75 Years of Enhancing Global Understanding through Travel
This year marks the 75th anniversary of Academic Travel Abroad, CET’s parent organization. In the late 1940’s, Americans were interested in how Europe was recovering from WWII. Fritz Kaufmann, an economics professor at the University of Vermont, took a group of students there to see it for themselves.
The resulting study tour to “see the Marshall Plan in action” was a hit and led Kaufmann to arrange even more international programs. His goal was to create tours that would educate as well as delight, challenge as well as inspire, and move travelers one step closer to global understanding.
From left to right: ATA & CET leadership shortly after CET joined the organization; ATA founder Fritz Kaufmann; former ATA owners David & Susan Parry with current owners Chase Poffenberger and Kate Simpson
By 1950, ATA was born. ATA continues to design bespoke, insightful tours that give insider’s access on a wide range of interests and issues for clients such as the Smithsonian Institution, Penguin Random House, the Chautauqua Institution, and The Great Courses.
CET, then a Boston-based China study abroad provider and educational travel company, became a division of ATA’s in 1994. Leveraging ATA’s extensive worldwide network, CET made it a priority to expand beyond China and diversify its program offerings.
Three Generations of Leadership
Throughout its 75 years of existence, ATA has only had three generations of owners: In 1972, David and Susan Parry purchased the company from Fritz Kaufmann and moved its headquarters from New York to Washington, DC. In 2012, Parry passed the reigns to Kate Simpson and Chase Poffenberger, long-term ATA staff since the late 1980s. Mark Lenhart joined the ownership team in 2016, and today, the three owners provide stable, consistent leadership for ATA’s 135 employees worldwide.
Our People: Our Best Asset
David Parry believed that our success as an organization depends on having smart, capable, committed staff behind the scenes. Investing in our teams is a core value that persists in ATA’s mission, and there’s no better proof of this than the longevity of colleagues in the US and abroad. Please help us celebrate our long-standing staff who have at least 10 years of service:
40+ years
Sarah Saleh, Senior Vice President of Finance & Administration
30+ years
Kate Simpson, President
Chase Poffenberger, Executive Vice President, Educational Travel
Mark Lenhart, Senior Vice President & Executive Director of CET
20+ years
Emiliana Caldarelli, Director of Italy and Spain Programs
Emma Impavido, Senior Director of Educational Travel Programs
Adam Jones, Director of China Programs & Special Initiatives
Zhu Li, Director of China Programs
Jeremy Friedlein, CET Shanghai Director
Ben Peacock, Vice President of Technology
10+ years
Randall Salisbury, Vice President, CET Programs
Jirí Bukovinský, Director of Prague Programs
Kate Maruyama, Assistant Director, Program Projects & Initiatives
Meredith Akery, Vice President of Finance & Accounting
Janelle Bloss, Director of Institutional Relations
Manal Yosef, Ph.D., CET Jordan Academic Director
Mazen Bernieh, CET Jordan Director of Operations
Qu Zheng, Academic Director, CET Shanghai
Wang Ju, CET-FS Teaching Director, CET Beijing
Emily McGhee, Assistant Director, Europe Programs
Wade Jennings, ATA Creative Manager
Shelley Jessee, Vice President, Enrollment & Engagement
Héctor Cruz-Feliciano, Ph.D., Director of Latin American Programs
Allegra O’Donoghue, Director of Europe & Middle East Programs
Súlia Folli, CET Brazil Program Director
Ben Pollok, Assistant Director of Greater China Programs
Tim Baird, Assistant Director, Mid-Atlantic & Northeast
Malika Watson, Institutional Relations Manager
Samantha Barrie, Senior Manager, ET Accounts & Partnerships
Thank YOU!
And finally, we have to thank you, our partners. Organizations like ATA and CET do not last 75 years without the ongoing support, collaboration, and vote of confidence from our partners. Thank you for trusting us with your students and for working with us to expand internationalization on each of your campuses.