Expert Communities
Admission and Recognition
Ceren Genc
Ceren Genc is Team Leader for International Student Admissions at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. For over a decade, Ceren held positions as admissions officer at a prominent university and as academic partnership coordinator. Over the years she has built up a strong international network and has gained expertise in different aspects of internationalisation of higher education. She has delivered several sessions and workshops on admissions and on recognition for refugees. Her professional interest lies in informal and non-formal learning recognition, as well as formal learning recognition. She has been awarded the EAIE Rising Star Award in 2016. Ceren was elected Chair of the Expert Community Admission and Recognition for the 2022–2024 term.
Emeric Abrignani
Emeric Abrignani is the Director of International Development at KEDGE Business School and runs Internationalization, Marketing and Management projects for different HEIs through his consulting company EA Higher Education Consulting. Apart from being an experienced lecturer and university administrator, Emeric has worked internationally in marketing, human resources, and international relations for different multinationals, NGOs and institutions. He holds a Master’s degree in International Business from Grenoble Graduate School of Business and an MSc in Management from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Grenoble. Emeric is an Associate in the Expert Community Admission and Recognition.
Ína Dögg Eyþórsdóttir
Helping people continue their education or finding their place, with best practices available.
Ína Dögg Eyþórsdóttir is a project manager at the University of Iceland and a credential evaluator at ENIC/NARIC Iceland with over ten years of experience in international admission and other recognition-related issues at institutional, national and international levels. Ína studied International Marketing at the University of Reykjavik and holds a Master of Science degree in Finance and International Business from Aarhus University. She has worked on various European projects involving recognition of prior learning, digitalisation in the educational environment and best practices in the field of recognition and international admission. In her current position with the University of Iceland, she is responsible for implementing Recognition of Prior Learning for ECTS credits at the university. She also works with governmental agencies and ministries to implement RPL at the Iceland university level. She is a group leader of a NUAS special interest group and a member of the board of NUAS (The Nordic Association of University Administrators) and a current member of the Admission and Recognition Expert Community.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/inadogg
Marlies Overbeek
Marketeer with a keen eye on what it takes internally for universities to gain international ground
Marlies Overbeek is College Director at Navitas. Before that, she worked as Senior Marketing Adviser at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, where she headed a team of 10 marketing and communication professionals working on the university’s internationalisation goals. She was also previously involved in organisational change projects at Delft University of Technology and building Delft’s international presence from 2005 onwards.
The common thread in her career so far is connecting marketing and recruitment of graduate students and universities’ strategic policies and activities. Her interests involve building bridges within the university to facilitate enrolment of qualified students. In the past, Marlies has been a board member of the Dutch higher education marketeer network DHENIM. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and Languages from HAN University of Applied Sciences, and a Master’s Degree in Communication from the University of Twente, both in the Netherlands. Marlies was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Admission and Recognition for the 2022–2024 term.
Magdalena Setlak
In her current position, Magdalena is responsible for evaluating international credentials, analysing the data, monitoring the entire application procedure. Her main focus is on credential verification, quality enhancement, program-level equivalency, digitalization, innovation and new technology management. She was involved in the creation of the International Admissions Office at the Politecnico di Milano and has been working within the Internationalization Project.
Magdalena has 16 years of experience working in International Higher Education including work in professional training of other credential officers and consultancy in the field of foreign degrees. On a daily basis, she collaborates with the International Marketing Office and International Students office.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Modern Languages and Literature as well as a Master's degree in Cultural Heritage Studies. Over the years she worked as a Senior Credential Evaluator at the Bachelor, Master and Phd level.
Magdalena is a current member of the Admission and Recognition Expert Community.
Alumni Relations
Sandra Rincón
Building international communities to promote the value of diversity in innovating a more inclusive and kinder world.
Sandra Rincón is Founder and President of NL alumni network-Netherlands, a PhD candidate at Tilburg University on international alumni role in international higher education, co-author of Engaging International Alumni as Strategic Partners (NAFSA, 2021) and hosts Brite Ideas, a podcast for the advancement of professionals.
With 30 years of experience in international education, Sandra has developed strategies and programmes on international alumni and stakeholder engagement, intercultural communication, and academic and student mobility. She serves as a speaker, adviser and trainer to governments and professional associations such as CASE, CLADEA, CCAE, EAIE, EU ALUMNI, ICARe-Alumni, NAFSA and Nuffic. She is a lifetime alum member of UC Davis Alumni Association and alum of UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton in the USA.
Sandra has also authored various articles on international alumni and employability published in the EAIE's Forum magazine and was elected as Chair of the EAIE’s Expert Community Alumni Relations for the 2022–2024 term.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/sandrarincon
Karin Bennmarker
I am creative, innovative, pragmatic, problem-solving as well as a competent bureaucrat!
Karin Bennmarker is the Alumni Coordinator at SLU- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Sweden. Her responsibilities include developing strategies for alumni organisation and activities since 2017. Before that, Karin developed many student and teacher exchange activities and has been responsible for the process of outgoing students with all that comes in the area, agreements, scholarships, reporting. As a Senior International Officer, Karin has gained experience of most of the EU funded mobility programmes as well as non-EU cooperation on a strategic level and hands-on mobility work. Karin has taken part in national campaigns in the field of mobility. She is an alumna of Uppsala University in the field of English, Spanish, HR, pedagogy and educational planning. Karin is and Associate for the Expert Community Alumni Relations for the 2022–2024 term.
Maria Gallo
Alumni trailblazer: reimagining lifelong alumni potential
Maria has over 20 years’ experience in leadership roles in higher education management, as a scholar and alumni relations professional. Aside from being the Founder of KITE-Keep in Touch Education, Maria is a Visiting Research Fellow with Trinity College Dublin and a Research Fellow with the Community Knowledge Initiative at the National University of Ireland, Galway. She is an active speaker at the EAIE and also completed a TEDx talk: "We are all connected by one word: Alumni." Maria has several academic publications on alumni relationship building and volunteering. In Summer 2020, she wrote an article with Sandra Rincón on alumni connection for EAIE Forum magazine. She is a Doctor of Education from the University of Sheffield, and holds an MA in Public Sector Management from the University College Dublin and a BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Maria was elected as a Steering Group Member for the EAIE Alumni Relations Expert Community for the 2022-2024 term.
Laura Spencer
Enjoys brokering connections and community building at scale to enhance the student experience.
Laura Spencer is International Development Manager at Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK. Working alongside people with different cultural experiences and perspectives is what motivates Laura. With nearly twenty years of experience in international education, she has an instinctive understanding of what good customer service and student-orientated marketing mean. She is particularly keen to champion the embedding of alumni into student recruitment practices and regularly promotes the value of building and nurturing sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships as a result.
Laura holds a BA Hons in History and Politics from the University of Warwick, a PG Cert Management of International Higher Education from Edge Hill University and a Global Alumni Relations certificate from the University of Albany, SUNY.
She joined the EAIE Expert Community Alumni Relations as an Associate in September 2022. She has written blogs highlighting the value of alumni relations and is an enthusiastic supporter of the EAIE Mentorship programme.
Sule Yalcin
There is Formula for Success
Sule has 20 years of experience in career counseling and development, specifically in roles related to international careers, internships, and alumni relations within higher education. She is also a contributor to Engaging International Alumni as Strategic Partners (NAFSA, 2021) and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Business Administration.
Prior to establishing Schulee Consulting in February 2023, Sule worked as the Career Development and Alumni Relations Manager at Sabanci University. In this role, she successfully developed national and international projects to aid in the career development of students. She also worked as a consultant at the Presidential Human Resources Office and she co-authored a book on best practices for the effective structuring of career development centers.
As a counselor, Sule is still giving lectures at the High School Summer School at the University. She advises students in identifying their professional interests and career paths. She is passionate about creating career development projects for young people, both locally and internationally. She invests considerable time and resources in these projects and enjoys fostering collaboration among like-minded individuals.
Sule joined the EAIE Expert Community Alumni Relations as an Associate in September 2022.
Business Education
Guillaume Blaess
Guillaume Blaess currently works as Associate Professor and Director of International Partnerships with Audencia Business School. He holds a PhD in Contemporary British Civilization focusing on political issues, and his teaching area is in culture, civilisation and intercultural stakes.
Guillaume began his career as a lecturer at a university in Paris and then started to work with Audencia’s international office in 2010. As Deputy Director, he oversees the international academic activities of the School (with 300 partners worldwide), including short programmes (more than 400 participants in total and 20 visiting professors), student exchange, double degrees, Erasmus activities, internationalisation at home projects, international opportunities for programmes and orientations for international students.
In 2022 Guillaume was elected Chair of the EAIE Expert Community Business Education.
Christophe Crabot
Christophe is Associate Director at Nottingham Trent University Global. He chairs a teaching and learning group on Collaborative Online International Learning, as well as a task and finish group to inform the future of virtual exchanges. He is also an active member of the university’s Green International Commission, which aims to reduce the carbon footprint of our international activities. Additionally, he is a member of the international steering group committee of the EM Strasbourg Business School, where he provides guidance on international recruitment and the experience of international students.
Christophe was elected as a Steering group member of the Business Education Expert Community for the 2022–2024 term.
Ann Kristin Helgeland Calisch
I combine strong commercial understanding, international mindset and a passion for student success
Ann Kristin Helgeland Calisch is Senior Project Manager, Strategy & Business Insights at BI Norwegian Business School. She is also an Associate member of the Business Education Expert Community. Ann has an MBA from the Henley Business School, London (UK), in addition to a Diploma Certificate in Marketing from CIM, London (UK) and a Master of General Business from BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo (Norway).
In her 16 years at BI Norwegian Business School, Ann has also worked for a year as Project Manager for Strategy and Business Intelligence, for 13 years as Director for fulltime master’s programmes, and for three years as Head of Study for part-time online/blended bachelor’s programmes. Ann was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Business Education for the 2022–2024 term.
- Twitter:
- @@annkhcalisch
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/ann-kristin-h-calisch-aa37b6
Mojca Maher Pirc
Creating cross-cultural opportunities for the professional and personal growth of students, staff and higher education institutions.
Mojca Maher Pirc is EU Project Manager and Deputy Director of International Relations at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. She has more than 19 years of experience in international education. Experienced in coordinating and leading various international projects and events involving student and staff and their mobility to and from partner universities worldwide She plays a key role in providing them with an opportunity for professional and personal growth. Mojca has a broad range of experience in the field from project and event management to writing EU and Erasmus+ grants. Flexibility, adaptability, problem-solving, sustainability, continuous learning, innovation and development in an international environment are her sources of motivation and inspiration. She holds a Master’s Degree in Business and Organisation with a specialisation in Marketing. Mojca was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Business Education for the 2022–2024 term.
Anna Pellegrino
Anna Pellegrino is Head of International Development at LUISS University, Italy. Anna has more than 10 years of progressive experience in the field of international education management. Her activity is focused on the implementation of the University’s internationalisation process, both abroad and at home, as well as through the management and development of a team of young professionals. Key areas of her activity are strategic planning, partnership management and mobility programmes, implementation of student welcome services, accreditations and rankings, staff development, intercultural communication. She holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science, and a Doctorate in Communication Studies. Anna was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Business Education for the 2022–2024 term.
Cooperation for Development
Han Aarts
Han is the Director of the Maastricht University Centre for International Cooperation in Academic Development (MUNDO) in the Netherlands, where he works with partner universities in developing and emerging countries to build knowledge capacity, strengthen education at partner institutions and develop research cooperation and other collaborative activities addressing (local and global) development challenges. Han is committed to an EAIE that is truly global in its vision, promoting internationalisation and cooperation in higher education that contributes to fair, inclusive and sustainable globalisation. He has been a member of the EAIE from the beginning and has been active in many positions. He hosted the 1999 EAIE Annual Conference in Maastricht and initiated the EAIE Expert Community Cooperation for Development, and was a member of the EAIE General Council. In 2007 Han received the EAIE Constance Meldrum Award for Vision and Leadership. Han holds a Master’s degree in human geography and development studies from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Han was a member of the EAIE Publications Committee from 2022-2022 and has been elected as a Steering group member in the Cooperation for Development Chair EAIE Expert Community for the 2022–2024 term.
Michelle Greene
Living international education
Michelle Greene is Team Lead at the Internationalisation and Language Centre at Fontys International Business School in the Netherlands. Michelle has a broad base of experience in international business, development aid work and higher education. She is a seasoned lecturer, having taught international business in both Germany and the Netherlands. Her areas of expertise include most aspects of global business, internationalisation of education for business and "North-South" cooperation. Michelle also focuses on the ways in which higher education can prepare students for their career paths when it comes to doing business internationally and globally be it from a knowledge, understanding and/or skills perspective. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Marketing from Dublin City University, followed by an MBA in International Strategy from FOM University of Applied Sciences. She is currently a PhD candidate at Radboud University. Michelle is a Steering Group member of the Expert Community Cooperation for Development.
Hege Kristin Widnes
Hege Kristin is International Adviser in the Central administration at University in Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (UiT). She is the institutional coordinator for Erasmus+ ICM in addition to being the coordinator for cooperation with India, China and South-Africa and the Global South. She has extensive knowledge and experience with externally funded collaboration programmes with the global South funded both by Norwegian agencies, EU funded programmes (especially KA2).
She was elected as a Steering group member of the Expert Community Cooperation for Development for the 2022–2024 term.
Employability
Elke van der Valk
An enthusiastic, internationally-oriented professional who believes in improving the world through cooperation projects
As Adviser Internationalisation at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, Elke is responsible for scholarships concerning incoming and outgoing mobility, advises the 29 Fontys institutes on internationalisation and initiates new projects dealing with such issues as meeting new sustainable development goals (SDGs) and addressing the current refugee crisis. Elke helped to organise the June 2016 Spotlight Seminar on the Refugee Crisis, representing the organisation at a conference in Tanzania on the SDGs and contributing to the EAIE’s blog and Forum magazine. She is multilingual, and the reach of her work is intercontinental: she has coordinated grants and scholarships at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences and overseen European projects at Casa de la India, bringing European and Indian cultures closer together through educational, cultural and cooperation projects. She also travelled widely during and after her undergraduate studies, serving as an intern in Tanzania and France and earning her international Bachelor’s degree in international tourism, management and consultancy in Breda, the Netherlands. Elke was elected as Chair of the Expert Community Employability for the 2022–2024 term.
Tue Werner Mikkelsen
Tue Werner Mikkelsen is an International Retention & Employability Consultant and Project Lead at University College of Northern Denmark. He has worked within the area of higher education since 2014 and since 2015 been a project leader of two employability and retention projects, partly funded by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science in Denmark. Tue has worked closely with international students’ employability and retention producing best practices through developing and implementing new initiatives in the past four years.
Tue has participated in the activities of the EAIE since 2015 and was elected as a Steering Group member in the Expert Community Employability for the 2022-2024 term.
Karol Ovesny
Karol is Founder and CEO of WorkSpace Europe, a consortium of universities in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, focused on university-business cooperation and international student traineeships in the frame of Erasmus+. He is an experienced project manager in the areas of Business and Education with a focus on business cooperation, EU programmes, employability of graduates, as well as digital communication and marketing. He also manages a student internship programme for businesses and cooperates with top-level international companies based in Slovakia and abroad.
An entrepreneur and lecturer for the Slovak Governmental Business Agency, Karol is a member of several international associations and networks such as LEO-NET, Project Management Institute, Business-Academic Cooperation Committee of the American Chamber in Slovakia, and Amnick Social Enterprise.
Karol is a Steering Group member in the Expert Community Employability.
European Collaborative Programmes
Mirko Varano
Mirko Varano serves as Senior Advisor International Projects at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. Mirko has been active in the field of internationalisation of higher education for the past 25 years. He covered different positions of responsibility at the Turin Technical University between 1992–2008 in the field of international relations. He was appointed as CLUSTER network coordinator from 2008 to 2010. He was previously internationalisation officer at KTH Royal Institute of Technology where he was appointed a member of the international strategy group from 2013 to 2016. He is currently an adviser for international projects at the same institution, with a focus on Erasmus+ and university networks. Mirko holds a Master’s degree in Political Science with a specialisation in International Relations and European Studies from the University of Turin, Italy. Mirko was elected Chair of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Adam Lipski
Adam Lipski currently works at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences as their Director International Office. He studied History and East Asian Studies in New York, as well as English Literature and Linguistics, History and Political Science in Braunschweig, Germany.
From 2008 until 2012, Adam worked for the International Office of the TU Braunschweig, during which time he was also a visiting scholar at Shizuoka University in Shizuoka and Hamamatsu, Japan. Since 2013, he has coordinated European university partnerships and EU programmes at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, with a special focus on the ERASMUS programme. He has been selected to serve on the panel of German Erasmus Experts by the National Agency DAAD for four consecutive years. Adam was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Rui Branco Lopes
Since 2009, Rui Branco Lopes has worked as International Relations and Communication Specialist at Coimbra Health School of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra. In this role, he has been responsible for the management of online communication platforms (webpage and social media), press relations and management of exchange programmes and international cooperation, with emphasis on the Erasmus+ programme. He has participated annually in international staff weeks of development and professional dialogue, which has allowed him to continuously increase his personal and institutional network of knowledge and experience. He has a degree in Modern Languages and Literature (English and German studies) from the University of Coimbra and a Master's degree in Business Communication from the Instituto Superior Miguel Torga. Rui was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Celine Nygaard
Celine is International Adviser at the University of Stavanger (UIS) in Norway and is in charge of implementing internationalisation across all departments of the Faculty of Social Science. She handles all international agreements at the faculty level and supports the academic staff in applying for and managing international programmes, projects and funding. She is also currently Norway’s representative in the Nordlys university network. Prior to her current position, Celine was an international coordinator at the Faculty of Arts and Education, where she was in charge of all mobility and international activities of the faculty. Celine holds a Master’s degree in comparative religion from the University of Tromsø – the Arctic University of Norway. Her formal education includes several study periods abroad as well as internships at the Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Armed Forces. Celine was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Anna Stina Sinisalo
Professional of higher education with a special interest in international relations and collaboration
Anna Stina Sinisalo works as a Head of Development, International Affairs at the University of Helsinki. In her current role she acts as the University of Helsinki Operational Lead of the Una Europa alliance. She has been working with diverse tasks within higher education international relations for close to fifteen years and has broad expertise on international higher education cooperation, joint degree programmes, international exchanges and collaborative projects carried out with external funding. She has contributed in steering groups and development committees of various international networks. Anna Stina holds a Master’s degree in French Language from the University of Turku that includes studies in international marketing and organisational management at Åbo Akademi. She was elected as a Steering Group member of the Expert Community European Collaborative Programmes for the 2022–2024 term.
Einar Seime Stokka
I advocate for universities to be drivers for regional development and local ecosystems.
Einar Seime Stokka is a Senior Advisor at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), working at the Division for research, internationalisation and innovation. Einar has been working in the field for more than 10 years. Since 2017, he has been working at HVL, advising and developing European educational and innovation projects. He is also the contact point for the regional Brussels offices and international networks, linking regional ecosystems to international projects and networks. Einar also worked with international relations for Hordaland County Council from 2014–2017 and served as a policy and communication officer for the North Sea Commission (CPMR). From 2011–2014, he worked as coordinator and trade manager for large-scale national music festivals, and from 2008–2011, with organisational development and digitalisation at the City of Bergen. Einar has a bachelor's degree in media science and a master’s degree in Comparative Politics from the University of Bergen. Stokka currently acts as coordinator for the SAMPRO-network, the Norwegian national network for KA2 officers in higher education, and is also an active contributor to the community of practice at European University Foundation (EUF).
Since 2023, he serves as an EAIE Associate in the European Collaborative Programmes Expert Community.
Guidance and Counselling
Stephanie Griffiths
A specialist in student mental health, with a focus on outreach and training within higher education
Stephanie is an intercultural consultant/trainer at her own intercultural consultancy for higher education institutions, which focuses on the internationalisation of students. She recently retired from the position of Associate Director for Counselling and Mental health Support at King’s College London, after having worked in the field of psychological counselling for over 30 years. Stephanie has developed a programme of outreach and training, with the aim of enabling home and international students, academics and frontline administrative staff to be trained in the psychological pressures that they may encounter. She embarked on a study trip to Fudan and Shanghai Jaio Tong Universities in 2015, with the objective of understanding the presentation and treatment of mental health issues amongst students in China and has since been invited to speak at several conferences in China, organised through Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute. Stephanie studied English and Education at Goldsmiths University; Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London; Guidance and Counselling at Reading University and is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. She was the recipient of the King’s College Principal’s Award in 2018, which recognises an individual who has ‘gone above and beyond to champion the goals of the university and has delivered outstanding service as a King’s Ambassador’.
She has been a trainer at the EAIE Academy for the past five years and was one of the keynote speakers at the AACSB and EAIE Expert Community Business Education in 2020, on the topic of ‘avoiding virtual burnout: maintaining engagement, motivation and mental health in students, staff and faculty’. She is currently Chair of the Guidance and Counselling Expert Community.
Stephanie received the EAIE Award for Outstanding Contribution in 2022 in recognition of her important contributions to supporting international education by ensuring that the students and staff within our institutions can thrive.
Géraldine Dufour
Expert consultancy in student counselling and mental health, training and supervision.
After 20 years working in universities, Géraldine set up Therapeutic Consultations to work directly with individuals and organisations across the sector on issues related to counselling, mental health and wellbeing. As a former head of counselling at the University of Cambridge, chair of national executive committees for student mental health and counselling, and founding member of national research groups in student mental health, Géraldine has wide-ranging therapeutic experience. Former French Erasmus student, she developed an international outlook, working on different continents with students and staff from all backgrounds, collaborating with international colleagues, and gaining a visiting professorship at Fudan University. This spurred her interest in cross-cultural work, difference and diversity.
Géraldine holds an MA in counselling, supplemented by professional training in online counselling, clinical supervision, alcohol and drugs interventions, consultation and coaching.
In September 2022, she became an Associate in the Expert Community Guidance and Counselling.
- Twitter:
- @DufourGeraldine
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/geraldine-dufour-45a2654a/
Bibiane Freunberger-Rendl
A psychotherapist focused on students concerns within the field of higher education.
Bibiane is working as a psychological counsellor and psychotherapist in the Psychological Counselling Service for Students in Salzburg, Austria. Bibiane is a clinical and health psychologist, and works as a licensed psychotherapist in a private practice. In the Psychological Counselling Service, she is responsible for providing counselling, psychotherapy and student relevant workshops for national and international students. After having graduated from the University of Salzburg with a Master’s degree and PhD in Psychology, she received her postgraduate training in katathym imaginative psychotherapy. Bibiane was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Guidance and Counselling for the 2022–2024 term.
Marijke van Oppen
Marijke van Oppen is an expert in interactive, creative workshops and training in cross-cultural development in Higher Education. She has been a Senior Educational Consultant and Intercultural Trainer at the Education Support Centre of Wageningen University & Research since 2000. She also has teaching and training experience, with a focus on inclusive education, in Russia, China, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. She holds a MA in Social Education and a MA in Fina Arts and specialises in inclusive intercultural learning and education on an individual, group and curriculum level.
Since 2010, she has been an active EAIE member and a speaker, trainer or chair at EAIE events. Marijke was elected as Steering Group member of the Expert Community Guidance and Counselling for the 2022-2024 term.
Jessica Price
Jessica works as Programme Leader of Health and Wellbeing at the LUNEX University in Luxembourg. She is also an academic lecturer and higher education consultant in the field of diversity and mental health for various universities in Germany. Her passion for working with internationals and the challenges they face when moving abroad is central to the work she is doing. Since 2008, after relocating to Bremen, she worked as a consultant for higher education institutions in mental health, diversity and inclusion. Since 2018, she also worked partially with “Refugio Bremen e.V.”, an organisation that offers psychological therapy to refugees and victims of war. Her website, “Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapy”, is a trusting and safe space where international clients can be truly open about the challenges of being “lost in translation” and “lost in culture”. She teaches at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen and Jacobs University on topics such as Gender and Multiculturalism, Intercultural Competence and Sensitivity and Organisational Behaviour, among others. She holds two Master’s degrees from New York University and Jacobs University and a PhD in Psychology also from Jacobs University. Jessica was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Guidance and Counselling for the 2022–2024 term.
Julia Zuber
The importance of psychology cannot be overstated.
Julia Zuber is a psychologist at the student councelling center in Linz, and a lecturer at the University of Applied Science Upper Austria. Julia studied psychology at the University of Salzburg and got her PhD in Psychology at the University of Linz. She works in psychological research and clinical psychological counselling. In the Psychological Counselling Service, she is responsible for providing counselling for students and student relevant workshops for national and international students. In her research, she deals with learning and teaching settings and how they can be improved. Julia is currently completing her training as a psychotherapist. Julia is a member of the EAIE Expert Community Guidance and Counselling.
Health and Welfare Education
Karin Sulmann
Karin has been a manager in the field of internationalisation for the last 20 years. She is Director of the International Health Care School at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, the Netherlands, and a member of the strategic Hanze board of global affairs.
Karin was elected as Chair of the Expert Community Health and Welfare Education for the 2022–2024 term.
Sedef Ercetin Gencosmanoglu
Sedef is Senior Advisor Internationalisation and Partnerships and currently works at the Turkish Green Crescent Society. Sedef is an expert in partnership development, exchange programmes management and internationalisation strategies for higher education institutions. At her previous positions, she handled all international agreements at the university and faculty level, as well as supporting the academic units in applying for and managing international programmes, projects and funding. Sedef also led a team responsible for incoming and outgoing students and staff mobility. In addition to study abroad experiences in Poland and the Netherlands, Sedef earned a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Management at the University of Bologna, Italy, and Bachelors’ degrees from METU in Ankara, Turkey. Sedef was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Health and Welfare Education for the 2022–2024 term.
Hanne Liv Østtveit-Moe
I believe internationalisation promotes understanding and intercultural competence.
Hanne Liv has been working in the field of internationalisation for the last 10 years. She has extensive experience with the administration of international mobility in higher education. In her current role, she supports academics and leaders through the development of staff trainings, student and staff mobility, and supporting international projects. She has worked with health and social work programmes for the past seven years and also has a strong interest in and has worked to promote Internationalisation at Home within these programmes. She also has volunteer experience in non-formal training in intercultural learning. Hanne Liv holds a Master of Science in Globalisation, Global Politics and Culture from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Since September 2022, Hanne Liv is an Associate in the EAIE Expert Community Health and Welfare Education.
Montse Romero-Mas
When I walk along with two others, from at least one I may learn.
Montse is the Head of International Promotion Alliances Unit at the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia and the International Relations Academic Coordinator of the Faculty of Health Sciences&Welfare.
She has been working in Higher Education internationalisation for the last 10 years, mainly focused on the health field. She promotes and supports institutional participation in academic cooperation projects that particularly affect internationalisation, teaching innovation, digitisation and mobility. She strongly believes in the power of networking, exchange of knowledge and communities.
Monste holds a PhD in Integral Care and Health Services as well as a Master’s degree in information and Knowledge Society and a Master's degree in International SME Management and a Bachelor's in Computing. In September 2022 she joined the EAIE Expert Community Health and Welfare Education as an Associate.
Inclusion and Diversity
Peter Kerrigan
International educator with experience in communications, marketing, strategic development, programme design/implementation, training and partnerships.
Peter R. Kerrigan is the Deputy Director of the German Academic Exchange Service’s (DAAD) Regional Office in New York and is the Director of Marketing and Outreach for DAAD in North America. He is responsible for all areas of the marketing of German higher education and research and DAAD’s scholarship programmes in the U.S. and Canada. Peter served as Vice President of Membership Development and Services at The Forum on Education Abroad, Assistant Director of the Higher Education Resource Group at the Institute of International Education (IIE) and Senior Program Coordinator in the Work Abroad Division of the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE).
He currently serves as Chair on the EAIE Expert Community Inclusion and Diversity. He was Chair of the EAIE’s Professional Development Committee, a Resource Person for the EAIE Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment and a member of the EAIE General Council. He also served for many years as a member of the Standards Committee of The Forum on Education Abroad. In September 2016, Peter received the EAIE’s Transatlantic Leadership Award. Since 2000, Peter has volunteered weekly for God’s Love We Deliver, a provider of meals to people who are too ill to cook for themselves. Peter was awarded an M.A. in Political Science by the Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany and a B.A. in Political Science and German by Bates College, Maine, USA.
Andrew Gordon
Education is too big to fail.
Andrew is the Founder and Strategic Advisor of Diversity Abroad. In 2006, he founded Diversity Abroad with a simple vision, that the next generation of young people has equitable access to global educational opportunities that position them to thrive academically, interpersonally and professionally.
He has over 15 years of leadership at the intersection of technology, global education, diversity & inclusion and student success. With expertise and a passion for equitable access to opportunity, he consults colleges & universities, non-profits and businesses on developing and implementing global diversity, equities and inclusion strategic goals. Andrew is a graduate of the University of San Francisco where he studied business management and Spanish.
Andrew is an Associate of the EAIE Expert Community Inclusion and Diversity.
Stella Saliari
Community is that safe space, where we can meet as we are, a place that asks 'What can we do for each other?'
Stella Saliari is a researcher, trainer and community builder who works as an independent consultant. She has worked for more than 10 years in global relationship building in the higher education realm and as a researcher and trainer with organisations in both the higher education and the not-for-profit sector, focusing on impact/need assessments, organisational policy changes and feminist research practice. Stella is a board member of the Syrian Female Journalists Network (SFJN), founder of Salt the Podcast, an intersectional feminist podcast and an experienced trainer and speaker passionate about changing the way we conduct research.
She worked as an English and German teacher, as a researcher and editor for the Centre for Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (CEMMIS) and for the TOEFL program at ETS Global, overseeing the Client Relations Team in Europe. At the TU Braunschweig (Germany), Stella studied English and German Language and Literature at the University of York (the UK) Linguistics under the ERASMUS scheme. She holds an MSc in Middle East Politics from SOAS and an MA in Gender Studies from Utrecht University.
From 2018-2022 she was a steering group member of the Language and Culture Expert Community. In 2022 she was elected as a steering group member of the Inclusion and Diversity Expert Community where she is committed to identifying unjust structures and implementing changes in educational and organisational policies to achieve diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in international education.
Internationalisation at Home
Tanja Reiffenrath
Cultural studies meet internationalisation efforts
Tanja Reiffenrath works as Project Coordinator at the University of Goettingen, Germany. She works in student and academic services and is the coordinator of the project ‘Internationalisation of the Curricula’. Tanja has taught and published on diversity issues, transnationalism, and the representation of the ‘other’. While teaching at the University of Paderborn in 2012, she was part of a team that was awarded the Teaching Award for Young Academics by the university’s presidential board for internationalisation and diversity in the classroom. In 2016, she organised the conference ‘Internationalisation of the Curricula in Higher Education: Concepts, Initiatives, and Actions’ at the University of Goettingen jointly with the German Academic Exchange Service and the German Rectors’ Conference. Tanja holds a PhD in American Studies and has studied at the Universities of Paderborn and Siegen, Germany, as well as the University of Oklahoma, USA.
Tanja was elected Chair of the Expert Community Internationalisation at Home for the 2022–2024 term. She was recognised with the Rising Star Award in 2018 for her excellent work as a volunteer leader of the Expert Community Internationalisation at Home.
Eva Haug-Panneman
Connecting the world, one classroom at a time
Eva Haug works as Educational Advisor for Internationalisation of the Curriculum and COIL in the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Eva was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Internationalisation at Home for the 2022–2024 term.
Eva has an MA in Spanish Literature and Culture from the University of Amsterdam and did a Postgraduate in Higher Education. She's worked in higher education since 1992. As the Coordinator Internationalisation, she's specialised in internationalising the curriculum and campus experience of the students at AUAS. As COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) coordinator, she provides entire cohorts the possibility of experiencing international teamwork by pairing Amsterdam students with students from around the globe. Lecturers and students collaborate, at a distance, on real life challenges. She's presented about COIL at conferences in Brasil, South Africa, and the US, as well as the EAIE Conference, and is regularly invited by universities to train staff in intercultural and online collaboration.
- Twitter:
- @EvaHaug1
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/eva-haug-80406a29/
Eveke de Louw
Eveke de Louw works as International Policy Adviser for the Curriculum and Co-curriculum at The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS), the Netherlands, where she plays a leading role in internationalisation. This includes developing and delivering staff training programmes, policy making, and working with academic departments and service units. In European Studies she was instrumental in the process of internationalising learning outcomes and the subsequent gaining of the distinctive quality feature for internationalisation. Eveke co-developed a conceptual model (Intercultureality) which has helped THUAS programmes to map internationalisation in their curricula. Eveke was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Internationalisation at Home for the 2022–2024 term.
Eveke received the EAIE Award for Outstanding Contribution in 2019 for her contributions as a volunteer leader, speaker and writer.
Matias Marin
Magic happens when academics meet Expert Community: Internationalisation at Home
Matias Marin is the Director of International Relations at Universidad Catolica de Manizales (UCM) in Colombia, where he leads the institutional comprehensive internationalisation strategies in terms of Curriculum, Professional Development, Research, Community Engagement and Cooperation. Marin holds a PhD in Education, majoring in Internationalisation of the Curriculum, a Master's degree in Education and a Bachelor of Education in Modern Languages.
His areas of expertise include Internationalisation of the Curriculum, Multicultural Interactive Global Learning, Collaborative Online International Learning, English as a Medium of Instruction, Communities of Practice, and Critical Thinking in Foreign Language Teaching. Matias has also participated in the NAFSA Executive Internationalisation Leadership E-institute and the German Academic Exchange Service and the German Rectors’ Conference DIES program on Management of Internationalisation. Matias was elected as an Associate member for the EAIE Expert Community of Internationalisation at Home for the 2022-2024 term.
Alfonso Díaz Segura
The global classroom is the training space for those who will transform the global future.
Alfonso Díaz Segura is Corporate Director for Business Operations, Marketing and Internationalization at the Fundación Universitaria San Pablo CEU. Before that, he was Vice Chancellor for Internationalisation at the University CEU Cardenal Herrera in Spain. He was responsible for international policies at the University and has implemented the Global Classroom, a framework of initiatives that allow students to acquire soft skills in internationalisation, regardless of where they come from and which degree they are studying. Therefore the international experience permeates all the layers at the institution, from teachers to staff, focusing on the students. Starting in 2019, COIL projects can be found in all the faculties and currently the challenge is to expand the offer with mirrored classes, guest lectures, or international weeks in every degree. Alfonso studied Architecture and has a PhD in Architectural Projects, combining for years both the professional and the academic activity. He also has an MBA. He was elected as a Steering Member for the EAIE Expert Community Internationalisation at Home for the term 2022-2024.
Katarina Aškerc Zadravec
A good team worker focused on concrete aims and their implementation with visible impact.
Katarina Aškerc Zadravec is a vice dean for quality and internationalisation at Ljubljana School of Business, Slovenia. She is also a lecturer and a researcher with a focus on internationalisation of higher education. Katarina was an external expert in evaluations of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education of several Slovenian higher education institutions, performed by the Slovenian Erasmus+ Agency. She also evaluates Erasmus+ projects for the Slovenian National Agency. She has performed several presentations and training courses for academics and international staff on internationalisation of the curriculum in Slovenia.
In 2016, Katarina was actively included in the preparation and she co-edited the Strategy of Internationalisation of Slovenian Higher Education. She also (co)authored and (co)edited several papers and publications on these topics. Katarina holds PhD in Educational Sciences with the focus on internationalised home curriculum. Since 2020, Katarina is an elected member of the EAIE Expert Community Internationalisation at Home.
Language and Culture
Mirjam Hauck
Expert in critical digital literacy and intercultural communication in virtual exchange contexts
Mirjam Hauck is Senior Lecturer in Languages at The Open University as well as Associate Head of School (Internationalisation, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion). She is also a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and President of the European Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning (EUROCALL). Her passion and expertise lie in the use of technologies for the learning and teaching of languages and cultures, in virtual exchange contexts in particular. She has published numerous articles on these topics and her work covers learner and teacher autonomy, intercultural communicative competence, and critical digital literacy. Mirjam presents regularly at conferences, seminars, and workshops worldwide and serves an Associate Editor of the CALL Journal and as a member of the editorial board of ReCALL and LLT. She is also the Director of the OU's Open Centre for Languages and Cultures, a one-stop-shop for communication in an interconnected world.
Mirjam holds an MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Heidelberg and a PhD from the Open University on learning and teaching languages in a technology-mediated environment. Mirjam was elected as Chair of the Expert Community Language and Culture for the 2022-2024 term.
Arum Perwitasari
An experienced educator, ELT enthusiast, academic editor, researcher
Arum Perwitasari, PhD, is the Academic Relations Specialist at ETS Global Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Arum worked for more than six years as an Associate Lecturer of English in Indonesia. Since 2017, she has been at ETS Global as a content lead on English language assessments, ELT and linguistics within EMEA. She is an active member of the Executive Committee on Publication at the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL), part of Project Management Board at the Young Universities for the Future and one of the proposal reviewers at the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA). She holds a Doctoral degree in Linguistics from the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics in the Netherlands.
Arum is currently participating in the EAIE Mentorship programme and is a Steering Group member of the EAIE Expert Community Language and Culture.
Juliane Terpe
Juliane Terpe is Head of International Office at Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden – University of Applied Sciences (HTW Dresden), Germany.
Juliane has worked actively in the field of internationalisation for more than 15 years. Her international career started in the International Office at EPF Paris and led her via the Institute of International Education in New York to the German Academic Exchange Service in Delhi before she settled in Dresden. She has worked in the International Office of Technische Universität Dresden, and was appointed Head of the International Office of HTW Dresden in 2012. As an expert for internationalisation, she supports teaching staff and university boards in all matters of international higher education and shares her knowledge by giving papers.
She graduated in law with a specialisation in international private law. Additionally, she studied German as a Foreign Language in a distance-learning course. Juliane was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Language and Culture for the 2022–2024 term.
Thierry Villard
Experienced language teacher and International Project Manager
Thierry is a language teacher, mobility officer, and head of Studies at IUT de Bordeaux at the Université de Bordeaux, France. As a language teacher, Thierry has always been involved in European projects. Since he started his work at the Institute of Technology of Bordeaux, he has focused on internationalisation of the curricula. Since the creation of the 'Pôle Langues' in 2017, a structure gathering language and communication teachers, he has also been involved in the development of the language policy, a huge and exciting task. Thierry holds a Masters degree in English from Université Bordeaux Montaigne and was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Language and Culture for the 2022–2024 term.
Andrea Wehrli
Andrea is a Professor and Lecturer of Law at Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland. She has also worked as an independent researcher on multilingualism from a legal-linguistic perspective for more than a decade. Besides her lectures, Andrea participated in international weeks, connecting people and facilitating internationalisation. Her research focus is dedicated to the legal-linguistic challenges of multilingualism in education. Andrea grew up trilingual and lived for several years in the French- and German-speaking parts of Switzerland, as well as in Brazil. With her extensive knowledge and personal experience with the difficulties and pleasures of multilingualism, she is now thrilled to support EAIE members regarding challenges of plurilingual education. She has qualifications as a teacher (with degrees in language teaching, in primary and in higher education), as a linguist in Brazil and Switzerland, and as a lawyer in Switzerland. Andrea was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Language and Culture for the 2022–2024 term.
Marketing and Recruitment
Mats Engblom
Mats is a marketing specialist with recent experience in the field of international student marketing and recruitment, specialising in Search Engine Marketing, student portals and agents. With too much to do and too little time to do it, Mats finds it invaluable to find good business partners that understand the needs of his institution and preferably know more than he does about what they are selling. Mats has worked as a journalist, press photographer and communications officer. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Helsinki, Finland and minored in Visual Journalism at Aalto Univeristy, Finland. Mats was elected as Chair of the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022–2024 term.
Michelangelo Balicco
Michelangelo is the Director of the international development division at Burgundy School of Business in France. Originally from Italy, Michelangelo is an international education specialist with extensive experience in positioning universities and business schools in the international marketplace. He has consistently produced high international student intake numbers due to efficient and market-driven recruitment efforts, sound strategic planning, and a focus on customer service. He holds a dual executive master's from ESADE business school and SDA Bocconi in Marketing and Sales.
Michelangelo is a frequent presenter at the EAIE and NAFSA conferences and he has held different workshops and training sessions on marketing and recruitment strategy around the globe. He was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022–2024 term.
Tomas Bengtsson
Tomas Bengtsson is Director of International Affairs at University West in Sweden. He has been in his current position since the beginning of 2019 and previously held the position of Director of International Marketing and Recruitment at Jönköping University. From 2006 onwards, he worked in student recruitment at Jönköping University and in 2011, he was involved in the journey of the implementation of tuition fees in Sweden.
He has expertise in building a successful agent network, how to create a customer friendly lead-management process and how to adapt the internal support services to the recruitment strategy. Tomas holds a Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology from Mid Sweden University. Tomas was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022–2024 term.
Ilaria Bossi
Education is the most powerful and sustainable mean to shape our common future.
Ilaria Bossi is the Manager of International Recruitment at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy. An international education enthusiast, she has six years of experience in managing student recruitment at undergraduate and graduate level, collaborating with more than 50 recruitment agencies worldwide. Ilaria is a frequent speaker at IACAC and CIS and has presented at other HE conferences (eg. NAFSA), focusing on the Italian HE system. She is a SUCTI trainer since 2018 and has run successful SUCTI trainings at her institution. Since July 2020 she is also a member of the Professional Development Committee within International ACAC. Ilaria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Languages for International Relations and a Master’s degree in Political Science from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy. She was elected in the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment as a Steering Group member for the term of 2022-2024.
Herwig Dämon
Herwig is Head of Public Affairs and Communication at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Prior to this he was Head of Communications at the University of Liechtenstein, Principality of Liechtenstein. In his roles he oversees the university’s branding, communications and marketing activities. His team provides communications and marketing consultancy services to internal partners. He holds a Master’s degree in German philology, psychology and communications as well as a degree in public relations, both from University of Vienna, Austria. Prior to joining the University of Liechtenstein in 2011, Herwig held positions as head of communications at an international medical foundation in Davos. He also worked as chief communications officer at a globally active Swiss industrial company. In the higher education field, he has been advocating an experience-centred communications and marketing strategy with a focus on brand ambassadors. Herwig was a session speaker and workshop facilitator at multiple EAIE Conferences and was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022–2024 term.
- Twitter:
- @herwigdaemon
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/herwigdaemon/
Kimmo Kuortti
Kimmo Kuortti is Head of Global Education Solutions at Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Finland. He is a Steering group member in the EAIE Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment. Kimmo was the director of international relations, lecturer, and director of student recruitment at the university. He has expertise in project management, programme coordination and support services, and cooperation for development – especially in Namibia. His specialities are also staffing, budgeting, human resources, team leadership, teaching and coaching. He graduated from University of Oulu with a Master’s of Arts degree.
Kimmo was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022–2024 term. Kimmo was honoured with the 2021 EAIE President's Award by the President at the time, Michelle Stewart in recognition of his tremendous work was an EAIE advocate.
- Twitter:
- @kimmokuo
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/kuortti/?originalSubdomain=fi
Alejandra Otero
Edupreneur, CMO and Former Director Specialized in Digital Marketing and Student Recruitment
Alejandra Otero is the Founder & CEO of geNEOus. Alejandra created geNEOus with the aim of reshaping the future of education by giving support to educational institutions in the integration of marketing and admissions solutions in line with the expectations of the 21st century. Through geNEOus she focuses on marketing and recruitment consultancy to higher education institutions, K-12 schools, agents, and language schools. Prior to that, she was a higher education intrapreneur in the USA and Europe with roles within the Marketing, International Relations and Admissions Departments. Alejandra is also a speaker in subjects such as digital innovation, marketing automation, international education and sales enablement. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economic and Social Administration and a Master's degree in Enterprise or Business Unit Management. She was elected as a Steering Group member for the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022-2024 term.
Monique Swennenhuis
Monique Swennenhuis is Strategic Advisor International Marketing and International Affairs at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, the Netherlands. Within the EAIE she is a trainer and presenter and was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment for the 2022–2024 term.
Monique has worked in various disciplines within internationalisation since 1996 and has 18 years of experience in international higher education marketing.She has experience with all aspects of marketing and recruitment, be it enrolment management, CRM, marketing and recruitment tools, website, or portfolio management. She is a board member of the Dutch Higher Education Network on International Marketing, and a regular presenter and workshop leader at the EAIE Conference, on topics such as the basics of marketing and CRM. Monique has an MA in English Language and Literature, an MA in Language and Speech Pathology, an International Certification as NLP trainer, and a teaching degree.
Tom Wilmot
Think about your enrollment processes from your students' point of view!
Tom Wilmot is the Vice President for University Partnerships at Studee. He works with universities to ensure that their international student journey is yielding as many enrollments as possible by maximising conversions. Tom has been working with or in universities for 9 years having begun his career at the University of Leicester Students' Union and then working at Endsleigh in the UK before moving into international higher education in 2016 with the International Student Admissions Service (ISAS). When ISAS was acquired in 2018, Tom was asked to head up Studee's University Partnership team and he has been working to help Studee's partners bridge the gap between their marketing and admissions departments. Tom studied Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester before completing his Master’s degree at Aston University Business School in Human Resource Management and Business. Since 2020 he serves as Steering group member of the EAIE Expert Community Marketing and Recruitment.
Mobility Advising
Alejandra Vicencio
Alejandra has been working in international education for 20 years and is currently Head of International Mobility at Northumbria University, where she manages all aspects of international mobility programmes for students and staff, funding and partner relations.
Originally from Chile, she is passionate about internationalising higher education and based her postgraduate research on this topic in a development context. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Chile and a Master’s in international development from Northumbria.
She has been involved with the EAIE since 2014 as a session evaluator, and an EAIE mentor for the last 5 years. Alejandra was elected as Chair of the Expert Community Mobility Advising for the 2022–2024 term.
Niamh Burke
Niamh Burke is Associate Director for Partnerships and Global Mobility at Trinity College Dublin, where she oversees all central mobility programmes including international exchanges, study abroad programmes and Erasmus+. She also oversees the Partnerships and Networks team which manages the development of dual, joint and articulation programmes and Trinity’s engagement with university partner Networks and Consortia.
Niamh has worked in the Global Engagement Office at Trinity College Dublin for almost ten years. Previously, she worked with a leading Irish law firm and in the Australian public sector.
Niamh was elected as a Steering group member of the Expert Community Mobility Advising for the 2022–2024 term.
Wim Gabriels
As Director of the Erasmus Student Network, Wim supports international students and advises international relations offices on support measures for students. He has worked in the field of Higher Education for the past seven years, first as an International Officer at VUB in Brussels and later on as a Project Manager and Director of ESN International. Wim focuses on creating an evidence-based approach to understanding the needs of students and universities in the field of international student mobility.
Rowena Kidger
Rowena Kidger has been working at Cardiff Metropolitan University for over 20 years and is the Global Opportunities Manager within the Global Engagement Directorate. Rowena is responsible for managing and leading all aspects of the University’s inward and outward student and staff mobility initiatives, which includes responsibility for securing opportunities through Turing, Taith, the university’s short term mobility funding, the GO Global bursary scheme, student Santander projects and global virtual opportunities.
Rowena joined the EAIE Expert Community Mobility Advising as an Associate in September 2022.
Karin Kim Lim
Karin Kim Lim is Head of International Cooperation and Partnerships at the Ecole normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon) in France. In her current position, Karin is in charge of international cooperation agreements and projects with foreign universities and institutions. She also leads a task force on International Rankings strategy. Originally from Mauritius, Karin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management and a Master’s degree in International Business. Before joining the Higher Education sector, she worked as a senior consultant in intelligent transport systems and smart cities, with proven success in managing European projects and networks.
Karin joined the EAIE Expert Community as an Associate for the 2022-2024 term and is a new associate in the Mobility Advising Expert Community.
Strategy and Management
Dyane Koreman
Down-to-earth enthusiastic people person, influencing international higher education programmes and strategy
Dyane is an international higher education professional with more than 20 years of experience in different managerial positions, responsible for strategic policy development, international relations, international program management, curriculum development, student and staff mobility, admissions, and marketing & recruitment. Dyane Koreman is currently a strategic Program Director at Fontys University, the Netherlands. She is always on top of innovative impactful growth, such as the current development of a European University, and a Center of Expertise for an Inclusive Society. Additional she is the project director of a cross-sectoral multi-stakeholder master for Life Long Learning. She has a passion for coaching, training and team building, and has been a lead trainer for workshops at many international conferences. She graduated from Tilburg University with a Master’s degree in Social Sciences and completed different international (leadership) programmes in Australia, Buenos Aires, Denmark, the UK and the USA. Dyane has been involved in the EAIE since 2015 as a session evaluator, mentor, associate, expert community member, and conference speaker. Dyane was elected as Chair of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
Alicia Betts
Alicia Betts leads international strategic projects at the Universitat de Girona in Catalonia, Spain. Alicia graduated from the Universities of Oslo (Norway), Tampere (Finland) and Aveiro (Portugal) with an Erasmus Mundus Master's degree in Higher Education Policy and Management. Since 2009, she has been responsible for the joint internationalisation strategy and activities at ACUP. These activities have involved representing the ACUP in international forums and networks and participating in several cooperation for development projects (capacity building and strengthening of higher education institutions).
Since 2014, she has participated in the coordination of the worldwide GUNi Reports and international conferences, in addition to leading the conversations and activities of GUNi regarding SDGs and higher education and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).
Alicia was a Steering group member of the Expert Community Cooperation for Development for the 2020–2022 term and is currently Steering group member in the EAIE Expert Community Strategy and Management.
Claire Cox
Passionate and committed to bringing the youth of the world peacefully closer together
Claire Cox is Head of Partnerships and Engagement at Griffith College in Ireland. Personal development, lifelong learning and active citizenship are what drives Claire. At Griffith College, Claire is responsible for supporting the Director of the International Office in overseeing international marketing, recruitment and academic collaborations. Claire’s focus is on the implementation of the College’s internationalisation strategy both abroad and at home. Key areas of her activity are strategic planning, partnership development and management, mobility programmes, staff development through Erasmus projects and student recruitment.
She holds a Bachelor’s (Hons) degree in French and Spanish and an MSc in Management from Dublin City University. She has also completed several management trainings at NAFSA, EAIE and AIEA.
Claire was elected as a Steering group member of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
Elena Vinci
International educators and professionals change the world, one student at a time.
Elena is Senior International Officer at Lund University, Sweden, and a Steering group member in the EAIE Expert Community Strategy and Management. Elena’s academic background is in languages and translation, and she has worked in the field of internationalisation since 1992. Her journey in the realm of international relations started in 1992, assuming over the years diverse leading roles across institutions and geographies, spanning Sweden and Italy. Her responsibilities cover a wide spectrum, ranging from orchestrating international mobility to conceptualizing and implementing internationalization strategies. Elena has participated in EAIE events and programmes since 1995 and was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
Rob Maat
Rob has 15+ years’ experience in various positions in international higher education, ranging from lecturer to strategic management. He is currently Head of the International Office and Senior Policy Adviser in Internationalisation at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, and Chair of the Dutch UAS International Relations Council. His focus is on managing international offices and mainstreaming internationalisation on a strategic level. Translating European agendas such as Bologna, digitalisation, sustainability and inclusiveness into ‘must dos’ and ‘nice to haves’, and integrating these into strategic institutional policies.
Rob was elected as a Steering group member of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
Jeroen Ouburg
Jeroen is Policy Adviser International at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, where he was selected for the Young Talent Programme in 2012. Jeroen has a Bachelor’s in facility management and has completed trainings in professional leadership, English for professional purposes and the EAIE course ‘How to run an international office’. In addition to these content-related courses, he is a trained company emergency response unit member. Jeroen is a member of the Internationals Relations Officers (IRO) group of the Euroleague for Life Sciences University network (ELLS). On a national level, he is involved in a number of different communities related to mobility obstacles and the Netherlands Fellowship Programme. Jeroen was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
Sandra Slotte
I am thoroughly passionate about internationalisation, higher education and combining these two to make the world a better place.
Sandra Slotte is Senior Policy Advisor, Internationalisation at Arcada University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland. She has more than 15 years of experience working in international higher education within a wide range of roles, providing her with a systemic view of HEIs as organisations, as well as of the broad and complex ecosystems they belong to together with societies and other stakeholders. As of 2017, her tasks have focused specifically on strategic and comprehensive internationalisation with emphasis on developing services to international degree students through systemic and networked cooperation internally and with external partners. At Arcada, she is responsible for the national Talent Boost programme for attracting and retaining international talent in Finland. She is also Project Manager at Arcada for the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership INTERLOCALITY – Increased Local Employability of International Degree Students 2022–2025. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Helsinki University, majoring in Leading and Developing the Learning Organisation at Aalto University.
Sandra has been a member of the EAIE since 2018 and was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Strategy and Management for the 2022–2024 term.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/sandraslotte/
Summer Schools
Alexander Heinz
Advocate for innovation in education and all intellectual passions. Learning with personal fulfilment for participants and thought leaders.
Alexander is the Director of the London EPHESOS office. He has frequently worked on sensitive projects for cultural and political organisations, such as the United Nations Refugee Agency, HE consultancy, the German Foreign Office as well as NGOs supporting the fair representation of minorities and the commemoration of the shoah.
Until autumn 2023, Alexander was Co-Chair of the Summer Executive at King’s College in London and was building King’s large education portfolio of cutting-edge, diverse academic summer education opportunities. A regular speaker and trainer at international conferences, he is particularly familiar with higher education collaborations with the public sector in the United Kingdom and India.
Alexander has a PhD in History and is a former scholar of the German National Merit Foundation and the DAAD. He has lived and studied in France, Germany and the UK. He has been a NAFSA e-Learning Dean and has designed and trained on EAIE workshops for several years. Alexander was re-elected Chair of the Expert Community Summer Schools for the 2022–2024 term.
Adrijana Lazic
Adrijana is Summer Programmes Manager of the Faculty of Economics (FELU) at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and has been part of the International Relations Office since 2013. As a volunteer tutor for exchange students and an exchange student herself, Adrijana is interested in mobility and internationalisation in higher education. Her expertise is in planning and running summer and short intensive programmes. Currently she manages the Ljubljana Summer School, which welcomes more than 400 participants and 30 professors from all around the world. She is also the coordinator of the Ljubljana Doctoral Summer School which is organised in close cooperation with the FELU Doctoral Unit. Adrijana has a Master’s degree in Business Studies from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Summer Schools for the 2022–2024 term.
Gyöngyi Pozsgai
Dr Gyöngyi Pozsgai serves as Head of the Study Abroad and Summer School Office at the University of Pécs. She is responsible for short-term programmes for incoming international students, including summer and winter courses, COIL projects and semester-long programmes.
She is a skilled international education professional with 18 years of experience in internationalisation, marketing and recruitment in higher education. She holds a PhD in Marketing from the University of Pécs with a research specialisation in international higher education marketing. Between 2006–2013 she served as the Secretary-General of the University Network of the European Capitals of Culture.
Dr Pozsgai is a certified trainer with extensive experience in the training and development of international education professionals, including formal training courses, international workshops, conference presentations in international student recruitment, higher education marketing, intercultural sensitivity and the facilitation of summer schools. She has extensive university teaching experience as well.
Her institution was awarded the 2021 EAIE Award for Excellence in Internationalisation for the short-term programmes that her office developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was elected as Steering group member of the Expert Community Summer Schools for the 2022–2024 term.
The EAIE Ecosystem: understand how we are structured
With recent updates to the EAIE's structure, learn more about how we are structured and the different ways you can get involved as a volunteer or leader.