2018 CII Summer Meeting Speaker Biographies

Opening Plenary Session
Global Trends in Higher Education: Why it Matters in the North American Region

Ángel Cabrera, Chair of the Commission on International Initiatives, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), President, George Mason University

Ángel Cabrera is the president of George Mason University, Virginia’s largest public university. Established in Fairfax in 1972, Mason today operates several campuses across the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region and in Incheon, South Korea. Since 2016, Mason is one of the 115 universities in the U.S. in the highest research category of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Before becoming Mason’s president in 2012, Cabrera led IE Business School in Madrid, and Thunderbird School of Global Management, now affiliated with Arizona State University. Cabrera is the first native of Spain to have served as president of an American university. As a business educator, Cabrera played a key role in advancing professional ethics, internationalization, and corporate social responsibility. As a senior advisor to the United Nations Global Compact, he was the lead author of the Principles of Responsible Management Education, now adopted by more than 500 business schools around the world. Cabrera chairs the Commission on International Initiatives for the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), and serves on the advisory boards of the National Science Foundation (Education and Human Resources Directorate), the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (Fulbright Program), Georgia Institute of Technology, and ITESM in Monterrey, Mexico. He also serves on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Waded Cruzado, President, Montana State University

Since January of 2010, Dr. Waded Cruzado has served as the 12th President of Montana State University, Montana’s largest institution recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as one of 108 universities for its “Very High Research Activity” and one of 66 institutions recognized by Carnegie as a “Community Engaged University.” As President of MSU, Cruzado has significantly reshaped the face and future of the state’s first land-grant institution. An articulate and inspirational speaker on the role of land-grant universities, she has become a well-known champion of the land-grant’s tripartite mission of education, research and public outreach. In 2012, APLU awarded President Cruzado the Seaman A. Knapp Memorial Lectureship. In that same year, President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Cruzado to the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD), a seven-member advisory council to USAID, whose primary role is to advise on agriculture, rural development and nutrition issues related to global food insecurity and the eradication of hunger in the world. She has also been recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International. In 2015, President Cruzado received the Chief Executive HR Champion Award from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. President Cruzado serves on the boards of the American Council of Education (ACE), International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), Higher Education Resource Services (HERS), TIAA Hispanic Advisory Council, US Bank, as well as the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). She chairs APLU’s Commission on International Initiatives (CII).

Carlos Iván Moreno, Vice Provost for International Affairs, UdeG

Dr. Carlos Iván Moreno is the Vice Provost for International Affairs at the University of Guadalajara and Professor in the Public Policy Department (CUCEA-UdeG). His research areas include co Carlos Iván Moreno mparative higher education policy, institutional change and power and politics in organizations. He has also held positions as Chief of Staff at the Committee on Education in the National Congress; Advisor to the Undersecretary of Higher Education at the Public Education Secretariat (SEP); Vice Provost of Planning and Institutional Development at the University of Guadalajara; and as International Consultant at IIPE-UNESCO.

Francisco Marmolejo, Higher Education Coordinator, World Bank

Mr. Marmolejo is the Global Lead of Tertiary Education at the World Bank Group, where he also serves as Lead Education Specialist of India. In his capacity as the World Bank’s most senior official in tertiary education, he serves as the institutional focal point on the topic of tertiary education (also known as higher education in several countries), and provides advice and support to country-level projects that the Bank has in more than 60 countries. Previously, he served as founding Executive Director of the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC), a network of more than 160 higher education institutions primarily from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, based at the University of Arizona (UA) in USA, where he also worked as Assistant Vice President and Affiliated Researcher at the Center for the Study of Higher Education. He regularly speaks and writes on a wide range of tertiary education issues.

Peter McPherson, President, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

Peter McPherson joined APLU as president in January 2006 and brought with him a distinguished background of leadership positions in higher education, government and business. Under McPherson, APLU has emerged as the leading research, policy, and advocacy organization for public research universities with an active agenda designed to increase degree completion, advance research, and strengthen engagement. Annually, member campuses enroll 4.9 million undergraduates and 1.3 million graduate students, award 1.2 million degrees, employ 1.3 million faculty and staff, and conduct $43.8 billion in university-based research. At APLU, McPherson has helped lead the development of several key cross-association initiatives, including Project Degree Completion, the Student Achievement Measure, and the Voluntary System of Accountability. The association has also become known for its robust advocacy arm that works with Congress and the administration to advance federal policies that strengthen public research universities.

Miguel Ángel Navarro Navarro, President, University of Guadalajara

Dr. Miguel Ángel Navarro Navarro has been a full-time research professor at the University of Guadalajara for 45 years. He is a civil engineer from the University and with a specialty in Curricular Analysis. In 1993 he obtained a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration (M.A.) from the University of New Mexico. Subsequently, he completed a Doctorate in Education (Ph.D.) with a specialization in Educational Administration and Organizational Studies, and in 1997 he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Education degree from the University of New Mexico, in the city of Albuquerque, United States. His doctoral thesis, “Language, Ideology and Educational Administration: the Modernizing Discourse of a Mexican University”, was published by the National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education, in the year of 1998. During his professional career, Dr. Navarro Navarro has held various administrative and management positions at the University of Guadalajara. These include the following: Academic Secretary of the University Center of Economic and Administrative Sciences 1998-2001; Executive Coordinator of the University Campus of Los Valles 2001-2004; Rector of the University Center of the Valleys, 2004-2008; and Executive Vice-Rector from 2008 to March 2018.

Rodolfo Tuirán Gutiérrez, Undersecretary of Higher Education, Secretary of Public Education, Mexico

Dr. Gutiérrez holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin and is the author and coordinator of 30 books and over 200 articles related to socio-demographic topics. In July 2004 he became the recipient of the national prize for demography. He has served as Secretary General of the National Population Council (from 1997 to 2002); Undersecretary of Urban Development and Territorial Planning of the Secretariat of Social Development (from 2002 to 2005); Undersecretary of Higher Education (2006-2012); Undersecretary of Higher Secondary Education (2012-2018); and currently he serves as Undersecretary of Higher Education. In the academic field, he served as professor and researcher in the Center for Demographic Studies and Urban Development of El Colegio de México (from 1983 to 1994); professor from 1993 to 1998 at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), as well as researcher at the Autonomous Technological Institute from Mexico (2006).

Concurrent SessionsCultivating Global Learning at Large Research Universities

Nancy Erbstein, Director of Global Education for All, University of California, Davis

Dr. Nancy Erbstein currently serves as Academic Assistant to the University of California, Davis Vice Provost and Associate Chancellor of Global Affairs and is a faculty member in the Department of Human Ecology. She brings her expertise in educational equity, community-engaged pedagogy, community youth development and youth civic engagement to directing the Global Education for All initiative.

Carlos Iván Moreno, UdeG

Joanna Regulska, Vice President & Associate Chancellor of Global Affairs, University of California, Davis

Session Chairperson Dr. Joanna Regulska currently serves as Vice Provost and Associate Chancellor, Global Affairs, at University of California, Davis, where she is also a professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies. With over 30 years of international experience in higher education, she has developed and led large-scale educational projects and programs that have transformed institutions, established new degree programs and collaborative partnerships, and substantially improved the delivery of internationally focused services to students, faculty, and staff.

Janaka Ruwanpura, Vice Provost International, University of Calgary

Dr. Janaka Ruwanpura is University of Calgary’s Vice Provost-International. He is a Professor of Project Management (PM), ex-Canada Research Chair in PM Systems as well as a Professional Engineer and a Professional Quantity Surveyor. An award winning academic in teaching, research, graduation education, service, leadership, STEM and internationalization, he had led and implemented new international initiatives such as collaborative degree models, customized training and capacity building and international development programs, Global Research Initiatives, and innovative funding models for international experience for students, staff and faculty.

North American Higher Education Collaboration with Cuba: A Trilateral Perspective

Robert Balkin, Director for Latin America & the Caribbean, State University of New York

Robert Balkin is an educator, attorney, journalist and political analyst specialized in U.S. and Latin American elections, rule of law and media. Mr. Balkin is Director of the State University of New York´s Office for Latin America & the Caribbean in Mexico City where he coordinates SUNY´s academic, mobility and research programs with universities and government institutions in the region. Mr. Balkin teaches communications, elections and North American topics at the Tecnológico de Monterrey. Mr. Balkin received his A.B. from the University of Michigan and J.D. from Georgetown University. He is a member of the District of Columbia bar.

Sally Crimmins Villela, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, State University of New York

Sally Crimmins Villela is an international educator with interests in language acquisition and sociolinguistic aspects of literacy development. In her role as Associate Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs for the State University of New York, her areas of responsibility include collaborative international academic programs and research, education abroad, exchange, international student and scholar services, and curricular internationalization. Sally is responsible for overseas offices in Mexico, Russia and Turkey, as well as the SUNY Confucius Institute for Business and the SUNY COIL Center. She has studied, worked and resided in Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Portugal and speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese.

Cristian Gonzalez-Paez, Regional Manager for the Americas, University of Alberta

Cristian Gonzalez-Paez holds a Master’s degree from Dalhousie University in International Development Studies and an undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta. He completed a five-month postgraduate diploma from the FLACSO, Cuba Program between undergraduate and graduate degrees and has acquired over ten years of experience in area of international education. In 2004, during his time as a graduate student, Cristian held the role of Resident Coordinator for the School of International Training (SIT) for the Cuba: Culture, Community and Society. Currently Cristian works as the Regional Manager (Americas) for the University of Alberta, managing large-scale partnerships with various governments in the region. He previously, worked as the International Recruitment Officer for the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto. Cristian’s most recent experience with large-scale partnerships include the Science without Borders Scholarship Program in Brazil as well as research and capacity building partnerships with the governments of Mexico and Peru.

Miguel Ángel Sigala Gómez, Coordinator for International Programs, University of Guadalajara

Mr. Sigala holds a Bachelor of International Studies and Masters in Social Sciences from the University of Guadalajara, with orientation in International Relations and Studies of the Pacific; his professional work is mainly linked to the university sphere: in ITESO he teaches History, Politics, and Economics of North America; in the UdeG he is a professor attached to the Center of Studies of North America and teaches the subjects of History and Government and Foreign Policy of North America, as well as to the Theory of International Relations I and II. In research, Mr. Sigala has held stays at the universities of Ottawa and Texas. He also has written several articles in newspapers such as Milenio, El Informador and NTR Guadalajara, while also serving as co-founder and co-director of the website of International Relations “Crónica Global.” He currently serves as Coordinator of International Programs at the Office for International Affairs (CGCI) of the University of Guadalajara.

Effectively using External Advisory Board to Support Internationalization

Michael Benedik, Vice Provost & Chief International Officer, Texas A&M University

Dr. Benedik’s research and teaching focus is basic biological problems using molecular genetic methods in simple microbial systems. He has led multi-country short courses. In 2010 was named the American Society for Microbiology International Professor for Africa. As vice provost he serves Provost and President by facilitating multi-college interdisciplinary curricular programs and academic strategic initiatives, such as the University Grand Challenges, “Lead by Example” capital campaign and the Governor’s University Research Initiative. Dr. Benedik serves as the senior international officer, convener of the International Programs Committee, global engagement operations and the external International Advisory Board.

Reynaldo Spinelli, Chair of the International Advisory Board, Texas A&M University

Reynaldo Spinelli was born in Mexico City and received his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and an MBA in Finance from Texas A&M. He is a Certified Public Accountant in Texas, having worked with KPMG Peat Marwick in Houston, Texas and in Caracas, Venezuela. He was employed with McKinsey & Co. in Mexico City. He served as Executive Vice President and Board Member of the Laredo National Bank, and as Executive Vice President of BBVA Laredo National Bank. Since retirement he has worked as a financial consultant and serves as chair of the International Advisory Board for Texas A&M.

Chad Wootton, Associate Vice President for External Affairs, Texas A&M University

Serves as Associate Vice President for External Affairs in the Office of the Provost. In this role, he works closely with university administration and academic leadership to facilitate university engagement efforts in public relations, community development, global partnership services, educational outreach, corporate relationships, and partnership with constituents of Texas A&M. He leads a team of experienced and organizers and relationship managers, who provide services to faculty, colleges and university as Public Partnership & Outreach. He serves as Chair Elect of the national Executive Committee for the Council on Engagement & Outreach of the Association of Public & Land Grant Universities.

Concurrent SessionsBest Practices and Overcoming Barriers to Sending Students to Mexico

Erin Chadd, Project Director, University of Arizona

Erin Chadd is the Director of New Initiatives and Special Projects in the Office of Global Initiatives (OGI) at the University of Arizona. Chadd received a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Information Resources and Library Science, both from the University of Arizona. Chadd has coordinated a wide-range of international projects including workshops, conferences, visits, strategic planning processes, grants, events and reports. She has served as the staff support for the Mexico Academic Mobility Assessment Committee since its creation.

Ahmad Ezzeddine, Associate Vice President of International Programs, Wayne State University

Dr. Ahmad Ezzeddine is the Associate Vice President for Educational Outreach and International Programs at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, Michigan-USA, where he leads the university’s national, global, and corporate educational outreach programs. He is responsible for recruiting international talent to the university and creating and expanding experiences for WSU students and faculty across the globe. A firm proponent of the crucial role that universities play in driving economic and community development, Dr. Ezzeddine is also responsible for academic community engagement that leverage the resources of the university and the talent and creativity of students to benefit the community.

Carlos Alberto Jaramillo Mora, Head of the National and International Liaisons Department, Instituto Politécnico Nacional

Carlos Jaramillo graduated as a Biotechnologist from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in 2013. His professional experience includes two and a half years as a Patent Analyst at the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial / IMPI) and a year as Head of the Social Integration Department at IPN’s Genomic Biotechnology Research Center. He is currently Head of the National and International Liasons Department at IPN’s Academic Cooperation Coordination.

Suzanne Panferov Reese, Associate Vice President, Office of Global Initiatives, University of Arizona

Suzanne Panferov Reese is the Interim Vice President for Global Initiatives at the University of Arizona and a Professor in the Ph.D. program in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching. Before joining the Office of Global Initiatives, she served as the Director of the Center for English as a Second Language, Director of the Centers for the Applied and Public Humanities (University of Arizona), and Director of the National Center for Interpretation. Panferov Reese completed her graduate studies at The Ohio State University, earning both a Ph.D. and M.A. in Foreign and Second Language Education and an M.A. in Russian Literature.

Supporting Internationalization Efforts When There is a Limited Funding

Gbemisola A. Disu, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives, George Mason University

Gbemi Disu is the Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at George Mason University where she helps develop, oversee and implement programs and projects that support the university’s strategic plan. Other leadership roles held at GMU include; Chief Operating Officer for GMU Korea, Executive Director for Global Strategy and Special Assistant to the President. Disu teaches for GMU’s School of Business and serves on the executive committee for APLU’s Commission on International Initiatives. She holds an MBA in Global Finance from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a B.S. in Economics & International Business from Arizona State University.

Joanna Regulska, University of California, Davis

The Relationship Between International Development Agencies and Higher Education Institutions in North America: How it Works and How it Could Work Better

Amrit Bart, Assistant Dean & Director, Office of Global Programs, University of Georgia, IAS, APLU

Dr. Amrit Bart, Assistant Dean Director of the Global Programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences. Diversification of International education and quality services is one of the areas of his more recent interest. As the former Director of the Asian Institute of Technology in Vietnam (AIT) and an Aquaculture and Aquatic Resource Management faculty member at AIT in Thailand, Dr. Bart has more than 20 years of experience in international agriculture training, research and outreach management. His background also includes leading a number of USAID-funded sustainability projects, serving as a USDA fellow, Peace Corps and working with the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers on projects to improve the livelihoods of fishermen and fish farmers. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology with emphasis in marine sciences at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana and his masters and PhD from Auburn University in Aquaculture.

Clara Cohen, Division Chief, Human and Institutional Capacity, Executive Director, USAID

Clara Cohen serves as Chief of the Division on Human and Institutional Capacity Development and Executive Director of the Board on International Food and Agricultural Development in USAID’s Bureau for Food Security, Office of Agricultural Research and Policy. She leads Office activities focusing on human and institutional capacity development and has contributed to the design and launch of several new programs emphasizing research, education, and innovation system strengthening. Previously, she worked as a Research Scholar for the Health and Global Change Unit at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), in Vienna, Austria. From 2001 to 2008, she served as senior program officer at the US National Academy of Sciences, where she designed and implemented the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded African Science Academy Development Initiative, a 10-year effort to strengthen the capability of African science academies to inform national health policy. She also directed studies on agricultural research, including a Congressionally mandated review of the four research agencies under USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area (ERS, ARS, CSREES, and NASS). She was awarded an AAAS Science and Diplomacy Fellowship in USAID’s Center for Economic Growth and Agricultural Development, Office of Agriculture and Food Security, from 1998–2000. She served as a Peace Corps aquaculture volunteer in Guatemala. She holds a BA in biology from Swarthmore College and a PhD in plant physiology, with minors in molecular biology and soil science, from Cornell University.

Waded Cruzado, Montana State University

Mark Erbaugh, Director, International Programs in Agriculture, Ohio State University

Director of the International Programs in Agriculture Office, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University (OSU), and Professor, Department of Extension. He has 30 years’ experience designing, administering and implementing international agricultural training, research, and outreach programs in 16 different countries. He has served on the Executive Committee of the International Agriculture Section (IAS) of APLU since 2011 and as its chair from 2012-2014; made Senior Fellow of the Association for International Agricultural Education and Extension in 2012; and was a Contract Science Teacher in Kenya and a Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland. He holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from OSU in Rural Sociology and a B.S. degree from the University of Michigan in Natural Resources.

David Gray, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University

Dean of Faculty & Campus Principal Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University. David graduated with a degree in Marine Biology from UCNW Bangor in 1993 and his Ph.D. in Zoology at Rhodes University. Upon completion of his Ph.D. David then took up the post of lecturer in Marine Biology at The University of the Western Cape in Cape Town and then returned to a lectureship at Rhodes University in 1998. In 1997 David was awarded a research fellowship from The University of Hong Kong to investigate biological rhythms in intertidal gastropod mollusks.

Martha Navarro Albo, Director General for Technical and Scientific Cooperation, Mexican Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AMEXCID)

Dr. Navarro-Albo is the Director General for Technical and Scientific Cooperation and the General Coordinator of Proyecta 100,000 and Proyecta 10,000, the Mexican initiatives to increase and strengthen US-Mexican and Canada-Mexico academic cooperation respectively, within the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Previously, she served in AMEXCID as Deputy Director General for Academic Cooperation. In the National Autonomous University of Mexico, she served as Vice-Provost for International Affairs. She is a Mexican national and native Spanish speaker. She is fluent in English and Portuguese and has basic proficiency skills in French. She holds a BSc from Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City in Nutrition and Food Sciences, a Master’s Degree in International Development and Education and a PhD in Education and Pubic Policy, both from Stanford University, CA. Dr. Navarro-Albo has 30 years of work experience and leadership in international affairs, education, research and training fields. She has been a professor, researcher and consultant on issues related to University management and leadership; education, as well as international networks and academic cooperation. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Mexican Association for International Education A.C.; coordinates the “California-Mexico Higher Education Working Group” and is a member of the Working Group on Health of the UC-Mexico Initiative; she is an alternative board member of the United States-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange and the Council of La Casa de la Universidad de California, A.C.

Plenary SessionManaging Up: Perspectives from Presidents and Provosts

Ángel Cabrera, George Mason University

Waded Cruzado, Montana State University

Sally Crimmins Villela, State University of New York

Plenary SessionPublic Policy Townhall: Updates from the International Advocacy Coordinating Committee

Hanan Saab, Assistant Director for International Issues, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

Hanan Saab serves as APLU’s Assistant Director for International Issues within the Office of Congressional & Governmental Affairs. In this role she leads the association’s advocacy on higher education issues related to immigration and visa policy, study abroad, international education, international agriculture and international development. Hanan previously worked at NAFSA: Association of International Educators where she most recently served as Manager for Public Policy and the legislative lead for the organization’s Cuba portfolio. Prior to NAFSA, Hanan managed student services for study abroad programs in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa for a D.C.-based education abroad provider. A Minnesota native, Hanan recently served as an education policy fellow in the Office of U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN). She earned her political science degree at the University of Minnesota, where she also began her career at the institution’s Learning Abroad Center. Her extensive international experiences include a year of foreign policy study at the American University in Cairo.

JoAnn McCarthy, Director of Academic Affairs, INTO University Partnerships

Concurrent SessionsBricks and Mortar – Offices Abroad as a Strategy for Fostering International Engagement

Gayle Christensen, Associate Vice Provost for Global Affairs, University of Washington

Dr. Christensen manages global initiatives and directs strategic global priorities at the University of Washington. As an expert in comparative education, Dr. Christensen has served as a consultant and researcher in the U.S. and abroad for organizations including the World Bank and the Bertelsmann Foundation. Her recent research has focused on the global reach of Massive Open Online Courses appearing in Nature, Harvard Business Review and The Atlantic and featured across major media outlets. She holds a master’s degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a master’s and doctoral degree from Stanford University.

Cristian Gonzalez-Paez, University of Alberta

Francisco Trigo, Vice Provost for International Affairs, National Autonomous University of Mexico

Dr. Trigo has vast experience in international affairs. Previously he served as Vice-president of Institutional Development and Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of UNAM. He holds a bachelor’s, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, UNAM; a MS in Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow; and a doctorate in Pathology and Microbiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, and a diploma in Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh. He is the former President of leading veterinary associations including the Mexican Veterinary Academy and The National Council for Veterinary Education.

Global Learning for All through Virtual Exchange

Ahmad Ezzeddine, Wayne State University

Mary Lou Forward, Executive Director, SUNY COIL Center, State University of New York

Mary Lou Forward is the Executive Director of the SUNY Center for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). The COIL Center facilitates virtual connections in higher education by connecting classrooms, students and faculty to collaborate on projects. Prior to joining SUNY, she was the Executive Director of the Open Education Consortium, committed to advancing open education and its impact on global education. Mary Lou served as the Dean of African studies, facilitating study abroad opportunities and working with institutions across Africa for nearly two decades.

Nadia Paola Mireles Torres, Coordinator for International Programs, University of Guadalajara

Nadia Paola Mireles Torres is the Senior International Officer at the Universidad de Guadalajara since 2013. Over the past two years, she has been leading the comprehensive internationalization strategy at the University, especially through the diversification of the mobility programs for students and scholars that currently includes short term trainings, English summer courses and Spanish immersion programs. During her leadership, the university has been two-time winner of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas and also is has developed a new online platform lead to a significant improvement of the international admissions process.

Jalisco Consortium for Internationalization

Andrés Barba Vargas, Chief of the International Office, University of Atemajac Valley

Andrés Barba Vargas holds a degree in International Relations from the University of the Americas Puebla (UDLAP), a Technological Degree in Communication Sciences, and a Master’s Degree in Politics and Public Management from the Technological and Higher Studies Institute of the West (ITESO). Since 2014 he has been the Head of the Internationalization Office of the University of Valle de Atemajac (UNIVA) in Guadalajara, and is a professor at the International Relations Academy of the same institution. Since that very same year, he has also worked as an International Analyst for the radio station “Zona 3 Noticias” and “Grupo Notisistema”, and has been an International Columnist in the newspaper “La Jornada Jalisco.” He is currently a representative of UNIVA in the “Jalisco Consortium for Cooperation and Internationalization of Higher Education (Jalisco Consortium)” and is a member of various organizations, such as the Mexican Association of International Studies (AMEI), the Mexican Association for International Education (AMPEI) and the National Association of Educators of the United States (NAFSA).

Noé Chirino Hernández, Director of the Institutional System of Languages and Internationalization, Autonomous University of Guadalajara (UAG)

For over twenty years, Noé Chirino Hernández has worked as a project manager, and taught linguistics and languages ​​in Mexico, the United States and England. He has been a consultant in linguistics and administration and has been a speaker in both areas at national and international conferences. Mr. Chirino holds a PhD in Organization Management, graduate with Magna Cum-Laude Honorable Mention, by the Universidad Popular Autónoma de Puebla (2008), Master of Arts in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, graduated with Honorable Mention, by King’s College London (2002); and a Bachelor of Foreign Language Teaching, graduated with Honorable Mention by the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (1994). He has more than 23 years of teaching experience providing academic, administrative or chair consulting in areas such as research methodology, language teaching, descriptive linguistics, applied linguistics, translation, interpretation, teaching methodology, Spanish, literature, administration, leadership and behavior of organizations.

Leoncio Monjarás Wintergerst, Vice Provost for International Affairs, Pan American University

Captain Monjarás is Director of International Affairs at the Universidad Panamericana (UP), campus in Guadalajara. He joined the UP in July 2011 as sub-director of the international office, taking the position of director in January 2013. During the previous 25 years (1985-2010), he served as Pilot Aviator in the Compañía Mexicana de Aviación. As director of the International Office of the UP, he has been responsible —among other issues—, of the mobility of students and professors abroad; of managing academic collaboration agreements with prestigious institutions in different countries around the world, international programs such as academic summers etc. He represents the UP before Institutions of Higher Education, Government Organizations, Embassies, Consulates, Educational Agencies, etc.; and has attended forums and conferences of International Education for Institutions of Higher Education both national and international.

Gabriel Servín Luna, Office Director for International Programs, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education

With a Master Degree in Quality and Productivity Systems, and a Master Degree in Educational Institution Administration, Eng. Gabriel Servín Luna has held various positions at the Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Guadalajara, such as Director of Scholar Administrative Procedures of the Center of Service for Students (CASA) from 2010 to 2011. He also worked as the International High School Programs Director at the International Highschool of the same institution, from 2008 to 2009; was Director of the Student Success Center during the 2007; Director of Cultural Affairs from (2005 to 2006), and Director of the Industrial Engineer Program from 2002 to 2004.

Hans de Wit, Director of the Center for International Higher Education, Boston College

Hans de Wit is Director of the ‘Center for International Higher Education’ (CIHE) at Boston College, USA, and professor of the practice in International Higher Education at the Department of Higher Education and Leadership of the Lynch School of Education, Boston College. He is the Founding Editor of the ‘Journal of Studies in International Education’ (Association for Studies in International Education/SAGE publishers), and Consulting Editor of the journal Policy Reviews in Higher Education (SRHE). He has co-written several books and articles on international education and is actively involved in assessment and consultancy in international education, for organizations like the European Commission, UNESCO, World Bank, IMHE/OECD, IAU, European Parliament, European Consortium for Accreditation.

Closing Plenary SessionInternationalizing Higher Education in Challenging Times: Implications for Public and Land-grant Universities

Hans de Wit, Boston College

Closing DinnerMexico- United States Relations with the Lopez Obrador Presidency

Jorge Chabat, Professor, University of Guadalajara

Jorge Chabat is a professor of the Department of International Studies at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE) in Mexico City, since 1983. He obtained his Bachelor’s at El Colegio de Mexico, and his Master’s and Ph.D. in International Studies at the University of Miami, Florida. He has published extensively in books and journals like Current History, Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs and Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science about Mexican foreign policy, and drug trafficking. He co-edited, with John Bailey, the book Transnational crime and public security: challenges to Mexico and the United States, University of California San Diego, 2002. He has published: Drug Trafficking and United States-Mexico Relations: Causes and Conflict” in Monica Serrano & Paul Kenny, Mexico’s security failure: collapse into criminal violence, New York; Milton Park, Oxon: Routledge, 2012 and “Violence in Mexico: in search of an explanation”, in Bruce M. Bagley, Jonathan D. Rosen and Hanna Samir Kassab (eds), Reconceptualizing Security in the Americas in the Twenty-First Century, Lanham, Boulder, New York, London: Lexington Books, 2015.