We are pleased to welcome Vanessa Sterling to CET as our Senior Manager for Health & Safety. This new position will serve as a resource to all CET staff in policy review and implementation, training on best practices, and responding to crises overseas.
Vanessa comes to CET from the University of Pittsburgh. She worked at Pittsburgh for 14+ years, spending the last 11 in the Study Abroad Office. In her most recent role as Associate Director, Vanessa built Pitt’s system of risk and crisis management, and oversaw all health, safety and security incidents for university faculty, staff, and students traveling abroad. Vanessa’s experience creating and revising policy, implementing training programs, and directing crisis response, will be incredibly valuable to CET as we establish this new position.
Vanessa has experienced CET programs from multiple perspectives—as a student in Beijing (Spring 1995, Fall 1997, and Spring 1998), as a partner building customized programs (since 2008), and as a faculty in residence in Shanghai (Summer 2015 & 2016). She’s visited a number of CET programs over the years, has attended several RD Gras (our annual staff gathering), and has been a member of our National Advisory Council.
Vanessa says, “I’ve always respected CET’s approach to study abroad, which places the holistic needs and well-being of the student at the core of program development and management. So, I’m lucky to have a very strong foundation on which to build and grow our health and safety efforts and I’m excited to work with our talented and caring staff around the world to make good work even better.”
Please join us in welcoming Vanessa to CET!