Faculty and Staff
My professors were still actively working in the field of conflict transformation and were bringing those experiences into the classroom to discuss with us. I was truly inspired by our professors and the work they were doing.”
Shayne Bell
MA in Conflict Transformation
Project Manager, Chemonics International
Meet Our Faculty
SIT Graduate Institute faculty practice what they teach.
With expertise in conflict transformation, international development, English and foreign language learning, international education, social justice, management, and human rights, faculty at SIT Graduate Institute come together at an institution that bridges practice and theory.
SIT faculty have worked across the world as consultants, trainers, and developers in the business, nonprofit, education, and public sectors. They are the founders and directors of NGOs and have consulted on projects for the US State Department, NGOs, and other public- and private-sector organizations and agencies. Many SIT faculty are returned Peace Corps volunteers. They have published research on a diversity of topics ranging from sustainable industrial development to brain-friendly learning and the role of technology in language teaching.
SIT faculty, affiliated faculty, and practitioners-in-residence from across the World Learning network provide valuable resources and professional connections for SIT students in the areas of language teaching, international education, international exchange, and development.
-
- Sophia Howlett
-
President, School for International Training
-
Dr. Howlett comes to SIT from Kean University in New Jersey, where she was Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. She holds a PhD in European Renaissance Philosophy and Literature from University of York, UK, and a BA in English Literature from Cambridge University.
- Read More
-
- Kenneth Williams
-
Graduate Dean
-
Kenneth Williams completed his doctorate in organization and leadership at Columbia University and his master's degree at the London School of Economics. He teaches the courses Organizational Behavior and Team Development; Organizational Behavior and Leadership; Social Identity; Research, Decision-Making, and Analysis; Qualitative Research Methodology; Quantitative Research Methodology using SPSS and Excel; Leadership, Community and Coalition-Building.
- Read More
-
- Imraan Buccus
-
Senior Practitioner
Peace and Justice Leadership -
Imraan Buccus has an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s degree in social policy from the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). He is currently a PhD fellow at UKZN’s School of Politics, where he has also been a lecturer. He is widely published in academic journals and book chapters and is the former editor of the journal Critical Dialogue and the current editor of Democracy Dialogue.
- Read More
-
- Udi Butler
-
Assistant Professor and Chair
Sustainable Development -
Dr. Udi Butler has been active in the field of ethnographic and participatory action research for the last 17 years. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Bruce W. Dayton
-
Executive Director, CONTACT
Associate Professor and Chair
Peace and Justice Leadership -
Bruce W. Dayton (PhD, Syracuse University, 1999) has been active in peacebuilding and conflict transformation work for over twenty years as a practitioner, a researcher, and an educator. His work focuses on the intersection of social identity and intractable conflicts and the role that intermediaries can play in transforming them.
- Read More
-
- Sora Friedman
-
Professor and Chair
International Education (low residency) -
Dr. Sora Friedman has worked in international education (IE) for 35 years, focusing on the preparation of new professionals in the field, IE management training, exchange program management, public diplomacy, and international policy advocacy.
- Read More
-
- Alla Korzh
-
Assistant Professor
International Education (low residency) -
Dr. Alla Korzh is an educator, researcher, and practitioner in the field of international education with a regional focus on Eastern Europe. She holds a doctorate in international educational development from Teachers College, Columbia University.
- Read More
-
- Nicolas Stahelin
-
Assistant Professor
Climate Change and Global Sustainability -
Nicolas Stahelin is an educator and political ecologist who has worked in the field of experiential learning, international and cross-cultural exchange, school-community partnerships, and higher education for nearly 15 years.
- Read More
-
- Elka Todeva
-
Professor
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
Elka holds a doctorate in English applied linguistics and a master’s degree in British and American literature, English linguistics, and simultaneous interpretation. At SIT Graduate Institute since 1993, she teaches and does research in the areas of second language acquisition, English applied linguistics, critical pedagogy, language analysis, multilingualism, teacher cognition, and ecological approaches to teaching.
- Read More
-
- Leslie Turpin
-
Associate Professor and Chair
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
After teacher-training in refugee camps in Thailand, Leslie began teaching in SIT’s MA in teaching programs in 1989. Her interests include refugee adjustment, cultural identity and memory, cultural and linguistic revitalization, reflective practice, classroom inquiry, teaching practice, literacy non-formal education, and teaching supervision.
- Read More
-
- Richard Walz
-
Associate Professor and Program Chair
Climate Change and Global Sustainability -
Richard Walz completed his PhD at the University of Florida, where he served as a foreign language and area studies fellow at the Center for African Studies. Funded by Fulbright-Hays, his doctoral research produced a 1,500-year history of human settlement and environmental change for the region between the Swahili Coast and the Eastern Arc Mountains of northeastern Tanzania.
- Read More
-
- Gerardo López Amaro
-
Gerardo is currently walking passionately the path of autonomous education with the task of imagining spaces of encounter for thinking-feeling together about ways to strengthen the defense of life, memory and territory. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Marti Anderson
-
Marti Anderson has taught, trained, and supported teachers in both formal and nonformal contexts for 25 years. She has worked with teachers of English and French as well as those who teach non-language subjects and trainers who work in the trades and other technical environments.
- Read More
-
- Tatsushi Arai
-
Professor
Peace and Justice Leadership -
Dr Tatsushi Arai is a professor of Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation at the School for International Training (SIT) and a faculty member of Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (CONTACT), SIT’s summer peacebuilding institute.
- Read More
-
- Susan Barduhn
-
Professor Emerita
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
Professor Emerita Susan Barduhn joined the faculty at SIT in 2003. She directed the summer MA in TESOL program for 12 years and helped design and launch the low-residency MA in TESOL program. She was also director of SIT’s Professional Development and Teacher Training Institute.
- Read More
-
- Suzanne Belleci
-
International Education (low residency)
Peace and Justice Leadership -
Suzanne Belleci has been teaching conflict transformation, social justice, cross-cultural communication, and management courses at SIT for 17 years. She served as SIT’s first ombudsperson, bringing groups together, facilitating dialog circles for conflict resolution, and mediating one-on-one disputes.
- Read More
-
- Mokhtar Bouba
-
Assistant Professor
Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management -
Mokhtar received a doctorate in education and leadership studies from Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire. He also holds an MEd in education for social justice from Keene State College in New Hampshire and an MA in service, leadership, and management from SIT Graduate Institute. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Karen Stromgren Blanchard
-
Associate Professor and Chair
Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management -
A member of SIT Graduate Institute's faculty since 1988, Karen Blanchard developed and taught the Institute’s first course in conflict transformation. She also has directed a training program for Southeast Asian development professionals in the US and in Southeast Asia, and has been an academic director in Nepal.
- Read More
-
- Wil Burns
-
Wil Burns is the co-director of the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy at American University’s School of International Service and senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.
- Read More
-
- Ray Clark
-
Professor Emeritus
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
Ray Clark has been involved in the world of language teaching and learning since 1963 when he was immersed in TEFL training at the University of California, Los Angeles as a Peace Corps Volunteer for Nigeria.
- Read More
-
- Lynée Connelly
-
Lynée Connelly holds a BA in linguistics and Italian and an MA in international education. She is currently a PhD student at the California Institute for Integral Studies. Her dissertation focuses on the influence and impact of international education during the five-year post-reentry period.
- Read More
-
- Davina P. Durgana
-
Assistant Professor
Sustainable Development -
Dr. Davina P. Durgana is an assistant professor at SIT Graduate Institute in Washington, D.C. where she served as the faculty lead for the Inclusive Security Certificate Program. She was named the 2016 Statistical Advocate of the Year by the American Statistical Association and as a Forbes Top 30 Under 30 in Science for 2017 for her work on statistical modeling, human security theory, and modern slavery.
- Read More
-
- Carlos Y. Flores
-
Carlos studied at the National School of Anthropology and History in Mexico and has a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Manchester, UK, where he specialized in visual anthropology at the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Javier Fochesatto
-
Professor and Department Chair
Climate Change and Global Sustainability -
Dr. Fochesatto is associate professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and an expert in the physics of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). His research focuses on the ABL related to meteorology and various processes.
- Read More
-
- Chris Foley
-
Christopher T. Foley has worked for the National Democratic Institute (NDI)’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) team as the deputy regional director since 2004 and has managed field operations and program implementation throughout the region. He has developed expertise in local governance and administrative processes as well as election-day related policies and processes.
- Read More
-
- Linda Drake Gobbo
-
Professor
International Education (low residency) -
A former dean of SIT Graduate Institute and member of the faculty since 1984, Linda Drake Gobbo teaches courses and advises students in international education and management in both the online and face-to-face programs. She has travelled as faculty with SIT Graduate Institute programs, and has also provided administrative support from the home campus to various SIT Study Abroad programs in such areas as crisis management, health, student development, and professional staff support.
- Read More
-
- John Hardman
-
John is a senior instructor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Florida Atlantic University, where he teaches master’s- and doctoral-level courses in the school leadership and adult and community education programs. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Steven Iams
-
Assistant Professor
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
Steve is an assistant professor in the MA TESOL program, where he teaches linguistics and curriculum design courses on campus and online. He chairs SIT’s Academic Affairs Committee and serves as faculty coordinator of the Sandanona Conference for Language Teaching and Learning.
- Read More
-
- Manish Jain
-
Manish is deeply committed to regenerating our diverse local knowledge systems and cultural imaginations and is one of the strong planetary voices for de-schooling our lives. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Amy Jersild
-
Assistant Professor
Sustainable Development -
Amy Jersild has over 15 years of professional experience in the field of international development as a manager, technical advisor, and evaluator specializing in migration issues, capacity building, and institutional capacity development, advocacy, and M&E
- Read More
-
- Ku Kahakalau
-
Dr. Kū Kahakalau is a native Hawaiian educator, researcher, cultural practitioner, grassroots activist, songwriter, and expert in Hawaiian language, history, and culture. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Paul LeVasseur
-
Paul LeVasseur has been a member of SIT Graduate Institute faculty since 1990. He teaches Intercultural Communication, Social Change, Organizational Behavior, Literacy in the ESL Classroom, Teaching the Four Skills, Curriculum Design and Assessment, Way of Council, and Leadership, Community, and Coalition Building.
- Read More
-
- Maria Maack
-
Maria Maack lives in Reykholar/Westfjords, Iceland. She is engaged in research and the implementation of renewable energy solutions and natural resource management as a professional since 1992. She holds a BS in biology and geology, an MS in environmental management and policy and is pursuing PhD studies in ecological economics on the topic of shifting from using oil fuel to renewable electricity and hydrogen for land transport in Iceland.
- Read More
-
- Bonnie Mennell
-
Bonnie Mennell’s work as an educator for the last 39 years has centered on creating inviting, vital, collaborative “containers” for self-directed experiential learning in community—whether that community is a language classroom, a department meeting, a language teacher training session, or a weekend training in The Way of Council.
- Read More
-
- Venkatesh Raghavendra
-
Venkatesh (Venky) Raghavendra is a social entrepreneur with nearly three decades of philanthropy and development experience. He has successfully built global partnerships and mobilized significant resources for a number of international and national organizations.
- Read More
-
- Deborah Robinson
-
Dr. Robinson is a senior program manager with more than 20 years’ experience working with organizations in numerous countries. She has lived, worked, and traveled in 70 countries to date and has been involved in a variety of issues, including human rights, environmental justice, racism, sustainable development, emergency management, and violence against women. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Sarah Roma
-
Sarah Roma is an independent consultant with 20 years of experience working globally and domestically on programs and policy change for women and girls. Sarah has expertise in policy advocacy, leadership development, gender analysis and integration, capacity building, curriculum development, training and facilitation, program and policy design and implementation, strategic planning, and organizational change.
- Read More
-
- Karla Giuliano Sarr
-
Assistant Professor
International Education (low residency) -
Karla Giuliano Sarr is an international education practitioner and scholar. Karla's interests include basic education, multilingual education, cultural relevancy, community-school relationships, literacy, girls' education, training, and curriculum development.
- Read More
-
- David Shallenberger
-
-
David Shallenberger joined SIT Graduate Institute’s international education program in 2006, after four years serving as director of European and Middle Eastern studies for SIT Study Abroad. He also served for one year as dean of SIT Graduate Institute.
- Read More
-
- Alex Silverman
-
Associate Professor
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
Alex Silverman holds master’s degrees in Slavic and French linguistics. A faculty member of SIT Graduate Institute since 1974, he serves as a supervisor and teaches in the areas of general linguistics, methodology, culture, sociolinguistics, and English language and linguistics.
- Read More
-
- Peter Simpson
-
Dr. Peter Simpson currently serves as an advisory board member of Ball State University’s Center for International Development and as an independent consultant in the fields of international exchange, education, and development.
- Read More
-
- Mari Stuart
-
Mari is an ecological designer, educator, and urban homesteader living in Asheville, North Carolina. She holds a doctorate from Harvard University and has taught Asian religions and environmental ethics at Reed College and the University of South Carolina. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Kelly Teamey
-
Kelly has been active in the fields of international/sustainable development and education for the past 20 years. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Syed Aqeel Tirmizi
-
Dr. Aqeel Tirmizi’s professional portfolio includes more than 20 years of international experience in teaching, research, management, and capacity building. The major focus of his work deals extensively with managing and leading in global and multicultural environments as well as working with themes of social justice and social innovation. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- John Ungerleider
-
Professor
Peace and Justice Leadership -
John has been teaching about conflict transformation at SIT for 25 years — a timespan he finds hard to grasp. John started the Youth Peacebuilding and Leadership Programs at SIT, which over the years have brought together future leaders from communities — in locations such as Cyprus, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Iraq, Rwanda, Pakistan, India, Liberia, and Burma — facing conflict to dialogue about issues and conflicts they have inherited.
- Read More
-
- Peter Weiss
-
Since its founding in 2005, Dr. Peter Weiss has been director of the University Centre of the Westfjords and its graduate and other programs. Previously, he taught linguistics and literature at the University of Iceland’s Department of Nordic Languages and German.
- Read More
-
- Jill Welter
-
Dr. Jill Welter received her PhD in aquatic ecology and biogeochemistry from Arizona State University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a faculty member at St. Catherine University.
- Read More
-
- Ryland White
-
Ryland White, professor, has been a member of SIT Graduate Institute faculty since 1993. She teaches courses in training design for experiential learning, training for social action, dismantling disability, and ethics and intercultural training design.
- Read More
-
- Ray Young
-
Assistant Professor
International Education (low residency) -
Ray received his doctorate in teacher education and curriculum studies and his master’s degree in international education from UMass Amherst.
- Read More
-
- Susan Barduhn
-
Professor Emerita
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
Professor Emerita Susan Barduhn joined the faculty at SIT in 2003. She directed the summer MA in TESOL program for 12 years and helped design and launch the low-residency MA in TESOL program. She was also director of SIT’s Professional Development and Teacher Training Institute.
- Read More
-
- Ray Clark
-
Professor Emeritus
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
Ray Clark has been involved in the world of language teaching and learning since 1963 when he was immersed in TEFL training at the University of California, Los Angeles as a Peace Corps Volunteer for Nigeria.
- Read More
-
- Alvino Fantini
-
Professor Emeritus
Language Teacher Education -
Alvino E. Fantini holds degrees in Latin American studies, anthropology, and applied linguistics. A senior faculty member since 1964, Alvino helped turn the Sandanona estate into the present SIT Graduate Institute.
- Read More
-
- Beatriz Fantini
-
Associate Professor Emerita
Director, Language and Culture Department
Language Teacher Education -
Beatriz Fantini, director of the Language and Culture Department at SIT Graduate Institute, has worked at World Learning since 1966. She has served in various capacities, including as a Spanish teacher, a teacher trainer, and a supervisor for both the Graduate Institute and Study Abroad. She also ran the summer language programs in Mexico.
- Read More
-
- Paula Green
-
Professor Emerita
CONTACT -
Dr. Paula Green has 40 years’ experience as a psychologist, peace educator, consultant, and mentor in intergroup relations and conflict resolution.
- Read More
-
- Claire B. Halverson
-
Professor Emerita
-
Claire Halverson holds a doctorate in education. A member of SIT Graduate Institute's faculty since 1986, she teaches the courses Organizational Behavior, Multicultural Organization Development, and Social Identity.
- Read More
-
- Diane Larsen-Freeman
-
Professor Emerita
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
Diane Larsen-Freeman holds a PhD in linguistics from the University of Michigan, where she is professor emerita, having served on faculty from 2002–2012. She is also professor emerita at SIT Graduate Institute, where she was on faculty from 1978–2002. Currently, she is a visiting senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Read More
-
- Patrick Moran
-
Professor Emeritus
Language Teacher Education -
Patrick Moran holds a doctorate in educational studies. A member of SIT Graduate Institute's faculty since 1977, he has a special interest in courses related to French and to the interface of intercultural communication and second language education, a topic he explores in Teaching Culture: Perspectives in Practice (Heinle & Heinle).
- Read More
-
- Elizabeth Tannenbaum
-
Professor Emerita
TESOL online with Vermont residencies -
Elizabeth Tannenbaum has been a practitioner in the field of ESOL teaching and teacher training for the past 40 years. As an English language teacher, teacher trainer, and curriculum developer, working both internationally and domestically, Elizabeth’s work has focused on adult literacy, refugee resettlement, teaching practice for a variety of contexts, and curriculum development.
- Read More
-
- Jeff Unsicker
-
Professor Emeritus
Sustainable Development -
Jeff Unsicker completed graduate studies in international development, education, policy analysis, and administration. His research focused on the political economy of foreign aid for adult education, rural development, and Ujamaa socialism in Tanzania. Keep reading.
- Read More
-
- Eric Wirth
-
Associate Dean, SIT Admissions
802 258-3580
eric.wirth@sit.eduEric has worked in the field of education abroad for almost two decades and held roles in admissions, programing, teaching, and senior administration for study abroad and university programs. He holds an MA in applied Hispanic linguistics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He enjoys languages, technology and traveling.
-
- Meghan McMillan
-
Graduate Programs Outreach Manager
802 258-3421
meghan.mcmillan@sit.eduMeghan joined SIT as the graduate programs outreach manager in October 2018 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior to joining SIT, she worked as an enrollment associate at DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia, where she advised students during the registration process, managed course enrollment, and helped build relationships with partner institutions.
-
- Mary Kay Sigda
-
Senior Admissions Officer
802 258-3103
marykay.sigda@sit.eduMary Kay is a senior admissions officer with eight years of experience working with students at SIT. Her goal is to help students determine their goals and to align them with their best experience options here at SIT. She is also a member of our adjunct faculty—so the students she helps admit are often in her classroom!
-
- Maira Tungatarova
-
Graduate Admissions Officer
802 258-3326
maira.tungatarova@sit.eduMaira currently serves as a graduate admissions officer. She has worked as a program officer for US Government–sponsored programs such as the Global Undergraduate Program, Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program, and Edmund Muskie Graduate Program at International Research and Exchange Board (IREX), a nonprofit US organization with headquarters in Washington, DC.
-
- Michael P. Smallis
-
Dean of Students
Michael Smallis has been SIT’s dean of students since summer 2008. Michael has over twenty-five years of experience in student affairs and is particularly skilled in the areas of student development and leadership, conflict resolution, parent relations, risk mitigation, and crisis management. - Read More
-
- Jennifer Core
-
Assistant Dean of Students for International Programs
Jennifer Core has been working in the field of experiential education, program management, and student affairs for more than 15 years. She holds a master’s degree in intercultural service, leadership, and management from SIT Graduate Institute and a bachelor’s degree in comparative religion and English literature from Pacific Lutheran University; she is currently pursuing a master of arts in teaching. - Read More
-
- Andrea Crommett
-
Assistant Director of Disability Services
Andrea “Andee” Crommett has been a member of Disability Services since 2015. She is the Assistant Director of Disability Services. - Read More
-
- Laurie Granger
-
Executive Assistant to the Dean of Students
Laurie Granger is the executive assistant to the dean of students and has worked in various capacities for SIT since 1991. She holds a BA in psychology from the State University of New York at Albany. - Read More
-
- Caitlin Holden
-
Student Affairs Coordinator, Graduate Programs
Caitlin Holden is the student affairs coordinator for graduate programs and has been working with SIT since the fall of 2016. - Read More
-
- Cheryl Pennie Williams
-
Manager of Student Health Administration
Cheryl Pennie Williams is the manager of student health administration for SIT Study Abroad and SIT Graduate Institute. She holds a bachelor of science in social work, a master’s in information systems from Pace University, and a second master’s in social policy and planning (with a concentration on health, welfare, and urban/rural development) from the London School of Economics. - Read More