Community Service Award, Poudre Valley Health System Meritorious Service Award, University Council of Workforce and Human Resource Education; Colorado State University Oliver P. Pennock Distinguished Service Award, and was a Finalist for the Unique Woman of Colorado Award.  She attended the Colorado Institute for Women in Management and has been actively involved in supporting/mentoring women in higher education.

Dr. Jean Ippolito is a Professor and Art Historian to a very diverse body of students at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. This is her second time to teach on a Semester at Sea voyage; the first was in Fall 2011.

After completing her Ph. D., Jean Ippolito taught a combination of art history and computer art at colleges in Savannah, Georgia and Georgetown, Kentucky. In 2003, she accepted a tenure-track position at the University of Hawaii in Hilo. Fortunately, some of the experimental artists that she studied earlier, were now internationally recognized for their achievements, and so she began to publish articles, and a book, on the pioneering digital media artists of Japan. More recently she has written about contemporary artists of China that use digital technology in their work.

Philip Hörhager is excited to serve on SAS again and teach MGT 411 Leading High Performance Teams.

Philip has a background in aerospace engineering and management. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with and lead high performing teams, in roles including Director of Engineering, Head of PMO, and Program Manager, for innovative aerospace, R&D, and tech companies in the US and abroad.

Philip hugely enjoys mentoring and coaching students during SAS voyages. He has taught project management and leadership classes in various organizations and study abroad programs. His research includes human factors in aviation, and he runs a consulting company that focuses on project management, organizational communication, leadership and team training.

Dr. George Salembier is Associate Professor Emeritus, College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont (UVM), where he most recently served as Chairperson of the Department of Education. His scholarship and teaching focus on special education and inclusion, cognition and learning, adolescent literacy, curriculum and assessment, the social construction of disability, and multi-cultural education.
Since retiring from the University of Vermont in 2018, he has been consulting on strategy for the “Inclusive School Project in Ghana,” the goal of which is to build the nation’s first school for children with disabilities.
He currently serves as a Board Member for the Vermont Partnership for Literacy and Learning and as a Mentor in the local school system.

Dr. Romel Mackelprang has been involved in human and disability rights for four decades. In the 2000’s he began working in sub–Saharan Africa, and, in 2010 he and his family founded Access without Borders (AWB) a 501(c)3 to invest in health, access, and education opportunities for people in Africa. He has developed and administered a five country African research project studying the efficacy of donated wheelchairs. He has organized and led several university-based, service-learning study abroad programs to Ghana; the next study abroad scheduled for summer 2023.

Sam is a Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kenyon College. His research interests address the relationship between media and culture and specifically focus on an anthropological approach to the production and reception of television, film, photographs, and new media. He has authored almost fifty articles as well as two book manuscripts and three ethnographic films. Sam teaches a wide variety of courses in cultural anthropology, visual anthropology, narrative history, Native American Studies, and Asian Studies. He possesses significant experience teaching overseas, having held visiting appointments at universities and research institutes in 12 different countries. Currently, Sam is a Fulbright Senior Scholar at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan.

Dr. Schiffman worked for more than 30 years as a reporter and editor — for United Press International, The Asian Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal and CNN — before turning to teaching at Georgia College & State University from 2012 to 2021. During his career as a working journalist, Schiffman served as a resident correspondent for the AWSJ in Hong Kong, Seoul, and Beijing before transferring to the WSJ in Atlanta, Georgia. At CNN, he worked mostly for the international network, finishing his tenure as chief copy editor for CNN International. At Georgia College, Schiffman supervised the student-run television newscast in addition to teaching journalism and other media courses.

Diego Vega is a proud citizen of Costa Rica and will be happy to share his views about the political, economic, and cultural landscape of his own country. Spanish is his first language. He has had the privilege of sailing as a faculty member with Semester at Sea in Fall 2016, Spring 2018, Fall 2019 (interport lecturer for Costa Rica), and Spring 20223. He understands culture and ethnicity through experience.
He is a Psychology professor and a holds a full-time private practice in Costa Rica.
As a practicing couples’ therapist for more than 20 years, he has work with many Costa Rican and U.S. couples living in Costa Rica. His research interests include: trust issues in romantic relationships, understanding culture and ethnicity, aging, and bilingualism.

Dr. Khrebtan-Hörhager is a professor of communication, director of the ACT International Human Rights Film Festival, and a holder of four International Communication Association Top Paper Awards. Her research, teaching, and consulting interests are in intercultural communication, European studies, global conflict, Othering, cinematography and critical media studies. Feminist studies and business leadership are her further foci. She is the author of two books, Communicating the Other across Cultures; and Migrant World Making, and a wide variety of articles and book chapters. She is an education abroad director in Italy. Julia is fluent in seven languages and is often called “a cultural mentor” and “an intercultural ambassador” by her colleagues, and current and former students.

Geno Carr, a San Diego based actor, singer, director and educator, originated the role of Oz & Others in the Tony and Olivier Award-winning hit musical Come From Away. He has appeared Off-Broadway, on five national tours and in over one hundred plays and musicals across North America.

He was an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Guest Artist at Stephens College; served on the faculties of Grossmont College, MiraCosta College; and taught on three voyages with Semester at Sea. He has also served as a speaker coach for Google and TedX.

Geno holds an MFA in Acting and Directing from Sarah Lawrence College, a dual BA in Music and Theatre from Hartwick College, and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. www.GenoCarr.com @GenoCarr

Ed Boyer is Department Chair and Director of Environmental Studies and Sustainability Programs at Prescott College. He was the founding director of the college’s field station in Kino Bay, Sonora, Mexico on the Gulf of California. He has lead hundreds of field courses and expeditions in the USA and the Gulf of California, Mexico, and Baja California. On the Spring 2023 SAS voyage he taught Oceanography and Coastal Environmental Ecology.
His research interests include diversity, complexity, and stability of ecological communities. Dr. Boyer has worked at many field stations and he has worked with the Organization of Biological Field Stations, NSF and with members of the federal government. He is currently Director of the Walnut Creek Center for Education and Research in Arizona.

Cathleen is a psychologist interested in how individual differences (e.g. race, gender) and social contexts (e.g. culture, work) come together to shape human development and well-being. She has experience researching and teaching a broad range of topics including leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion; and social, political, and positive psychology. Her research has been published broadly in both academic and popular press venues.

She has taught courses at the University of Michigan and the Center for Creative Leadership. She is currently the Senior Director of Research at Candid (a research nonprofit), and an Affiliated Research Scientist at the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California.

Dr. Stuart Cottrell is a professor of Sustainable Tourism at Colorado State University. His research focus includes sustainable tourism development – linking tourism, nature conservation and protected areas; collaborative conservation and protected area management; and perceptions of landscape disturbance – implications for human dimensions of natural resources, recreation and tourism. He conducted research in Argentina, Colorado, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Panama, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and Uruguay. These interdisciplinary efforts contribute broadly to the fields of tourism development in natural resources. He teaches courses in sustainable tourism development, ecotourism, social science research in natural resources and international issues in recreation and tourism.

Kelly Long is emerita Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Associate History Professor at Colorado State University. A member of the history department from 1998, she also served as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and was twice appointed Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs at Colorado State University, retiring in 2022. Prior to that she taught high school Language Arts, Social Studies, and Humanities for 17 years.

Long was a Global Studies team member on the Spring 2023 SAS voyage. She has directed programs for educators internationally, garnered teaching awards, participated in HERS and ACE leadership programs, a West Point Military Academy fellowship, two Fulbright-Hayes programs, and numerous NEH institutes.

Dr. Melissa Wdowik is a nationally recognized registered dietitian with over 20 years’ experience as a university professor. She has received many teaching awards and is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor helping students develop a passion for culinary nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

She has experience ranging from coaching the pit crews of Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon to creating a podcast with Elle Fanning to being published in the Washington Post. She founded and directed a successful nutrition outreach center at Colorado State University and authored the book Eat to Defeat Viruses.

Professor Wdowik sailed with SAS in 2018 and looks forward to again promoting cultural competence with contemporary nutrition and sustainable farm-to-table practices.

Dr. Jana Raadik Cottrell is an Assistant Professor, University Honors Program at Colorado State University (CSU) and senior lecturer at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia with over 20 years of international experience in teaching and academic collaboration in hospitality, tourism development and natural resource management. Her research focuses on sustainable tourism development on islands, place identity, second home ownership and flexible work. Jana values knowledge gained through the diversity of human experiences and ways of living and appreciates the opportunity to share her passion in arts, food and travel with her students. She is also the coordinator of the West Estonian Archipelago Biosphere Reserve.

A specialist in community literacy studies, Dr. Jacobi teaches courses in public writing, composition theory, feminist methodologies, critical pedagogy, and literacy theory. She is the director of the Community Literacy Center which sponsors weekly “SpeakOut!” community writing workshops. Her research focuses on the complexities of moving adult literacy beyond the GED, the ethics of community-university relationships, and incarcerated women writers as activists. She has published on prison writing, community service learning and activism in the writing classroom, rhetorics and archives, and the ethics of university-community collaborations in journals such as English Journal, Community Literacy Journal, and The Journal of Correctional Education and co-edited Women, Writing, and Prison.

David Borgo is an ethnomusicologist, jazz saxophonist and composer, and Professor in the Department of Music at UC San Diego. He joined the faculty in 2002 and served as the Department Chairperson from 2017-2020. David is affiliated faculty in Ethnic Studies and Cognitive Science, and he received a 2020 Diversity Equity and Inclusion Teaching Award. David’s book, Sync or Swarm: Improvising Music in a Complex Age (2005, 2022 rev. ed.), won the Alan P. Merriam Prize from the Society for Ethnomusicology in 2006. David also won the International John Coltrane Competition in 1994. He has concertized extensively, including performances in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North, Central, and South America. David has published numerous academic articles and released 14 CDs and one DVD of original music.

Trish is the Executive Director of the Cohousing Association of the United States, a national nonprofit committed to creating a more connected and sustainable future. A social worker to the core, Trish has over a decade of experience working in nonprofit and higher education with a focus on community engagement and strategic partnerships. She served as the Director of Community Engagement at the University of Denver, leading community engagement initiatives and creating gatherings that advance social justice. Her consulting group, Storyspring, provides strategy, facilitation and coaching to nonprofits & social changemakers. She is most alive when gathering people around a common purpose and when traveling around the world with her partner, Adam, and daughter, Cadence.

A South African Theatre & Film scholar and Distinguished Teacher, this is Dr. Lewis’ second voyage with Semester at Sea. A fierce advocate for international education, she leads her own study abroad program, Arts & Culture in South Africa, and believes that the performing arts offer a lens through which to examine social justice, race, class and gender politics, history, & memory. Study abroad builds our global citizenship skills, capacity for empathy, and understanding of difference & diversity. Lewis is author of Magnet Theatre: Three Decades of Making Space (2016) and Performing Whitely in the Postolony: Afrikaners in South African Theatrical and Public Life (2016). She is the Director of Theatre at Colorado State University.

Julie is an independent scholar living in Portland, OR. She is an SAS veteran, having taught on the Spring ‘07 voyage, which included shipmate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as the Spring ’12 and Fall ’13 voyages. Julie’s areas of expertise include music and cultures from West Africa and Indonesia and has led non-SAS study abroad programs to Ghana and Bali while teaching at Northeastern University in Boston. She was profiled alongside other scholars in the book, Living Ethnomusicology: Paths and Practices by M. Sarkissian and T. Solis (U of Illinois, 2019). Presently, Julie co-directs a Portland-based Balinese Gamelan ensemble called Gamelan Wahyu Dari Langit (Revelations from the Sky) and is completing a book about Obo Addy, a renowned master drummer from Ghana and local Portland icon.

Karlin served in national security roles for 3 presidents and 6 secretaries of defense. As Asst. Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities, she led the 2022 National Defense Strategy and advised the Secretary of Defense on forces, plans, posture, emerging capabilities, and security cooperation. She was Acting Asst. Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, leading DoD relations with nearly 150 countries. In the Obama and Bush administrations, she focused on strategic planning, defense policy and budgeting, future conflicts, and Middle East and Asian affairs. She was the Strategic Studies Director and an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University-SAIS, and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. She wrote two books on military history.

Dr. Colla is a Professor of Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. An economist, her expertise lies in provider payment, health insurance markets, and insurance benefit design. Colla was recently Director of Health Analysis at the Congressional Budget Office, producing independent, non-partisan analyses of budgetary and economic issues to support the U.S. Congress. Dr. Colla was previously a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow, with placements in the House of Representatives and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. In 2020, Dr. Colla was selected as an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar by the National Academy of Medicine.

In all of Laurie Glover’s work, she thinks about humans’ relationships to place: how they make themselves at home, how they treat the habitats and homelands of others. This has led her to seek out unusual teaching assignments and to write across many genres. For example, after spending three years leading study abroad programs in Sydney, Australia, she completed a travel memoir, Travelling Alone in the Company of Others, and she is currently in the midst of finishing a book of poetry arising from a shipboard residency in the Arctic seas of Svalbard, halfway between Norway and the North Pole. Upon return from the Fall 2023 voyage, she will be taking up a part-time position in the Environment, Spirituality and Religion graduate program at the California Institute of Integrated Studies.

José Luis Suárez-García, Professor of Spanish Literature and Culture at Colorado State U. He has published several articles, editions, and books on Spanish Golden Age theatre, literatures, and cultures. He has been the recipient of major grants for teaching and learning program redesign; he has also worked on different areas of learning analytics to promote student inclusion and success. Professor Suárez-García has worked with education abroad directing programs and traveling with students in Spain, Morocco, and Latin America most of his academic career. He sailed as CSU Global Scholar (Semester at Sea) in Fall 2019 and 2023. His teaching (Honors Program, and Spanish seminars) regularly focuses on culture with strong components on human rights: human trafficking in Spain, minority groups.

Marc Zimmer has a passion for bioluminescent organisms. He has written eight books and published over 65 research papers about computational chemistry and bioluminescence in fireflies and jellyfish. He was named the Connecticut Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and named one of “Thirteen of the best college professors in the country” in the Huffington Post. He has published articles on science and medicine for the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Boston Globe and the Chicago Tribune, and has been interviewed and quoted in The Economist, Science and Nature. In 2008 Marc was a consultant for the Chemistry Nobel Prize, and he and his wife attended the award ceremony in Stockholm. This will be his 4th SAS voyage. He and his wife Dianne can’t wait to rejoin the community on board.

Jonathan M. Bowman loves teaching about relevant topics like body language and personal relationships, and he enjoys helping people think about the ways that people send messages to friends, family members, colleagues, and romantic partners. When he’s not hiking or swimming, Dr. Bowman can often be found navigating the beaches and parks of Southern California with an energetic rescue dog named Nala the Noodle. (She’s the best.) He’s regularly featured in the media, talking about ways that people share information with one another in close relationships. Bowman has been awarded the highest teaching recognitions in his field, and he often mentors students in Greek life, student government, and/or campus faith-based organizations.

Sarah Cronin, PhD, LP (she/they) is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Bemidji State University in Minnesota. They are an alum of Semester at Sea and thrilled to return as a faculty member. The chance to gain a global perspective while studying psychology was truly transformative, and she is excited to go through the process again with her students. Sarah’s approach in the classroom is collaborative and encourages self-exploration and identity formation. As a counseling psychologist, she works to integrate her lens as a scientist-practitioner into professional settings. At her home institution, Sarah co-directs the Indigenous Students in Psychology Training (InPsyT) program, which supports Indigenous psychology majors on their paths to graduate school and serving their communities.

Carlee Arnett is from Colorado, which she left after high school in order to be an AFS exchange student to Germany. After college, Dr. Arnett worked for the Institute of International Education. In this job she became familiar with Semester at Sea. Currently, in addition to teaching at Davis, Dr. Arnett is part of two working groups based in Belgium. Dr. Arnett does not speak nor has she learned any of the languages we will encounter on the voyage, but she expects she will probably be able to locate some German speakers along the way.
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Arnett plays cello in the pit orchestra of the local musical theater. While on the voyage, she will be leaving behind a competitive dressage horse, so if there is a horse in any port on this voyage, she will find it!

Marc Vincent was born and raised in Paris, France and moved to the Philadelphia area as a boy. After completing his education, he was on the faculty at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio (near Cleveland), where he taught art and architectural history and was the co-director of the “Seminar in Europe”, a full-semester program of study and travel in Europe. Marc has sailed on three previous Semester at Sea voyages, and his class in Fall 2023 will focus on architecture and urban planning. Now living in Shelburne, Vermont (near Burlington), Marc is a mentor at Shelburne Community School and is a guide at the Shelburne Museum. He also serves on the town’s Historic Preservation and Design Review Commission, and regularly writes book reviews for the “Shelburne News.”

I have taught at the college level for 21+ years. While my specialty is marketing, I have taught courses including Principles of Mgt, Personal Finance, HR Management & Dev. I led several student study abroad trips, visiting China, Western and Eastern Europe. Additionally, I have lead students on 4 Maymester study abroad trips (3 Argentina, 1 Spain). I retired from IBM after 35 years and enjoyed a varied career in sales, marketing and management. As a global brand manager, I had extensive responsibilities for project/product management & channel strategy. I managed several sales teams in the US as well as global representatives. I was a SCORE counsellor providing business support for SMB and entrepreneurs. I am married and have 4 adult children living in NYC and NC.

Katrina Savitskie (Ph.D. Michigan State University) was most recently a Fellow in the Supply Chain Management Center of Excellence at the University of West Florida. Her research focuses on the strategic role of information and performance metrics in the supply chain. Past projects examined service operations performance, information technology processes, Indian supply chain management practices, food truck marketing, and corporate social responsibility. Consulting efforts addressed operational performance assessment, distribution network evaluations, and transportation cost analysis. Having traveled to over 80 countries to date, Dr. Savitskie looks forward to sharing her insights into the countries she’s visited and learning about new places along with her students.

Bob Kling is a micro and environmental economist with a passion for international education and experiential travel. His first SAS voyage was Fall 1998, with spouse and kids. He served as Academic Dean for the Spring 2017 and Spring 2022 voyages, and as SAS Senior Academic Officer, 2017-22.

At CSU, Bob has held many teaching and administration roles. Partnering with Vietnam’s Foreign Trade University, he directed the CSU-FTU Vietnam Economics Curriculum Program, 2008-17. His research has focused on the economics of land management, valuation of historic resources, and regulatory strategy. Bob retired in 2022 and remains engaged with both CSU and SAS.

Alma Jean Billingslea is emerita professor of English at Spelman College. An activist and academic, Professor Billingslea is a veteran of the southern civil rights movement who joined the staff of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) soon after college to work with Martin Luther King, Jr. Having worked as organizer, editor and writer at SCLC, Professor Billingslea earned her PhD and joined the faculty at Spelman College where she became founding faculty and later director of the African Diaspora studies program. With a focus on comparative Africana literatures, Professor Billingslea has taught at the University of La Salle, Bogota, Colombia, conducted research at the University of Ghana, Legon and has been the recipient of Fulbright and Ford Foundation Fellowships.

Kim Euell is a professional theatre artist with a passion for teaching. Her most recent production, Flex by Candrice Jones, debuted to critical acclaim Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center in June 2023. Kim edited the first play anthology devoted to hip-hop theatre and her plays have been performed across the U.S. and in Cape Town. As a Visiting Artist at Cape Town’s University of the Western Cape from 2017-19, she conducted script writing workshops and theatre excursions as part of her courses. Kim also taught at the University of Pennsylvania, Wesleyan University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she was Playwright in Residence from 2014-18. Kim was the August Wilson Fellow in Theatre and a MacArthur Scholar in Development Studies & Social Change at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Anderson is a Geology Professor and the Winchester Distinguished Scholar at the University of Northern Colorado. His research focuses on how active lava flow surfaces are influenced by volcanic behavior. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including two in Nature. He has studied active volcanoes in more than a dozen countries, and is funded by NASA to study lava flows on Mars and Venus. He has been interviewed by the BBC, the Discovery Channel, and the New York Times regarding his work on active volcanoes. Dr. Anderson received several awards as an educator, including the EPA’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Environmental Education. One of his greatest passions is teaching in field settings, and he has taught field courses for 7 different universities.

Avi Spiegel is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of International Relations Graduate Programs at the University of San Diego. He was a Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a Fulbright Scholar and Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco. His first book, Young Islam: The New Politics of Religion in Morocco and the Arab World (Princeton University Press), uncovers the rivalries that are redefining the next generation of political Islam, and received book awards from the Washington Post, the International Studies Association, and the American Political Science Association. Spiegel is passionate about teaching, dedicated to student success, and committed to building a vibrant and inclusive community in every classroom.

Andrew (Andy) Seidl has been CSU professor of environmental and development economics since before the invention of wifi and the first episode of Grey’s Anatomy. His work focuses on natural resource-based economic development and private (agricultural) lands conservation in Colorado and biodiversity finance and World Heritage tourism internationally.

Andy has taught courses and/or lived in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Honduras, England, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland and Vietnam, and has travelled to about 80 countries. He has worked with the Brazilian government in the Pantanal, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Fugan Dineen is an ethnomusicologist, musician, and Zen Buddhist priest/teacher. He has been offering various ethnomusicology courses at Boston College since 2015, where he is also a Master Musician in Residence. In addition, Fugan is a Lecturer in the Department of Music at Yale University and has taught at Wesleyan University and Berklee College of Music. Fugan’s primary research is on South Indian music with a focus on rhythm syllables. His secondary area of research is in Deaf Studies exploring Deaf innovations in Zen liturgy. In addition to teaching and performing konakkol and mṛdaṅgam (two Indian percussive arts), Fugan is a specialist in various musical traditions and has toured and recorded widely. Fugan was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone and Paraguay and loves to travel.

Dr. Trevor G. Gates (he/him/his) is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Colorado State University and Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Trevor was a Fulbright Scholar to Vietnam during AY2022-2023. Trevor is a clinical social worker with expertise in affirming practice for LGBTQ+ individuals. Trevor is interested in global social work education and volunteerism in LGBTQ+ communities.

Aaron J. Hahn Tapper, the Mae and Benjamin Swig Professor in Jewish Studies and the founding Director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice, has been at USF since 2007. As a student and professor, he has lived and studied abroad in several places including Bir Zeit, Cairo, Fes, the Hague, Jerusalem, and Melbourne.

He has co-edited two volumes—Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities, with Reza Aslan (2011) and Social Justice and Israel/Palestine: Foundational and Contemporary Debates, with Mira Sucharov (2019)—and is the author of Judaisms: A Twenty-First-Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities (2016). He is currently working on a book about Indigenous Peoples in Australia and the United States.

Jeff Leopold is Assistant Professor at UVA McIntire School of Commerce. He has taught several business courses and all years of undergraduate students. He served as a career advisor at UVA Darden. Jeff is an engaged and committed teacher who is interested in spending time with students to discuss the course, careers, and life.
Before teaching, Jeff pursued a multi-decade business career in strategy, operations, marketing, and consulting. He brings relevant stories and lessons learned into the classroom. Jeff received his BSE from Wharton at UPenn and his MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern.
Jeff has lived and conducted business abroad and traveled extensively. He enjoys exploration, adventure, and being active. He is excited to do these things with the students and staculty on the voyage!

Linda Austin is an award-winning editor and educator, schooled in instructional design and experienced in international teaching, online learning, journalism-curriculum and training development.
She taught on the Spring 2020 voyage, after which one student wrote:
“Professor Austin challenged us, she informed us, she cared about us, and most importantly, she prepared us to go back into the world with a new appreciation, discernment, and understanding of the role journalism plays in our daily lives.”
She was a Fulbright Scholar in Burma, Luce Scholar in Singapore, visiting professor in China, Fulbright Specialist in Romania and Nepal, and Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow in the U.S.
Before becoming an educator, she led three local newsrooms to seven national and 41 state awards.

Dr. Adina Batnitzky is a sociologist whose research and teaching have revolved around the intersections of gender, health and labor in a global/transnational context with a particular regional expertise and field experience in the Middle East/North Africa and Western Europe. Her past research has included work on Arab-American health disparities; women’s health and household labor in Morocco; the built environment and obesity in India; food insecurity among East African refugees in Southern California; and embodied labor in London’s globalized service sector. Building on her two years of Peace Corps service in Morocco, Adina remains committed to community service, working collaboratively with diverse community actors, as well as students from diverse backgrounds.

Alex Nalbach is an independent scholar with a Ph.D. in World and European History from the University of Chicago. He is currently completing a World History textbook, Discovering the World: Inquiries into the Global Past, an active-learning resource that encourages comparative and connective investigations into environmental and demographic, political and military, economic and technological, cultural and gendered dimensions of the human past. Alex draws on decades of theatrical experience, world travel, and classroom teaching to craft dynamic, engaging, and informative lectures for academic and commercial travelers. He was privileged to have taught with Semester at Sea in Summer 2009, Spring 2012, Fall 2014, and Spring 2018. He currently resides in Vermont with husband Marc and dog Penny.

Jennifer Bousselot, Ph.D., specializes in green roof research on native species evaluations, plant drought tolerance, integration with solar panels, and rooftop agrivoltaics. Jen is the Editor of the Journal of Living Architecture, a longtime member of the Research Committee for Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC), and Board Member of GRHC and the High Plains Environmental Center in Loveland, Colorado. Jen is an accredited Green Roof Professional and leads the Colorado Regional Center for Excellence in Living Architecture, both designated by GRHC. She was a technical advisor for the 2017 Green Roof Ordinance in Denver and is on the Green Building Ordinance Technical Advisory Committee for the City of Denver. Due to her expertise in green roofing, Jen regularly consults on green roofs.

She began her career in advertising/publishing, later entering academics to combine practical, experience with theoretical applications in the classroom. She teaches several theory-based courses such as Media Studies, Media Effects and Political Communication and practical courses – Public Speaking, Advertising, and Research Methods. Dr. Brinson has always been drawn to international issues, her doctorate explored how images of Muslims in the media cultivate false perceptions, impacting Muslims’ self-esteem, identity, acculturation, and relationships with non-Muslims. She often travels internationally, but is most proud of her dedication to international non-profit organizations, and has spent quite a bit of time doing volunteer work internationally in India, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.

Brian is a former SAS student, and this is his second voyage as a faculty member. Off the ship, he teaches courses in public health, sport/performance psychology, coaching leadership, and health behavior. He uses a very involved approach to teaching, preferring stories, discussions, and activities for improved conceptual and applied knowledge.
His research interests center on children and exercise behavior. Motivation, social psychology, parental influences, and cultural factors are all key factors in this line of inquiry. Brian is also the Director of the CSU Youth Sport Camps, which focus on increasing and promoting physical activity among children. He enjoys forming relationships with children and families and influencing the future through healthy programming and outreach.

Scott is an Associate Professor of Archaeological Anthropology at a liberal arts college distinguished by its academic “block plan” – intensive 3.5-week courses with abundant experiential learning and field work opportunities. His teaching and research agenda focus on applications of archaeology to contemporary socio-environmental problems such as human vulnerability to climate change and sustainability.

Scott was a staff member with Semester at Sea during three voyages in the 1980s. This led directly to his decision to become a US Peace Corps volunteer. His careers included: Executive Director of a non-profit outdoor education center, Chief Operating Officer of a purified drinking water business, VP of Product Design at an internet startup, and leading a staff of backpacking guides.

Lisa Daunhauer is an Associate Professor at Colorado State University (CSU) with a taste for adventure, a passion for research, and a love of caffeine. Lisa conducted research and intervention in Eastern European orphanages which fueled her career as a developmentalist and perhaps her taste for thick and chewy coffee. Thanks to this experience, Lisa loves the challenge of addressing intercultural perspectives. At CSU, she oversees an active federally-funded research program while also teaching and developing courses on pediatrics, lifespan development, health, and disability. She builds strong relationships with her students. When not at work, you can find her on a mountain bike or paddleboard. Lisa will be traveling with her equally adventurous kiddo, who sailed with her Spring 2019.

Daniel Montoya holds a Ph.D. in Biological Psychology and training in Neurosciences. He graduated from the National University of Córdoba in 1998, where he worked at a private research institute with grants from the Argentinian government to study how learning and memory work in the hippocampus. After moving to the USA in the same year, he completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Psychiatry at Duke University. Then, he pursued post docs at Wake Forest University, NC, and Bowling Green State University, Ohio. In 2005, Dr. Montoya began his career as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at FSU, where he is currently a tenured associate professor. His main research interests are cognition, consciousness, and their relationship with Artificial Intelligence.

Mohammad Homayounvash is the founding director of the Institute for Interfaith
Dialogue and Education at Miami-Dade College and a lecturer at the School of
International & Public Affairs at Florida International University (FIU) and the Religious Studies Department at the University of Miami. He is the author of Iran and the Nuclear Question (Routledge,2017). Formerly, he has been a fellow at Hertog Global Strategy Initiative at Columbia University and a Nuclear History Research fellow for Wilson Center’s Nuclear Proliferation International History Project (NPIHP) at Monash University in South Africa. He has previously taught as a visiting professor of international relations at Louisiana State University (LSU).

Shelley Haddock is a professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program and the Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University (CSU). Dr. Haddock is a dedicated educator who cares deeply about students’ professional and personal growth. She is passionate about learning about other cultures and the promotion of social justice. She co-developed a the nationally recognized Campus Connections Youth Mentoring program and service-learning course at CSU. In the course, undergraduate students are paired in one-on-one mentoring relationships with youth who have experienced adversity. Dr. Haddock sailed on the Fall 2018 voyage, during which she served as the counselor on the ship. She also volunteers for Global Volunteers to support a mental health initiative in rural Tanzania.

This is Dan’s third SAS voyage. He is a proud Chicano, the first of his family to complete HS and earn BA/Masters from UCB and PhD from UW-Madison. He spent twenty-five years in the international corporate world prior to college teaching. Dan is proud to be an entrepreneur and started three firms, the last focusing on sustainable energy and water practices. His primary teaching and research areas include International Business/Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainable Development. Dan retired last year after serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Madrid and is now a Professor Emeritus. Over the last twenty years he planned/led upwards of 200 field trips for students in more than twenty nations. He believes that the best learning experiences require academic studies that meet the real world.

Jeff McCubbin served as the Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Colorado State University (CSU) from 2011-2019. He was a University Distinguished Professor of Exercise Science at Oregon State University (OSU). He directed an internationally recognized graduate program in Movement Studies in Disability at OSU from 1988-2011. Research/teaching interests focused on PA and exercise to improve health and reducing secondary issues. In 1998 he was inducted as a fellow in the prestigious National Academy of Kinesiology. He is an emeritus Dean in the College of Health and Human Sciences at CSU.

Jeff and his spouse Debbie love to travel, visit our five grandchildren, engage in community based non-profit leadership, and enjoy exercise no matter the season.

Joseph Itaya is an award-winning film director, digital content creator, technology innovator, educator, and entrepreneur. He specializes in the fusion of storytelling and business, synthesizing brand identity and strategy into compelling multi-media content for defined audiences.

For over 20 years, Itaya has produced and directed multitiered digital campaigns for global brands including Sony, CBS, NBCUniversal, Fox, Walmart, Mattel, and Coca-Cola. He founded Legacy Films in 2007 and has produced documentaries for notable clients in the fields of politics, real estate, finance, sports, and entrepreneurship. A pioneer in the live-action VR industry, Itaya also founded EVRLAND, to bring travel/wellness/education VR experiences to sick and disadvantaged children.

Courtenay Biser-Suárez grew up in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. During her junior year of college she studied abroad in Granada, Spain where she met her future husband. She fell in love with the language and culture and upon graduation decided to further her education in Spanish by earning a Master’s Degree at the University of Illinois where she also became certified to teach Spanish. Upon receiving her degree she and her husband moved to El Paso, Texas where she taught Spanish to Heritage Speakers of Spanish at the High School level and their first child was born. Colorado called so they moved to Fort Collins where her second child was born and where she has been teaching Spanish at Colorado State University for twenty-five years. The family spends most vacation time in Granada, Spain.

Dr. David Bybee is a marine biologist on the faculty of Brigham Young University-Hawaii on the Island of Oahu. He has also worked as an environmental consultant. He holds a PhD from the University of Hawaii. His research focuses mainly on biodiversity and life histories of marine invertebrates on coral reefs. His work has taken him to many parts of the Pacific including Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. In recent years he has also done research on seabird migrations between French Polynesia and the arctic.
His interests include linguistics, history and cultural anthropology. His wife Herenui is from French Polynesia and received her degree in Pacific Island studies. Together with their four children they enjoy the rich biological and cultural heritage of the Pacific.

Dr. Doris H. Gray directed the Hillary Clinton Center for Women’s Empowerment at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, where she served as Professor of Women and Gender Studies.She moved to Morocco from Tallahassee, Florida, where she taught Women Studies and in the Modern Languages Department at Florida State University.
Before becoming an academic, Doris worked as a foreign correspondent from South Africa and then for 10 years in Nairobi, Kenya.
Her books: Leaving the Shadow of Pain: a cross-cultural exploration of truth, trauma, reconciliation and healing, Women and Social Change in North Africa: What counts as Revolutionary?, Beyond Feminism and Islamism: Gender and Equality in North Africa, Muslim Women on the Move: Moroccan Women and French Women of Moroccan Origin Speak Out.

A passionate film producer, screenwriter, novelist, and former journalist, Eric recently produced the feature film “Rickshaw Girl,” the first ever US-Bangladesh co-production.

Eric wrote the feature “Supremacy,” starring Mahershala Ali and Danny Glover and “My Suicide,” winner of 21 major film festival awards.

As a journalist, Eric’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The LA Times, Wired, and many travel, inflight and business magazines.

Eric is the author of four novels, including the thriller “Birdland” and satire “Cosmic Fever.” Along with his wife Kathleen (a counselor on this journey!), he co-wrote the children’s book “On The Day His Daddy Left.”

Eric and Kathleen live in Sonoma Wine Country and are proud parents of two grown sons, both in the film and music business.

Alex Reczkowski brings to our ship over twenty years of experience in public and academic libraries. In 2022-2023, he served as the president of CW MARS, a network of 150+ libraries in Central and Western Massachusetts. He also serves on the Community Advisory Board for both the Liberal Arts program of Berkshire Community College and Barrington Stage Company. Aside from his career in libraries, Alex is active in community and international service, including having served as a Rotary Club president. His work with Rotary has taken him to Szeged, Hungary, where he served as an ambassadorial scholar, and to Bor, Serbia, for a global grant project bringing equipment, supplies, and curricula to preschools. During tax season, he keeps busy with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Katherine Grasso is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at DeSales University. She teaches a wide range of course, inlcuding gender communication, media effects, health communication, persuasion, and quantitative research methods. Her research explores young people’s safer sex communication and women’s sexual agency. She has led students on international travel to India, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam.

I grew up in Philadelphia PA in USA and studied religion and Asian Studies for BA, MA and PhD at Temple University. After a post-doc at Harvard U, I taught American studies at East China Normal U in Shanghai, China. Was assistant dean at East West Center in Hawaii (1982-86) and Scholar in Residence at the Fulbright office in Washington DC. I joined Institute of International Education (IIE) as director of IIE/Hong Kong in 1988. Established the Hong Kong America Center (HKAC) and was a Fulbright scholar in CUHK. From 2000-2020 was CEO of the HKAC, until I retired to Scotland, where I now live.

For his first voyage, Samuel Granoff will serve as the Director of the Writing Center while also teaching E 238 Contemporary Global Fiction and E 311A Intermediate Creative Writing. Both courses will hone students’ critical and creative skills by engaging work from an array of award-winning international authors. Having founded a literary journal, worked in publishing, and helped students place work from Ms. Magazine to The New York Times, Sam aims to support writers both on and off the page.

Aside from creative writing and composition, he has taught classes on The Beatles, Westerns, and baseball. Sam pitched professionally in Europe last summer and will coach in Argentina this fall. He is currently working on a novel about the game.

Roxie Mitchell is a Semester at Sea Alumni from the Spring 2003 who will return to join Semester at Sea again with her family as one of the Global Studies Coordinators for the Spring 2024 voyage. She is a National Board Certified teacher that has 19+ years of teaching experience in both in-person and virtual environments primarily with art education for students from kindergarten through college.

Over the past 20 years Mike has worked in student affairs administration at five different public and private colleges and universities of various sizes. While the bulk of his professional experience has been in the field of student conduct and conflict management, he has worked in residence life, victim advocacy, Title IX, and substance misuse prevention.

Currently, Mike serves as the Director of the Student Resolution Center at Colorado State University. In his approach to work, Mike honors every individual’s unique life experience and circumstances while exploring ways in which they navigate the world, impact themselves and others, and grow into the person they want to be.

Toni-Lee Viney has dedicated her career to supporting student success initiatives at Colorado State University. She currently serves as the Director of Engineering Education and Student Success Initiatives. In this role, Toni-Lee advocates for system and process changes that enhance students’ access to opportunities that support their goals. She is passionate about elevating international experiences for students to integrate into their educational journey and collaborates with amazing people to make education abroad a reality for more students. She launched the Berlin Bridge program, one of the first education abroad experiences for incoming students at CSU. Her role on the Semester at Sea voyage unites her passions for supporting student success and growing international opportunities.

As a Fall 2009 alumni, Allie McGrimley has dreamt of returning to work for Semester at Sea. Allie’s semester abroad instilled in her a newfound appreciation for learning and inspired her to switch her college major to history education. Allie works as a high school history, global studies, and service learning teacher in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Additionally, she is a Cooperating Teacher for graduate students in the M.Ed. program at the University of New Hampshire.
Allie has led and chaperoned a variety of student trips, including Tanzania, Haiti, Belize, and Washington D.C. She hopes these real world opportunities continue to broaden her students’ global perspectives. Allie is thrilled to sail again and serve as one of the Global Studies Instructional Coordinators for the FA23 voyage.

Ryan Barone, PhD (he/him) serves as the Assistant Vice President for Student Success at Colorado State University. In this role, he works between both academic affairs and student affairs and collaborates with units across campus to foster equitable student success. He is also an Assistant Professor in the School of Education teaching and advising doctoral students in the Higher Education Leadership program. Dr. Barone’s research interests include social justice leadership, equity with an emphasis on two-year colleges, violence prevention, and critical qualitative research methods.

Lara Lázaro Touza (IVLP alumni) is a Senior Analyst in the Energy and Climate Program at the Elcano Royal Institute (ES) and lecturer in Economic Theory at Colegio Universitario Cardenal Cisneros, attached to Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She has published in Ecological Economics, Energy, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Journal of Loss and Damage in the Process Industries, Energy Sources Part B: Economics, Planning, and Policy, etc. She has contributed to several edited volumes: Routledge Handbook of EU Security Law and Policy, Edward Elgar’s Handbook of Energy Policy and Springer’s Climate Change and the Future of Europe, etc.

Jeff’s career in the technology industry spans more than 25 years and includes sales, supply chain, and finance leadership roles. He currently works in an advisory role for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and enjoys mentoring early career professionals. Living in Colorado, he enjoys outdoor activities with his wife Colleen and participating in Semester at Sea whenever possible. Jeff looks forward to being a member of the Global Studies team and to supporting students on our voyage of discovery.

Hyla Cushner (M.Ed.) retired from a 30 year career teaching and advocating for children with special needs at all levels of K-12 education. Her career included teaching ESL at Case Western Reserve University, teaching Intervention Specialists at the University of Hawaii, and 30 years as a Case Manager. Post retirement, Hyla has consulted with the Autism Society of Greater Akron in support of families and children with their inclusion concerns pertaining to schools and community agencies, served as Project Director on a Transition Project at Kent State University, and offering professional development at a Maasai school in Tanzania. This will be Hyla’s fourth voyage. Travel is a big part of her life having lived in Australia and Hawaii in addition to Ohio.

Paul Matthews has had a long career in IT, specializing in information security. Over the last 15 years he has worked in the banking and insurance industries.Originally from the United Kingdom, Paul emigrated to the USA in 2005 and has spent his time since then exploring the United States including rafting trips down the Grand Canyon and Idaho’s River of No Return wilderness area.

Rameen Talesh currently serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life & Leadership and Dean of Students at the University of California Irvine where he oversees 16 different departments.

His 33 years of professional experience in student affairs administration has covered both public and private institutions of various sizes including UC Riverside, California State University Northridge, Occidental College and UCI. Rameen believes that the experiences in the classroom are enhanced by the experiences outside the classroom. On his campus, he is affectionately known as the “Fistbump Dean”.

Rameen sailed as the Dean of Student Life on Semester at Sea (SAS) Fall 2014 voyage and is excited to be returning to the shipboard experience.

You can follow him @deanrameen.

Pamela lives in Fort Collins, CO, and serves as the Lory Student Center Associate Executive Director for Engagement & Talent Development. She has built her 25+ year career in Student Affairs through professional experiences at Colorado State University, the University of Missouri-Columbia, & the University of Kansas in leadership development, student activities, human resources, & marketing. She continues to learn, grow, & love her profession & the absolute privilege it is to work with students.

Leora Hafri is a nonprofit leader with 15+ years of experience in the strategic management of national organizations in the fitness, health, and wellness sectors. Currently, she’s an independent consultant and Interim Executive Director for the Adaptive Training Academy, empowering people of all abilities to live healthy and active lives. Previously, she was COO of an LGBTQ+ nonprofit, Executive Director of a youth development nonprofit, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Georgia. Leora first sailed with SAS as a student and later as a staff member on the Fall 2022 Voyage. She’s eager to use her global experiences from past voyages and travels to 55+ countries to help create life-changing moments for the SAS community, like those she’s been fortunate to have.

Kristin Sykes is excited to once again sail with Semester at Sea. She has had the privilege of sailing on the Spring 1996 voyage as a Resident Director and Fall 1999 and Summer 2014 as Assistant Executive Dean. She was inspired each time by the growth and transformation of the voyagers and can’t wait to support students, faculty and staff as Assistant Executive Dean on the Spring 2023 voyage.
She is currently the Dean of Students at Century College, the largest community and technical college in Minnesota, where she leads committed staff in providing equitable services and opportunities to a diverse student population.

Nonhle Mngadi is driven to affect positive change in the society and has a passion for working with people, particularly those in disadvantaged rural communities. Nonhle Mngadi is a Social Ecologist at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, South Africa with eight years of experience in the interrelation between protected areas and local communities. She is passionate about creating alternative livelihoods for rural communities that live within the natural areas of Africa. She deems “It is vital that we encourage and protect a harmonious and symbiotic relationship between people and nature”, and has garnered some recognition such as the NEWF Women Media Lab Fellow, 2020.

I spent the first half of my life growing up in the Bay Area and then attended college in Los Angeles. Since then, I lived in Japan and taught English, Maryland for graduate school, and have called Colorado home since 2004. I began my student affairs career as a Residential Life Coordinator (coming back to my roots as an RD on the voyage!) and then pursued my Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership. After 12 years of administrative experience in a variety of student affairs areas, I transitioned to faculty life and currently serve as an Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership, Research, and Foundations at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. I am very excited to journey along with students as they develop their global perspective on Semester at Sea!!!

Koty Erdmann is the Manager of International Field Programs at the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE). She has worked for ISE for over 5 years coordinating and developing in-country field programming and is excited to sail a full voyage as a member of the Field Office team. Koty loves creating engaging and experiential educational experiences for students and adult learners.

Julie Hurst brings a wealth of experience within higher education–including the areas of community engagement and international education–as well as an asset-based approach to relationship building and team development. Julie considers herself a lifelong learner and is currently earning an Advanced Breathwork Certification with Breathwork Africa. Most recently, Julie served as Senior DEI Program Manager, leading 9 employee resource groups (ERGs) within a global organization.

Julie is a proud Staculty alum of Semester at Sea and looks forward to sailing with the Fall 2025 shipboard community.

Spencer Hudec is from a multi-generation military family that settled in San Antonio, TX early on in her childhood. Since then, she has always been afflicted by wanderlust. Her independent nature and desire to learn have prompted living in six states across the U.S. and multiple solo adventures both domestically and abroad. She has spent nearly ten years post-masters at a number of institutions including University of Virginia and most recently, Purdue University where she serves as the Associate Director for Risk Management in Fraternity, Sorority and Cooperative Life.

Stephanie Starks is a Clinical Social Worker and has been a private practice counselor working with college students for most of her career. She is excited to go on her second SAS voyage, having sailed as a student on the Spring 2016 voyage. She is excited to join as a counselor on the Medical/Health team to help students have the best possible experience.

She has a passion for working with young adults and helping them explore the world around them. Stephanie has a philosophy and practice of acceptance, compassion, and support for those she serves while providing an emotionally safe and respectful environment.
Stephanie is looking forward to sailing again and joining the entire Spring 2023 SAS community.

Cindy is very excited to join everyone on the Spring ’23 Voyage (her 10th Semester at Sea Voyage)! Cindy sailed initially as an RD in the Fall of 1986 and since then, has sailed as the Dean of Student Life on 6 Voyages, the Lifelong Learner Coordinator on Spring 2015, and most recently as a member of the Voyage Administration on Spring 2022 (in both Academic Affairs and Student Life). She has worked at the University of San Francisco, Humboldt State University, Stony Brook University, the University of Iowa, and Colorado College (in Residential Life/Student Affairs) to name a few. Recently, she’s been a Counselor at a High School for several years and currently works in the Semester at Sea Home Office as one of the Student Support Services Advisors.

I share my life with my amazing partner, Rachel, and our wild pup, Bazzy. I’m all about living life to the fullest, whether it’s training for triathlons, diving into a great book, or mastering my next board game strategy. I’m also on a mission to become fluent in Spanish and can’t get enough of the Dungeons and Dragons podcast, Not Another D & D Podcast.

Traveling is my passion, and I embark on at least two international adventures every year. Among all my travels, my first voyage with Semester at Sea holds a special place in my heart. With over a decade in Student Affairs, I’ve had the joy of supporting hundreds of students through their collegiate journeys, including on board the M.S.S. Odyssey. I’m thrilled to meet you all on my second Semester at Sea voyage!

Throughout her twenty-five-year career in international higher education, Terra managed dozens of institutional collaborations worldwide. She is constantly learning alongside her students about the ways culture impacts worldviews, identities, and communication. She teaches courses on storytelling in international relations, cross-cultural communication, and transcultural education. Administratively, she served as the Program Director and Faculty Advisor for Online Programs in SIS, with students logging into classes from over 15 time zones. Terra taught English in Japan, consulted for international organizations, and sailed as the Assistant Executive Dean for the Spring 2004 voyage before joining the faculty at Howard Community College, the University of Maryland, and American University.

Erin Bevan is a Family Nurse Practitioner who has been working in healthcare for the past 20 years. She first worked as a registered nurse in critical care at Oregon Health & Science University, and then as a nurse practitioner in rural Montana and the Alaskan Bush. She works in both the primary and emergency setting, and enjoys the diversity she sees in the rural area. Erin is originally from Portland, OR, but currently lives in West Yellowstone, MT. When Erin isn’t working or driving her kids to activities, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, welcoming exchange students into her home, and watching all the wildlife that visits her property. Erin is thrilled to join the SAS voyage and will be traveling with her husband, Mike, and their two kids, Liam (14) and Maeve (11).

Gabrielle Golenberg, PhD is excited to be sailing as the Counselor on the Fall 2023 voyage. She is a psychologist with experience working in outpatient, college counseling, and partial hospitalization/ intensive outpatient levels of care. She sailed on the Spring 2015 voyage and can’t wait to sail again.

Brian Stewart, MPP, MDR is a DEI Practitioner and Study Abroad and International Education Consultant–focuses on increasing the number of minority students who study abroad. He sailed as a student and worked for Semester At Sea during the Spring 2014 50th Anniversary: Around The World Voyage, where he supervised the Vicarious Voyage Program, managed and recruited voyagers into the Global Ambassadors Program, and served as a SAS Ambassador at Welcome Receptions and Open Ship events in foreign countries on the voyage itinerary. He has facilitated LGBTQIA inclusivity trainings and workshops for HBCUs and served as a Council Member on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) HBCU National Advisory Council. His DEI work have focused on the issues of privilege, inclusivity and belonging.

Matt (“Dr Matt”) was born and raised in Wisconsin, now happy to be part owner of the Green Bay Packers. He went to the University of Wisconsin for undergrad, Loyola University Chicago for Medical School and the Medical College of Wisconsin for Emergency Medicine Training. He has worked in Wisconsin all his career, other than brief work with Holland America Cruise Lines and in the Caribbean. He enjoys all aspects of Emergency Medicine, taking care of all ages, illnesses and injures. He is married, his wife Monica being a Semester at Sea alumni. He has two children. In his spare time he enjoys Wisconsin sports, being a chauffeur to children’s activities, and being outdoors.

Kathleen Adams, LCSW, has worked with children, adults and families for over 35 years in both the USA and overseas. She has a psychotherapy and mediation practice in Northern California where she focuses on transition, trauma and inspiring hope.

Kathleen is co-author of the award-winning children’s book on divorce, “On the Day His Daddy Left.” She is also a film producer passionately focused on issues such as suicide prevention and girl empowerment. Her most recent feature film, “Rickshaw Girl,” won 10 major film festival awards and was the first-ever US-Bangladesh co-production. And just for fun, she does some travel writing.

Recently she was honored by the National Association of Social Workers with the “California Social Worker of the Year” award.

Brooke Dolin is research consultant at Kula No Nā Poʻe Hawai’i, working to advance health equity for Native Hawaiians by utilizing community based participatory research to approach artificial intelligence and develop a machine learning model as part the AIM-AHEAD grant.

Before attending graduate school, Brooke spent 12-years as a successful New York City-based Disc Jockey (DJ) for clubs and events worldwide. Her career highlights include DJ residencies in Tokyo, Japan, Florence, Italy, 1 Oak, The Box NYC, and opening for Shakira at Madison Square Garden.

Brooke enjoys being outside, surfing, any ocean related activity, exercising, reading, meditating, learning new things/skills, rap, live music and good DJs.

Vernon A. Wall has accumulated over 30+ years of professional Student Affairs experience at Iowa State University, the University of Georgia, UNC-Charlotte, and UNC-Chapel Hill and has experience in Greek life, new student orientation, student activities, leadership development, global education, and university housing. Vernon currently lives in Washington DC and is the Director for Business Development at LeaderShape, Inc. Vernon is also President and Founder of One Better World, LLC – a consulting firm specializing in engaging others in courageous social justice and equity conversations and is a past President of ACPA – College Student Educators, International.

Louise Hudson is a freelance journalist living in Portugal during summer and Canada in winter. She has collaborated with husband and travel companion, Dr Simon Hudson on many of his books and research projects. Originally trained in journalism in England, she writes about travel and tourism for many publications including Ski Canada magazine, Sun Peaks Independent News, Style Altitude mag, Tomorrow Algarve, her own blog (One, Two, Ski!) and in the past LA Times, Dallas Morning News, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, Canada’s Globe and Mail, Calgary Herald, MORE magazine, SNOW mag and many more. She’s a CSIA ski instructor, a ski guide at Sun Peaks, BC, Canada, and also runs a 200-member padel tennis club in the Algarve. She regularly volunteers to help run events at both destinations.

Dr. Sterling graduated Cum Laude and with Honors from Grand Canyon University with a BS in Biology. He earned his medical degree from the Midwestern University. He then completed a 5 years of training including 3 year Emergency Medicine Residency at St Vincent’s Mercy Medical Center’s Level I trauma center, 1 year of surgical training at a Temple University Program and 1 year of medicine at Michigan State University. Dr. Sterling started Emergency Medicine with Dartmouth Hitchcock, and is currently the Medical Director for the Manchester Medical Center as well as Deputy Town Health Officer for Manchester.
Dr. Sterling currently serves the US Air Force as a Flight Physician, Critical Care Air Transport Physician, and CERF-P Medical Director for the 193rd Special Operations Medical Group.

Dr. Cheryl Pence is excited to be the Care Team Coordinator for her first Semester at Sea voyage, working closely with Student Life, Medical, Academic Affairs, and Voyage Leadership teams to support student well-being. Her preferred way to travel the globe is by ship; she has taken more than 20 cruises and spent 11 years in the U.S. Navy, almost 4 of them at sea as a naval officer on ships. At WKU, she served 7 years as full-time graduate counseling faculty and is now the Project Director for a large federal grant. Cheryl is a Licensed Professional Counselor and approved clinical supervisor in Arizona and Kentucky (LPC, LPCC-S), National Certified Counselor (NCC), and has counseled in a variety of areas including hospice, crisis, traumatic grief, career, wellness, and refugee services.

Andrea is currently the Apartment Complex Coordinator for Housing and Residence Life at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. She recently served as the Interim Director of Student Conduct at WMU. Other previous experience includes being a Residence Hall Director and a student conduct Hearing Officer, as well as instructing a First Year Experience class, all at WMU. Her graduate research focused on organizational training and development for student conduct professionals.

Andrea is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She resides in Kalamazoo with her cat Maisy. She believes in finding adventures in all of life’s moments – big and small.

Connor became interested in working in higher education as an undergraduate student. He complained to the Dean of Students about the transparent shower curtains that had been installed in the residence hall bathrooms. In that conversation the Dean suggested that Connor might enjoy a career in student affairs and the idea was planted (and the shower curtains were replaced).
Connor worked mainly at small arts colleges before deciding to take a year off to travel, but ended up working onboard cruise ships for four years instead. He was able to travel extensively around Europe, Oceania, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean. He was also able to travel alone to India and Japan.
After some pandemic-induced time off, Connor is excited to join Semester at Sea and bring his career paths together.

Dan Đaković, Ph.D. is Philosopher with a passion for Psychology, Religions and Politics. He was born in 1980 in Zagreb, capital of Croatia.
Dan grew up in a small town Velika Gorica near Zagreb in a large family with lots of love, discussion, noise and music. He played violin and basketball.
From 2006 to 2020, he worked for the City of Zagreb – Mayor’s Office, Department for Promoting Human Rights, Gender Equality, Relations with National Minorities & Religious Communities & Civil Society Development and the Office of International Relations and Human Rights.
He worked as an adviser for relations with National Minorities and Religious Communities. His ”secret” mission and his biggest passion is building bridges between 22 national minorities and 35 religious communities in his town.

Though she is always keen to explore the world, Olivia cherishes her family, her home state of Colorado, and her dogs. She loves to discuss international policy, conflict, and new workout routines. She enjoys playing volleyball, skiing, hiking, reading, the color green, going for coffee with friends, and walking her dogs! Olivia is overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to sail again. Having sailed as a first-year university student in Spring 2017 and in the field office in Spring 2023 she recognizes the value of the experience for young learners.

Addy is a professional videographer and photographer based in Raleigh, NC. He has a background in sports, travel and doc-style videography, as well as a strong passion for analog photography. He spends his summers in the Caribbean creating content for Broadreach, a scuba diving and sailing company, and is happiest in, on, under and around the water. He sailed previously as the videographer for the Spring 23 Semester, and jumped at the opportunity to extend his contract into the fall.

Shaker recently co-founded Kayan Ventures, an early-stage Venture Capital Fund with a global remit, leveraging a unique pipeline of global deals, with a focus on HealthTech & ClimateTech. Kayan invests in deep tech, data-driven & tech-enabled start-ups, working on novel & essential technologies with early signs of success to the markets that need them to deliver quality of life improvements.

An active Angel Investor & Advisor to several startups since 2008, Shaker founded and grew his previous fund, Kawn Ventures, to now having over 25 portfolio companies across different industries and sectors. Shaker has also worked in Development, Finance & Operations in Hospitality & Tourism, Manufacturing, Solar Energy, Design, Real Estate, General Investments, and has established a non-profit.

Mahesh has over 30 years of experience in energy and environmental projects spanning energy, water, transport, rural development, technology and business innovations sectors. He is an international sustainability and energy policy expert with direct experience with The World Bank, USAID, USDoE, ADB, etc. He has worked in 25+ emerging and developed economies. Mahesh is passionate about bringing technology, financing and implementation innovations to the forefront of the development sector and is committed to working towards environmentally benign development in the global south while contributing to technology stewardship in the global north.

John Psaropoulos is Al Jazeera’s Athens-based foreign correspondent, covering Greece and Southeast Europe. He has also written for US and UK publications including The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, the American Scholar, Liberties Journal, the Critic, and the TLS. He worked as an Associate Producer for CNN International and for a decade was editor in chief of the Athens News, Greece’s historic English-language newspaper. His coverage has included major crises – the Eurozone crisis (2010-18), the refugee crisis (2015 ff.) the crisis in Greek-Turkish relations since 2020 and the ongoing environmental and energy crisis.

Amb. Dr. FCS. Koki Muli Grignon is the founding Ag. Dean of South Eastern Kenya University School of Law. For over 33 years she has been involved in the human rights and women’s rights movements, academia, diplomacy, social justice and rule of law, constitutional making and review processes, democratization process, and free, fair, transparent, and accountable elections. She is a Lecturer, a Professional Mediator, an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, a Commissioner for Oaths, a Notary Public, and a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICS) and holds various professional certificates.

Dr. Chela has gone from being a door-to-door bookseller to writing books; from being a community health educator to running health organizations. She has conducted research and service in over 80 countries and has been a longstanding advocate for those that are marginalized.
Dr. Chela currently serves as the President and CEO of CC Strategic Solutions which is a leadership and management consulting and research firm that improves the well-being of individuals, families and communities around the world. Much of the foundational skills that she trains leaders on stems from her 12 years of experience in Residence Life.

Amy Walenga is a board certified nurse practitioner with clinical experience in primary care and reproductive health care. Amy served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay 1993-1995. She worked with Doctors Without Borders in Brazil in 1996 and then in Zambia in 2000. She loves the international community she serves as a primary care provider on cape cod, speaking Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish, and every day learning new words and phrases!

Valerie is a digital media storyteller and entrepreneur. She first sailed with Semester at Sea as a student in the Fall of 2014 as a Presidential Scholar and has dedicated her life to telling stories that help students get excited about the world at large.

She’s spent much of her career at TED on the TED-Ed team, helping students and educators in over 100 countries share their best ideas. She is also the co-founder of two educational programs: “Post Pigeon EDU” and “The Great Untold EDU,” launching the latter during her yearlong van-life journey driving from the US to South America, bringing classrooms along with her virtually. Her goal is to build educational experiences that inspire people to explore the world in all sorts of ways–cultivating curiosity, empowerment, and connection.

Theresa A. Vecchio (Terry) was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and is a Midwesterner at heart. She has worked in higher education for 33 years, currently as the Dean of Students at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester Massachusetts. She received a Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation at Southern Illinois University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Connecticut, and a Doctorate in Higher Educational Leadership from Johnson & Wales University. Terry sailed with Semester at Sea in 1988 as a Residence Director and then again as the Assistant Dean of Student Life on the summer 2014 and spring 2017 voyages respectively. Terry enjoys vacationing at Cape Cod, golfing, kayaking and movies. She is an active member of a rowing club in Massachusetts.

Brian Goeltzenleuchter is the Darlene Shiley Honors Faculty Fellow in the Weber Honors College, San Diego State University. He is a conceptual artist working at the intersection of social engagement, olfactory art, and drawing. His artwork has been exhibited in over 60 museums and galleries in 9 countries. He has held residencies at Banff Centre (Canada), Centrum Beeldende Kunst (The Netherlands), Sculpture Space (New York), and Institute for Art and Olfaction (Los Angeles). Having taught at universities since he was 21 years old, Brian has developed teaching methods that are marked by interdisciplinary research, experiential learning, collaboration, and humor. Brian is an alumnus of Semester at Sea (Summer 1996), which he attended with his then-girlfriend and now-wife of 25 years, Amy.

Melissa Stewart is professor of religious studies and gender studies at Adrian College, in SE Michigan, where she won the teaching award in 2013. She sailed with SAS Fall 16 which she considers one of the best experiences of her life. Thanks to a Lilly Grant, she trained in active pedagogies and teaching civic engagement. And as the current Adrian College Study Abroad Director, she helps students pursue their passion for studying across cultures. She has spent semesters studying in Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Spain, the DR, Germany and Sweden. Melissa enjoys time with her partner Brad and three boys Walker, Oscar and William. She likes to travel, swim, and play cards, and hopes to do as many of these as possible with the SAS Spring 24 students.

Dr. Irit Shmuel is Head of Tourism Studies in the Management Department at Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel. Trained in geography, her main research interest is in the field of tourism and includes the following: touristic imagination, cultural tourism, rural tourism, and host-guest relationship. Dr. Shmuel holds BA (1997) and MA (2008) in geography from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Ph.D. (2021) in Tourism and Geography from Bar Ilan University in Israel. Dr. Shmuel lectures at conferences, workshops, and seminars worldwide and collaborates with researchers from Israel and abroad.

Jesse is a higher education strategy consultant with Eduvantis, LLC., working with universities across the country to develop effective growth strategies and identify new opportunities for sustained success in the ever-disrupted landscape of higher education. He is also a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois. Jesse sailed with Semester at Sea on the Spring 2015 voyage along with his wife Gabrielle.

Sean will be joining his wife and daughter on his first voyage on Semester at Sea and is looking forward to co-leading the dependent children aboard. He has been an elementary physical education teacher for the past 11 years, a cooperating teacher for UNH students since 2014 and is currently the K-12 department head for PE & Health in his home district. Sean spends a lot of time in his community leading learn-to-bike programs, summer mountain bike camps and coaching the high school cycling team.

Along with personal trips to Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Sean has been lucky enough to be part of a UNH teacher education course; traveling to Belize, visiting remote schools and villages, along with the opportunity to co-lead a school trip to Tanzania.

Jennifer Alanis is the executive director of the Taylor Family Center for Student Success at Washington University in St. Louis. She is a first-generation Mexican American and a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) leader. Jennifer has over 16 years of professional experience in student affairs administration in a variety of institutional settings such as community college, large research institutions, small privates, and Hispanic Serving Institutions. Jennifer believes in creating an inclusive campus through providing transformative experiences to enhance the learning within the classroom. Jennifer has sailed on three voyages of Semester at Sea, most recently as the assistant executive dean for the fall 2019 voyage.

Dr. Hentschell serves as the Chief Academic Officer for the Colorado State University System. Prior to that, she served as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College of Liberal Arts. She has been a faculty member since 1998 and is currently Professor of English with a specialization in early modern studies. She is the author of several books in her field and takes enormous professional pleasure and pride in teaching courses on all aspects of early modern culture and literature.

She is an advocate for educational equity and works to create systems and practices that help all students thrive in higher ed. She is a champion for education abroad, has created programs in Mexico and England, and has led students several times on a Summer in Oxford program.

Fabiola P. Ehlers-Zavala (Ella/She) is Professor of English at Colorado State University (CSU). She earned both her M.A. in English and her Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University (ISU). She earned a B.A. in English from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV), Chile. Her scholarship addresses issues in language teacher preparation, internationalization for diversity, equity and inclusion, and leadership in higher education. In addition to having served as Chair of TESOL International’s Nominating Committee and the Bilingual Education Interest section (BEIS). She is Past President of Illinois TESOL/BE (Bilingual Education) and Past President of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL). She loves languages, travel, and animals.

Dr. Laurel Hiebert is a biologist and marine scientist with a passion for teaching and research. She currently holds the position of research associate and lecturer at the University of California Santa Barbara, where her research focuses on regeneration in sea squirts. Laurel has also completed postdoctoral work in Brazil and France. As a faculty member for the Semester at Sea program, Laurel is excited to offer students unique and enriching international experiences both on land and at sea.

Marti Fessenden is General Counsel and a member of the president’s cabinet for Agnes Scott College. For the 2021-2022 and part of the 2022-2023 academic year, she additionally served as Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. Throughout her 30+ year career, she has provided leadership in legal practice, higher education administration and non-profit board service. Prior to joining Agnes Scott, she practiced law as a civil litigator for more than 26 years in the private sector, most recently with her own law firm – The Fessenden Firm / Higher Ed Advise.
Marti is incredibly excited to be returning to the Spring 2024 shipboard experience. Marti will be sailing with her daughter Sydney, who is a junior at UC Berkeley.

Andrew is a licensed psychologist in the state of Colorado. He earned his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Ball State University, and a Masters in International Psychology and Couples and Family Therapy from Alliant International University in Mexico City.

As a staff psychologist at Colorado State University, Andrew specializes in individual and group counseling, multicultural therapy, and providing affirmative care to students holding marginalized identities.

Although a native of the United States, Andrew spent 2 years in Brazil and another 2 years in Mexico; he speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Andrew is aboard the ship with his partner and their 13 years old son, and is missing their 2 dogs, Rorschach and Mighty Macho, who had to stay behind.

Hannah has been a practicing Mental Health Professional for 5 years. Hannah has worked with young adults and marginalized populations for 20 years. Hannah has a client centered approach, offering clients options and moving at a therapeutic pace agreed upon with the patient. Hannah is trained in a variety of therapeutic interventions including: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Managing and Adapting Practices (MAP), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Personality Disorder Training with Gregory “Gary” Lester, Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT.)

The interventions listed above are aimed at treating (coping with) anxiety, depression, personality disorders and trauma.

Lindsay Sell (she/hers) works at Colorado State University as the Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life. Lindsay has worked at a number of institutions of higher education in a variety of areas including alumni relations, student conduct, and development. Lindsay enjoys working and volunteering in higher education, supporting students as they explore co-curricular opportunities that contribute to a rewarding college experience. Lindsay is excited to sail with Semester at Sea with her partner (Ryan) and daughter (Lane).

Sierra is a Student Affairs professional with a background in Housing and Residence Life. She’s been a Residence Director for the past 5 years and she enjoys working alongside students to help them define what success looks like for them. She is a strong believer in radical candor and she firmly believes that when we care for others, we challenge them too.

Sierra enjoys any opportunity to be outside or travel. Being outside gives her the chance to unplug. It’s so easy to become over-involved and she finds peace in being in a new environment and stepping away from the chaos to gain new perspectives. As a lifelong learner, Sierra is beyond excited to be on the Spring 2024 voyage!

Prior to Semester at Sea, Brent (he/him) has served as a Residence Director at Colorado State University. His favorite part of the RD role is supporting students and seeing them grow over the course of their undergraduate career. His start in the field of student affairs began as RA at his undergraduate institution, The University of Tulsa (TU), and later earned his master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. He grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his family. While at TU, he had the transformative opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica during a summer. It was this experience that cultivated his passion for traveling and exploring new places. Brent is excited to be a resource to students aboard this voyage as they become global citizens!

Mike is currently the Director of Study Abroad at Bridgewater State University’s Minnock Institute for Global Engagement. For the past 28 years, he has worked in international higher education administration at public universities, community colleges and non-profit organizations. He has dedicated his career to promoting and supporting globally-engaged students, equitable access in international education, and community-based higher education partnerships. He has developed and led many study abroad and service-learning programs and has traveled for work and pleasure to 43 countries.

Mike is excited for his first SAS voyage and being part of and contributing to the shipboard community.

Dr. Shayna Perry (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist by day, adjunct professor at Boston College by night, and hungry for good meals & music in between. She’s been passionate for travel since 16 when she spent a year abroad with a host family in Madrid, Spain. Life’s greatest adventures and relationships have come through her international travels, including cross-cultural research trips, exploring the outdoors, pursuing knowledge of spiritual/religious practices, & attending life events of loved ones.

Her role as Care Team Coordinator is to foster a genuine community that looks out for one another based on her clinical background of trauma informed care and mind-body practice. She looks forward to journeying alongside students and staculty at sea.

Dr Simon Hudson is a tourism and hospitality professor at the University of South Carolina (now part-time and virtual living in Portugal). Prior to South Carolina, he held full-time academic positions at universities in Canada and England, has worked as a visiting professor in Australia, Austria, Fiji, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland, and has taught three times on Semester at Sea. Simon has written 12 books on subjects such as tourism marketing, customer service, golf tourism, the international ski industry, sports and adventure tourism, and COVID-19 and travel.

Vani worked in student affairs for 19 years at various small private liberal arts colleges and at Colorado State University (12 years). She was primarily in DEI and Campus Activities, but also spent 2 years in Admissions. Since 2019, Vani joined her family’s business, ansrsource, which works primarily in online education and accessibility. She developed a series of asynchronous microlearning courses on DEI topics known as The Inclusion Institute (TM) and oversaw the development of many other courses on topics such as empathy, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking. She is currently working in Marketing and Communications and developing a DEI strategy for the company.

Vani is divorced with 2 kids who will join this voyage as well as 2 adorable tiny dogs. She lives in Colorado.

Daniel has worked in several roles in Student Affairs at the University of Maryland, College Park, including human resources and student & staff development in Resident Life, and leadership curriculum development and assessment & administration in the student union. He has also worked in residence life at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Texas at Austin. Daniel has taught classes on student leadership and global leadership and has edited and published articles and book chapters on the social change model of leadership, diversity & leadership, and LGBT issues and leadership. Daniel is also proud to have led students on service-learning global leadership immersion experiences in Masaka, Uganda.

Dannie is a highly accomplished professional with a diverse background in academia, philanthropy, and international engagement. As the Director of Donor and Foundation Relations at Gulfstream Goodwill, Dannie has contributed significantly to the organization’s success in improving the lives of the most marginalized in our society. Dannie’s global experiences have shaped her worldview. From the Spring 2007 voyage on Semester at Sea to residing in rural 영월 South Korea and meeting her husband, Blessing, from Durban, South Africa, to raising their two children in Seoul, she values cultural diversity and the transformative power of exploration. She could not be more thrilled to be serving as the Lifelong Learner community and to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity for a second time!

Born in Mauritius and having studied in France, Canada and the UK, I hold three academic degrees in Environmental Engineering, Oceanography and Law and I am also a qualified skipper and a professional diver. Having worked in Small Island Developing States and Continental Africa for the last 28 years in the fields of blue economy with international organisations such as the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Development Programme, Japan Cooperation, French Cooperation, the Commonwealth, I have developed Marine Protected Areas and advanced policies in the field of ocean governance, including at the United Nations by participating in the first Ocean Conference in New York in 2017.

Asa Bailey serves as the Associate Director of Residence Life and a Residence Director at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. She moved to Nashville from her hometown, Houston, Texas, in 2020. Asa has experience in Higher-Ed through her previous work in career development, residence life, intercultural affairs, and university event planning. Recently she obtained her Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Lipscomb and has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Asa is grateful for the ways she gets to champion students’ well-being daily and create inclusive, safe, and joy-filled spaces for those around her.

Stephen was born in the State of Washington, living in the City of Seattle near Lake Washington (29 miles circumference) enjoying the views of Mt. Rainier. Apart from school he grew up swimming, playing ping pong/tennis, basketball and skiing. He stayed in the city to attend the University of Washington before moving to the greater Los Angeles area to attend graduate school.

Once finishing graduate school, Stephen stayed on the west coast, fortunately developing his career as Psychologist by working in varied settings & 4 universities. At CSU, he is senior staff counselor providing mental health counseling: individual, crisis & group counseling and outreach to diverse and marginalized students.

Stephen delights in his opportunity to join this epic Fall 2023 Voyage with y’all.

Georganne Eibe is excited to work as a Medical Swing for her first Semester at Sea voyage. She has more than 40 years experience working in hospital and doctors office settings as a registrar in Outpatient Center and Emergency, patient liaison coordinating with insurance companies on the patient’s and their family’s behalf, supervising customer service staff, and organizing meetings, etc., with other departments within the hospital system.

Virginia “Ginny” is a board certified Physician Assistant who will be joining SAS on her second voyage, having sailed as a student in the Spring of 1986. This was a life-changing experience and she is thrilled to be here once again, especially in a medically supportive role. She joins our medical team with 27 years experience in emergency and urgent care medicine. She has 2 great kids- a 23 year old daughter, a recent graduate in film studies from Ithaca College, and a 26 year old son, Plattsburgh University grad working in the field of marine biology.

I love helping people share their story for their love of libraries. I am a trained educator and information specialist. While on land, I collaborate with a highly skilled team of librarians and library staff at CSU. We put credible resources into the hands of curious users. I enjoy presenting to students and educators on navigating the internet and exploring the research process in a fast and fluid manner. No matter the question, I’m determined to provide library users with a credible and speedy answer.

My main life objectives are to motivate life-long learners, to cultivate information literacy skills, and to fuel and embrace positive change. I look forward to meeting each of you on the ship and welcoming everyone to the library, a space and place where academic creativity blossoms.

My name is David, (he/him) and I am so excited about our upcoming voyage!! In 2011, I had a goal to one day become a resident director on a Semester at Sea Voyage, and 12 years later, it came true! I have memorized the itinerary and have started doing my research into things to do at different ports. When we’re sailing I hope to connect with you all through board games, basketball, and over my love of food. (Fair warning, I’m VERY good at Settlers of Catan.)

Home for me is Fort Collins, Colorado. I have two degrees from CSU and I truly wish to work at CSU for the rest of my career. My wife and I have a beautiful fur baby named “Riggins,” who is our pride and joy. For fun I play on a kickball team, rock climb and watch documentaries.

Jericho (she/her) sailed in the Spring 2017 working the Field Office and is excited to return to what she’d say is the best job on the ship, but she may be a bit biased. Jericho has worked in International Education since 2013 designing and leading experiential learning programs as well as living on-site with students in various countries. Jericho is originally from Minnesota but currently calls Seattle home.

Debbie spent 26 years at Oregon State University. As Director of Student Services and Head Advisor she led student recruitment, orientation, advising, scholarships/fellowships, International exchanges, transfer articulations, student clubs, academic standing, and graduation audits.
Debbie has a passion for education and empowering others to achieve their goals and is successful in being a collaborative, inclusive and supportive team member.
Debbie ran a capital campaign to build an advocacy center for the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence, Corvallis, Oregon. In Colorado, she created Women Investing in Strategies for Health, a women’s giving circle with UCHealth. She’s a past board chair for Project Self-Sufficiency, and currently serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Vivian Chávez has studied in India, Guatemala, and Spain. She worked in youth media and child abuse prevention for a decade before obtaining her doctorate Public Health. She became a tenured professor at her alma mater where she has been teaching global health, community well-being, and health promotion. A storyteller by nature, she has written and presented on Violence Prevention, Media Advocacy, Cultural Humility, and Community-based Participatory Research. Vivian was a traveling faculty with the International Honors Program at Boston University and a visiting professor at the University of Colorado, Denver, Preventative Medicine Program. She is a life-long student of contemplative practices and has presented her work internationally in Cuba, Peru, Japan, and Argentina.

SuEllen Hamkins, MD is a psychiatrist specializing in college mental health and narrative therapy. Her passion is helping people thrive in the face of challenges and difficulties. As Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School, she cherishes providing psychotherapy and psychiatric treatment to students, as well as offering psychotherapy supervision. She has been an Assistant Director at the Center for Counseling at UMass-Amherst and College Psychiatrist at Smith College. Her book, The Art of Narrative Psychiatry (Oxford University Press, 2013) offers detailed guidance in resiliency-focused, culturally-attuned, collaborative mental health practice, bringing narrative approaches alive through vivid case reports. She regularly presents at professional conferences around the world.

Lila serves as the Senior Business Officer at USC Institute for Creative Technologies, a research institute specializing in immersive technology, simulation and artificial intelligence. She has over 20 years of experience working in higher education in a variety of leadership and management roles, and is committed to ethics, cultural diversity and cross-functional relationships. Sailing as the companion of Julie Hurst, Assistant Executive Dean (her favorite aunt), she has previously sailed a partial voyage in Summer 2014 and the 2006 Alumni voyage.

Dianne was born and raised in South Africa, and despite having spent her adult life in the US she still has the accent to prove it! Most of Dianne’s professional career has been in elementary education in Connecticut as a classroom teacher and tutor. She has been fortunate to spend numerous sabbaticals with her husband, Marc, in Heidelberg, Germany and Cape Town (South Africa). This will be their fourth voyage on Semester at Sea, but the first one without children, a bittersweet milestone.

Isobel’s love for exploring new countries, meeting new people and learning about other cultures led her to pursue a career in international education as a music instructor and director. Influenced by her experience growing up in Southeast Asia during her father’s career in the U.S. State Department, Isobel has continued her travels, teaching in different international baccalaureate schools in both Europe and China.

After receiving her DMA at UNCG-Greensboro, she served as an adjunct professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and an assistant professor at St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC and before moving into international music education. As an alumni of the Semester at Sea 2020 Voyage, Isobel is very excited to be joining this Fall 2023 Voyage and learning alongside other Staculty.

Is a full professor at the University Ramon Llull in Barcelona (SPAIN). She is an MD, specialized in Sport Medicine, with a PhD on Exercise Physiology focused on adapted physical activity for persons with Down syndrome. She has conducted research on adapted physical activity for persons with disabilities and/or chronic diseases, participating in numerous international research projects. She is part of the the board of directors of the Foundation for Global Community Health, which works based on the UNESCO SDG-2030. She was in charge of international relations for 9 years, coordinating exchange mobility programs, international research and volunteer-cooperation programs.

Dr. Tamika Baldwin-Clark is currently an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Prairie View A&M University. She has studied and worked in the field of social work, both internationally and domestically, for over a decade, and previously taught graduate courses online through the University of Nevada-Reno. Some of her other positions include being a foster care worker in Detroit, a therapist at Baylor College of Medicine, a service coordinator at Texas Children’s Hospital, a U.S. Census Bureau Enumerator, and a care manager in London, UK. Dr. Clark is a licensed clinical social worker supervisor as well as a licensed chemical dependency counselor. While her specialization is gerontology, she also has practiced in the areas of child welfare, substance use, and mental health.

Dr. Dulce María Gray comes from a long line of immigrants who have moved widely in the world—and that’s probably why she has such an urgent sense of wanderlust, and why a SAS voyage is thrilling to her: she gets to teach, to learn, and to experience traveling with people who share her passions. Dr. Gray has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses at universities in New York City, Indiana, Virginia, and currently in California’s Silicon Valley where she teaches in face-to-face and online modes. Being a global citizen, she believes, enriches her personal and professional life, focuses her on being empathic and socially conscious, and allows her to be enormously grateful for the privilege of being able to move about the world.

Sarah Gray loves her job as a Professor of Environmental and Ocean Sciences at the Univ. of San Diego where she teaches courses in geological oceanography, paleoclimatology, and coral reefs and climate change. She enjoys engaging students in hands-on field experiences, such as oceanographic research cruises and field trips to the coast and deserts. Her research examines human impacts in coastal environments, marine sedimentation, the geology of coral reefs, and past environmental change. She has conducted field research around the world including remote tropical islands of the Pacific, Caribbean, offshore San Diego, and Antarctica. Her interest in cultural exploration was shaped when she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Kenya, back in the days before cell phones.

Katie Moran has worked in nonprofit management as the Executive Director at The Art Garage in Denver, CO for over 10 years. Leading the organization to provide access to visual art programming. Katie has taught in the NYC public schools to children with special needs. She served in the Peace Corps in the Eastern Caribbean where she worked in community development focusing on special education teaching and teacher and administrative training. She also co-directed Grenada’s inaugural nationwide Camp G.L.O.W. (Girls Leading Our World) to empower secondary school girls to assess and take action on personal goals and community issues. Katie is also a practicing artist specializing in drawing and oil painting.

Dr. Kelly McKenna is an associate professor in the Adult Education & Training Graduate Program in the School of Education at Colorado State University. She completed her Ph.D. in Educational Technology and earned a master’s degree in Education and Human Resource Studies. Dr. McKenna’s teaching experience includes face-to-face, hybrid, and online instruction. Her scholarship focuses on adult and higher distance education, with research objectives aimed to support learners in their educational and occupational endeavors by creating optimal learning environments and facilitating successful student experiences.
Dr. McKenna is excited to introduce her daughter Maren (3) to the transformational experience of Semester at Sea.

Viviana travelled to more than 50 countries and lived in Italy, Brazil, Canada, Portugal, The Netherlands, USA and Malta where she set up her international social enterprise, Global Mindset Development. GMD Training and Consultancy Services Ltd. provides online and in-person consulting, training and mentoring services to companies and organizations all over the world to help them to develop an open and curious mindset to work effectively across cultures and promote diverse and inclusive workplaces and societies.
PhD in Sociology of Migration, she has been a researcher and adjunct professor for universities, business schools and research institutes in Europe and North America. Her aim is to always bridge research with practice and fieldwork.

Bert Vermeulen was born in Switzerland and grew up in the Netherlands and in Colorado. His mother’s family owned an international shipping company and his father’s family has engineering backgrounds. He has master’s degrees in both business and engineering. Bert has worked in the US, UK, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Antarctica, and Hungary in a engineering, management, and business ownership roles. Since 2009 he has taught a variety of engineering and entrepreneurship courses at CSU. He also works as a patent consultant. He currently has seven issued US Patents. To date, Bert has visited 97 countries.

Anne Hudgens spent her entire career preparing for the role of Executive Dean! Her journey spanned years in residence life, student conduct, campus life, assistant professor in Education, Dean of Students and Executive Director of the CSU Health Network . Anne has a long term passion for learning and acting on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. In Fall 2019, Anne sailed as the Dean of Student Life with husband Robert and voyager daughter in the last great moments before the pandemic! The SAS bug is more contagious than Covid! Anne is a consultant to ISE supporting the health and care teams.
Anne’s vision is a community that is safe and welcoming for all, encourages deep participation and growth, and celebrates culture and identities. Let’s be the change!

Dr. Shi is an expert in contemporary business and management. His interests center on competitive strategy, business model and impact management for sustainable enterprises. He published dozens of papers in peer-reviewed journals, several books and book chapters and numerous articles in popular media. An innovator in pedagogy, course and program design, Dr. Shi led the development of award-winning programs such as the FMS Fellowship Program and the Blue Pioneers Accelerator Program. He was Dean of Graduate School of International Policy and Management at Middlebury Institute and had twenty years of experience as founder of tech venture, advisory partner at venture capital firm, and consultant to well-known management consulting firms. He lives with his wife in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jonathan is a leadership educator and entrepreneur. He began his career in Student Affairs by focusing on student leadership training and development. Jonathan is the Executive Director of Leadership Trainer, a nonprofit specializing in trainer preparation. He has served as an Assistant Teaching Professor and Program Director of the Professional Leadership Studies program at the University of Rhode Island.

Jonathan has a PhD in Leadership from Fielding Graduate University. He has facilitated hundreds of leadership workshops, trainings, retreats, courses, and conference presentations to 1,000s of participants across 5 continents and is the award-winning author of Preparing Leadership Educators. He coaches, consults, teaches, trains, and writes about leadership and training/facilitation.

Guanlin Gao is an Associate Professor of Economics at Chaminade University of Honolulu and the inaugural Director of the Economic Education Center for Excellence, whose mission is to advance prosperity and economic justice in Hawai‘i and the US-affiliated Pacific through integrated economic education, training, and community-based research. Dr. Gao’s research focuses on building resilience and vital equity in underserved populations and communities. Her current educational endeavor involves incorporating culturally appropriate content for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in economics education, as well as providing accessible, sustainable professional development training for K-12 educators in Hawai’i. Dr. Gao has received multiple awards for teaching, research, and student mentoring.

Dr. Soo Kang is a Professor and Program Coordinator in Hospitality and Event Management at Colorado State University. She earned her Ph.D. in hospitality and tourism management from Kansas State University. Dr. Kang has extensive experience teaching various courses, including hotel operations, hotel revenue management, hospitality leadership, and capstone seminars that focus on problem-solving and critical thinking. Her research primarily centers on consumer behavior, tourism impacts, and global tourism marketing. She has also conducted research on cannabis tourism and its effects in Colorado. Dr. Kang has been fortunate to teach at the Semester at Sea twice as a Global Teaching Scholar (GTS). Moreover, she leads a two-week summer study abroad program in Thailand every year.

Working in higher education for nearly 30 years, D (she/her) has extensive experience serving as a resource to both students and faculty. As a first generation college graduate, access to higher education is very important to her. She currently serves as the University Registrar at Colorado State University, where her work is focused on collaborating across campus to support student success.

D is excited to return to Semester at Sea in the Academic Advisor/Registrar role she loved on the Fall 2016 voyage! Introduce yourself, stop by for a chat, ask a question, or join for a meal outside. (She’ll be enjoying the open seas and scanning for whales.) Her partner, Zach, and kids, Liv and Jake, will be part of the shipboard community for this floating learning community adventure!

With a rich background in education spanning 25 years, Kim had the privilege of teaching children in various capacities, including dance, cheer, gymnastics, and preschool. Her passion for education has been a driving force throughout her career. In addition to this, Kim co-manages a simple living blog with her sisters, where they explore the beauty of minimalism, sustainable living, and the pursuit of a simpler, more intentional life. Kim also finds great joy in volunteering at her kids’ school, further deepening her commitment to nurturing young minds and promoting a clutter-free, intentional lifestyle.

Passionate travel professional with 10+ years’ experience. Committed to staying curious and forever expanding my global perspective. I believe in the power of the outdoors and its impact on the human psyche. In my free time, I love to mountain bike, go backpacking, and have recently obtained my skydiving license. As an alumni of the Spring 2009 voyage, I can’t wait to give back to a community that has given me so much!

Susannah Kisvarday, MD (“Dr. K”) is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She has over 10 years experience caring for patients of all ages in the primary care clinic setting. During Covid, she also served as Medical Director of Bloomsburg University for 2 years. She is currently practicing urgent care and moonlighting in the hospital at Boston Children’s (one of the Harvard-teaching hospitals) while completing a fellowship in clinical informatics and a master’s degree in biomedical informatics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. K is looking forward to supporting the health and wellness of the Semester at Sea community. She will be traveling with her husband and children; she is thrilled to have this opportunity to show her children the world!

Laura is a Colorado native. She is excited to be traveling with Semester at Sea on Spring of 2024. This will be her first experience on a ship for this period of time but she is ready for the challenge. Having a responsibility with assisting other folks during this time should keep her on her toes and provide some insight to experiences on the ship.

Laura has worked and lived in Europe, South America, Central America, Australia and New Zealand. This will be her first time in Asia and Africa and she is very excited for this opportunity.

Joe Cronin (he/him) is a Senior Data Analyst for EAB, a higher education consulting firm. He works with colleges and universities to leverage their financial aid policy in order to meet their institutional enrollment goals. Throughout the course of the past 7 years, his work has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of college students across the US as they made their college decisions. In his spare time, he is a youth basketball coach and is on the board of directors for a couple of non-profits in his community. He is excited to meet the ship kids and to see what sort of creative endeavors they pursue throughout the voyage!

Born in Mexico City. Raised in Chicago. Mother of a young man. Earned her Bachelorette’s Degree of International Studies and Spanish, minor in French, Certificate in Latin American Studies, her Master’s Degree of Library and Information Science, and is earning a Ph.D. in Education and Human Resource Studies, Specialization in Organizational Learning, Performance, and Change. Interim Head of Student Success, Librarian, Associate Professor at CSU Libraries. Critical, Transnational, and Intersectional Feminist Thought has been a life-long learning pursuit that has steadily influenced and shaped the way she engages in the workplace, approaches cultural change and leadership, and makes sense of her experiences as an aspiring Latine scholar in international librarianship.

Anne Simpkins Completed her master of Fine Arts degree at University of Iowa.
She went on to a fellowship at the Glassell School of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. In her early career she taught for the Glassell School, Earlham College, and was a Tenured Associate Professor at Elon University, when she retired in 2022. While at Elon, she taught Drawing, Painting, and Design. And Anne led study abroad programs in both Florence and London for many years.
Over her career, Simpkins created artwork and exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions. Her paintings/drawings have been featured in books and publications. She continues to make art, when not walking her dogs or reading a good book.

Dr. David A. Shirk is a professor at the USD Department of Political Science and International Relations. He received his B.A. from Lock Haven University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from UCSD. His teaching and research focuses on comparative politics and international relations, with an emphasis on international security and U.S. foreign relations. Dr. Shirk directs “Justice in Mexico,” a research and policy initiative on criminal justice and the rule of law in Mexico. He’s been a consultant for international organizations such as the World Bank and USAID, and is a fellow with the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C.

Fernando Valerio-Holguin is a Professor of Spanish in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Colorado State University, where he garnered the John N. Stern Distinguished Professor Award. He holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature from Tulane University and has published several books and articles on Latin American Literature and cultures. He has received several teaching and research grants including British Academy for International Cultural Activities, U. S. Department of Education Undergraduate Enhancement Project, Culpeper Teaching with Technology, and Mellon Summer Seminar Teaching for Language Instruction for the 21st Century. He has taught in several international Study Abroad programs and traveled with students in Latin America and Spain.

John will be serving as an Administrative Assistant on voyage 133. His spouse is Dr. Heidi Keller-Lapp who is part of the Global Studies Team for the Spring 2024 voyage. John is a retired elementary school teacher from San Diego California and is looking forward to the adventures ahead!

Maeve is joining her husband, Tom, on the Spring 2024 SAS voyage, and she is looking forward to working with the Administrative staff on this voyage. She currently lives in North Carolina where she was a Kindergarten teacher for almost 20 years. Maeve retired in the Summer of 2020, and has been a Reading tutor since then. Maeve and her husband have 4 children. Three of them live in Brooklyn, NY and one in Durham, NC. They spend their summers at a lake in Pennsylvania, and they love the outdoors. Maeve loves to travel, and they are both looking forward to exploring countries they have never visited before. They are also looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends.

Zoë is a freelance multi-media artist and storyteller, specializing in social media, illustration, and podcasting. She’s been a digital nomad for the last 7 years, traveling and working on teams like Spotify and Remote Year. When she’s not creating, she can be found freediving, taking an online course, or giggling over a book.

Reach out if you’re interested in…
– the creator economy
– a new photo
– puns
– memes
– sharing something you’re excited about

@zoevnguyen

Amy started her career in education as a high school English teacher in the early 2000s before making an unexpected move to serve publicly-funded Adult ESL programs nationwide. Over the last 20 years, Amy has made significant contributions to Adult ESL programs housed in K12 school districts and community college districts by providing professional development to hundreds of teachers and classroom support to ensure efficacy for students. Often the “hidden gem” of public education, Adult ESL programs provide access to community resources, employment and career preparation, and tools for academic success to learners of all backgrounds. The enthusiasm of the staff and students in Adult ESL programs Amy serves often mimic her own enthusiasm for learning something new in challenging situations.

Amaya Savoy-Easton is a content creator and social media strategist. She’s from Southern California but currently resides in Austin, Texas. She’s passionate about telling authentic stories and making sure there’s representation on the screen and behind the screen. She hopes to use her talents to help other share their story with the world.

Diane Stutey, Ph.D, RPT-S, LPC, NCC is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She is a member of the American Counseling Association, American School Counseling Association, Association for Play Therapy, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed School Counselor, and a Registered-Play Therapist-Supervisor. She was a school counselor and has worked as a play therapist in schools and clinical settings. Her research interests include examining non-cognitive life stressors that impact children and adolescents in the school setting such as grief and loss, sibling abuse, and teen dating violence, and suicide. She also studies the effectiveness of creative interventions such as play therapy and canine-assisted interventions.

Dr. Kate Transchel has taught courses in Russian, Soviet, and Eastern European History, as well as Modern Europe, World History, and the History of Gender and Sexuality at California State University, Chico. With an eye toward cultural history, her courses explore the interplay between sex, race, gender, and power as important categories of historical analysis. She has lived, worked, and taught in numerous countries including England, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and the Czech Republic, and has traveled extensively throughout the world. She has received several prestigious grants and awards, and her publications include a forthcoming book on human trafficking based on interviews with trafficking survivors. Her TEDx talk and anti-trafficking work has gained a wide following.

I served for 21 years in the US Army in the field of Military Intelligence where I was a Russian and Serbo-Croatian linguist. I entered nursing school upon retirement from the Army. My wife Stephanie is a school counselor and we enjoy traveling around the country in our camper van. We live at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. I have two adult children and 4 granddaughters who all live in Colorado.

Stephanie is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Alberta, where her research and teaching focus on how ocean ecosystems are changing and what it means for people. Stephanie is interested in questions like: Can coral restoration save reefs? How are ocean fish and fisheries adapting to climate change? and When is eating an invasive species a good idea? Her research has taken her on thousands of scuba dives around the world and even led to close encounters with toothy critters. Previously Stephanie was a Banting Fellow at Stanford University and a David H. Smith Conservation Fellow at Oregon State University. This is Stephanie’s second SAS voyage and she is excited to sail again, this time with her husband (whom she met on SAS Spring ’16) and toddler son.

Jessica is estatic about her first voyage with Semester at Sea!

Jessica has been a Registered nurse for 16 years. She has practiced in variety of settings but works mainly in Emergency Medicine and Post-Operative care. Nursing has given her the opportunity to provide healthcare internationally, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in South Sudan and extensive medical work in Haiti. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for a non-profit organization that helps provide sustainable healthcare to a rural commuity in Haiti.

When she’s not globe-trotting, Jessica loves to travel with her husband Mal and spend time with their adorable pup Indie. The three of them enjoy bike rides around the city and exploring what Colorado has to offer.