Faculty & Staff

A passionate film producer, screenwriter, novelist, and former journalist, Eric recently produced the feature film “Rickshaw Girl,” the first ever US-Bangladesh co-production.

Eric wrote the feature “Supremacy,” starring Mahershala Ali and Danny Glover and “My Suicide,” winner of 21 major film festival awards.

As a journalist, Eric’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The LA Times, Wired, and many travel, inflight and business magazines.

Eric is the author of four novels, including the thriller “Birdland” and satire “Cosmic Fever.” Along with his wife Kathleen (a counselor on this journey!), he co-wrote the children’s book “On The Day His Daddy Left.”

Eric and Kathleen live in Sonoma Wine Country and are proud parents of two grown sons, both in the film and music business.

Ruth M. Alexander is Professor of History Emerita at Colorado State University. Ruth’s interests and expertise as a teacher and researcher extend from modern world history and the transnational history of gender and race to American and world environmental history and the global history of national parks. In addition to teaching on Semester at Sea and at CSU’s Fort Collins campus, Ruth teaches at the CSU Center in Todos Santos, Mexico. Her most recent book is “Democracy Mountain: Longs Peak and the Unfulfilled Promises of America’s National Parks.”

Gayle Allard is a professor of Economics at IE Business School in Madrid. She is a native of California, but has lived and worked in Europe for most of her adult life. Her research centers on labor markets in developed countries, and development issues, mainly in Africa and in relation to innovation. She has an NGO that funds projects in water access and women´s education in Ethiopia. Besides her academic publications, she appears regularly in international media as a commentator on economic issues.
Dr. Allard teaches three courses on Coursera and her “MOOCs” have had hundreds of thousands of students. She has authored numerous interactive exercises and games to enhance learning in the classroom, and has written three e-textbooks.

Sona Karentz Andrews is a professor emerita of geography & provost emerita at Portland State University. She has held faculty positions at the Univ of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Univ of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Boise State Univ, Portland State Univ, and taught at Semester at Sea. Her academic area is geography, cartography, and Geographic Information Science. Sona has held administrative positions at several universities, including Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs at Portland State University, Vice Chancellor of the Oregon University System, and Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs at Boise State. Sona is bilingual (she speaks fluent English and Armenian). She grew up in New England and she and her husband, Steve, like to hike, bicycle, travel, read, and attend live performances.

Alissa Arp has extensive experience as a marine scientist and educator. She has conducted research, mentored graduate students, and published articles on the physiology of life in challenging environments ranging from the deep ocean to suburban estuaries. Alissa has been to the bottom of the ocean in research submarines, and at sea on many university research vessels. She currently travels extensively as an eco-tourist and has sailed on more distant oceans, including the Arctic, Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean and South Pacific. These travel experiences are woven into her teaching, bringing personal first-hand experience to classroom discussions. Alissa recently relocated to Portland, Oregon, and is an avid collector of folk art from her world-wide travels, and an avid textile enthusiast.

Xiao was born and raised in Harbin China. During her senior year at Beijing University, she hosted a group of Semester at Sea students and faculty. She has worked as an academic librarian at Loyola University in New Orleans, Ball State University in Muncie, University of Southern California, Woodbury University and finally Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) in Los Angeles. In addition to working in the library, she also led a team of librarians in California to create an open education resource information literacy textbook, Introduction to College Research. She is passionate about information equity, climate justice, and life-long learning. She is so excited about being a part of Semester at Sea Voyage, a dream that is over 30 years in the making.

Christopher Blocker (Chris) is an Associate Professor in the College of Business at Colorado State University. He has taught business courses at the university level for 20+ years and has a background in high-tech and consulting. Chris expertise is in value creation in services, sales, and society. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee and his MBA at TCU. Chris’ research has been published in premier journals and he enjoys blending research, real-world projects, and students’ perspectives in his courses. Chris is married to his best friend Amanda, and they have four wonderful children, Ryan, Rebekah, Jacob, and Hallelujah. Chris counts it a privilege to work with students and help them develop the skills, knowledge, and passion they need for their careers and life.

Hello there ! My name is Dr. Mary Breunig, Mary, she/her(s). I live and teach & learn on the ancestral lands of the Miwok, Nisenan, Patwin, Wintu and Maidue peoples, currently known as Sacramento, California. I spent over 20 years of my professional life teaching in Canada, most recently serving as Graduate Program Director of a Social Justice and Equity Studies program. I am a recreation and experiential education professor with numerous books and publications, focusing largely on social and environmental justice and student-centred pedagogy. I am a National Outdoor Leadership School instructor. You can find out more about me at marybreunig.com. I look forward to the opportunity to learn and grow and voyage together on this expedition.

Professor Ingrid Bianca Byerly directs the Humanitarian Challenges Focus program at Duke University. A South African ethnomusicologist, her early research explored the anti-Apartheid music movement, later expanding to global protest music. Her music lectures introduce students to the history, culture, and politics of musical soundscapes. She has led intercultural communication courses throughout South Africa, currently facilitates the Public Speaking seminars at Duke, and serves as a coach for TEDx talks. This will be Ingrid’s fourth voyage, having taught on Summer ’11, Spring ’14, and Fall ’19. She shared these voyages with her 3 sons, who sailed as ship-kids and then students. She treasures the company of family and friends, and relishes the inspiration of students and fellow travelers.

Dr. Carvalho is a Professor of Marketing at Dalhousie University, Canada. He has published research papers in the areas of international marketing and consumer behavior. He sailed with SAS four times and taught in the US, Canada, Finland, Poland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, and Brazil. He received the 2016 A. Gordon Archibald Teaching Excellence Award given by Dalhousie and The Olive Beatrice Stanton Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2009 given by the University of Manitoba (UofM). In addition, he received the UofM-UMFA Merit Award for teaching for six consecutive years (2007-2012). In the USA, he was nominated for the 2003 Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching and received the 2004 Dean’s Distinguished Teaching Award both at Baruch College.

Dr. Erin Davis is an professor at Indiana Wesleyan University with over 25 years of experience in the fields of student development, higher education, psychology and graduate counseling. She enjoys interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly in the areas of psychology, neuroscience, and sociology. Dr. Davis has studied and participated in service work in several countries around the world, including England, Uganda, Egypt, Australia and Portugal, and her research interests include cross-cultural and international psychology. Dr. Davis’ areas of interest include international student adjustment; neuropsychology and empathy; relational aspects of sexuality; dreamwork; cross-cultural and international psychology; positive psychology and coaching.

Born in Argentina and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Juan teaches philosophy at Kenyon College. He also taught at Brown, Notre Dame, and was a visiting professor at the University of Louvain, Belgium and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Juan’s teaching interests are broad, embracing existentialism and phenomenology, philosophy of art, philosophy of religion, and Zen Buddhist philosophy. Juan is multilingual and has traveled throughout Latin America , Europe, and Asia. He is married to Carola Sanz, a Cuban-American sociologist and textile artist. They have four grown children. Juan has a PhD from Brown University, a L.Phil from Louvain University, Belgium, and a BA from Queens College. Juan is an avid hiker, woodworker and carpenter, and a published poet, mostly of Japanese short-form poetry.

Dan Graham is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University (CSU), and is the Faculty Lead for the Physical Activity and Healthy Lifestyles concentration in the Colorado School of Public Health. He is the director of CSU’s Behavioral Medicine Lab, which promotes better health through modifying social and physical environments to facilitate active living and healthy eating – for example, he has used eye-tracking cameras to see how people actually use nutrition labels and he likes walking on a treadmill desk while working, so he studies how active workstations affect health and performance. He is the author of the picture book How Can I Wait When There’s a Treat on My Plate (Magination Press, 2021).

Peter Harris is Associate Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University, where his teaching and research focus on international security and US foreign policy. He is the author of Why America Can’t Retrench (And How It Might) (Polity Press, forthcoming) and co-author of Deterrence Gap: Avoiding War in the Taiwan Strait (US Army War College Press, 2024). He is a Non-Resident Fellow with Defense Priorities, a Washington-based think tank. Peter is originally from Wigan in the northwest of England, and has also lived in London, Vancouver, and Austin.

Dr. Tim Hibsman is very excited to serve on the Semester at Sea voyage. In Spring 2025, he will be serving as the Director of the onboard Writing Center and teaching Business Communications and Non-Fiction Writing.

Dr. Tim Hibsman has always had a sense of adventure and desire to experience different cultures. In 2014 he taught Professional Communications and Nautical Film & Literature at Sichuan University in Cheng Du, China. In 2016 he taught Sports Film & Literature at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea. Dr. Tim Hibsman is a Professor of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

He is delighted to be joining the program for an amazing adventure.

Megan Jacobs is an Associate Professor in the Honors College at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Megan’s interdisciplinary honors courses range from evaluating art’s role as a socio-political tool, to a philosophical exploration of the good life, to exploring identity through photography. Jacobs earned a BA in Fine Art from Smith College and an MFA from the University of New Mexico.
Jacobs’ work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and has been part of exhibitions at Aperture Gallery, Saatchi Gallery, the Museum of New Art (MONA), and The FENCE. Her recent work explores the intersection of motherhood and the climate crisis and was recognized as the Society for Photographic Education’s 2024 Lauren Shrensel Zadikow environmental art award.

Krista Johnson is Professor and Director of Center for African Studies at Howard University. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Northwestern University and has published on a wide range of topics including health policy, gender and HIV prevention, global health governance in Africa, and race and racism in International Relations. She has lived and traveled extensively throughout Africa and completed a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Botswana.

Dr. Kohel has taught counseling and social psychology-related courses for over fifteen years, most recently as a professor at Cottey College. Before, she served as a student academic affairs administrator, with a focus on student development. Integrated throughout her work is an emphasis on social and cultural identity. She aims to continually increase her and others’ multi/cultural intelligence to be able to facilitate greater equity, equality and inclusion in an ever-broadening and changing world. For example, she has led several student trips to Thailand. Dr. Kohel’s specific areas of interest include exploring different kinds of justice and causes and interventions for injustice, such as recategorization, self and organizational assessments, strategic planning, training, and dialogue.

Moriah is passionate about venture creation and social entrepreneurship and is excited to be teaching on this voyage! Her research focuses on the role of partnerships in social ventures. She taught Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the University of San Diego and FIU for over a decade. Moriah also worked in finance and microfinance in New York and Florida. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently and has lived in Venezuela, Mexico, Germany and Brazil. Her husband Dany from Argentina and her sons Dante (14), Enzo (11), and Tiago (7) will be on the voyage. She has homeschooled her children the last few years and taken them across the US & Europe in RV and lived in Argentina. Moriah’s mother and uncle went on SAS in the 1960s! She can’t wait to continue the family tradition and meet you!

Nina Namaste is Professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Elon University, NC. Her core disciplinary research focuses on food-related imagery as a means to express issues of race, class, and gender identity formation within contemporary Spanish texts. Her Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL) research explores transformative learning experiences, interdisciplinary thinking skills, and intercultural development, particularly in study abroad contexts, for both students and faculty. She has led two semester-long experiences abroad (Costa Rica & UK); all of her courses focus on interdisciplinarity and intercultural development, regardless of whether they are on or off-campus.

Agnès Peysson-Zeiss is Senior Lecturer at Bryn Mawr College where she is in charge of the intensive language program. Her research interests focus on comics from the French Speaking world. Her latest works examine the text-image relationship in graphic narratives. In 2019, she published « Dans la marge de la BD : Génocide et résilience » in Nouvelles Etudes Francophones and co-edited the volume Handicap et études francophones : état des lieux, in which her article revisits disability issues. Her current research deals with trauma and disability representations. Her article « Entre enfermement et réinscription visuelle : les enfants albinos sortent des cases dans Dipoula et Pour une couleur de peau » (La revue de l’enfance irrégulière, forthcoming Fall 2024).

My substantive interests and expertise center around research related to the promotion of health among minorities, specifically focusing on populations that have been traditionally marginalized as a result of age, race, sexual orientation, and/or social conditions. In addition, my research focuses on methodological approaches, including the utilization of technologies, to facilitate community-based research with vulnerable populations. I have been fortunate to be involved in multiple health promotion practice, research, and teaching initiatives in academic, corporate, governmental, and community-based settings, providing me with rich insights into community health issues across a broad range of cultures and geographic regions.

Pete Seel is professor emeritus at Colorado State University where he taught video production, photojournalism, telecommunication, and documentary history/production. This is his fourth voyage with Semester at Sea and his positive experiences with students and experiential education on these voyages led to the creation of media-related study-abroad courses for Colorado State that he led in Europe and Australia/New Zealand. He has extensive professional experience in photojournalism and video production. His research is focused on the global effects of new communication technologies, primarily concerning the internet, artificial intelligence, and social media.

Allison White is an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University with a PhD in Government, focusing primarily on domestic politics in dictatorships. In particular, she is interested in policymaking, elections, and corruption in one of the world’s most prominent autocracies–Russia. As the former Assistant Director of International Studies at Colorado State University, Allison enjoys engaging with students about all things international politics and policy. She currently directs the International Policy and Management specialization of CSU’s Master of Public Policy and Administration program. Allison also serves on the Executive Board of the Section for Comparative and International Administration of the American Society for Public Administration.

Kathleen Adams, LCSW, has worked with children, adults and families for over 35 years in both the USA and overseas. She has a psychotherapy and mediation practice in Northern California where she focuses on transition, trauma and inspiring hope.

Kathleen is co-author of the award-winning children’s book on divorce, “On the Day His Daddy Left.” She is also a film producer passionately focused on issues such as suicide prevention and girl empowerment. Her most recent feature film, “Rickshaw Girl,” won 10 major film festival awards and was the first-ever US-Bangladesh co-production. And just for fun, she does some travel writing.

Recently she was honored by the National Association of Social Workers with the “California Social Worker of the Year” award.

Jenai Copeland, LCSW, is passionate about supporting students and families through their trials and triumphs. She has an eclectic therapeutic style that is trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and relational. Prior to joining this voyage, Jenai provided therapy for individuals, couples, and groups through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Towson University, and Oaks Integrated Care. Her career in higher education has also included serving as a Residence Director at Montclair State University, Wesley College, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and Rutgers University Newark. She values creativity and enjoys engaging folks through innovative groups including improv therapy, laughing yoga, and dancing mindfulness.

Aki has worked as a licensed psychologist in the counseling center at the Colorado State University Health Network since 2011 and has been the Training Director there since 2012. She loves training master’s and doctoral-level graduate students who are learning to do therapy, while also providing individual and group counseling to CSU students. She identifies as multiracial and particularly enjoys providing support to students who are working to understand their own identities, including working with historical and identity-based trauma. Aki also has worked within the VA Medical Center, at a rape crisis center, and at an intensive outpatient program for eating disorders.

Aki is accompanied on this voyage by her partner and two young children.

Mr. Orsborn has over 24 years of experience in emergency medicine. He began his career at an early age, joining Utica Emergency Medical Services during the 10th grade. He later joined the Mount Vernon Life Support Team (LST) and was certified as a Basic (BCLS), Advanced (ACLS) and Pediatric (PALS) Advanced Life Support Instructor, and a Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) Instructor.
Mr. Orsborn was selected to join the Grant LifeFlight EMS Helicopter team, where he helped staff our nation’s first remote-based EMS Helicopter program. While at Knox Cardiology Associates, he became one of only four physician assistants in the U.S. to become Board Certified in Lipidology. Mr. Orsborn also helped establish Knox County’s first Urgent Care.

Eddie has worked in a variety of student services areas within higher education (residential education, admissions, int’l education, disability services, financial aid), and has taught at the junior high, high school and college levels; he most recently served as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Southern California. He lived in Japan for nearly five years, has led int’l student service learning trips around the world (India, Guatemala, Belize, Thailand, Peru), and has spent significant time working with orphanages in Uganda and Kenya.