Opening Plenary Session: UMD Expert Panel Q&A
Panelist:
Rebecca Bellinger – Executive Director, Center for Global Business
Dr. Leeanne Dunsmore – Director, Education Abroad
Susan-Ellis Doherty – Director, International Student Scholar Services
Ramsey Jabaji – Director, Office of Global Engineering Leadership
Leanne Johnson – Director, International Risk Management
Dr. Raluca Nahorniac – Associate Director, Office of International Affairs
Dr. Joseph Scholten – Associate Director, Office of International Affairs
Moderator:
Mary Fortier – Director of Administrative Services
Bios:
Rebecca Bellinger – Executive Director, Center for Global Business
Rebecca L. Bellinger is executive director of the Center for Global Business, a Center of Excellence at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business that is funded in part by a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education known as CIBE (Center for International Business Education). As head of the department, she leads the School’s strategic international and government agency partnerships, CIBE grant activities, student global learning on campus and abroad, export executive education, internationalization in the curriculum, faculty development programs, and new global initiatives. She also currently serves as President of the Association of International Business Education and Research. Rebecca was appointed in 2018 by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and renewed in 2022 by Secretary Gina Raimondo to serve on the Maryland-D.C. District Export Council. She holds an MBA from the University of Maryland, a MA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a BA from the University of Rocher. She also achieved the NASBITE International credential of Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) in 2018.
Dr. Leeanne Dunsmore – Director, Education Abroad
Dr. Leeanne Dunsmore is the Director for Education Abroad at the University of Maryland. She previously served as the Senior Educational Advisor at the U.S. Department of State, and launched the U.S Study Abroad Branch in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Prior to her role in government, she was the Associate Dean in the School of International Service at American University where she created international programs and partnerships throughout the world, building one of the most diverse schools of international affairs in the country. While at American she chaired the diversity initiatives committee for the 100K Strong Foundation, established the Pakistan Women’s Council and developed the first online degree program in international affairs in the United States. She received her B.A in international relations and business from the College of Wooster, her M.A. in international political economy from American University and a Doctorate in Global Education from the University of Southern California.
Susan-Ellis Doherty – Director, International Student Scholar Services
Susan-Ellis is Director of International Student and Scholar Services at the University of Maryland (UMD). She has been in this role for the past 11 years. Prior to returning to the University of Maryland, she served as Associate Director of International Student and Scholar Services at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD from 2007 until 2012. She was also the Assistant Director for Faculty and Scholar Immigration Services at UMD from 2004 until 2007. She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science in Education from The Johns Hopkins University. She has completed post-graduate work in English as a Second Language and Theories of Adult Learning. As an active member of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, she has served as a Curriculum Dean, a Professional Development Trainer, and an enthusiastic advocate for international education.
Mary Fortier oversees administrative services for OIA and its business units. She started with OIA in 2016, after working 15 years for Financial Services at Towson University. She earned her B.S. in African-American Studies from Northeastern University and M.Ed. in Distance Education and e-Learning from the University of Maryland University College.
Ramsey Jabaji – Director, Office of Global Engineering Leadership
Ramsey Jabaji directs the Office of Global Engineering Leadership and is a lecturer in the A. James Clark School of Engineering where he leads a team responsible for one of the largest engineering abroad portfolios in the country, an academic minor program in Global Leadership, and undergraduate DEI training and development initiatives. He is a former board member of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, he recently served a 6-month appointment as special assistant to the president to launch UMD’s TerrapinSTRONG onboarding initiative, and he currently serves as an Aspect Institute Impact Fellow. Ramsey holds a master’s in Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s in Sociology and Environmental Studies from Franklin & Marshall College.
Leanne Johnson – Director, International Risk Management
Leanne Johnson has worked in international travel risk management and higher education since 2007. As the Director of International Risk Management at the University of Maryland, she oversees health, safety, security and crisis response for international travelers. She is a member of Pulse, the Overseas Advisory Council and its Academic Sector Group, the Forum on Education Abroad, and the University Risk Management and Insurance Association. Before coming to UMD, Leanne was the Assistant Director for the Global Perspective Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She has also worked for the City of Riverside, CA, the CA 51st Assembly District, the Pacific Council on International Policy, the Peace Corps, and the Clinton Administration. She completed her own study abroad experience in Yaounde, Cameroon. She earned a master’s degree in international communication from American University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Washington Adventist University.
Dr. Raluca Nahorniac – Associate Director, Office of International Affairs
Dr. Nahorniac is primarily responsible for developing Global Classrooms: project-based virtual courses offered in collaboration with partner universities abroad. Prior to joining the University of Maryland, she served as the global partnerships coordinator in the Office of Global Affairs at the University of Connecticut. Previously, she was a lecturer and projects manager at the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest, Romania. She has an undergraduate degree in sociology from the University of Bucharest and a doctoral degree in anthropology from Università degli Studi di Perugia.
Dr. Joseph Scholten – Associate Director, Office of International Affairs
Dr. Scholten manages UMD’s international agreements, coordinates the Maryland Global Leaders speaker series with campus partners, and serves as director of the Maryland Study Centre at Kiplin Hall, U.K.. He is also the campus representative for Fulbright programs for faculty and staff, and is himself a two-time Fulbright awardee. Prior to joining UMD in 2001, he was associate professor of history at Michigan State University and assistant professor of history at Portland State University. He earned an A.B. in history and classical civilization from the University of Michigan, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in ancient mediterranean history and archaeology from the University of California, Berkeley.
