Fall 2024 | European , Asian, and African Adventure

Faculty & Staff

Exploring countries in Europe and Asia, this voyage gives participants a truly impactful study abroad adventure on our floating college!

We are a diverse team of academic experts and professionals

Under the leadership of the executive dean, academic dean, and dean of student life, Semester at Sea faculty and staff are a team of innovative and stimulating educators who are passionate about international education and focused on developing a dynamic and compassionate shipboard community.

Check back soon to meet your voyage leadership team, faculty, and staff!

Voyage Leadership Team


Faculty

Tamika Baldwin-Clark
Social Work
Tamika Baldwin-Clark
Social Work

Dr. Tamika Baldwin-Clark is currently an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Prairie View A&M University. She has studied and worked in the field of social work, both internationally and domestically, for over a decade, and previously taught graduate courses online through the University of Nevada-Reno. Some of her other positions include being a foster care worker in Detroit, a therapist at Baylor College of Medicine, a service coordinator at Texas Children’s Hospital, a U.S. Census Bureau Enumerator, and a care manager in London, UK. Dr. Clark is a licensed clinical social worker supervisor as well as a licensed chemical dependency counselor. While her specialization is gerontology, she also has practiced in the areas of child welfare, substance use, and mental health.

  • Home Institution
    Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical University
  • Education
    Tamika Baldwin-Clark, PhD, LCSW-S, LCDC, earned her PhD from Morgan State University; her MSW from Michigan State University; and her BA in sociology from the University of Michigan.
  • Personal Interests
    My personal interests include traveling to different countries, dancing, spending time with my husband and son, participating in church activities, and having fun.
Guanlin Gao
Economics
Guanlin Gao
Economics

Guanlin Gao is an Associate Professor of Economics at Chaminade University of Honolulu and the inaugural Director of the Economic Education Center for Excellence, whose mission is to advance prosperity and economic justice in Hawai‘i and the US-affiliated Pacific through integrated economic education, training, and community-based research. Dr. Gao’s research focuses on building resilience and vital equity in underserved populations and communities. Her current educational endeavor involves incorporating culturally appropriate content for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in economics education, as well as providing accessible, sustainable professional development training for K-12 educators in Hawai’i. Dr. Gao has received multiple awards for teaching, research, and student mentoring.

  • Home Institution
    Chaminade University of Honolulu
  • Education
    Guanlin Gao earned her Ph.D. in economics from Georgia State University; M.A. in economics from Central Michigan University; and B.A. in international economics and trade from Renmin University.
  • Personal Interests
    Hiking, yoga, traveling, cooking, and exploring diverse cultures through food and outdoor adventures.s.
Dulce Gray
Writing Center Director
Dulce Gray
Writing Center Director

Dr. Dulce María Gray comes from a long line of immigrants who have moved widely in the world—and that’s probably why she has such an urgent sense of wanderlust, and why a SAS voyage is thrilling to her: she gets to teach, to learn, and to experience traveling with people who share her passions. Dr. Gray has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses at universities in New York City, Indiana, Virginia, and currently in California’s Silicon Valley where she teaches in face-to-face and online modes. Being a global citizen, she believes, enriches her personal and professional life, focuses her on being empathic and socially conscious, and allows her to be enormously grateful for the privilege of being able to move about the world.

  • Home Institution
    West Valley College
  • Education
    Dr. earned her PhD from IU-Bloomington; her MA and BA from City University of New York.
  • Personal Interests
    Dr. Gray enjoys writing, traveling, gardening, and art exhibits.
Sarah Gray
Sarah Gray
Soo Kang
Hospitality and Event Management, Tourism
Soo Kang
Hospitality and Event Management, Tourism
  • Home Institution
    Colorado State University: Fort Collins
  • Education
    Soo Kang earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Kansas State University
Kelly McKenna
Adult Education and Training
Kelly McKenna
Adult Education and Training

Dr. Kelly McKenna is an associate professor in the Adult Education & Training Graduate Program in the School of Education at Colorado State University. She completed her Ph.D. in Educational Technology and earned a master’s degree in Education and Human Resource Studies. Dr. McKenna’s teaching experience includes face-to-face, hybrid, and online instruction. Her scholarship focuses on adult and higher distance education, with research objectives aimed to support learners in their educational and occupational endeavors by creating optimal learning environments and facilitating successful student experiences.
Dr. McKenna is excited to introduce her daughter Maren (3) to the transformational experience of Semester at Sea.

  • Home Institution
    Colorado State University: Fort Collins
  • Education
    Kelly McKenna earned their PhD from the University of Northern Colorado; their MEd from Colorado State University; and their BA from Colorado State University.
  • Personal Interests
    Travel, boating, watching movies, skiing (water and snow), reading, spa visits, and most importantly spending time with family and friends.
Viviana Premazzi
Sociology
Viviana Premazzi
Sociology

Viviana travelled to more than 50 countries and lived in Italy, Brazil, Canada, Portugal, The Netherlands, USA and Malta where she set up her international social enterprise, Global Mindset Development. GMD Training and Consultancy Services Ltd. provides online and in-person consulting, training and mentoring services to companies and organizations all over the world to help them to develop an open and curious mindset to work effectively across cultures and promote diverse and inclusive workplaces and societies.
PhD in Sociology of Migration, she has been a researcher and adjunct professor for universities, business schools and research institutes in Europe and North America. Her aim is to always bridge research with practice and fieldwork.

  • Education
    Viviana Premazzi earned her PhD from the University of Milan in 2014; her Master degree from the University of Pisa in 2006 and her bachelor and master degree from the University of Milan in 2005
Bert Vermeulen
Mechanical Engineering and Business
Bert Vermeulen
Mechanical Engineering and Business

Bert Vermeulen was born in Switzerland and grew up in the Netherlands and in Colorado. His mother’s family owned an international shipping company and his father’s family has engineering backgrounds. He has master’s degrees in both business and engineering. Bert has worked in the US, UK, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Antarctica, and Hungary in a engineering, management, and business ownership roles. Since 2009 he has taught a variety of engineering and entrepreneurship courses at CSU. He also works as a patent consultant. He currently has seven issued US Patents. To date, Bert has visited 97 countries.

  • Education
    Bert Vermeulen earned his master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University, and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT.
  • Personal Interests
    Cycling, and folding bicycle design. World travel, languages, cultures, languages, international development, trade, and infrastructure. Patents and entrepreneurship.

Staff

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