Leadership + Staff

We believe in what we do.

Cultural Vistas brings together a wealth of talent, diverse backgrounds, and an array of experience to every project.

We believe that a commitment to cultural understanding is the key to sustained success in today’s global society. Collectively, our staff speaks more than 20 different languages. For many of us, it has been the impact of our own personal and professional experiences abroad that have led us to careers in international exchange.

We aim to share with others the experience of traveling to another country and absorbing its culture. We believe deeply in the value of international education and the meaningful impact of intercultural exchange. This is central to what we do every day.

Executive Team

Jennifer Clinton, Ph.D.
President and CEO

Jennifer has devoted her career to international education and business because of a deep passion for bridging cultures, people, and ideas. She is best known for developing, implementing, and managing bold organizational transitions, as well as helping individuals and nonprofits to realize their full potential.

Jennifer joined Cultural Vistas, a nonprofit exchange organization that annually provides global skill-building experiences for over 6,000 individuals and organizations in the United States and more than 135 countries every year, as its President and CEO in November 2017.

Prior to joining Cultural Vistas, she served for five-and-a-half years as President and CEO of Global Ties U.S., where she led a grassroots network of 120 community-based organizations in 45 states and 21 countries around the world that engage 40,000 volunteers who implement public diplomacy and international exchange programs in close partnership with the U.S. Department of State.

Prior to Global Ties U.S., Jennifer held leadership roles at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, the Telecommunications Industry Association, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Jennifer serves on the boards of Women’s Foreign Policy Group, the Alliance for International Exchange, and Open DC.

She earned her executive MBA at the University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business; Ph.D. in French Literature at the University of California, Davis; and her bachelor’s degree in political science and French from Marquette University. Jennifer grew up outside of Detroit and lives in Maryland with her husband and son.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter or learn more about her below:

Q&A Interview with the USC Center on Public Diplomacy
Portraits of Leadership
Eight Ways We Fulfilled Our Mission in 2019
Reflections on My First Year at Cultural Vistas
Get to Know Our CEO

Megan Bah
Chief Financial Officer

Megan serves as the Chief Financial Officer at Cultural Vistas.

She joined Cultural Vistas (then CDS International) in 2007 where she started working part time in accounting and part time doing program work. Working on the programmatic side gave her a greater understanding of the value of international exchange. During her tenure, she has since worked her way through the finance department in various roles from Accounting Manager, Accounting Director, Controller, and now CFO. Through her time spent at Cultural Vistas she has grown passionate about non-profit accounting and reporting.

Megan holds a masters degree in Accountancy from Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick, NJ. She also has a certificate in Not-For-Profit Accounting and Governmental Reporting from NYU-SPS. She received her bachelors degree in Mathematics from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.

Dan Ewert
Senior Vice President, Program Research, Partnerships and Innovation

Dan serves as the Senior Vice President for Program Research, Partnerships and Innovation, and the National Secretary of the United States affiliate of the International Association of the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE).

He has been with the organization (as AIPT) since 1994, including stints as Director of Career Development Exchanges, Director of Program Development and Vice President of Programs and Sales. Previously, Dan served as the Director of Internships for The Washington Center, where he managed the organization’s business, economics, health and science placements, and was a teaching associate for its foreign policy seminars. He has also served as an adjunct faculty member for the organization since 1991, co-leading a college-level course on research methodology and writing. Additionally, Dan has been a student advisor at the University of Washington in Seattle, and Director of Personnel for Federal Business Centers in Edison, New Jersey.

Dan also currently acts as the Treasurer and founding member of the Board of Directors of the Global Pathways Project, a nonprofit organization that helps expose inner-city Baltimore youth to international events and opportunities.

He has presented at a number of national conferences of NAFSA, the American Society of Experiential Education, the Clean Energy Workforce Education Council, the American Academy of Science, the Cooperative Education International Association, the Chilean-American Chamber of Commerce, AMCHAM Brazil, AMCHAM Vietnam, the National Career Conference and the Intercultural Management Institute.

Dan holds a masters degree in geography from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a bachelor’s degree in international studies and Asian studies from American University in Washington, D.C.

Read more from Dan on our blog:
Do we need educators with a global perspective?
Why we care about Southeast Asia

Elizabeth Kumbhari, J.D.
General Counsel and Vice President of Professional Exchange Programs

Elizabeth joined Cultural Vistas in May 2015 and serves as the General Counsel and Vice President of Professional Exchange Programs.

In this role, she oversees the organization’s Train USA J-1 Intern and Trainee exchanges, which sponsor more than 4,200 participants annually. She is responsible for the business development and administration of programs at more than 1,000 host companies throughout the United States.

As Legal Counsel for the organization, Elizabeth is responsible for reviewing internal and external operational policies as well as the organization’s contractual agreements. She also oversees the organization’s continuing legal education courses.

Prior to this position, Elizabeth served as the Director of International Admissions at Long Island University where she oversaw immigration, recruitment, and admissions for LIU Post, LIU Brooklyn, and the university’s Global College program.

She also previously held various positions at Northern Kentucky University, including serving as the Director of the Office of International Students and Scholars. Elizabeth was a member of the American International Recruitment Council’s Founding Standards Committee.

Elizabeth is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations degree at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. She holds a J.D. from Northern Kentucky University and a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Capital University. Elizabeth was a CBYX high school exchange student, and later participated in an internship and educational exchange to Austria. She holds legal licenses in both Ohio and Washington, D.C.

Elizabeth is very active with NAFSA and serves as the Chair of the Embassy Dialogue and on the Membership Engagement Committees—having completed a term as the national Travel Subcommittee Chair. She is also an Advisory Council Member to the Institute of One World Leadership and is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council.

Michael Nelson
Vice President, Digital Strategy and Technology

Michael is the Vice President of Digital Strategy and Technology, a role designed to help shape the organization’s use of technology to more effectively fulfill its mission.

He has a proven track record of successfully leading product strategy and development for startup and fast-growth companies.

Michael brings over 20 years of extensive product development experience from across several industries to Cultural Vistas, most recently serving as the Head of Product at Avenu Insights. Previously, he also led product and technology strategy for 3Pillar Global, Engagepoint, and Oracle.

Over the course of his career, he has demonstrated a proven ability for introducing innovation as a business differentiator, as well as scaling products and teams to support organizational business goals

Michael holds an MBA degree from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of New Orleans.

William Maier
Vice President, Transatlantic Relations & Social Impact

In his role as Vice President for Transatlantic Relations & Social Impact at Cultural Vistas, William oversees various European-U.S. exchange programs, new program development, and alumni services.

William joined Cultural Vistas (then CDS International) in 2005, initially working on the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals and the International Co-op Program. Since then, he has managed numerous fellowships, study tours, internship experiences, and other international initiatives that foster greater understanding among cultures while cultivating socially-minded global leaders. In 2013, he left Cultural Vistas’ New York office to open and expand our European Office, located in Berlin, Germany.

William has represented Cultural Vistas at various international conferences including the European Association for International Education, the Global Internship Conference, the National Academic Advising Association, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, NAFSA, and others. He holds a degree in international relations from Franklin University in Lugano, Switzerland.

Board of Directors

A diverse and dynamic board.

Cultural Vistas’ Board of Directors guides the overall philosophy and direction of the organization and reflects the global reach of our programs and initiatives. Our diverse and accomplished board includes former ambassadors, leaders of the NGO and business communities, university administrators and professionals who closely monitor government relations, organizational policy, finance and programs.

Cultural Vistas’ board members are committed to the common goal of enhancing careers and building cultural understanding through life-changing exchange experiences.

David Berry is a Founding Partner in the San Francisco office of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. Mr. Berry’s practice has encompassed every aspect of international corporate immigration, and currently focuses on working with human resources and global mobility professionals to optimize their companies’ worldwide immigration programs. He guides strategies for forays into new countries, and provides immigration plans for international mergers and acquisitions. He helps companies address the worldwide challenges of global compliance, and has worked with major corporations to build out compliant visitor visa programs. Mr. Berry has served as Chairperson of the Northern California American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Bar Association of San Francisco Immigration Committee, as well as national Business and Industry Liaison to AILA. David has provided testimony to the United States Commission to Reform Immigration. He is currently Chairperson of the Immigration Forum of Worldwide Employee Relocation Council (WERC). Mr. Berry served as Assistant Professor of Immigration Law at Hastings College of Law, University of California, in an adjunct faculty positon and published immigration articles on a panoply of immigration topics that include multinational transfers, mergers, layoffs, and exceptional merit visas. He holds a Juris Doctorate from Antioch School of Law, a Bachelor of Arts from University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and is admitted to the State Bar of California. He has served on the board of directors at Cultural Vistas since 2018.

Sharon Chae Haver is a Client Service Lead, at Slalom Consulting, a modern consulting firm focused on strategy, technology, and business transformation. Previously, she served as a Principle Account Executive for Business Talent Group, a consulting firm that leverages the emerging “human cloud” of high caliber, independent consultants to solve client’s problems faster and better. Prior to her role there, she worked at Deloitte as a Senior Manager for Global Clients & Industries. She holds a Master of Public Policy in Business & Government from the Harvard Kennedy School and dual degrees in International Studies & Business from the University of Pennsylvania’s Huntsman Program (Wharton & SAS).

Lisa Cohen has 25 years of experience in international education and intercultural exchange. She served five years each as the chief of training at US Peace Corps headquarters in Washington and as the director of global training for AFS Intercultural Programs’ international headquarters in New York. At AFS, Lisa helped to launch the design of an Intercultural Learning curriculum for the global network and led a redesign of the leadership curriculum for country directors. At Peace Corps, she co-founded an initiative around Intercultural Competence, Diversity & Inclusion to bring transformational learning opportunities to staff teams around the globe. In addition, she oversaw the launch of the first e-learning unit, a coach approach curriculum for staff, the development of global learning standards for program participants, and an expansion of language training efforts. Lisa’s areas of interest include organizational development, instructional design, and the linkage of intercultural skill-building with equity and inclusion efforts. She earned her coaching certification in 2018 and coaches mid-career women with global and non-profit careers. She also co-hosts a monthly roundtable about race and is a facilitator and consultant for Conversations about Race & Belonging. Lisa and her husband split their time between Alexandria, Virginia and Temecula, California.

Bernard Coleman is the Head of Employee Engagement at Gusto where he leads the Employee Engagement efforts which encompasses the diversity, equity and inclusion, employee relations and people integrity/governance/compliance functions. Previously, he was the Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) at Uber Technologies Inc. Prior to Uber, Bernard led Hillary for America’s D&I and HR initiatives, as the first ever Chief Diversity and Human Resources Officer in U.S. history for any presidential campaign and political party. Bernard’s written for Forbes, Catalyst, SHRM and his insights have appeared in the Nasdaq Government Clearinghouse and the Huffington Post. Bernard holds an M.B.A. from Trinity University, a B.A. in psychology from Hampton University, a Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Management certification from Georgetown University, and is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. He serves as an Ambassador for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and has been a member of the Cultural Vistas board of directors since 2018.

Kevin Gully currently works at DXC Technology. Prior to that he worked at Hewlett-Packard as the Practice Principal, at Colfax Corp as the Director of Global IT, at Viacom as the Vice President of Application Development, and at BMG Entertainment as the Director of International Systems. A participant in one of the first CBYX Programs, he later worked for CDS as Computer Guru from 1988-1993. He attended the Syracuse University Martin J. Whitman School of Management and is affiliated with the American Management Association, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Project Management Institute. Mr. Gully has served on the Cultural Vistas Board since 1999.

Rekha Grennan is an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategist who has unique multi-sector, multi-industry expertise. She is currently a Senior ESG Advisor at Edelman where she provides strategic advisory services to clients across the firm and within a new specialized practice

She has developed ESG related programs in politics, government, non-profit, start-up and corporate enterprises and is a believer in the power of partnerships and stakeholder collaboration to achieve long-term value and economic inclusion.

Prior to joining Edelman, Rekha was a Director of Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy at Cisco Systems Inc., where she supported several CEO-led initiatives to address local and global inequality through the development of new coalitions and partnerships. Rekha also led an independent ESG consulting practice where she worked with a range of established corporate ESG teams and executive teams that were new to ESG concepts. She predominantly supported stakeholder and materiality assessments, enterprise-wide strategy and program development linked to Enterprise Risk Management (ERM.)

Rekha has held leadership roles at Pfizer, Inc. where she supported enterprise-wide sustainability alongside management of several signature initiatives, including a $1 billion global disease elimination partnership with the World Health Organization. She also led Pfizer’s global pro-bono employee volunteerism program. At Johnson & Johnson, Inc., Rekha supported strategy and execution for a new $14M global HIV/AIDS program.

Passionate about social good and public service; Rekha is an entrepreneur at heart. Early in her career, she was the first employee of a successful bio-technology start-up pioneering commercial stem-cell banking and the head of public relations for a successful polling and technology start-up. She also worked in U.S. presidential politics and was a Senior Communications Officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development. She later served on the leadership team for the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Rekha has a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a degree from Boston University in International Affairs and Environmental Policy and Analysis. She is a former Term-Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Rekha serves on the Boards of Cultural Vistas, Inc., an international exchange non-profit, and the Refugee Council USA.

James Lambert serves as Secretary for Hemispheric Affairs (SHA) of the Organization of American States. Before joining the OAS, Lambert served for 33 years as a Canadian diplomat and Ambassador. As a leading expert on Latin America and the Caribbean in the Government of Canada, he served in Costa Rica, Japan, and Mexico, before becoming Ambassador to Guatemala and El Salvador in 2002. In Ottawa, Lambert held positions of Director General of Latin America and the Caribbean and Director General of Public Diplomacy. Between 2010 and 2015, he was appointed Canadian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. He holds a Master of Arts (M.A.) in International Relations and Affairs from Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton U. and a degree in History from Queen’s University.

Philip C. Lauinger, Jr. is the former chairman and chief executive officer, and a director, of PennWell Publishing Company (now PennWell Corp.),Tulsa, Oklahoma, an international publisher of business and trade magazines. He served in senior management capacities in this family owned company for almost 30 years and was chief executive officer from 1970 to 1992. A life member of American Business Media, he served as the trade association’s director from 1972 to 1992 and as chairman of its board of directors from 1979-1980.Today, Mr. Lauinger is the co-chair of the advisory council of Global Ties U.S., a counselor of Meridian International Center, a director of the American Committees on Foreign Relations, an advisory counselor to the Georgetown University Library, and the current chairman of the Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations. He is also a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. In the field of education he is an advisory counselor to the Georgetown University Library, Washington, D.C.; and a former director and vice president of the Cascia Hall School Foundation, Tulsa. He is also a trustee of the Philbrook Museum of Art. Mr. Lauinger is a graduate of Cascia Hall Preparatory School, Tulsa, and he holds an AB in economics and philosophy from Georgetown University. He is a recipient of the McAllister Fellowship Award at Northwestern University’s Medill Graduate School of Journalism. He and his wife Claire reside in Tulsa and Vero Beach, FL.

Aslam Masood serves as Chief Financial Officer of Kabafusion, a series of accredited home infusion specialty pharmacies serving over 40 states across the country. Prior to his current role, Mr. Masood served as Chief Financial Officer of Crescent Healthcare, Inc. a home infusion and healthcare company, and MAAS Medical, LLC, a company for the development and manufacturing of Advanced Infusion Systems. He held Senior Accounting positions at Unocal Corporation, an oil and gas company in corporate chemicals and international divisions at Los Angeles Corporate Headquarters, and Unocal E&P Company in Baku, Azerbaijan (formerly Soviet Union). He holds an MBA in Accounting & Finance from Woodbury University and a BA in Accounting from Northeastern Illinois University.

Charles Meier works as the Director of Payments Operations at Medidata Solutions, an American biopharmacy technology company that develops and markets software as a service (SaaS) for clinical trials. Prior to that, he worked at Citi Bank, Honeywell, and Raiffeisen Bank. He is a Senior Business Manager in Global Financial Services with a focus on Emerging Payments, FinTech, and Blockchain product development with broad experience in Strategy & Business Development, Process Improvement, Finance, and Program Management. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Government from the University of California- Berkeley, and has Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP) accreditation. He has served on the Cultural Vistas board of directors since 2005 and is currently the board treasurer.

Kendra Mirasol was recently appointed as CEO of the Seattle-based nonprofit VitalTalk. Previously, she served as the President and co-owner of IOR Global Services headquartered in Chicago for 12 years. There, she led implementation of IOR’s growth strategy, managed day-to-day operations, ensured financial strength, formed positive inclusive culture, and provided thought leadership to the industry through speaking engagements. Previously, she also worked as a Director at RR Donnelley & Sons. She holds an MBA in Finance & Accounting from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in German Literature from University of California- Irvine. She has served on the board of director at Cultural Vistas since 2016.

Dr. N. Joyce Payne founded the nationally-recognized Thurgood Marshall College Fund and has also served as Executive Director of the National Alliance for Public Trust and Vice President of the Office for the Advancement of Public Black Colleges. Today, Dr.Payne serves on the board of directors of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and continues to be an authority on African-American and women’s issues in higher education and labor force participation. Previously, Dr. Payne was the president of Global Systems, Inc. and a senior staff member under the Carter administration with the President’s Advisory Committee for Women; President’s National Advisory Council on Women’s Education Programs, and the White House Conference on Families. She has served as both member and chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of the District of Columbia as well as a member of the national board of AARP and chair of the AARP Foundation. She also served on the distinguished Foreign Service Performance Evaluation Boards at the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Ms. Payne received a bachelor’s in speech pathology from the former District of Columbia Teachers College and earned her master’s and doctorate in education from the former Atlanta University.An authority on women’s issues in relation to higher education and labor force participation, Ms. Payne has published and presented a number of papers on the pursuit of equality for women and African-Americans in higher education. Ms. Payne received a bachelor’s in speech pathology from the former District of Columbia Teachers College and earned her master’s and doctorate in education from the former Atlanta University. She also received a Presidential Medal from Delaware State University and has received honorary doctorates from Lincoln University of Missouri, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Kentucky State University, and University of the District of Columbia and in 2012 from Central State University.

Jeffrey Reinke serves as chief of staff to the president as well as secretary of the corporation as the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. He joined CFR in 1994 as part of the Corporate Program staff, and also worked in CFR’s Meetings Program and Executive Office, where he served as director of special projects. He has served on the board of directors of Cultural Vistas since 2011, and has most recently been in the role of vice chairman. He holds an MA in South Asia Regional Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a BSFS in International Affairs from Georgetown University.

Jackie Renner has been President of C. F. Martin & Co., Inc. 2015. Ms. Renner is responsible for providing leadership and management of the global operations for the Pennsylvania-based company. She previously served as President of Franke Consumer Products, Inc., a subsidiary of Franke AG, a privately held Swiss company. At Franke, she was responsible for Franke’s consumer business in North and South America, for both the Franke and KWC brands used in the luxury home market. Prior to Franke, she served as the President of Ecowater Systems, LLC, a Marmon / Berkshire Hathaway Company and has also held leadership roles as President of Well Lamont Corporation and at Thermo Fisher Scientific as Vice President and General Manager of Fisher Science Education. She is a patented chemist who began her career over 30 years, working at Olin Corporation, Johnson Matthey PLC, and later at FMC Corporation. She earned a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. in Management from New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business. She has served on the Cultural Vistas board of directors since 2006.

Roy J. Salamé brings more than 30 years of extensive global investment, risk management, financial and business expertise and leadership experience to Cultural Vistas. Roy most recently served as Managing Director and Head of the Global Investment Opportunities Group (GIO) at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. In this role, he managed over 100 investment advisors and credit professionals covering over 1,000 clients from six offices globally. Prior to his leadership of GIO, Roy served in roles as Vice Chairman of Global Commodities at JPMorgan, as well as the Managing Director and Global Head of Sales and Structuring of the firm’s Commodities Division for a number of years. Before joining the firm Roy was a Managing Director and Head of Global Natural Resources Sales and Origination at Lehman Brothers. Previously, Roy spent nearly 14 years at Goldman Sachs, most recently as Managing Director and Head of Oil, Metals and Mining and Forest Products in the U.S. and Latin America. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Roy worked at Citigroup for more than 10 years, where he was VP and Head of Marketing for the Financial Institutions Group for the Middle East Africa Division in New York initially, and subsequently out of Bahrain. Roy is a member of the Atlantic Council Energy Advisory Group. Roy also serves on the Board of B*CURED, a nonprofit dedicated to funding cutting-edge research to cure brain cancer. Roy is Co-Chair of the Advisory Board for the JPMorgan Center for Commodities at the University of Colorado, Denver. He holds a Baccalaureate in Math and Science from the Lycee Chateaubriand in Rome, Italy; BA in Economics with distinction and an MBA in Finance and Investment, both from George Washington University.

Susan Stella is the Founder/Owner of Stella Advisors, LLC, providing strategic consulting to the private equity and venture capital industry. Her clients include multi-billion-dollar private equity funds, up-and-coming venture funds, and industry associations. Previously, Ms. Stella was Principal and Director with Knightsbridge Advisers, Director of the Thunderbird Global Private Equity Center, Marketing Co-Chair of the Thunderbird Independent Alumni Association, and Partner at Venture Archetypes, a strategic advisory firm. Her background also includes professional assignments with Intel; the German Ministry of Economics and Labor; Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Germany; and the United Nations—as part of a three-year stint living and working in Mongolia. A 2003-2004 alumna of the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program, she holds a BA from Drake University and an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is proficient in both German and Mongolian.

Jim Thomas, one of the payments industry’s leading data innovators and analytics experts, founded Itemize in 2012, a FinTech data extraction engine used by smart business executives seeking to transform purchase documents, such as receipts and invoices, into data for their accounting and expense tracking needs. Based on his expertise in Payments data, he recognized that harnessing receipt and invoice details would require innovative thinking and new technologies. In previous positions, James launched MasterCard’s payments data and information business and has advised leading global banks and payments companies on data analytics and monetization strategies. James has served as a Vice President at First Manhattan Consulting Group, as well as held positions at Morgan Stanley and Booz-Allen. James holds a BA in Economics and German from Franklin and Marshall, a Masters of International Affairs from Columbia University, and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He has served on the Cultural Vistas board of directors since 2014.

Ann-Janette (A.J.) Fuentes Twombly is the Director of Sales at Mobilize, a events management and volunteer recruitment platform that connects mission-driven organizations and their supporters. Previously, she served as SMB Sales Manager at LinkedIn, where she helped businesses and sales professionals leverage LinkedIn to target buyers, engage credibly, and nurture relationships with customers. Ms. Fuentes also has held management roles at American Express and worked at Goldman Sachs as a Private Wealth Advisor. Prior to that, she was the Director of Airline and Global Rental Car Client Management for two years, and the Senior Manager of Partnership Development, Enterprise Growth for two years. She has served three overseas tours with the CIA and was a staffer in the U.S. Senate with Senator Lieberman’s Governmental Affairs Committee. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the National Board of Directors for America SCORES and as Board Treasurer of the National Board of Directors of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. Since 2014, she also has served as a Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations. The daughter of Cuban refugees, Ms. Fuentes grew up in Miami speaking Spanish as her first language. She has an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Kenan-Flagler Business School and a BA in English and creative writing and a French minor from Trinity College-Hartford.

Howard A. Wallack is currently the Deputy Chief Human Resources & Administrative Officer in the Global Human Resources (GHR) department at Jhpiego, an international, non-profit health organization, affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University. At Jhpiego, Mr. Wallack spearheads the organization’s leadership development program and shares responsibility for management and oversight of other global HR functions. Prior to joining Jhpiego, he had senior-level international positions in human resources, training and development, global business development, and project management at various organizations, including the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Goodwill Industries International, the US Peace Corps, and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), an affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Wallack has an MA in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University; an MSc in International Human Resources and Globalization from the University of Leicester; and an AB in Anthropology and Spanish from Hamilton College. Howard is multilingual, was an Eisenhower Fellow to Argentina, and has worked, studied or travelled in 90+ countries.

Staff Directory

Program Teams

Alfa Fellowship Program

Melissa Graves, Program Director
Steve Hendrickson, Assistant Program Officer

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals [CBYX]

Daniel Villanueva, Sr. Director
Max Flescher, Sr. Program Officer
Rachael Agnello, Program Officer
Fiona Laux, Program Officer

Exchange Visitor and Grant Programs

Paul Champaloux, Sr. Director of Exchange Visitor and Grant Programs

International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)

Steven Washington, Assistant Program Director
Michelle Kulikauskas, Sr. Program Officer
Rachel Reed, Sr. Program Officer
Chelsea Beaulieu, Program Officer
Catherina Rojas, Assistant Program Officer
Caitlyn Schmitt, Assistant Program Officer

Edmund S. Muskie Internship Program

Anastasiia Futrell, Sr. Program Officer
Natalia Etten, Sr. Program Officer
Alex Kurki, Assistant Program Officer
Casey Molina, Communications Coordinator

Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Seeds for the Future Program

Natalia Etten, Sr. Program Officer
Jillianne Dayao, Assistant Program Officer
Casey Molina, Communications Coordinator

Global Talent Development Programs

(Cultural Vistas Fellowship, Global Internship Programs, IAESTE, Japan Internship for the Development of Young Leaders, Korea WEST, STEM Launch, Custom Internship Placement Programs)

Nancy Ongstad, Senior Director, Internship Placement Programs
Keenan Toure, Program Officer
Tommy Ruether, Program Officer
Jillianne Dayao, Assistant Program Officer
Note: Keenan Toure serves as IAESTE USA National Secretary.

Program Development

Courtney Nelson, Senior Director
Andrew McCullough, Assistant Director
Phoebe Heibeck, Program Development Officer
Hayley Clemson, Program Assistant

Train USA, J-1 U.S. Internship + Training Programs

Caroline Gillam, Director of J-1 Compliance and Training
Coco Lei Li, Assistant Director

Shaina Katz, Senior Program Director of Train USA
Sarah Hocevar, Director of Operations of Train USA
Christine Paiva, Sr. Program Manager, Client Engagement
Marta Checko, Program Manager
Erin Merritt, Program Manager
Chloe Bergman-Ray, Program Manager
Stacy Macceca, Program Specialist

European Office

Will Maier, Vice President, Transatlantic Relations and Social Impact
Matthias Neureither, Program Manager
Margaret Clark, Seminar Manager, Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship
Alina Burkholder, Program Officer, Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (PPP)
Alexandra Drexler, Program Officer, Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (PPP)
Patricia Pahlke, Assistant Program Officer
Hanna Eiermann, Program Assistant, Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (PPP)

Operations Teams

Accounting + Finance

Elizabeth Bortkiewicz, Accounting Manager – Accounts Receivable
Marina Brodsky, Accounting Manager – Accounts Payable

Client Relations

Talia Lev, Research Analyst

External Affairs

Emily Commer, Sr. Alumni and Constituent Engagement Officer

Human Resources

Laura Gross, Director of Administration, People & Culture
Christian Mosqueira, HR Generalist

IT Information Systems

Mike Hoffmann, Director of Information Systems
Robert McKnight, Systems and Support Analyst

IT Product Development

Alison Steffen, Director, Product Management