University of Virginia
Study Abroad Voyages

Summer 2010 Deans, Faculty, Staff

LaVahn Hoh, Academic Dean


LaVahn Hoh is a professor of drama in the Department of Drama at the University of Virginia. He received a Master of Fine Arts in Drama from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1972. LaVahn joined the University of Virginia faculty in 1969. He has been on the faculties of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (1966-67) and Northern Illinois University (1967-68). Hoh is well known for his expertise in technical theatre and special effects. In addition to teaching theatre technology courses, he is a nationally known circus historian and teaches the only college-accredited course in America on the history of circus. He has been featured in USA Today and People Magazine.

Hoh co-authored a book entitled, Step Right Up! The Adventure of Circus in America. He wrote The History of Clowning for Microsoft's 1998 version of Encarta and the History of the Circus for the 2001 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia. In 2007, he completed the history of the American circus train for the University of Indiana Press.

From 1989-1997, Hoh served as archivist and historian for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, a position created for him. He has appeared in several Arts and Entertainment Network presentations including "200 Years of Circus In America"; "Dare Devils"; "The Flying Wallendas"; and, "The History of the Ringling Brothers".

Read about Hoh's recent Lifetime Achievement Award.

John Burkoff, Executive Dean


John Burkoff is a prolific author, teacher, public speaker, lawyer, and expert witness. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan (A.B., J.D.) and Harvard University (LL.M.). Burkoff has been Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh since 1976 and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs from 2000 to 2004. He has published 21 books and over 60 articles in the areas of criminal justice and legal ethics. He is also the author of a monthly newsletter on U.S. search-and-seizure law.

Burkoff has been awarded both the Chancellor's Distinguished Public Service Award (2009) and the Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award (1987) by the University of Pittsburgh. He was voted Teacher of the Year by the graduating class of the University of Pittsburgh Law School in 2007. Burkoff has been involved with projects relating to human rights, criminal justice, legal ethics, and legal education all over the world. He was appointed Chair in Foreign Law at the University of Ghent (Belgium) Faculty of Law in 2004. He has also taught at the University of Iceland, the University of Belgrade, the University of Nairobi, and Moi University (Kenya), and has been involved in projects for the U.S. Embassies in Burundi and Kenya. Recently, Burkoff has taught legal ethics to Eastern European lawyers in Slovakia for U.S. Steel (2005), and consulted on civilian control of the police in Albania, teaching at the National Police Academy of Albania (2006).

Burkoff has previously sailed on Semester at Sea as a faculty member on the Spring 1990 Voyage, Academic Dean on the Fall 1996 Voyage, Director of the "Law at Sea" Program and a faculty member on the Summer 2001 Voyage, and as Executive Dean on the Summer 2007 Voyage. He was a Ford Foundation Fellow at Harvard Law School, Chairperson of the Criminal Justice Section of the Association of American Law Schools, and Chairperson of the city of Pittsburgh's Citizen Police Review Board. Burkoff has been appointed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to the Pennsylvania Commission on Judicial Independence.

Thomas B. Jelke, Assistant Executive Dean


Thomas B. Jelke, Ph.D. is the President of T.Jelke Solutions, a consulting firm that provides strategic planning, independent research, training, and assessment to universities, student organizations, non-profits, and fraternity/sorority communities and headquarters.

Tom has consulted with close to 250 campuses, and has also served as a faculty member or staff member at 4 other universities. Tom sailed on the summer 2002 voyage as a resident director and on the Spring 2006 and Summer 2007 voyages as the Assistant Executive Dean.

He has authored seven journal articles and four chapters in books relating to college students. He has been recognized as Advisor or Professional of the Year by three different higher education organizations and associations. He is also the Chairman of the Association of Fraternity Advisors Foundation, and sits on the Miami Parking Authority Board of Directors. He is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a bronze medalist competitive ballroom dancer, a deep water scuba diver and an average (but avid) golfer. Tom's passion, however, is travel: he will have visited 71 countries by the end of this voyage. He is joined on the voyage by his wife, Rebecca, and his 1 year old son, Parker. Tom received a B.A. in English from Florida International University in Miami, a M.A. in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a Ph.D. in Higher Education with a minor in Law from Indiana University-Bloomington.

Jill Hurd, Dean of Students


Jill is thrilled to be sailing again as the Dean of Students, marking her fourth voyage with SAS. When she's not on the ship or dreaming about being on the ship, she is a university administrator, serving as the Director of Apartment & Community Living at U.C. Santa Barbara. U.C.S.B. is also where Jill earned her B.A. in Communication Studies and her M.A. in Education Administration. Her studies and work at UCSB have spanned over 3 decades. Sailing with her husband, Oscar Zavala, and two daughters, Kyla and Emma, Jill believes that together, as a shipboard community, we will build the most caring, enthusiastic and dedicated community of learners that SAS has ever had.







Faculty

Staff

Timothy Armstrong (Biology)


My current faculty positions include serving as a Full Professor of Biology at Adams State College, Alamosa, CO and as an Adjunct Professor at New York University, New York, NY. I received my Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1994, my M.S. in Zoology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1989, and my B.S. in Biology from Mesa State College, Grand Junction, CO, in 1986. My publications include a book chapter entitled “Wildlife Conservation in Kenya” in Modern Kenya: Social Issues and Perspectives, “Female Red winged Blackbird Vocalizations: Variation and Context” in Ethology 100:331-351, and “Categorization of Notes Used by Female Red winged Blackbirds in Composite Vocalizations” in the Condor 94:210-223. At Adams State College, I teach General Biology for majors and nonmajors, Ecology, and a variety of courses in Vertebrate Ecology. My research interests include the breeding biology of female Red winged Blackbirds, and investigating ways that humans and wildlife can coexist better, especially in developing countries. I am strong proponent of experiential learning, and take students out in the field whenever possible. I have traveled extensively and have taught Desert Ecology in the southwestern US, Tropical Ecology in Costa Rica, and Savannah Ecosystems in East Africa. My most notable award was the Presidential Teaching Award from Adams State College in the spring of 2009.
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Amy Bippus (Communication)


Amy Bippus is a Professor of Communication Studies at the California State University, Long Beach. She received her Ph. D from the University of Texas, her M.A. from Wake Forest University, and her B.A. from Penn State, all in communication studies. She teaches typically teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on classes in the areas of conflict management, research methods, small group communication, intercultural communication. Her research uses social scientific methods to study how people communicate interpersonally, and her publications have focused on conflict, humor, and instructional communication. She was the conference convener for the 2009 Annual Conference for the International Society of Humor Studies, and recently taught a graduate seminar on the topic of humor as a communication strategy. She sailed on the summer 2008 voyage and has traveled abroad extensively.
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Warren Boeschenstein (Architecture)


Warren Boeschenstein is the Merrill D. Peterson Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia. A native of St. Louis, he received his B.A. from Amherst College and professional degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Harvard University. With interests in urban design and transportation, he has developed plans for transit-oriented communities, work that received national and state awards. The author of various articles on city design, he regularly teaches a course, Design Themes of Great Cities, which focuses on the character of the world’s great cities. His book, Historic Towns along the Atlantic Coast, published by Johns Hopkins Press, discusses over 200 coastal towns from Newfoundland to Florida. He has taught at the University College London, in Venice, Italy, and Beijing, China. Winner of the Steedman Prize in architecture, he has been recognized by the Washington University School of Architecture as an outstanding alumnus and been the Thomas Jefferson Visiting Fellow, Downing College, Cambridge, UK. Currently he is investigating the character of college towns in the United States and Europe.
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Gerry Bowler (Global Studies)


Gerry Bowler teaches medieval and early-modern history at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He received his Ph.D. in History from King's College, University of London where he studied political theory of the Tudor period. He is particularly interested in the intersection of religion and culture and has published on subjects such as Renaissance monarchy, theological justifications of violence, the religious content of The Simpsons and the relationship between Aristotle and professional wrestling. In addition to co-authoring Europe in the Sixteenth Century, Dr. Bowler is a leading authority on the history of Christmas and its cultural significance. His books The World Encyclopedia of Christmas and Santa Claus: A Biography have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. He has sailed twice before with Semester at Sea, in Fall 2001 and Summer 2008.
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Nancy Burkoff (Law)


Nancy Burkoff is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her A.B. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. While a law student, she was an Executive Editor of the Law Review, and worked in the Appellate Division of the District Attorney’s office and for the Honorable Ralph J. Cappy on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She served as a career law clerk to the Honorable Maurice B. Cohill, Jr. of the U.S .District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania for fourteen years, and taught as an Adjunct Professor of Law for six of those years, before joining the law faculty full-time in 2008. She teaches Legal Reasoning & Analysis to first-year law students, and Advanced Legal Writing in the upper-level. Professor Burkoff also teaches U.S. Legal Methodology, a required introduction to the foundations of American law and legal reasoning, in the Law School’s Center for International Legal Education LL.M. program. She has also taught Introduction to American Law & Legal Analysis to pre-law students in the Council on Legal Education Opportunity Institute sponsored by the American Bar Association. Her books and articles have focused on criminal law and criminal procedure, ineffective assistance of counsel, and state action. She represents the Law School on the University of Pittsburgh Faculty Assembly. She has sailed on the Spring 1990, Fall 1996, Summer 2001, and Summer 2007 SAS voyages.
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Darlene Campbell (Studio Art)


Darlene Campbell is a Lecturer in Painting and Drawing at the Laguna College of Art and Design, where she has served as a faculty member since 1994. She received her B.A. in Art from the University of Redlands and her M.F.A. in Painting from Claremont Graduate University. Her paintings have been featured in 13 solo and 58 group exhibitions. Darlene will be exhibiting her paintings in another solo show at Koplin Del Rio Gallery in April 2010. Exhibit venues have included the San Jose Museum of Art, Nevada Museum of Art, Laguna Art Museum, Riverside Art Museum, Frye Museum (Seattle), Arnot Art Museum (Elmira, New York), and Loyola Marymount University. She has illustrated two published books, and in 2004 one of her paintings was selected as the cover artwork for D.J. Waldie's book, Where We Are Now: Notes from Los Angeles. Her work has been reviewed in over 40 publications, including Artweek, American Art Collector, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, and the Santa Barbara Review. Darlene Campbell is represented by the Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Culver City, California. She taught on Semester at Sea in Summer 2000 and Summer 2008.
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Iain Campbell (Biology/Astronomy)


Associate Professor of Biochemistry (Emeritus, 2008), University of Pittsburgh; I now teach regularly in Pitt’s Osher Life-long-learning Programme. B.Sc. (1st class honours in Chemistry and dux) and Ph.D, in Chemistry/Mycology, Glasgow University, Scotland. Publication record: 10 book chapters; 57 referred scientific articles; 90 conference presentations, 106 ‘popular’ lectures/lecture series about science in society and ‘things’ Scottish. Have taught courses in: biochemistry, microbiology, infectious diseases, marine biology, biological and cosmic evolution, general biology, analytical methods in biochemistry, mass spectrometry, astronomy, the Protestant Reformation, malt whisky. University of Pittsburgh Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Award, University of Pittsburgh; Nation Research Council of Canada International Fellowship, Smith Memorial Prize, University of Glasgow. Lived early life in Scotland when I made annual trips to Europe; veteran of three SAS voyages (S97, F01, A08) and one five-week scientific mission to China; worked six months in Halifax, Canada.
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Kenneth Cushner (Education/Teachers at Sea)


Dr. Kenneth Cushner is Professor (Full) of teacher education at Kent State University. He received his doctorate from the University of Hawaii in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in cross-cultural psychology while on scholarship through the East-West Center. He is author or editor of 7 books as well as numerous chapters and journal articles in the areas of international and intercultural education and training, including Intercultural Interactions: A Practical Guide, 2nd ed. (Sage Publications, 1996), Human Diversity in Education: An Integrative Approach, 6th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2009), and Beyond Tourism: A Practical Guide to Meaningful Educational Travel (Rowman Littlefield, 2004). He is a Founding Fellow and immediate past President of the International Academy for Intercultural Research, and former Director of COST – the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching. A former Fulbright Scholar (Sweden, 2008), he has taught in schools in Switzerland and Australia in addition to the United States, and has led international travel programs for educators and children on all seven continents.
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Arifeen Daneshyar (Economics)


Arifeen Daneshyar received his M.A. from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1970 and a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, in 1976, both in international economics. He is a Full Professor of Economics at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (since 1984), where he received the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2004. Recipient of Fulbright scholarships in China (1998) and Latin America (2004), he regularly teaches seminars on globalization at the Capital University of Economics in China and the Punjabi University in India, and on American capitalism at the Russian Diplomatic Academy in Moscow. Dr. Daneshyar has taught at the University of Maryland’s European Division (1979-82) and three times with the Semester at Sea, including spring 1999 when he was recognized as the Outstanding Faculty.
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James Danziger (Politics)


James N. Danziger is a Research (Full) Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. He previously taught on S@S twice and has broad international experience. He has received all the major teaching awards on his campus, including the Distinguished Faculty Lectureship for Teaching and the UC Irvine Outstanding Teaching Award. In 2009 he received the Extraordinarius Award, the highest honor from the UCI Alumni Associaton. He is author of Understanding the Political World, a textbook currently in its 9th edition. He is a former Marshall Scholar, a Fulbright Scholar, a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Sigma Alpha, and has been listed in Who’s Who in America yearly since 1988. His extensive research, including four books and more than sixty articles, has received awards from the American Political Science Association and the American Society for Public Administration, and he is currently Principal Investigator on “People, Organizations and Information Technology,” a $2.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Among other positions, he served as UC Irvine’s Campuswide Dean of Undergraduate Education, Chair of the Faculty Senate, Associate Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Department Chair, and Director of the Washington DC Center Program. He has an M.A. from the University of Sussex (England) and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University.
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Nancy Fairley (Anthropology)


Nancy J. Fairley is a Professor of Anthropology at Davidson College. During her 16 years at Davidson College she established the Ethnic Studies and the Ghana Summer Programs; currently she is director of both programs. Fairley received her doctorate in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. As an ethnographer she has conducted fieldwork among continental and Diaspora Africans including countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Dominican Republic, and the United States. Her research has been supported by grants from the Fulbright Foundation, the Lily Foundation, and various faculty research grants from Davidson and other institutions where she taught. Early in her career Fairley’s research interest was in the political development of pre-colonial African societies and she published articles such as “Ideology and State Formation: Case of the Ben’Ekie.” More recently she has published articles such as “Dreaming Ancestors in Eastern Carolina, reflecting her interest in understanding African retentions the Americas. During the course of her career Fairley has been a recipient of three teaching awards; this past academic year she was recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award at Davidson College. Fairley has lectured at American universities as well as foreign universities in countries such as Ghana, Ireland and Sweden.
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Carolyn Gillespie (Drama)


Carolyn Gillespie is Professor of Theatre at the University of Michigan-Flint where she teaches a variety of courses in acting and directing for the stage, as well as theatre literature. She received a B.A. in Speech Education from Marquette University in Milwaukee, and an M.F.A. in Acting from Stanford. Before landing in Michigan in 1987 Gillespie began a career as a professional actor, and was an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. Now primarily a director/teacher, she has staged over 50 productions ranging from original works to the classics. She has a penchant for Shakespeare (as a performer, director, and lecturer), and has a particular interest in women's issues as they pertain to the stage. Most recently, she spent a month in Ukraine performing in Counting Icebergs, an original work based on the life of Captain Cook's wife Elizabeth. Gillespie has been active in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival since its inception and served as Chair of the Great Lakes Region. She recently co-chaired a General Education Re-visioning Initiative at UM-Flint, and was nominated as Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year in 2008. She and her husband Michael, also on the voyage, have three adult children living in some of the world's best cities.
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Michael Gillespie (Drama)


Dr. Michael Gillespie was named the first Paul and Doris Travis Professor of Theatre at Oakland University where he served as Head of Theatre for fourteen years. Prior to that time he served for twelve years as Director of Theatre at the University of Texas at Dallas. Prof. Gillespie has directed close to one hundred plays in a wide range of styles including numerous musicals and operas. Recent directing assignments include productions for the South Florida Opera and for the Little Globe Theatre in Kirovohrad, Ukraine. He is a Teaching Member of Alexander Technique International and has presented many workshops in the technique at colleges and universities in Michigan as well as at Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival regional conferences. Dr. Gillespie earned his Ph.D. in Drama at Stanford University. Before embarking on his academic career, he spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Ivory Coast, West Africa.
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Rodney Huey (Cultural Studies/Communication)


Rodney Huey graduated with a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from George Mason University in 2006. He has served as an adjunct communication faculty member at American University and George Mason University where he taught advertising, public relations, entertainment communication and communication research. He authored chapters on clowning and circus history in The Many Worlds of Circus (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007) and an essay on photographer Harry Atwell (Eakins Foundation Press, 2003). He has written various articles on entertainment and communications, and writes a monthly column for SHOWTIME magazine, an amusement industry publication. He serves on advisory committees for the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Bard Graduate Center in New York City, and has consulted with The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. He was vice president for communication at National Public Radio where he directed its communications division to earn a PRSA Silver Anvil Award for a national campaign (2003). He was also vice president of public relations at Feld Entertainment where he devised communications campaigns for live family touring shows in the United States, Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. He presently serves as an advisor and the North American press representative for the Federation Mondiale du Cirque that operates under the auspices of H.S.H. Princess Stephanie of Monaco. He holds a Board seat on the Circus and Traveling Shows retirement project, and maintains memberships in the Popular Culture/American Culture Association, Circus Historical Society, Circus Fans of America, the Outdoor Amusement Business Association and the Rehoboth Beach Film Society.
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Walter Jost (English)


Walter Jost (English). Walter Jost received his undergraduate degree in English from St. Louis U. (1973); and his M.A. in English (1974), M.A. in General Studies in Humanities (1978), and Ph.D. from the Committee on Ideas and Methods at the U. of Chicago (1985). Since 1983 he has taught at UVa, where he is now Professor of English. His conference travels have taken him around the country and to France, Poland, Amsterdam and Canada. In addition to many scholarly articles and book chapters, he is the author of Rhetorical Thought in John Henry Newman (1989) and Rhetorical Investigations: Studies in Ordinary Language Criticism (2004); editor or co-editor of seven other books, most recently A Blackwell Companion to the Philosophy of Literature (2009); and a poet published in Virginia Quarterly Review, Sou’wester, Descant, and elsewhere. He has intellectual interests in many fields, and he teaches a wide variety of courses, among them the history of literary criticism, Shakespeare, modern British and American poetry, and contemporary philosophy and literature. When his wife is away he likes to drum; with his wife, Marcella, he loves to read, watch films, garden, hike, travel, walk and talk, and both he and his wife are looking forward to their first SAS voyage.
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Michael Kaloyanides (Music)


Michael G. Kaloyanides is Coordinator of Music, Music & Sound Recording, and Music Industry and Full Professor of Music at the University of New Haven. He holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University. Dr. Kaloyanides has conducted extensive field research in the rural and urban musics of Greece and Turkey and has recorded albums of Greek and Turkish music for Lyrichord Records. He has served as a field evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts, has published in the Journal of the Society for Ethnomusicology, The Yearbook of the International Council for Traditional Music and Essays in Arts and Sciences, and authored material for the New Grove Dictionary of Music in the United States and Music and Anthropology. In addition, Dr. Kaloyanides has composed and produced the film scores for the PBS documentaries The Royal Archives of Ebla and Arts in the Workplace. He is a classically trained percussionist who has played bouzouki in Greek ensembles, drums in West African drumming ensembles, and guitar and keyboards in blues and rock bands. Dr. Kaloyanides has taught for Semester at Sea in Summer 2002, Fall 2004, and Summer 2008.
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Ricki Kantrowitz (Psychology)


Ricki Kantrowitz is Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Honors Program at Westfield State College, Westfield, Massachusetts. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in counseling, women and mental health, abnormal psychology, and cross-cultural psychology. She is a recipient of an Outstanding Educator Award. She received her B.A. from Simmons College and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. She is the co-author of Effective Helping: Interviewing and Counseling Techniques (7th edition) and is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice. Ricki has been a Non-Governmental Representative for the World Federation for Mental Health at the United Nations –New York for the past 14 years and attended the 4th World Conference on Women in China. She received Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Grants to Korea, Hungary, and Morocco and was a visiting professor at the Centre for International Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, Australia during Fall 2006. During Summer 2009 she had the opportunity to observe mental health programs in Timor Leste and the Philippines. She taught on Semester at Sea during the Spring 1991 and Fall 1998 semesters.
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Pedro Larrea Rubio (Spanish)


Pedro Larrea is a Spanish poet and graduate student. He received his Licenciatura in Theory of Literature and Comparative Literature from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) where he also studied Spanish Philology. He got his Master in Spanish from UVA, and he is currently working on his Ph.D. in Spanish Literature. He has taught Introductory Spanish, Intermediate Spanish, Advanced Spanish, Spanish Composition and Spanish Literary Analysis. He has enjoyed the Charles Gordon Reid Jr. scholarship to do research on modern and contemporary Spanish poetry. He has been Director in-residence for the Spanish House Casa Bolivar. He has participated in the UVA program abroad in Valencia. He collaborates with the UVA Spanish Theater Company. He was one of the organizers of the 1st Conference on Spanish and Hispanic Poetry, hosted by UVA in 2008. His main focus is Spanish, Latin American and World Poetry and Arts. Reading, writing and travelling are his true passions. He has lived in Madrid (Spain), Valencia (Spain), Dublin (Ireland), Paris (France), Tuscaloosa (Alabama) and Charlottesville (Virginia) and has spent much time in Italy. His poems have been published in several literary magazines in Spain, such as ABCD, Calidoscopio, Lateral, Deriva, Fósforo, Generación XXI. He has performed poetry in Spain, Italy and the United States.
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Reginald Litz (Business/Commerce)


Reg Litz is a Full Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He holds a B. Commerce (University of Manitoba), an M.B.A. (University of Minnesota) and a Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh). His research centers on family business and small firm niche strategy and has been published in several leading outlets of entrepreneurship research including Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, Journal of Business Venturing, and Family Business Review. He has received Best Paper awards from the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the Family Firm Institute and the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management. He has received both faculty-specific and cross-university teaching awards. Finally, he has served on two previous voyages of Semester At Sea.
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Elaine MacMillan (Religious Studies)


Elaine Catherine MacMillan holds a Ph.D. from the University of St Michael’s College (Toronto) and an M.A. from Saint Paul University (Ottawa). As an Assistant Professor she has taught in the Religious Studies and Theology departments at Salve Regina University (Newport, RI) and the University of San Diego. During the 2008-2009 academic year she was a Resident Scholar at the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research (MN) where she pursued her research interests in feminism and ecumenism. Because of her ecumenical expertise she has had appointments to national ecumenical commissions in Canada and the United States. In this capacity she has worked on drafting teams for ecumenical documents such as “The Authority of the Church in the World.” She is active in numerous professional societies where she regularly presents papers. She loves to travel and has traveled with students to Russia, France, England and Nicaragua.
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Michael Maniates (Environmental Science)


Michael Maniates is a Full Professor of Environmental Science and Political Science at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He also coordinates Allegheny’s “Energy and Society” program, serves on the faculty of International Studies, and teaches classes on environmental politics (domestic and global), energy futures, and institutional change. Mike is the editor or co-editor of three books and the author of another now in preparation (Easy Won’t Cut It: Grown-Up Ways of Saving the Planet). He’s also penned several book chapters and more than two dozen conference papers, journal articles, and national op-eds on topics of consumption and overconsumption, effective undergraduate education, and paths to an environmentally sustainable future. In 2000 Mike received Allegheny’s Thoburn Award for teaching excellence. He’s sailed on three Semester at Sea voyages – twice around the world and once through the Baltic (Spring 2001, Summer 2005, and Spring 2007). He holds a B.S. (Conservation and Resource Studies), and M.A. and Ph.D. (Energy and Resources), all from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Kathleen Manning (Student Affairs)


Kathleen Manning is a full professor in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Program at the University of Vermont. She has experienced student affairs from both administrator and faculty perspectives through her early career practice in residence life, student union management, campus activities, orientation, and judicial affairs. She has a Ph.D. in higher education from Indiana University; a M.S. in counseling and student development from SUNY Albany; and a B.A. from Marist College. In 2003, 2004, and 2005, she traveled to China and Hong Kong on Fulbright Fellow and Fulbright Senior Specialist Awards. NASPA honored her in 2005 as a Pillar of the Profession and in 2007 with the Outstanding Contribution to Literature/Research Award. She is the author of numerous articles including “What’s Your Analysis? Philosophical underpinnings of student affairs work regarding difference” in May/June 2009 About Campus. She has written or edited six books, most recently, One Size Does Not Fit All: Traditional and Innovative Models of Student Affairs Practice. Dr. Manning is currently the Executive Editor of the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice.
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Natalie McManus (Spanish)


Natalie Jane McManus is currently a Teaching Assistant at the University of Virginia pursuing a PhD in Spanish literature. She received her MA in Spanish from the University of Virginia in May 2008 and her BA in Spanish, with a minor in Portuguese and a certificate in Latin American studies from the University of Pittsburgh in May 2006. She is currently working with literature from Colonial Spanish America, the Enlightenment to Romanticism in Spain, and Spanish Contemporary Literature. She hopes to complete a thesis on the development of pirate novels and turn it into a dissertation. She has traveled to Spain, Mexico, Chile, Ireland, Scotland, and England.
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Lois Olson (Business/Commerce)


Lois Olson specializes in teaching Global Marketing and Consumer Marketing Strategy for San Diego State University. She also teaches internationally in The People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, South America, and also in Germany and other European sites for Siemens Global Marketing Program. Olson was a principle researcher on a grant funded jointly by the US-Israel Science and Technology Foundation to develop markets and partnerships for Israeli technologies in the United States and globally. Since 1992, Olson has been visiting China at least two-three times annually to teach and to conduct research on consumer markets in several cities and provinces across the People’s Republic of China. 1999-2000 was spent as a Fulbright Scholar teaching at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and living as a Chinese consumer. This experience has led to a research stream in analyzing Chinese consumers and appropriate marketing strategies, especially understanding the impact of the “Little Emperors” on the buying behavior of Chinese families. Additionally, her work involves the application of cross-cultural analytic tools to understanding the similarities and differences between the Western and the Chinese market. Since 9/11/2001, Lois has conducted extensive research on several projects to adapt commercial technologies for Homeland Security through CCAT, the Center for the Commercialization of Advanced Technology, funded by the Department of Defense. A book, The Chinese Consumer; Past, Present, and Future, is soon to be published.
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Patricia O'Neill (History)


Patricia O’Neill is a Professor of History at Central Oregon Community College and an Adjunct Professor of History at University of Oregon Cascades Campus, in Bend, Oregon. She earned her B.A. in History from the University of Pennsylvania, her M.A. in History from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and her Ph.D. in History from the University of Washington. She teaches a variety of history courses in European history, world history, East Asian history and women’s history. Patricia is a Recipient of the Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching as well as a participant in the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar for Teachers, Comparative Institutional History: Ottoman Turks and Ming China at Princeton University. She is currently serving on the Executive Committee of the American Historical Association and is a past member of the Executive Committee of the World History Association. She has sailed on the Fall 2008 SAS voyage.
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Rebecca Pappert (Librarian)


Rebecca Pappert has been the Librarian for Life Sciences at the Brown Science & Engineering Library since January 2008. She earned her MS in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a MS in Botany from the University of Georgia, where she studied the population genetics of kudzu. Prior to coming to U.Va., Rebecca worked in several science-focused special libraries, including government, as well as public and private academic institutions. In her current position, Rebecca's work focuses on supporting the research activities of students and faculty, through targeted classroom instruction and individual consultations. She is also involved in broad range of library-focused projects, including a year-long project to study the research process of graduate students at U.Va. Rebecca looks forward to applying her skill, enthusiasm and energy on the Summer 2010 Semester at Sea voyage, as well as enhancing and expanding her experience in librarianship with such a unique professional opportunity.
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Robert Patterson (Communication)


Rob Patterson is an Assistant Professor in the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. He teaches communication, non-profit, and global citizenship segments in McIntire’s integrated core experience, as well as an upper-division course in public speaking and persuasion. Additionally, Rob regularly teaches rhetoric and speech seminars in the University Seminars (USEM) program at UVA. Patterson received his B.A., as a double major in speech communication and political science, from Texas State University, his M.A. in communication is from the University of Oklahoma, and his Ph.D. in communication studies (rhetoric and culture) is from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has fourteen years experience teaching communication coursework at four different universities and several years of experience working in the non-profit sector, most recently as the Associate Executive Director/Chief of Staff for a national higher education accrediting agency in Washington, DC. In this latter role, Patterson worked on a number of international projects and traveled abroad. Rob has published work in rhetorical theory, political communication, and communication pedagogy. He recently had his guide to using presentation software re-released (Bedford/St. Martin’s). Rob won a teaching excellence award from the University of Nebraska Alumni Association in 1997 and holds memberships in both the National Communication Association and the Association for Business Communication. Rob enjoys canoeing, travel, the outdoors, and especially his family life.
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Ruth Knafo Setton (English/Creative Writing)


Ruth Knafo Setton is the Writer-in-Residence for the Berman Center for Jewish Studies and a Professor of Practice in the English Department at Lehigh University. She teaches courses in creative writing, Jewish literature, women’s literature, multicultural literature, and fairy tales and mysteries. She received her BA and MA in English from the University of Denver, and her PhD in English from Rice University. The author of the critically acclaimed novel, The Road to Fez, she is the recipient of literary awards from the National Endowment of the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and PEN, as well as fellowships from national and international arts organizations and writers’ colonies. She recently completed her third novel, The Zigzag Girl, about a female magician. Her poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared in many anthologies and literary journals. She taught on Semester at Sea during the Fall 1998 semester.
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Larry Silver (Art History)


(Ph.D. Harvard; B.A. U.Chicago), Farquhar Professor of Art History at the University of Pennsylvania, previously taught at Berkeley and Northwestern. A specialist in old master European paintings and prints of the Renaissance period, he recently published books on Rembrandt’s religion (2009) Bosch (2006), and art in Antwerp (2006), while also finishing a book on Pieter Bruegel. He has served as President of the College Art Association and the Historians of Netherlandish Art and has curated several exhibitions of prints. His travel experience has included Alumni Association trips at Northwestern and a trio of Semester at Sea voyages: F01 (the 9/11 voyage), F06, and Summer 08. His courses on the ship will feature both architecture and art, coordinated with the progress of the voyage to maximize the shore experience of students, and he has made multiple visits to all of the ports except Morocco.
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Gordon Stewart (Literature/History)


Gordon M. Stewart is a full professor, teaching courses in the Department of German, and associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia. After completing his B.A. at Union College, he completed the M.A. and Ph.D. in German literature at the Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Stewart has published one book (The Literary Contributions of Christoph Daniel Ebeling, Amsterdam, 1978) and a number of scholarly articles on German literary and cultural history. Mr. Stewart has travelled on many occasions to Europe, most frequently to Germany, taking students on study tours, conducting research, and as a visiting professor of American Studies (twice at the University of Tübingen and twice at the Free University in Berlin). His areas of scholarly interest focus on the age of Goethe, German cultural and literary history from the eighteenth-century to the present, Virginia history from Jamestown to Jefferson, and the literature of the American Civil war.
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Elly Tucker (Assistant Academic Dean / Registrar)


Elly is retired from the University of Virginia, Career Services where she served as Assistant Director of Career Resources in Student Services. Prior to working for UVA, she served as Elementary School Counselor for 2 county elementary schools in the Charlottesville area, where she counseled and consulted students, families and staff in personal and developmental concerns. She also formerly held the position of County Extension Agent for Charlottesville/Albemarle VA, providing leadership to county and city 4-H Programs.
Elly received her Bachelor of Science in Applied Science from Miami University in Oxford Ohio and her Masters of Education in Counseling from the University of Virginia.
Elly is now happy to be working on the marketing, promoting and performing of children's music with Cathy Bollinger and Rivanna Music (www.rivannamusic.com). They travel the US and do workshops, seminars, presentations and Keynote addresses for teachers, parents, administrators and families of young children with a focus on children with early learning needs and developmental disabilities such as ADHD and autism. Her passions include performing in musical theater productions, singing choral music, especially Jewish choral music and doing step aerobics and other exercise. Elly is married to Charlottesville Real Estate Attorney, Bill Tucker. Her children are Dory (age 25, a school teacher, married to Tim Doyle and living in Richmond VA) and Josh, 15, who will be a rising sophomore in Charlottesville at Tandem School.
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Emily Allina (Medical Staff)


Emily is originally from Indiana and received her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Indiana University. She is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN/FNP) degree from California State University. Emily works in San Diego as a lead nurse in a level I Emergency/Trauma Department and as a fixed-wing Critical Care air transport nurse. Emily started her own Legal Nurse Consulting (LNC) business in 2006 and independently consults with attorneys on medical-legal issues and lawsuits. A staff alum from the 2007 spring SAS voyage, Emily is excited to again become an engaged citizen/student of the world while living and working aboard the MV Explorer!
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Ricardo Andrade (Audio Visual Coordinator)


Rico Andrade is the Head of Production at Transvideo Studios and Picturelab in Mountain View, CA, and is a graduate of Stanford University with degrees in Computer Science and Communication from Stanford University. He was previously the Audio Visual Coordinator for the Fall 2005 voyage, where every day he had the privilege of sitting in the many of the wonderful classes available to students. As a result, he developed an interest in the importance of sustainable development in an increasingly interconnected world.
Rico will be sailing with his wife Monika and daughter Elise, and looks forward to the amazing shipboard community that develops on every Semester at Sea voyage.
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Carol Baker (Field Office Coordinator)


Carol Baker received her B.A. from Chatham College and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in Research Methodology. She retired last year after 38 years as the Director of the Office of Measurement and Evaluation of Teaching at Pitt. She also was an Associate Professor in Research Methodology within the School of Education and taught statistics and measurement courses. She sailed with SAS in Fall 2001 as the Registrar/Assistant to the Academic Dean, served on the SAS Advisory Board for several years, and sailed as Field Office Coordinator in Summer 2008 and also on the May 2009 Enrichment Voyage. The 2010 voyage is eagerly anticipated.
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Jessica Beattie (Medical Staff)


Jessica has been practicing as a nurse practitioner at the Student Health Center, California State University, Chico, for the past 4 years. Having had the opportunity to be on the SAS Medical Team, Spring 2003 voyage, she was inspired to transition from hospital based emergency and urgent care practice, to work full time with college students. She has enjoyed helping this population more than most other experiences in her 33 year nursing career. Over the years she has worked in Alaska and California, from rural to urban settings. Originally from San Francisco, Jessica and her husband have four grown children and 3 grandchildren. Nationally Board Certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 1995, she graduated from University California Davis. Currently Jessica is a Candidate for the Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree. Her dissertation project is nearing completion on telepsychiatry service for rural Chico State students.
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Joseph Brazas (Community Resource Officer)


Joe is retired from the Los Angeles Police Department where he served for 28 years as a field sergeant, Assistant Watch Commander, Training Coordinator and leader of the vice unit. He is a court certified Drug Recognition Expert and recipient of the Police Star for bravery in the line of duty. He holds an AA degree in topographical drafting and land surveying and a BS degree in Urban Studies from California State University, Northridge. Joe has served as Community Relations Officer on four previous SAS voyages. Together with his wife Susie, he has taught English in Lithuania and China, and they have hosted several foreign teachers and students at their home in northern California. Joe is a custom cabinet maker, a youth basketball referee and an avid sports enthusiast, skier and hiker. He enjoys travel and looks forward to another exciting voyage. “It never gets old. I love this program”!
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Timothy Cassens (Living-Learning Coordinator)


Timothy Cassens graduated from Milligan College with a Bachelor of Arts in International Business. He continued on to Liberty University where he received a Master's of Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources. He currently works for Norwegian Cruise Line and has held the roles of Assistant Cruise Director and Crew Activities/Welfare Coordinator. During Mr. Cassens' education, he attended the International Business Institute as a study abroad experience in Europe and he has seen the value study abroad opportunities have on education and life experience. Timothy expects to learn a great deal about the new cultures around Europe and Africa as well as see that the students who attend Semester at Sea are challenged and grow as individuals.
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Elizabeth Coder (Living-Learning Coordinator)


Elizabeth Coder is originally from Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from Auburn University in the great state of Alabama with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. Go Tigers! Originally planning to attend law school, she spent two years after undergrad working in Greek life and student activities. Realizing education was her true passion, she went on to receive her Master’s degree in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, interning in Greek life, residential programs, student activities, and new student orientation. Looking for an adventure after graduate school, she moved to the Last Frontier where she is currently serving as an AmeriCorps Member, working with an after school program for underprivileged youth in Anchorage, Alaska. She is excited to embark upon this voyage for the educational experience of a lifetime!
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Peter Chu (Living-Learning Coordinator)


Peter Chu is from Little Rock, AR and attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where he received a bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management and a Master’s in Higher Education and Leadership. During his time at the U of A he worked in Residential Life, served as the Interim Director of First Year Experience/Orientation, and Greek Life. In 2006 Peter took a position as a Resident Director at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Within two years, he saw the opportunity to really make an impact on students’ lives and took another position at the University as their Student Leadership Coordinator. In this position he works closely with students in the residence halls and finds unique ways to help them stay balanced, connect with clubs and organizations, and become well rounded. He is also a NASPA Undergraduate Fellow graduate, and is still involved with the organization on a national level. He’s excited to work with students in such a unique living/learning experience on the voyage and to be part of their growth and development.
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Lynette Cook-Francis (Assistant Dean of Students)


Lynette Cook-Francis is currently Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Arizona. A native New Yorker, Lynette has lived and travelled broadly across the US, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean and now lives in the desert Southwest with her husband and two children. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania and Northern Arizona University, she has worked in higher education for almost 25 years as a faculty member, researcher, and administrator in a variety of institutions from community college to liberal arts to large public research. This summer, however, will mark her first experience as a staff member on a floating university. She hopes to share her love of word games, Star Trek and rhythm and blues karaoke with all interested parties.
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Kris Davidson (Photographer)


Kris Davidson is a freelance photographer, specializing in documentary / editorial photography and portraiture. Kris has a Masters degree in photography from Brooks Institute of Photography and a BA (Communication Arts) from Loyola University in New Orleans. Prior to becoming a full-time photographer, Kris had a career as a marketing / branding professional. As a photographer, Kris has worked with various clients including San Francisco Magazine, The Oakland Tribune / Bay Area News Group Newspapers, The Discovery Channel, National Geographic Traveler and Travesías as well as various commercial clients. Kris also teaches in the photography school at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Kris has traveled with Semester at Sea previously - in Spring 1996 as a student and again in Summer 2007 as the photographer.
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Lesley Danziger (Communications Coordinator)


Lesley is a Professor Emerita of English. She graduated from the University of Sussex, England and completed an M.S. in Education at California State University, Fullerton and an M.A. in English at the University of.California, Irvine. She taught English at high school for seventeen years, spent two years as a grant writer at the University of California, Irvine and twenty years as a Professor of English at Orange Coast College. She has supported and created school-college partnerships for most of her academic career, writing many successful local, state and national grants to support them. She co-wrote the book, To Advance Learning: A Handbook on School College Partnerships. She was the Orange Coast College Staff Development Coordinator for five years, writing a weekly on-line newsletter, maintaining a website, and organizing major faculty and staff events for the college. She also created a high school for high potential, under-achieving students on her college campus, coordinated a college outreach grant to predominantly Hispanic high school students, and co-chaired the college accreditation report. She received several major campus awards for service. She traveled around the world with SAS in Fall 1996 and Spring 2008.
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Ciel Duke (Lifelong Learner Coodinator)


Ciel Duke holds a Bachelor degrees in Fine Arts, Mathematics and Home Economics from San Jose State University, San Jose, CA. She enjoyed teaching all of those subjects- plus music- in the Campbell Union High School District, where she was named Teacher of the Year in 2000, before an early retirement. Ciel has served as Artist-in-Residence and performing musician for World Explorer Cruises and Semester at Sea Enrichment Voyages annually since 1981. As a professional Artist, Miss Duke has had numerous one-woman shows in Arizona, Alaska and Nova Scotia, where she spends summers at her cottage in Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ciel Duke served as Lifelong Learners Coordinator with Semester at Sea Fall ’90, and looks forward to meeting a vibrant new group of Lifelong Learners during Semester at Sea Summer ‘10
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Holly Forsberg (Assistant Field Office Coordinator)


Holly Forsberg (Assistant Field Office Coordinator) is currently a student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She previously received her Bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh along with a minor in Dance. She had a life-changing experience the first time she sailed with Semester at Sea as a student and can’t wait to return for another voyage on the MV Explorer.
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Kimberly Francis (Administrative Assistant)


Kimberly Francis works as a Clinical Research Coordinator for the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Sports Medicine and as a Pilates and Gyrotonic® instructor at Harmony Studio, Pittsburgh. She earned a BS in Biology from Chatham University, an MS in Human Genetics from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and an MPA in Public Policy from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Her international experience includes art history study abroad in Greece and Italy, extensive travel throughout Europe, and conducting a research study at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. Kim volunteers for her alma mater, Chatham University, and has served on the Alumnae/i Association Board since 1997. She shares her home in Carrick with five beloved felines. When not spending quality time with her housemates, Kim is socializing with friends and family, hiking with Venture Outdoors, or attending lectures, plays, dance performances, and concerts.
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Sendy Guerrier (Living-Learning Coordinator)


Sendy Guerrier is currently enrolled full time in a doctoral program in Urban Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her research interests include poverty, immigration, economic conditions of women, and international relations. Sendy has a BA in Political Science with a minor in Latin American Studies at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Administration from University of Delaware. Sendy has four years of professional experience in residence life, where she combined her passion and commitment to student learning, citizenship, diversity, and social justice education. Sendy is energized by work with college students and looks forward to the Semester at Sea experience.
Sendy was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti but grew up primarily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During free time, Sendy loves to travel, bargain shop, discover new culinary experiences, have spontaneous adventures and read contemporary romance novels.
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Tanya J. Hagen (Physician)


Summer 2010 ship physician Tanya grew up in southern California and went to college at UC Berkeley. Her medical education and training took her to Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington DC and eventually, the University of Pittsburgh where she currently practices Sports Medicine. As part of her work, she is team physician for several local high school and university athletic programs as well as a professional women's football team. She works closely with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a sports medicine consultant. Tanya was an exchange student to Brazil in high school and has traveled fairly extensively ever since for both work and pleasure. She and her husband Dave, (also a physician) have two wonderful and crazy young boys. The entire family is looking forward to the challenges, adventures, and incredible experiences that Semester at Sea promises to provide.
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Keith Kennedy (Assistant Information Technology Coordinator)


Keith Kennedy has been working with computers and software since pdp-11s (16-bit mini from DEC circa 1970’s). He received a bachelor of science degree in Computer Science from SUNY Potsdam. Since graduation in the late 1970s, he has worked in the manufacturing, importing, government, and higher education industries. He is currently the Director for Enterprise Application Services at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s license and is a Primary Race Officer at the Lake Champlain Yacht Club. He races and cruises in those boundary waters. He loves to ski, SCUBA dive, and debate public policy. His major ambition is to learn how to foster new thinking in old minds, his own included.
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Jeremy Kong (Information Technology Coordinator)


Jer Kong is a master of computer ninjitsu. He currently works for the Office of the President at the University of Virginia (UVa) as a Manager of Exectech. Even with over 16 years of technical support mastery, there's still always something new in I.T. While persuinig his undergrad in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech, he helped to pioneer the Virginia Tech computing helpdesk. During that time, he exercised his early pro status option in '98 when the opportunity to startup a dot com that quickly went dot bomb in the same year. One day, he will retire as a professional card dealer at some casino hopefully in a warm tropical island. While not tinkering with technology, he enjoys photography and videography. He hopes to bring back many great memories and serve as a SAS technology ambassador for UVa. This is Jer's first voyage with SAS, and will be excited to serve you for your I.T. and computing needs.
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Valerie Kong (Assistant Dependent Children Coordinator)


Valerie Kong graduated from VA Tech with a BA in English in 2000. She held the positions of Director and lead teacher for Creative Wonders Learning Center from 2001 until 2003. In 2003 Valerie left the mainstream work force to stay home with her son. She is currently a childcare provider in her home in Stuarts Draft, Va. She also volunteers and substitute teaches at Guy K. Stump Elementary School, also in Stuarts Draft. She is excited to be using her extensive childcare background on the SAS Summer 2010 voyage as the Assistant Dependant Childcare Coordinator. Valerie’s interests include reading, art, music, and travel. She lived in Papua New Guinea from 1981 until 1983 while her parents served as missionaries with the Foursquare organization. She is excited to add the Mediterranean to her list of exotic ports of call!
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Kevin McKee (Living-Learning Coordinator)


Kevin McKee is currently a School Counselor at Mangum Elementary School in Durham, NC. He grew up in North Carolina and received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Communication Studies at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!) before pursuing his Master's of Education Degree in College Student Affairs Administration from The University of Georgia. Kevin worked for five years in residence life and student activities at UGA and The University of Texas at Austin before switching careers and moving into school counseling. After receiving his Educational Specialist Degree in K-12 Counseling from UGA, Kevin moved back to his hometown and has worked with elementary aged students for the past four years. In his free time, Kevin enjoys volleyball, running, movies, travelling and reading and cannot believe how lucky he is to be embarking on the experience of a lifetime as a staff member on the Summer 2010 Semester at Sea voyage!
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Cathy LeGrand (Assistant Librarian)


Cathy recently discovered a document, written when she was 6 years old, which announced that when she grew up she wanted to be “a librarian or a police officer.” So it should come as no surprise that she has worked in libraries for over 15 years.
Cathy has spent many years in hospital and medical libraries, fruitful experiences for her nascent hypochondria. Her experience as the Campus Librarian at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco inspired a continuing interest in design, an interest that chiefly manifests itself in objecting to celebrity evening wear at televised award shows. Cathy currently works as the Public Services Librarian at the College of The Bahamas.
Cathy received her BA from New York University and her MLS from Emporia State University. She is delighted to be undertaking her maiden voyage with Semester at Sea.

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Carrie-Ann Miller (Counselor)


Carrie-Ann Miller is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York. She has her Masters in Social Welfare from Stony Brook University. She is the Director of the Women in Science and Engineering Program at Stony Brook University. She has worked with college age students and professionals at the University for 12 years. She was the Faculty Director of the Community Service-Learning, Living Learning Center for 4 years. She has a private practice and provides therapy services to college age students, adults and families. Her areas of specialties are depression, anxiety disorders, separation and family issues. She expects to meet and travel with a diverse group of adventurous people from all over the world!
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Ishai Setton (Videographer)


Ishai Setton is an independent film director and editor. His feature length directorial debut, “The Big Bad Swim,” premiered at New York’s prestigious Tribeca Film Festival and after a successful festival run was released on video by Echo Bridge Entertainment. It can currently be found on Starz, Netflix, Blockbuster and on amazon.com. In addition, Ishai has taught filmmaking and editing at the New York Film Academy, School of Cinema and Performing Arts and the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. His most recent projects include “Ten Year Reunion,” a documentary following a group of high school students to their ten year reunion and “This is War,” a documentary about rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. Ishai sailed as a student on the Fall 1998 voyage and was a guest on the Alumni Reunion Voyage where he screened his film on the Explorer. He received his BFA in Film and Television Production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Currently, Ishai lives with his wife, Liz, and their 1 ½ year old daughter Margot in Los Angeles.
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Laura Silver (Dependent Children Coordinator)


Laura Silver is currently working at the Association for Rural Development of Yilong County in rural Sichuan, China. She graduated with a BA from Wesleyan University in 2008 with a major in the College of Social Studies, an interdisciplinary major of history, government, economics, and philosophy. She previously sailed on the Fall 2001 voyage as a dependent and on the Summer 2008 voyage as the Dependent Children's Coordinator.
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Chandra Sproles (Living-Learning Coordinator: Health Promotion)


Chandra is known to most as Chela (pronounced Chay-la). Chela currently works as a Resident Director at Michigan State University (MSU). She has been working in Residence Life in various capacities in different institutions for over nine years. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at MSU in Family and Child Ecology. She studies health disparities within the African and Latino Diaspora. She is most passionate about educating people about their holistic wellbeing (i.e. physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual health). Chela is excited to be graduating on May 7, 2010! Everyone’s invited! Chela has also received her Masters in Public Administration from the University of Delaware and her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Chela has studied, conducted research, visited and lived abroad extensively and is excited for this wonderful opportunity to help connect the in-classroom and out-of-classroom experiences of students. In her little free time, she likes to listen to music, sing, dance (including Dance Dance Revolution), laugh, travel and work out. In her first voyage, she looks forward to teach and be taught, visiting the Pyramids and enjoying the company of others on the ship.
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Joann Sumner (Counselor)


Joann Sumner is a family therapist and family nurse practitioner currently working as Instructor in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing at Wake Tech Community College, Raleigh, NC. She received her B.S. in Nursing from UNC-Charlotte and Master’s in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing from University of Virginia. Her post-Master’s coursework for Family Nurse Practitioner was completed at UNC-Chapel Hill. Ms. Sumner previously sailed with SAS in Spring 06 as a Mental Health Professional, and has enjoyed traveling in the past to Europe, South America and Mexico. She was awarded Nurse of the Year in 1999 by the North Carolina Nurses Association, and is a member of the American Nurses Association. Ms. Sumner expects the Summer voyage of 2010 to be an unparalleled experience!
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Sheila Wade (Assistant Lifelong Learners Coordinator)


Sheila is currently a sixth grade teacher in an urban catholic school. After a career in development and special event planning for the American Heart Association, Sheila returned to school for an MS in education and teaching certification. She has been active in her community serving as a Selectman and member of the Board of Education. She founded the Citizen of the Year award in her community in 1987 and was the recipient of that award for her volunteer efforts in 1993. This is Sheila’s fourth voyage having traveled with her husband, Professor Michael Kaloyanides, Summer 02, Fall 04, Summer 08. She looks forward to discovering new places, returning to old favorites, auditing exciting and stimulating classes and, most importantly, making new friends.
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Wade Watkins (Field Office Coordinator)


Since graduating from Oklahoma State University in 1992 with a degree in International Studies, Wade Watkins has been the Asia Manager for an Oklahoma construction equipment manufacturer, a small business owner, an international business consultant, a high school social studies teacher, university administrator, grad student, a social sciences professor for an Oklahoma community college and since 2009, the Dean of Global Education, Professor of World Geography at Northern Oklahoma College. Mr. Watkins has a Master's degree in Governance and International Development from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. He frequently presents on contemporary global issues and study abroad topics, is active in several global education associations, and has lived, worked, or traveled in more than 125 countries. Wade has been married to Diana for 15 years and has an 8 year-old daughter, Emma, who comes by her travel addiction honestly.
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Christine Whang (Living-Learning Coordinator)


Christine S. Whang is currently the Associate Director of Apartment Life in Campus Village Housing at the University of California, Irvine, which is also where she received her B.A. in Political Science and International Studies. She received her Masters of Science in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Colorado State University in 2004 and concentrated her studies around internalized racism of students of color. Prior to her current position she served as the Apartment Life Coordinator at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The summer 2010 voyage will be Christine's inaugural experience with Semester at Sea program. She is looking forward to the new cultures and experiences that will be awaiting the students staff and faculty on this journey. She is also hoping to build relationships that will last a lifetime.
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LaCona Woltmon (Living Learning Coordinator)


LaCona Woltmon was born and raised on the balmy island of Kauai, Hawaii. She holds a BA from Stanford University in International Relations; her thesis was on Bhutan's Gross National Happiness as an alternative public policy perspective. Moving from the international stage to the individual level, LaCona delved into a Masters in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University. LaCona currently splits her time between working towards her Marriage and Family Therapy license and serving in various capacities for Stanford's residential community.

LaCona looks forward to exploring local cuisines, hiking to gorgeous vistas, playing board games, and enjoying late night conversations with her fellow voyagers. Although she hails from a small island, LaCona has been fortunate enough to live in Japan, France, and Ecuador, and has visited several other countries. She is excited about her first voyage!
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Oscar Zavala (Textbook Coordinator)


Oscar is a Professor/Counselor at Santa Barbara City College and holds a B.A. in Sociology from University of California, Santa Barbara as well as an M.A. in Education with Emphasis in Educational Psychology, Counseling and Guidance from California State University. He is an alumni with Semester at Sea having sailed in the Spring of 92 as a dependant and as a staff member in the Summer of 07. Oscar received the Santa Barbara City College Faculty Excellence Award for 2009-2010 and holds a membership in the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). Oscar’s expectations to the voyage are to share with the shipboard community, the amazing experiences we will have traveling abroad via the MV Explorer. Through academic lectures, field trips and first hand experiences, he wishes to learn more about the cultures and environment of the Mediterranean.
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