Keynote Speaker

Dawn Michele Whitehead is the Vice President of the Office of Global Citizenship for Campus, Community, and Careers at the Association of American College and Universities (AAC&U). Her work focuses on advancing practices and strategies to integrate global and experiential learning across curricular and co-curricular initiatives, general education and the majors, within professional schools, and on-campus and off-campus experiences. Whitehead has presented nationally and internatioDawn Michele Whitehead is the Vice President of the Office of Global Citizenship for Campus, Community, and Careers at the Association of American College and Universities (AAC&U). Her work focuses on advancing practices and strategies to integrate global and experiential learning across curricular and co-curricular initiatives, general education and the majors, within professional schools, and on-campus and off-campus experiences. Whitehead has presented nationally and internationally and has written on global learning, community-based learning, civic engagement, and integrative learning. Prior to her work at AAC&U, Whitehead served as the Director for Curriculum Internationalization, as a faculty director for global service learning programs in Costa Rica, Ghana, Kenya, and Eswatini and taught Global and International Studies courses at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis. She earned her Ph.D. at Indiana University Bloomington in Education Policy Studies with a doctoral minor in International and Comparative Education and a concentration in African Studies.nally and has written on global learning, community-based learning, civic engagement, and integrative learning. Prior to her work at AAC&U, Whitehead served as the Director for Curriculum Internationalization, as a faculty director for global service learning programs in Costa Rica, Ghana, Kenya, and Eswatini and taught Global and International Studies courses at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis. She earned her Ph.D. at Indiana University Bloomington in Education Policy Studies with a doctoral minor in International and Comparative Education and a concentration in African Studies.

Session leaders:

Sherrie Beeson is Program Coordinator in the Office of Global Learning Initiatives at FIU where she mainly focuses on global learning faculty development. She is currently involved in research projects focused on pre-service and in-service teachers’ stories of global learning, the transformative effects of global learning experiences on undergraduate students, the intersection of college students’ civic and cultural identities, and culturally sustaining professional development.

Stephanie Doscher is Director of the Office of Global Learning Initiatives at FIU. She hosts the Making Global Learning Universal Podcast and leads FIU’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiative. She is co-author of Making Global Learning Universal: Promoting Inclusion and Success for All Students (Stylus & NAFSA, 2018), a comprehensive handbook for engaging all undergraduates in collaborative global problem solving with diverse others. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration from FIU.

Hilary Landorf is Executive Director of the Office of Global Learning Initiatives and Associate Professor of International/Intercultural Education at Florida International University. She also serves as Executive Director of the Comparative and International Education Society. She writes, consults, and presents internationally on integrating global learning into higher education. Her recent book is Making Global Learning Universal: Promoting Inclusion and Success for all Students. She has a Ph.D. in International Education from New York University.

Birgitta “Gitta” Rausch-Montoto serves as Director of Global Strategy and Faculty Success for FIU Global. Her primary focus is on developing international bridges between internal and external partners, implementing institutional policies and procedures, and aligning the university’s strategic global efforts with institutional priorities. Ms. Rausch-Montoto earned her M.S. in International and Intercultural Education at FIU.

Panelists:

Maikel Alendy is Learning Design Innovation Manager with FIU Online and a faculty fellow at FIU’s Honor College. Within FIU’s honors college he teaches the fully-online course Digital Fairytale and the hybrid course Power of Play. As an instructional designer, he is focused on designing processes, adopting technology, and creating pathways for student success, ed tech proficiency, instructional design practice, and professional development. Mr. Alendy holds an MBA from FIU.

Rokeshia Renné Ashley is Assistant Professor in the department of Communication at FIU. Her research focuses on health communication in body image and modification, and maternal health. She examines how black women manage their appearance relative to reception of health information and negotiating modification in a racial and health context, while also exploring the interactions between patients and healthcare providers. Dr. Ashely earned her Ph.D. in Journalism from the University of Missouri.

Nicki Fraser is a Visiting Instructor in the department of Public Policy and Administration at FIU. Her research interests include emergency management and nonprofit management. Dr. Fraser is an ACUE certified advanced instructor and uses diverse teaching techniques online and in traditional settings to engage students. Dr. Fraser is a proud graduate of FIU's Public Administration Ph.D. program.

Wendy Guess is Assistant Teaching Professor in the department of Marketing & Logistics at FIU. Her areas of expertise are Health and Fitness Marketing, PEP Grant Management and Evaluation, and Healthy Behavior Change Marketing. Dr. Guess has received multiple teaching awards, and has courses certified as Global Learning and Quality Matters. She earned her Ph.D. in Public Health Education and Promotion Texas Woman’s University.

Matt Hagood is the IT Director for Media Technology Services in the Division of Information Technology at FIU. Matt and his team play a key role in the support of the FIU COIL initiative by providing the critical technology platforms and strategies that deliver the COIL experience across borders. In addition to COIL, Matt and his team have launched a number of progressive initiatives at FIU to improve teaching and learning through technology.

Jeanette Smith is an adjunct lecturer for the department of Religious Studies at FIU. Her classes include core courses such as Introduction to Religion and World Religions along with exciting new offerings in Faith in Social Justice, Religion and Fantasy, and Religion and Science Fiction. She encourages her students’ curiosity for deeper and more meaningful learning by using inclusive, learning-centered practices such as COIL in course design and delivery. Ms. Smith also uses innovative assignments and activities that promote community-based learning.

Uma Swamy is Senior Lecturer in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at FIU. She holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Arizona State University.

Douglas Wartzok is Provost Emeritus and Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences at FIU, where he served as Dean of the University Graduate School, Vice Provost and Provost. The Global Learning for Global Citizenship initiative was implemented institution-wide under his leadership in 2010. Dr. Wartzok’s research on marine mammals most recently has focused on policy issues related to the effects of naval anti-submarine warfare sonar on several species of deep-diving whales. He received a Ph.D. in Biophysics (Neurophysiology) from the Johns Hopkins University.