Summit Speakers
Meet our list of Global Summit speakers!
Salah Al-Majeed, PhD
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Al Akhawayn University
Professor Salah Al-Majeed is an internationally recognised higher education leader and Distinguished Professor of Systems Engineering with decades of transformative executive leadership across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Renowned for driving universities to top-ranked status, he champions...
Ahmed Alsinan
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Amazon Web Services (AWS) Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Alsinan is the Head of Innovation for Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Saudi Arabia, where he leads national-scale digital transformation programs focused on Generative AI, Agentic AI, and human-centered innovation. He works across Saudi ministries, healthcare systems, aviation, education, and...
Manail Anis Ahmed
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Johns Hopkins University
Manail Anis Ahmed is an educator and convener on AI, emerging technologies and global entrepreneurship with extensive educational administration and management experience. She has led the establishment of organizations and institutions for learning, research and scholarship in South Asia and the...
Dorothea Antonio
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NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Dorothea Antonio serves as NAFSA's deputy executive director for knowledge development. She leads NAFSA’s contribution to thought leadership in international education and provides executive oversight on internationalization and global engagement, conference programming, and publications. She joined...
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...
Antoine Battle
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Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC)
Mr. Antoine Battle, TIEC’s Global Membership Manager, is a globally minded, principled rising leader who is passionate about living a purpose-driven life. In our rapidly changing and increasingly interconnected world, he leverages his innate ability to adapt to connect across cultures, thrive in...
Amine Bensaid, PhD
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Al Akhawayn University
Amine Bensaid is a university professor of computer science; he was appointed by his Majesty King Mohamed VI in November 2019 as president of Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) and in Nov. 2022 as member of Morocco’s Higher Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research. He's currently...
Courtney Brown, PhD
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Lumina Foundation
Member-at-Large, NAFSA Board of Directors
Courtney Brown is the vice president of strategic impact and planning at the Lumina Foundation, the nation’s largest private foundation focused specifically on increasing U.S. citizens’ postsecondary success. As the foundation’s chief data and research officer, Brown oversees its efforts in the...
Akshay Chaturvedi
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Leverage Edu
Akshay Chaturvedi is a tech entrepreneur who founded and runs Leverage, an AI-enabled platform that empowers young individuals with upward mobility options globally. The Co offers universities & counsellors an AI product-suite that helps them with student recruitment, and alongside, offers a living...
Samiha Chemli, PhD
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University of Deusto
Dr. Samiha Chemli is an Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Coordinator of University Relations (CIDE) at the University of Deusto. She has extensive expertise in hospitality and tourism management, in leading companies, managing cross-functional teams, and providing...
Alejandro Cruzata Martinez, PhD
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Senor de Sipan University
Alejandro Cruzata Martínez, Ph.D. in Pedagogical Sciences, is a distinguished professional in university management, research, and international cooperation. He currently serves as Rector of Señor de Sipán University in Chiclayo - Peru and is an active member of the international accreditation...
Ketevan Darakhvelidze, MPhil
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Ilia State University
Ketevan Darakhvelidze is chancellor of Ilia State University (ISU), one of Georgia’s most dynamic, research-intensive universities. Since 2011, she has served multiple university leadership roles and has advanced ISU’s global engagement, institutional development, and innovation ecosystem, securing...
Melissa Deschamps, EdD
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EducationUSA
Dr. Melissa Deschamps is a Regional Manager with EducationUSA, based in Doha, Qatar. She manages a dynamic portfolio of centers covering 13 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. With 25 years of international education experience, she has worked in non-profit, university, and governmental...
Farah Cherif D’Ouezzan
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Center for Cross Cultural Learning
Farah Cherif D’ouezzan is an educator in the field of intercultural education. As the Center for Cross Cultural Learning (CCCL) Founder, she develops, designs and runs, with her team, educational study abroad programs, such as faculty-led, semester abroad, internships and provides logistical support...
Courtney Erwin, JD
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Mundiapolis University
Courtney Erwin is a specialist working at the intersection of law, religion, culture, and education. She has over twenty years of experience working internationally with legal, political, religious, educational, and civil society actors and institutions. In the field of international legal education...
Kira Espiritu, PhD
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American College of the Mediterranean/Institute for American Universities
2024 Academy Chair
Dr. Kira Espiritu began working for IAU in 2024 as the inaugural Dean of Academic and Strategic Initiatives, where she strengthens IAU's support of its study abroad partner institutions and their students. She also serves as the Director for the MA program in International Education Administration...
Ahmad Ezzeddine, PhD
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University of Washington
NAFSA President and Chair of the Board of Directors
Ahmad Ezzeddine, PhD, is the vice provost for Global Affairs at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, where he leads and manages the Office of Global Affairs and serves as a strategic thought leader for the University’s global engagement efforts. Previously, he served as the vice...
Rebecca Geffner, PhD
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Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange
Dr. Rebecca Geffner has been working in international business and education for almost 20 years. She has served as the Executive Director of the Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (MACECE) which oversees the Fulbright programs between Morocco and the United States...
Thami Ghorfi
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ESCA Ecole de Management
Thami Ghorfi is Dean of ESCA Ecole de Management, a leading African business school based in Casablanca, Morocco. Prof. Thami Ghorfi has developed expertise in management practices related to entrepreneurship and change management in Morocco and the region. Thami Ghorfi was appointed in 2011 as an...
Heidi Gregori-Gahan, MA
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International Programs at University of Southern Indiana
Heidi Gregori-Gahan has been active in the field of international education for more than 40 years. As Associate Provost for International Programs at the University of Southern Indiana (USI), she developed and managed a comprehensive unit responsible for international recruitment and retention, the...
Abdellatif Harraida, MBA
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International University of Rabat
Abdellatif Harraida has been involved in International Education since 2004. Ha was director of international programs and strategic partnerships at the Rabat office of an American NGO. He is currently Board Member of Rabat Business School (International University of Rabat), and its Director of...
Ambassador (ret.) Greta C. Holtz
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Amideast
Ambassador (ret.) Greta C. Holtz is the President and CEO of Amideast, a leading non-profit organization which works to provide live-changing educational and exchange programs in the Middle East and North Africa and for U.S. students and faculty. Ambassador Holtz served as a career diplomat with...
John K. Hudzik, PhD
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John K. Hudzik, PhD, retired from Michigan State University (MSU) in January 2021. He was MSU dean and vice president of international programs from 1995 to 2010 and acting university provost in 2005. He is a past president and chair of the NAFSA Board of Directors, past president of the Association...
Carl Jubran, PhD
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The American College of the Mediterranean
Dr. Carl Jubran, a 1992 alumnus of ACM's study abroad institute, the Institute for American Universities (IAU), and previous member of the Council of Academic Advisors, became ACM's 5th President in May 2011. He completed his undergraduate education in linguistics, participated in a Master's program...
Wissam Kadi, Exec. Master
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SAP University Alliances
Wissam Kadi is a UN SDG advocate with a proven track record of activating global ecosystems through high-impact initiatives involving industry, government, international organizations, and academia. He is known for his powerful drive for accelerating impact through collaboration and co-creation with...
Pradeep Khosla, PhD
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University of California San Diego
As UC San Diego’s chief executive officer, Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla provides vision and strategy, leading a campus of more than 45,000 students within 11 academic, professional and graduate schools and eight undergraduate residential colleges; a preeminent health system; and the prestigious...
MJ Knoll-Finn, EdD
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New York University
Dr. MJ Knoll-Finn is the Senior Vice President for Global Enrollment Management and Student Success at NYU, where she leads institution-wide strategies that have delivered measurable, high-impact outcomes across enrollment, access, and student success. Under her leadership, NYU has eliminated...
Prof. Dr. Zeliha Kocak Tufan
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Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University/Lokman Hekim University
Prof. Tufan is a faculty member at the Medical School of Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University and Board of Trustees in Lokman Hekim University. She served as a Member of the Executive Board of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) for two terms between 2015 and 2021, and as a Diplomat at the Embassy...
Renee Lamb, MA
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Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts
Renée Lamb is an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, a recipient of the Fulbright U.S. Scholars award, and the founder of Soulié, an artisan-based social enterprise. Her work focuses on identifying opportunities to increase personal capacity, foster poverty reduction, and...
Debra Leahy, Ed.D
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University of New England
Dr. Debra Leahy is the Associate Provost for Global Affairs and Professor of Global Management at the University of New England (UNE), where she leads the university’s strategic internationalization efforts across its Maine campuses and its Tangier, Morocco campus. Previously, Dr. Leahy served as...
Fernando Léon-García, PhD
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Centro de Enseñanza Técnica Y Superior (CETYS) University
Dr. León-Garcia is Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) for 2024-2027. He has been President of CETYS University since 2010, leading the institution to institutional and program accreditation in the USA (WASC, ACBSP, ABET) and one of the...
Linda Liu, MBA
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LiftHER Career
Linda Liu is an expert in international education and workforce development, with a distinguished career dedicated to expanding global access to higher education and empowering young professionals to launch careers worldwide. Linda has built a career at championing opportunities that connect...
Francisco Marmolejo
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Qatar Foundation
Francisco Marmolejo serves as the president of higher education at the Qatar Foundation. From 2012 to 2020, he worked at the World Bank as a global higher education coordinator, based in Washington, DC, and more recently he served as lead higher education specialist for India and South Asia, in...
Dan Munnerley
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Next Lab
Dan is Founder and Executive Director of Next Lab at Arizona State University in Phoenix. He authored digital media curriculum for HNDs, BTEC, and Edexcel in the UK, developed a new university campus for Emirati women in Dubai, researched AR/VR in Australia, and builds models of self-determined...
Tonee Ndungu
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Tonee Ndungu is a Kenyan serial entrepreneur and thought leader driving Africa’s tech renaissance. A self-described “systems thinker,” he has built foundational platforms that lift communities. Born and raised in Nairobi and overcoming dyslexia, Tonee co-founded Nairobi’s NAILAB startup incubator...
Lesley F. Nesbitt, EdM
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Dartmouth College
Lesley is the Program Director for the EDGE Consortium and has more than 20 years of experience at all levels of education, from pre-K to graduate level work. She spent many of her years in mission-driven independent schools that sought to improve access for all students, regardless of socioeconomic...
Ignasi Pérez, PhD
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American College of the Mediterranean/Institute for American Universities
Dr. Ignasi Pérez has been the ACM-IAU Barcelona Center Director since 2016 and ACM Spain Director since 2021. He holds a degree in Sociology from University of Barcelona and a PhD in Political Science from UB with European honors from University of Florence (Italy). He is also a member of GRAPA...
Matteo Quacquarelli
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Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
Matteo Quacquarelli is Vice President for Strategy and Analytics at QS. Harnessing his experience in Management Consulting, Matteo leads the Group Strategy, Transformation and Analytics teams. He is responsible for identifying new and improving on existing ways QS can deliver value to the sector...
Jen Rasamimanana
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Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM)
Jen Rasamimanana is the Executive Director of TALIM, also known as the Tangier American Legation, which is a museum, research library, and cultural center located in the Medina of Tangier. A gift of the Sultan of Morocco to the United States in 1821, the Legation is the only U.S. National Landmark...
Christine Shiau, MBA
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Stevens Initiative at the Aspen Institute
Christine Shiau is the Executive Director of the Stevens Initiative at the Aspen Institute, where she leads efforts to empower young people and foster cross-cultural understanding through virtual exchange. She spearheads the Initiative’s vision to drive transformative change, preparing a new...
Mwangi Peter Wanderi, PhD
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Mount Kenya University
2025 WES-NAFSA Fellow
Prof. Mwangi Peter Wanderi is the Principal Corporate Services, Communication and Alumni Relation and the Director Partnerships and Linkages, and an Associate Professor at Mount Kenya University (MKU). He has close to 40 years of research, teaching/ training and community engagement both in...
Charlotte Willis
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Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
Charlotte focuses on providing strategic immigration and mobility solutions to clients across a number of sectors, including technology firms, semiconductor and science organizations, and space—leading Fragomen’s global Space Industry Group. Her work extends to facilitating sponsor licenses...