Staff Bios
Jesse Lutabingwa, Ph.D. Associate Vice Chancellor
With more than 20 years of experience in International Education and Development, Jesse is responsible for providing leadership in advocating for, supporting and pursuing the university's goals for international education and development. In this regard, his most important priorities include: collaborating with faculty to further internationalize the curriculum; advocating for programs of study that prepare students to be globally competent; identifying opportunities for faculty to acquire international education experiences; serving the large and diverse population of international students and visiting scholars; and expanding the boundaries of Appalachian’s community engagement beyond the U.S. borders. Originally from Tanzania, Jesse has traveled extensively in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics with a Political Science minor; a Master’s degree in International Development Management, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration. He finds fulfillment in making a difference in the lives of people, especially in developing countries. He enjoys camping and the outdoors.
Marty McCormick, Administrative Assistant
Marty McCormick is the Assistant to the Associate Vice Chancellor. Originally from Colorado, she has lived in New York, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, and now resides in Tennessee. She earned a BA in English and a BFA in Film/Video Production of the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her professional experience ranges from administrative support in various corporate institutions such as Mitsubishi, purchasing in JILA (Joint Institute for Astrophysics) at CU/NIST (National Institute of Standards), to teaching middle school. She has traveled in Mexico, Canada, Peru, and Bolivia and is looking forward to further travels around the world. Her interests include reading, politics, and films. Her time is often spent taking photos, home remodeling, making experimental films or hiking in the woods.
Faculty Support Services & International Student Services
Robert White, Executive Director & Foreign Student Advisor
Bob has served in the office for the past decade. He works at the right hand of the Vice Chancellor in striving to knit the individual elements of the international work at the university into a whole cloth larger than the sum of its parts. One particularly engaging key is working with the ever more diverse ASU faculty, of which 10% is international as of fall 2007. He participated in ASU's very first International exchange program at Northeastern University in China in the early 1980s. After a year in Shenyang, China he returned to study Modern Chinese History at Duke University as a Javits Fellow, teach in the History Department at ASU, and catch the "international education bug" taking student groups to China over several years.
He enjoys a life-long fascination with antique motorcycles, playing Bluegrass music, and his evolving 36 year marriage to his cultural anthropologist wife.
Study Abroad (semester/year programs)
Nancy Wells, Director of Study Abroad (semester/year programs)
Nancy Wells is the Director of International Student Exchange and Study Abroad. In addition to advising students regarding semester/year abroad programs, she also works with Appalachian’s international bilateral partner institutions and program affiliates. Currently, she serves as the 2007 chair of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, Region VII (southeast United States) and is also the advisor for INTAPP.
Nancy holds a master’s degree in education from Xavier University in Cincinnati and a master’s degree in literature from Appalachian.
Jeanne d'Arc Gomis, Study Abroad Advisor (semester/year programs)
Jeanne d’Arc is the Study Abroad Advisor at the Office of International Education & Development. She manages the academic aspect of exchange programs for international students who come to Appalachian State University for a semester or academic year, non-degree seeking studies. She also is an advisor to ASU students who plan to study abroad for a short term programs offered through non-ASU agencies, as well as semester and year long programs.
Originally form Senegal; Jeanne d’Arc holds a Master’s Degree from the Institute of Foreign Applied Languages, University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar. She has earned a second Master’s Degree in Comparative and International Development Education from the University of Minnesota where she also taught French for two years before joining OIED in 2005. Previously, Jeanne d’Arc worked as a study abroad program assistant to various U.S. programs in Senegal hosted at the West African Research Center.
Study Abroad with Appalachian Overseas Education Programs (faculty-led programs)
Meg Kennedy, Director of Appalachian Overseas Education Programs
Meg is Director of Appalachian Overseas Education Programs. The mission of AOEP is to collaborate with faculty and academic departments to promote rich educational experiences abroad for Appalachian students. The AOEP unit assists faculty program leaders in developing programs that foster stimulating professional growth, support the “local to global” link within our undergraduate curriculum, and most importantly provide students with academically rigorous study abroad opportunities.
Before joining Appalachian State University in 1991, Meg worked in international avenues for three Fortune 500 companies (in Germany and in the U.S.). Meg is a native of Germany where she obtained degrees as translator, interpreter, and foreign correspondent in English and French from ESO Eurosprachenschule in Trier, Germany. She also holds an M.A. in French Education with a minor in Higher Education Administration from Appalachian State University.
She looks forward to meeting with Appalachian faculty and students interested in Appalachian Overseas Education Programs. Feel free to contact her for an appointment, or just stop by at her office # 236 A.
Nathalie M. Turner, Coordinator for Appalachian Overseas Education Programs
As coordinator of Appalachian Overseas Education Programs, Nathalie is responsible for providing training in the field of international education as well as administrative and logistical support to Appalachian faculty leading a study abroad program. She advises prospective student participants about a variety of Appalachian Overseas Education Programs that will satisfy both their international aspirations and academic needs, and guides them through the entire process. In consultation with the program leaders, she is available to conduct pre-departure orientation sessions for individual programs.
Before joining OIED in June 2007, she taught French at the high school level for ten years while working on different school committees, serving as chair of the foreign language department, and leading groups of students to France and Switzerland.
Nathalie is originally from Cogolin, a small town in Southern France, and has traveled extensively in Western Europe. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Winthrop University, South Carolina; and later obtained her M.A. in Education from Appalachian State University.
Sarah Speir-Bergstedt, Ph.D. Director of International Outreach
Sarah joined the staff of the OIED in 2007 and is excited about being involved in developing a newly added area to the office of International Outreach. Her vision of this area includes building and expanding programs that will increase opportunities for the K-12 schools, community members, and ASU students to engage in dynamic intercultural learning experiences. Her past professional experiences have primarily been in the field of international student & scholar services. Her doctoral work at UNC-Greensboro focused on the Cultural Foundations of Education, with emphases in feminist theory, qualitative research, & the arts.
Sarah was raised in the southeastern U.S., Brazil, and Wisconsin. She spent one year as an AFS exchange student in Finland. She has lived and studied in Italy, travelled in Western Europe, and has visited India several times with family members. She finds life rich with family and being involved in meaningful work that inspires continual learning.
Student employees
Leila Ghannad, Graduate Student
Anya Lainas, Graduate Student
