Registration Details
| Event Date | Event Time | Registration Deadline | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 15, 2026 | 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm | Register Today |
This discussion will bring together colleagues with deep connections to the region with some based there, others engaged through their work and partnerships, each offering important perspectives on the current moment.
This will not be a policy conversation. It will be a human one.
Together, we will explore:
- How colleagues are experiencing and interpreting the current situation from different vantage points.
- How we make meaning in times of uncertainty and disruption.
- What resilience looks like—individually, institutionally, and as a field.
- How international education can respond with care, responsibility, and purpose.
In moments like these, international education must do what it does best and that is to create space for understanding, and reaffirm our shared humanity.
This event will not be recorded.
Speakers
Francisco Marmolejo
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Qatar Foundation
Francisco Marmolejo is higher education president at Qatar Foundation (QF), where he leads support and coordination efforts for an ecosystem of eight universities located in Education City in Doha, Qatar. From 2012 to 2020, Marmolejo worked at the World Bank, first as global higher education...
Michael Pelletier
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Institute for Global Engagement, University of Houston
Member-at-Large, NAFSA Board of Directors
Michael Pelletier is founding executive director of the Institute for Global Engagement at the University of Houston, supporting comprehensive international engagement. He served as a U.S. diplomat from 1987–2021, including as U.S. ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros. A graduate of Georgetown and...
Dina Abdul Rahman
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Lebanese American University
Dina Abdul Rahman is an accomplished leader in international education with a strong foundation in both business and educational development. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and an MBA from the Lebanese American University (LAU). She is...
Narimane Hadj Hamou, PhD
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Center of Learning Innovations and Customized Knowledge Solutions
Narimane Hadj-Hamou, PhD, is Founder and CEO of the Center of Learning Innovations and Customized Knowledge Solutions (CLICKS). Previously, she served as Assistant Chancellor for Learning and Academic Development (provost) at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In...
Parinaz Zartoshty, EdD
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2026 Annual Conference Committee Member, IEL KC
Parinaz immigrated to the United States from Tehran, Iran. Her personal experiences as an Iranian American have informed her professional trajectory and commitment to international education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Cornell University, a master’s degree in...
Martyn J. Miller, PhD
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Temple University
As assistant vice president for Global Engagement at Temple University, Martyn J. Miller oversees the International Services and Cultural Activities division, which includes the Center for American Language and Culture (TCALC), the Center for Chinese Language Instruction (CCLI), International...
Moderator
Fanta Aw, PhD
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NAFSA
Executive Director and CEO
Fanta Aw, PhD, currently serves as the executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, having previously held its presidency from 2013 to 2016. NAFSA is the world’s largest and most comprehensive international education association, with more than 10,000 members at more...