LaNitra Berger: Looking Back, Looking Forward

After eight years of service on NAFSA's Board of Directors, including the past three as president and chair, LaNitra Berger's term is drawing to a close this month. Berger first got involved with NAFSA almost 20 years ago and has served the association in myriad ways over the years, from working on public policy issues and diversity and inclusion initiatives to authoring and editing NAFSA publications.
As she prepares to pass the baton to the next president, Berger sat down with International Educator to reflect on her NAFSA leadership journey and how it has shaped her perspective. She shares insights gleaned from stewarding the association through some of its most challenging years, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, a racial reckoning, and a transformed global mobility landscape. Looking ahead, Berger discusses some of the most pressing issues facing the field of international education and shares details about her upcoming projects.
In this interview, Berger shares insights on the power of international education, NAFSA's critical role in connecting professionals and shaping conversations, and the leadership qualities essential for driving the field forward.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length.
As your time as NAFSA’s president and Board of Directors chair draws to a close, what’s top of mind for you about your experience on the board? What will you carry with you from your time in your leadership roles?
Well, thank you so much for inviting me to do this interview. It's a really great way for me to think about and process all of the experiences I've had as a member of NAFSA’s Board of Directors and then as chair. It's hard to believe that three years as board chair and eight years on the board have gone by. I'm really filled with gratitude for the opportunity and the experiences I've had at NAFSA on the board. I have had wonderful interactions and experiences with my board colleagues and NAFSA staff, as well as having the opportunity to meet so many members through our national and regional conferences; meetings with our sister associations; the NAFSA RISE (Representation, Inclusion, Support, and Empowerment) program; and letters, emails, and LinkedIn messages that I've gotten from members all over the world. It's really been an honor to hear individual stories about the power of international education and the role that NAFSA plays in people's professional and personal lives. So, for me, that's really what I'll carry with me for a very long time—the understanding of all the different ways that NAFSA influences people and helps them to be better at their jobs and better contributors to their communities.
Has your perspective shifted at all through the experiences and interactions you mentioned? What did you learn that’s stayed with you?
So, the dates of my board term corresponded with some of the most impactful and transformational moments in the field since September 11, 2001. We went through a variety of public policy challenges. Then, we collectively went through the COVID-19 pandemic. We went through a moment of racial reckoning and racial justice, and now we're coming out on the other side of that and looking to the future of global and international education. So, I think it was fortunate for me to be on the board during this very transformative time in the world and in the field. And that has profoundly changed the way I see myself, the way I see the role of a leader in times like these, and the way I see NAFSA as a leader in international education.
I think that it would have been very hard for anybody to say that these things would be happening. If you had had a crystal ball, you couldn't have predicted that. And, certainly, the ability to do our work in the midst of a very challenging public health crisis really helped a lot of people to think about reprioritizing and what was really important to their jobs and their personal lives.
I certainly had that experience as well. I found that many of my colleagues were more than just colleagues. They were friends, they were confidants, they were people who were part of my support network, and we were all committed to getting ourselves, our students, our scholars, and our institutions through this very difficult time by working together.
The other thing that I think was important, which came out of the brutal murder of George Floyd, was seeing international educators stand up and say, “This is not something that we can accept anymore in our field. We cannot accept racial injustice. We cannot accept the fact that many people are left behind in international education.” And many people reached out to me connected and said, “How can we as a field contribute to a better and more just world?”
I was very lucky that NAFSA’s social justice book (Social Justice and International Education) came out in 2020. It came out at just the time that we were having this conversation as a field, and it was such a great resource and tool to support discussion about these issues within the field. And even though we couldn't see each other in person, we were able to connect on Zoom. I led a lot of book club discussions during that time where the book gave people a chance to really reflect on their own role in advancing racial justice in their communities.
Those times were very challenging, and we didn't know how we were going to emerge. Everybody was concerned about their health and about their students' health, and people at their institutions. International educators are strong and resilient people who really took that moment and rose to the challenge.
What is your view of NAFSA's role in navigating those crises? How do you see it as having adapted during your tenure through the challenges that you mentioned?
NAFSA’s most important role is as a connector. It brings people together in a variety of ways and contexts. It brings people together through the annual and regional conferences. We find that those are really important ways for people to learn and grow together. NAFSA brings people together through its thought leadership, publications, and the conversations that we have as an association in our town hall meetings and other events. NAFSA also brings people together and unites them over issues of public policy. So, even though we’re a very diverse group of members who come from a lot of different places—geographically, politically, socially—we all can come together and say, “How do we make sure that we have the most welcoming policies to support the work that we do?” We can reach across the aisle; we can connect across difference and do that.
So, the role of NAFSA as a connector has been the stable piece of the association that was a part of its leadership before and throughout COVID-19 and will continue to lead it after the pandemic. It's so crucial that we are able to see each other as individuals and connect both on a professional level and a much deeper level. Many of the conversations that NAFSA has facilitated throughout my time on the board have helped people to make those much deeper connections with each other, and that helps them to work better together. It helps them to meet other people, and it helps them to think more expansively about what they can accomplish as international educators.
Where do you see the field and the association going during the next 10 years or so?
I really believe that you have to practice what you preach. We talk to our students and our communities all the time about the importance of being adaptable. If you're going to visit another culture or travel, you have to be flexible, and you have to be adaptable. I think that's the core of what we had to do during the last eight to 10 years and what we will continue to do to make us successful as a field.
For example, even though we had to pivot during the pandemic from in-person international mobility to connecting online, we were still able to connect people across the world and across the United States and to talk to them, sit with them, and bring important information to them. We moved our whole conference online. That was a big undertaking, and I think we did it successfully.
It's time for us to think about how we incorporate what we've learned from the fully online experiences into the future of international education. We’ve really learned how to use online technology. So, now we do a lot of hybrid work. Many of our orientations are recorded and online, and there's hybrid work that people do in terms of preparing to send or receive students and scholars overseas. So, all of that really helps us to envision with the future of the field looks like. I'm so excited to be an international educator right now because the possibilities for us are endless.
International mobility is back. And we know that there's a hunger and a thirst for connection across borders, across cultures, across different viewpoints. The ways that we can use artificial intelligence, the ways we can continue to adapt with technology, the ways that we can continue to bring new voices and perspectives into the field are essentially endless. I'm really looking forward to the next phases of international education, because I know that we have so many different ways that we can innovate.
I'm always interested when I meet people who are outside of the field, and I explain what I do and the way that international educators work. People are just so fascinated, and many of them say, “I’d really love to be in this field. How do I get in?” The things that we get to do, the ways that we get to change people's perspectives and their career trajectories, are really unique and special.
What do you think are the most pressing challenges that the field faces right now? What issues are you keeping an eye on?
That's a great question. I'm actually shocked at how relevant the social justice book that I edited is right now, even though it was published almost five years ago. Many of the issues that the chapter authors raised are still very crucial and important issues in the field. From the rise of nationalism and nationalist movements to how to support refugee students and underrepresented students in the United States in their education abroad experiences—the book continues to be prophetic in terms of how the authors envisioned the challenges of the field.
We know the value of international education, we know its power, and we know that when a person is able to participate, their life is never the same after that.
One thing that is really important to me that I've thought and spoken about recently is continuing to broaden access to international education. One of the things we saw in the recent U.S. elections and that we've seen over the last few years is that there are too many people who feel left behind by higher education. They feel as though there are two different tracks or two different economies—one for those who have access to higher education—and international education specifically—one and those who don't.
I think that we as a field need to really dive in and pay attention to the different ways that people feel left out of international education. We know the value of international education, we know its power, and we know that when a person is able to participate, their life is never the same after that. So, we need to figure out ways to broaden access. If you look at the map of the world, there are huge swaths of various continents and countries where international education hasn't taken much of a foothold. I think that that's something that we have to think about.
One of the things that I'm so thrilled about that I was able to do as president was to bring Fanta Aw on as NAFSA’s executive director and CEO. She is an outstanding person who has been in the field, in the trenches, for many, many years. But she also brings her experience as a former international student, as someone from Mali, West Africa, who deeply understands the issues that affect the Global South. This is a region that we really need to be able to engage in order to say that we truly are global and that international education is really reaching everyone. So, with Fanta’s expertise and the composition of our Board of Directors—and by really focusing on engaging people from those parts of the Global South and continuing the conversations that we've had in the field recently—I'm very optimistic that we will be able to bring the power of international education to places that previously haven't had access to it.
What do you think NAFSA's priorities for this time should be? What would you like to see the organization focus on in the next three to five years, whether it’s an existing focus or something new?
We could have a whole conversation just on this topic. One example is Africa. The African continent has the youngest population in the world, so the future is African. These young people have a thirst for knowledge; they’ve had to innovate in order to survive; they want access to education and to connect with other people. So, how can our institutions connect with these young people and figure out ways to bring students to African countries and bring African students to our campuses? This demographic trend is a really positive one for all the things that we do in international education.
Related to this, the visa denial rate for African students is one specific issue that is making it harder for them to come and study in the United States. And, as I mentioned, the African population is a young population. Many of the African countries are some of the most populous in the world. So, these are large populations of people who should be able to be more mobile and should be able to connect and study in the ways that they desire.
And the Global South is more than just the African continent. There are very similar issues happening in Latin America and the Indian subcontinent, for example. There are millions of students who want access to these opportunities. And there are policy reasons, long-standing issues related to discrimination, and other barriers that have kept these students from having access. Figuring out how to remove those barriers will really unleash new levels of connection.
As you transition from this role, what’s next for you in the field? What projects are you pursuing?
I can never take NAFSA out of my DNA. So, I will always be a devoted member, and I'm looking forward to going back to being a regular NAFSA member. But I will continue to support the Board of Directors. In any way in which I'm called to serve, I will do that.
But the thing I'm really looking forward to is going back to my original role as an international educator—and that's in the classroom. I'm going to be teaching and teaching abroad. My plans right now are to develop a course on decolonizing or Indigenizing museums, since my original field is art history. I'm working on developing a course on museums that can be taught in a lot of different cultural environments. You can look at the history of colonization and the history of museums, and there's a lot of overlap between the two.
I would love to be able to take students to a lot of different countries to see how they have dealt with the issue of decolonizing their museums, given their specific histories and cultural context. So, I am developing a course right now to be taught in France and in New Zealand. I'll be taking students to both places in 2026.
And then I'm going back to my scholarship as well. I'm currently writing a book about Jewish themes in Black art and how African American artists have understood racism and antisemitism together in their art. And I'm cowriting a book with another historian named Laura Auketayeva—the book is called Hired to Safety. It's about Jewish refugee scholars who were hired by historically Black colleges and universities. So, I’m still busy, still have a lot going on in terms of reconnecting with my original purpose for being in international education, which is to engage students across difference and to help them travel and study abroad and really understand how to become adaptable and flexible by immersing themselves in another culture.
Transitioning to another topic, I'm curious about your leadership journey with NAFSA. How did you first get involved?
Next year, I'll be celebrating 20 years of connection to NAFSA, which is really cool. I first started working with NAFSA when I was a research associate at a trade association of historically Black colleges and universities called NAFEO (the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education). Lezli Baskerville was the president and CEO at the time, and she was working with William DeLauder, who chaired the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program. So, I started working with NAFSA’s public policy unit in that context and spent a lot of time working on public policy. Then, I moved to George Mason University and started working at an institution. That was when I really got into study abroad advising and working with students directly and in the classroom. At that point, I served on one of the subcommittees on underrepresentation and I was running a fellowship office, so I worked very closely with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and that was, you know, a whole different side of NAFSA services.
In 2016, I wrote a guide on exploring education abroad for racial and ethnic minority participants. That gave me a chance to share my knowledge and experience with NAFSA members. So, I became a NAFSA author at that point. And, actually, it was a few months later that I joined the Board of Directors. I had had these different roles as a workshop presenter, working with public policy, serving on a subcommittee, and then joining the Board of Directors. I was on the Board of Directors as a member-at-large for several years. Then, I became the vice president of public policy and practice, which fit me well because I had done so much work with the public policy team. Then, in 2021, I moved from that role into being president and chair of the board.
I had no idea that my leadership journey would take the path that it did. That can be anxiety inducing but also thrilling. I would really encourage everybody to just jump right into their leadership journey, wherever they see the need and where they can contribute their talent and gain the most professionally. Because every role is an important role. Every NAFSA volunteer is important, and when you give your time to NAFSA to strengthen the association, you're doing something phenomenal that is going to benefit you as well. I think that everybody has the potential to be a leader and that finding that right fit within NAFSA is the key.
What do you think are the benefits of NAFSA leadership for those who participate in it?
Being a NAFSA leader helps you cross-train yourself. There are some skills that you can't get from your regular job. Your job can't give you everything that you need to move up to the next level or to feel fulfilled. Volunteering helps you get those skills in different ways and work outside of your institution. You get to see how other institutions operate. You get to see how people do things differently, and that benefits you and your institution. It also broadens your network. You get to meet people from all over the country who are committed to the same values but are doing things in different ways. And that connection is really important. At a certain point in your career, especially early in your career, your network is really what helps you get to the next level. So, being able to build your network through NAFSA is another important reason to volunteer.
What qualities or approaches do you think are necessary for effective leadership? What does effective leadership mean to you?
So, I'll be really reflecting on this eight-year journey on the board and my three years as board chair more and more as the time goes on. But as I thought about it in the last couple of weeks, a couple of things came to mind. The first was humility—being able to be humble and to respect the knowledge and expertise that everyone brings to the table. I really tried to make it a point to listen to as many members as possible, from entry-level professionals all the way up through presidents, because each of those people brought something really important and interesting to the table. I will always value humility as a way to learn and to respect everything that everybody brings as a person and as a professional.
Answering the call to serve is something that I think we have to think about as individuals. How do we put ourselves in a position so that when that call comes, we're ready to serve at that level?
The other thing was curiosity. I really wanted to understand how NAFSA worked from the inside. Coming from the outside as somebody from an institution and then leading the board, I had to learn a lot about staff positions, how staff interact with each other, how the organization is set up, and how—in bringing in a new leader—we could really continue to move the association forward and make changes to make it even better. So, I had to be very curious about each person's role and what they liked about their roles and what they wanted to change and about how boards work. I became a student of boards so that I could really understand how to lead the NAFSA board.
Finally, I think answering the call to leadership is something that was important to me as well. I was asked to apply for the position as president and board chair. I could have said, “Oh, I don't think I can do this. I don't know if it's for me.” But, generally, if someone's asking you to do something, it's because they believe in you and they believe that you can do it. So, answering the call to serve is something that I think we have to think about as individuals. How do we put ourselves in a position so that when that call comes, we're ready to serve at that level?
As your term draws to close, is there any final message you'd like to share with NAFSA members?
I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to the NAFSA membership. It has been a true honor, the honor of a lifetime, for me to serve as your NAFSA president. I appreciate all of the stories that you’ve shared, all of the concerns, all of your hopes and dreams for the association. It has really meant a lot to me that you've trusted me with this role, that you've trusted me with your concerns and dreams. It's really something that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my career and my leadership journey. I am so thankful that I had this opportunity. And I look forward to more fun and amazing adventures through NAFSA and with my NAFSA colleagues. •
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