Meet the CET Custom Programs Team

Custom Programs Team

US-BASED STAFF

Our full-time, US-based team works alongside program managers and on-site staff to lead the development and execution of our custom programs all over the world. Reach out to the team at [email protected] →

Lauren Kardos

Director, Custom Programs
202.349.7334
[email protected]

Read Lauren's Bio

Lauren has earned two degrees from the George Washington University–a BA (2012) with a double major in International Affairs and Middle East Studies and MA (2017) in International Education. As an undergraduate, she studied Arabic in Egypt and Jordan. Lauren has worked for AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in the Middle East and North Africa, and for the Institute of International Education. In the latter role, she served as Program Officer for Project GO programs and Evaluation Officer on the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning team. In her spare time, Lauren is a yoga teacher, avid reader, and podcast enthusiast.

Brian Wiehr

Custom Programs Senior Manager
202.349.0687
[email protected]

Read Brian's Bio

Brian has worked in international education for 15 years, in roles focused on program development, strategic partnerships, marketing, and admissions. He earned a BA in International Studies and Political Science at St. Norbert College and an Ed.M. in International Education Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A first-generation college student and overseas traveler, Brian credits his interest in cultural exchange to his high school years, when he hosted an exchange student and participated in a sister-school program to Germany. He later studied abroad in Austria as an undergraduate and taught in Japan through the JET Program. Passionate about expanding access to international experiences, Brian enjoys volunteering with the Fund for Education Abroad. Brian joined CET in 2019 and began working on the Custom Programs team in 2022.

Caitlin Monan

Custom Programs Coordinator
202.349.0773
[email protected]

Read Caitlin's Bio

Originally from Buffalo, NY, Caitlin Monan earned a BS of International Studies from SUNY Fredonia and a Master’s of International Education from New York University. During her undergraduate and graduate studies, Caitlin studied abroad in Chile, Vietnam and Ghana. When Caitlin is not planning her next international trip, she enjoys working out, long walks with her dog, and seeing live stand up comedy.

Tara Sun Vanacore

Assistant Director, Mainland China and Custom Programs
202.785.2006
[email protected]

Read Tara's Bio

Tara joined the Programs team in 2016 after working as a Writer and Communications Specialist for CET. Tara manages intensive language programs in Mainland China and is a CET Beijing and Middlebury in China: Hangzhou alumna. Previously, Tara worked at the Global Fund for Children, the US-China Strong Foundation, the Shady Hill School, and the Mandarin Immersion Program in Portland Public Schools. She has directed summer programs in China for Putney Student Travel. Tara earned an MA in Ethics, Peace, and Global Affairs from American University’s School of International Service in 2013 and a BA in Chinese Language and Literature from Middlebury College in 2006. Tara lives in Washington, DC.

Sophia Zhang

Custom Programs Coordinator
202.349.0678
[email protected]

Read Sophia's Bio

Sophia is originally from Northern California, where she spent formative years studying foreign languages at De Anza College and teaching art at a bilingual Spanish elementary school. She received a BA in Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences from Wellesley College while conducting linguistic research at MIT and cooking in a French restaurant. A semester in Vienna, Austria developed her taste for opera, Chinese tea, and of course, studying abroad. After graduation, Sophia joined CET in 2024 as Custom Programs Intern and has worked with the team ever since.

OVERSEAS STAFF

In locations where we run larger, more frequent custom programming, we have additional team members to support custom program development year-round and provide the next-level attention and care to which CET is committed. The following colleagues support custom programming full time or as a significant part of their role.

ASIA

Cui Zuo

CET Beijing
Custom Programs Resident Director

Read Zuo Cui's Bio

Zuo Cui’s work in international education began in 2005 with CET, where she served in multiple roles, including as roommate for CET students and Resident Director for the CET Beijing: Internship program. Zuo Cui also led custom programs for CET, for partners including Vanderbilt, UMich, UNC, Colgate, and St. Olaf. For the past six years, Zuo Cui has worked as a school-based college counselor and lead advisory at two distinguished international schools in Beijing—Moonshot Academy and Tsinghua University High School International at Chaoyang. With extensive experience guiding Chinese students through the college application process and helping American university/college students adapt to life while studying abroad in China, Zuo Cui has gained valuable insights into cross-cultural education and developed a deep understanding of the U.S. higher education system.

Robert Gordon

CET Japan
Custom Programs Resident Director

Read Robert's Bio

Robert graduated from Newcastle University with a BA in Linguistics with Japanese in 2014. During his time in Japan, Robert has spent time working on farms in Gifu, studying abroad in Akita, teaching English in Tokushima, and working in the field of study abroad experiences in Osaka. With his passion for domestic travel, and experiences in different regions in Japan, Robert is a person with great knowledge and familiarity with Japan. Robert’s experiences have shaped him into a person focused on cross-cultural communication and understanding. His interests include: creating art, learning about history, enjoying spicy foods, and telling cool facts about birds to anyone who will listen.

Aya Margraf

CET Japan
Custom Programs Resident Director

Read Aya's Bio

Growing up between Japan and the United States, Aya developed a passion for bridging cultural divides. Studying with CET Japan in the spring of 2022 deepened her love for cross-cultural exchange. After earning a degree in Molecular Biology from Lewis & Clark College in 2024, she returned to Osaka as a bilingual teaching assistant at a Montessori-based international school. Aya is excited to return to CET to guide students through transformative journeys abroad. When she’s not working, she enjoys the outdoors!

Greta Hagedorn

CET Taiwan
Custom Programs Resident Director

Read Greta's Bio

Greta graduated from Georgetown University, in 2017 with a BA in Chinese and a minor in Justice and Peace Studies. After participating in the CET Harbin program, CLS Suzhou, and a year at NTU’s CLD program, she worked in exchange programs in China before pursuing a master’s degree in Taiwan Studies. In her free time Greta enjoys hiking, translating, and browsing traditional markets.

EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST

Margarita Degurko

CET Italy
Custom Programs Coordinator

Read Margarita's Bio

Margarita, a native Ukrainian, graduated from Zaporizhzhya National University in 2014 with a degree in Law and a Master’s in International Public Law from the Kyiv National Academy of Internal Affairs in Ukraine in 2016. She also studied Political Science in Italy at the University of Florence. She became interested in living in Italy when she began to study Italian language and culture.  As a travel and language lover, she worked in the field of tourism. Margarita is eager to utilize her passion for Italy to help provide the best possible experience for students.

Kristýna Hřivnáčová

CET Prague
Custom Programs Coordinator

Read Kristýna's Bio

Kristýna has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in East Asian studies. She has extensive experience as a student abroad, having gotten her education in the UK and Finland with exchanges in Sweden and South Korea, and continues travelling to expand on her interest in history and culture. She taught English in Japan, working in different institutions with various age groups, but she teaches Japanese these days. If you happen to be into Formula 1, JRR Tolkien or language-learning, she’d be very happy to chat!

LATIN AMERICA

Luis Henrique Pedroso

CET Brazil
Custom Programs Resident Director

Read Luis's Bio

Luis holds an MS in International Defence and Security from Cranfield University at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, and a BA in International Relations from Centro Universitário do Distrito Federal. He is a 2015/16 Foreign Commonwealth Office’s Chevening Scholar and a former program coordinator for the Fulbright Commission in Brazil. Luis has long been interested in public policy, international security, crisis management, and risk analysis—as evidenced with his time at the UK’s Ministry of Defence and as a partner and consultant at Empower Consulting.

Emile Ribeiro

CET Brazil
Assistant Resident Director

Read Emile's Bio

Emile holds a Master’s degree in Public Security and Citizenship from the State University of Minas Gerais (2023) and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (2020). She has extensive experience in social justice initiatives, including migration, childhood and youth. In 2023, she was a speaker at the Creative Bureaucracy Festival in Berlin, representing the Brazilian project “Chame a Frida”, which uses technology to combat femicide. Emile has been a member of the Academic Committee of the Brazilian Knowledge Olympiad for the past eight years. She loves Brazilian music and pilates classes.