National Advisory Council

Partners, Colleagues, Leaders

Great ideas need a sounding board, and CET’s National Advisory Council (NAC) brings together some of our closest colleagues and respected leaders within the field of study abroad to be just that. We established the NAC in 2017 to formalize the advisory relationships that have long provided us with big picture insight, strategic direction, and invaluable input on new initiatives. The NAC meets annually with CET leadership for a robust discussion with thoughtful—often quite different—perspectives on a complex and ever-changing field.

Roles & Responsibilities

Council members serve in non-governing, advisory roles with rotating terms of three years. The NAC strives to:

Council Members

Sara Dumont, DPhil

American University

Executive Director, AU Abroad

Daniel Gold

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Director of International Academic Programs

Kristen Grace, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Associate Director, Cornell Abroad

Stacey Hansen

University of Virginia

Assistant Director of Operations, Education Abroad

Martha Johnson, Ph.D.

University of Minnesota

Assistant Dean of Learning Abroad

Mike Jordan

University of Michigan

Director, Center for Global and Intercultural Study

Jason Kinnear, Ph.D.

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Assistant Dean of Study Abroad & Exchanges

Kelly McLaughlin

Yale University

Director, Study Abroad; Deputy Director of the Center for International and Professional Experience; Assistant Dean for Assessment

Tonija Navas

Howard University

Director, Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center

Arik Ohnstad

Vanderbilt University

Director, Global Education Office

J. Scott Van Der Meid

Brandeis University

Associate Dean of Study Abroad

Jasmine Watson

Claremont McKenna College

Assistant Director of Global Education

Margaret Wiedenhoeft, Ph.D.

Kalamazoo College

Executive Director, Center for International Programs

Spotlight On Resilience

At our inaugural meeting in 2017, NAC members identified a need to tackle the issue of student resilience, and how study abroad can be uniquely suited to foster it. Three institutions from the NAC—Yale University, Kalamazoo College, and University of Minnesota, coordinated by our Director of Academic Affairs—are coming together to pursue research related to student resilience. This research will be turned into conference presentations and publications that we hope will drive and inform the field’s engagement with this important topic.

"I appreciate the opportunity to serve on the NAC because it allows the voice of my institution, and institutions similar to mine, to be heard in the spaces where programmatic (and other) decisions are made. It is important that a diversity of voices is represented at all levels of study abroad to ensure the best possible experiences for our students."

— Tonija Navas | Howard University