Archives: Biographies

Dr. Kara McBride is an expert in teacher training, curriculum design, and online and distance learning. Since joining World Learning in 2016, Dr. McBride has worked on a variety of education projects in both face-to-face and distance learning settings. The online teacher training courses and MOOCs that she designed for the U.S. Department of State OPEN program have been completed by more than 25,000 participants from over 100 countries. In her capacity as the headquarters English specialist for QITABI 2, a USAID-funded project in Lebanon that targets literacy, math, and social and emotional learning (SEL), Dr. McBride and her team are working with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to create structured teaching and learning materials for both in-person and distance learning, grades 1-6. Other projects have included curriculum design and training of trainers for Syrian Refugee Kids Can Code in Iraq, developing a Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Prishtina in Kosovo, and training teachers in Costa Rica on using technology to teach indigenous languages and cultures. Dr. McBride serves as co-chair for the Education for Development workgroup for the Society for International Development Washington, D.C. chapter (SID-W).

Before coming to World Learning, Dr. McBride was a tenured professor in the Department of Languages, Literature, and Cultures at Saint Louis University, where she served as director of both the basic Spanish program and, later, the Spanish MA program. Dr. McBride holds a doctorate degree in second language acquisition and teaching from the University of Arizona, a master’s degree in applied linguistics – TESOL from Indiana University, a master’s degree in Spanish and Latin American studies from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Oregon. Her publications include journal articles and book chapters on online task design, interculturality, and language learning, including her 2018 co-edited book on preparing foreign language teachers, written in Spanish, A enseñar: Una guía práctica para los maestros de idiomas (Let’s Teach! A Practical Guide for Language Teachers). She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

As an Education Advisor in Curriculum and Training for World Learning’s Global Development and Exchange programs, Lois leads the design and delivery of teacher development programs across the globe on a range of topics including English language teaching, intercultural communication, civic engagement, classroom psychosocial support, and conflict resolution. She designs and implements English language, teacher development, and training-of-trainers curricula. She works with in-service and pre-service teachers, face-to-face and online, to improve teacher knowledge and pedagogical practices, especially in relation to learner-centered methodologies and reflective practice. For the past seven years, Lois has led the design and delivery of the Madrassa English Language Teacher Training Program in India and recently in Indonesia which aims to strengthen madrassa teachers’ use of English as the medium of instruction, increase the use of learner-centered methods, and strengthen professional networks and communities of practice in the madrassa schools. 

Wendi Carman is an education champion with two decades of international development and education experience, including leadership for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and research of basic education, youth development and community participation programs. Wendi has developed curricula and teaching and learning materials for formal and non-formal learning experiences, and has taught middle school, English as a Second Language, family literacy, and high school equivalency for youth. Her areas of focus include positive youth development and youth engagement, violence prevention and mitigation, school dropout prevention, and gender considerations in education programming.

At World Learning, Wendi is project director for a large-scale USAID-funded education project in Lebanon, QITABI 2. She has held long-term field positions in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Ecuador, and Mauritania. She has also managed and conducted short term technical support for education and youth projects in Algeria, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Zambia, Nigeria, and Panama. Wendi holds an M.Ed. in International Education and Development from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a BA in Spanish from the University of Oregon. She also earned a Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate from the Project Management Institute.

Hannah Zuzek has extensive experience leading programs in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, as well as providing technical assistance in youth workforce development and entrepreneurship projects. Zuzek has worked extensively in the Middle East and North Africa region with more than ten years of experience, including serving as a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco (2010-2012). She holds expertise in inclusive youth workforce development, entrepreneurship, private sector engagement, positive youth development, and economic growth.

Matt Brown has worked for World Learning for 24 years and is currently based in the Washington, DC area. He designs and manages diverse programs that build the technical and leadership capacities of individuals, universities, and other types of organizations to achieve their goals, using tools such as professional training, international exchanges, study tours, grants, and university linkages. Matt has focused recently on programs that support countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, and Malawi. For 12 years, he served as World Learning’s resident director in several Balkan countries. Matt began his career as an ESL teacher and teacher trainer. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Pakistan and Bulgaria. He has substantial experience serving on nonprofit boards, and facilitates occasional anti-racism workshops. Matt holds a master’s degree in international and intercultural management and administration from World Learning’ SIT Graduate School, and an executive certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown. He speaks fluent Bulgarian and some Spanish.

Jennifer Chen is the Director of Virtual Programming at World Learning. In this role, she oversees the organization’s virtual exchange strategy, drives program growth to new regions, and provides technical training to staff. Jennifer founded the organization’s flagship virtual exchange program, The Experiment Digital, in 2016, which has reached over 3,000 students in 16 countries. 

A strong advocate for equitable learning opportunities, Jenn is passionate about leveraging technology to equip learners with essential skills for the future. Before joining World Learning, she worked at Meta, where she developed and implemented the vision and strategy for the company’s global education initiatives. She also designed mobile learning games at PBS KIDS and is a former high school history teacher.  

Jenn holds a B.S. in International Politics from Georgetown University and an M.Ed. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Jessica Ellerbach has over 10 years of experience in the field of international education, and she currently serves as Academic Exchange Program Specialist for World Learning. In this capacity, Ellerbach provides critical technical and business development support to World Learning USG-sponsored exchanges. Prior to her current role, Ellerbach managed several academic exchange programs for Pakistan, West Bank and Gaza, and Kosovo sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development as well as administered professional exchange programs funded by the U.S. Department of State. Ellerbach’s professional focus on administering U.S. government academic and professional exchange programs is complemented by her master’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University.

Emily Ralic-Moore has nearly 10 years of experience in the field of international exchange operations, and she currently serves as the Program Manager for the Fulbright Specialist Program for World Learning. In this capacity, Emily oversees the daily operations of the program and provides overall strategic direction of its implementation, serving as the program’s main point of contact for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Emily previously worked as a Director of International Operations at WorldStrides, a provider of global educational student travel. At WorldStrides, Emily managed operations teams in multiple locations to implement programs in 52 countries. Her work focused on process improvement, external relations, and contract management. 

Emily’s professional background also includes experience in higher education administration and teaching at NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Emily completed her master’s in public administration at NYU Wagner with a specialization in international development and an undergraduate degree in Linguistics from Boston College. She is fluent in Croatian and Spanish, in addition to English.

Rachel Rice is a Program Manager at World Learning. She manages the implementation of the Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad, also known as IDEAS (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students), a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Prior to joining World Learning, Rachel served as a College Relations Manager at IES Abroad. In this role, she worked with institutions in the Northeast region of the U.S. promoting study and internships abroad to students, faculty, and staff. Rachel also served as the Program Director for International Programs at Barnard College, advising inbound and outbound students, managing international partnerships, supporting faculty-led programs, and managing on-campus international programming. Rachel received her MA in Educational Psychology from NYU Steinhardt, and her BA in European Studies from Barnard College. She has frequently presented at national conferences on assessment of study abroad programs.

Vlad Spencer is a Program Manager at World Learning with more than 20 years of experience administering U.S. Department of State professional exchange programs. In his role, Mr. Spencer also manages relationships and communication with in-country partners to ensure successful program delivery. As the current Program Manager for the On-Demand Leaders Lead and Digital Communication Network exchanges, the U.S. Speaker Program, the Professional Fellows Program, and the International Sports Programming Initiative, Mr. Spencer brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in creating impactful public diplomacy programming. Previous experience includes journalism and TV production. Mr. Spencer has a M.A. degree in economics from Bucharest University in Romania and has studied TV production at American University in Washington, DC.

Eric Corens is technical advisor, technical specialist, and program manager at World Learning focused on participant training, organizational development, and exchanges.

Corens has worked for World Learning for 13 years designing and managing training, education, capacity building, civic engagement, and exchanges for programs in the MENA region, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. He has served as key personnel and program manager for programs such as the U.S. Department of State-funded Leaders for Democracy Fellowship, the USAID-funded Community Connections Belarus, and others.

Corens also brings 16 years of experience in project management, engagement with public, private, and nonprofit sectors, and NGO management. He’s certified in the Participatory Institutional Analysis Instrument and USAID’s Introduction to Human and Institutional Capacity Development tool. Corens has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory University and a master’s degree in international political economy from Seton Hall University.

Ann Driscoll is a Senior Program Officer on World Learning’s Professional Exchanges team. She joined World Learning in February 2010 and has developed over 100 projects for the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), including in-person and virtual programs, multi-regional and regional projects, individual and small group programs, special initiatives on elections, journalism, and international security, the International Women of Courage project, and voluntary visitor programs. She designed and led one of the first virtual IVLP projects, a Regional Program for the Caribbean, in 2015. As a Senior Program Officer, Ms. Driscoll contributes to IVLP team management and provides programming and professional development support to her colleagues. She has tailored programs for visitors from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Western Hemisphere on a variety of topics including elections, government transparency and accountability, e-government, women’s political participation, civil and human rights, border security, policing, counter-extremism, disinformation, energy, education, journalism, filmmaking, entrepreneurship, international adoptions, environmental protection and climate change, and new media. Her work experience prior to joining World Learning includes 14 years as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Information Agency, during which time she served as a cultural affairs and press officer in Jordan, Algeria, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia. Ms. Driscoll holds a B.A. in international relations from the University of South Florida and an M.A. in public communication from American University.

Jessica Mead is a Program Manager on the Professional Exchanges team at World Learning. She has 20 years of experience in project management, public affairs, international education, and international exchange. Since 2015, she has managed the Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars (Alumni TIES) program funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. In this role, she plans and implements thematic seminars around the world for alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs and manages the Alumni TIES Small Grants program. From 2008 to 2015, she worked on the Global Undergraduate Exchange program, also funded by the U.S. Department of State, advising undergraduate students from countries in East Asia and the Pacific during their semester or year abroad and securing placements for them at U.S. universities and colleges. She also developed two small grant programs for World Learning alumni: the 2014 Alumni Engagement Initiative funded by Newman’s Own Foundation and the 2015 Advancing Leaders Fellowship program; in addition to creating an online course in community project design, management, and evaluation for prospective grantees.

Prior to joining World Learning, Ms. Mead was an English language instructor at DuocUC in Santiago, Chile, coordinated international public affairs campaigns at Powell Tate|Weber Shandwick, assisted with marketing strategies for Outward Bound USA, and organized large events and major gift solicitations for the New England Regional Anti-Defamation League. Ms. Mead has a M.Sc. degree in the history of international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a B.A. degree from Sarah Lawrence College.

Ms. Meghan Simpson is a senior program officer on World Learning’s International Visitor Leadership Program team, where she has worked since 2014. Her background includes over two decades of international experience as an educator, researcher, and programmer. In her current role, she leads efforts to develop and incorporate innovative learning and design elements into international exchange programming. She has conducted sessions for national and international audiences on experiential learning, understanding different learning styles, and creative programming elements in exchange programs. Prior to joining World Learning, Ms. Simpson served on the faculty of the Asian University of Women in Bangladesh, where she taught courses in writing, Gender Studies, and Asian Studies. Before that, she worked on local governance reform with the Open Society Institute in Budapest, pioneering a series of short-term, immersive exchanges for leaders in multiethnic communities in Southeast Europe and Central Asia. Ms. Simpson’s passion for international exchange is borne of out of her experiences as an exchange participant, which include a Fulbright scholarship for research on the complex relationship between women’s non-governmental organizations and international aid in Kyrgyzstan. She holds graduate degrees from Central European University and the School for International Training Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Amirah Nelson joined World Learning in 2014, working on a portfolio of complex, long-term academic exchange programs for individuals from countries such as Kosovo, Malawi, and the West Bank and Gaza. She has managed all stages of the academic exchange program cycle, including outreach and recruitment of diverse host institutions, visa and logistical arrangements, stakeholder coordination, participant advising, and budgetary management.

In addition, Nelson serves as Camp Director for the U.S. Department of State-funded Women in Science Girls STEAM Camp, a public-private partnership involving Intel, the United Nations’ Girl Up Campaign, Google, and NASA that brings together teen girls from around the world to connect them with mentors and like-minded peers, inspire them to pursue careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Design, and/or Mathematics (STEAM), and enhance their leadership potential.

Previously, Nelson worked in Indonesia, where she promoted citizen diplomacy and youth leadership as a Fulbright Scholar and assisted the Indonesian Directorate General of Higher Education in its efforts to address teacher shortages in remote and/or disadvantaged areas. She continues to maintain a connection to the country through her role on the Advisory Board of In Good Faith, a nonprofit organization working in Indonesia and the U.S. at the intersections of digital exchange, interfaith education, and countering violent extremism.

Nelson holds a degree in economics and development studies from Smith College. She speaks English and Indonesian.

Christina Wagner is the Senior Program Officer for The Experiment Digital at World Learning, where she oversees virtual exchange programming in the United States, MENA region, and Latin America. Since joining World Learning, Christina has been shaping digital programs that connect youth across diverse regions, fostering cross-cultural understanding and leadership development. 

Christina has served in program management roles leading 21st Century Community Learning Center grants, focusing on out-of-school-time programming aimed at enhancing academic performance, particularly in math and reading. Her programs also emphasized social-emotional learning, financial literacy, and strengthening community and guardian engagement to enhance improvements in educational outcomes for underserved communities. 

Christina’s focus is on long-term program strategy, stakeholder engagement, and ensuring that the organization’s digital programs are delivered in a way that is accessible and effective for participants across the globe. Christina holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in English from Cleveland State University. 

Mr. Anthony Zaun is an education professional with over 20 years of experience managing international education and development programs in the areas of exchange, training, and capacity-building. Currently a Senior Program Officer on the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) team at World Learning, Mr. Zaun researches, designs, and overseas the implementation of IVLP projects, and contributes to the professional development of his colleagues. Since joining World Learning, Mr. Zaun has developed and implemented over 100 IVLP programs on a wide range of topics for professionals from all over the world. He has also collaborated with colleagues at other agencies on special projects and initiatives on diversity, women’s entrepreneurship, national security, and US electoral processes. In addition to his experience with the IVLP program, Mr. Zaun’s professional background includes over ten years of experience managing USAID-funded election administration and workforce development programs and collaborating with government and private-sector partners to achieve project goals and objectives. Mr. Zaun has a B.A. degree in political science and Latin American studies from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and an M.A. degree in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Maryland, College Park.