MIIS welcomes Galen Anderson, one of two Presidential Fellows with the Ron and Jessica Liebowitz Fund for Innovation, who began working from the Monterey campus this fall. Galen graduated from the College (’11.5) and received her graduate degrees (MPA and International Education Management) from MIIS in 2015.  She also attended Language Schools and Schools Abroad, worked as a staff member at the College before coming to MIIS. For her practicum (and subsequent as a staff member) at MIIS last year, she coordinated the successful launch of the Sprintensive program — a pilot project that offers DPP students the opportunity to spend a semester taking a sequence of intensive four-week courses.  This week Galen organized her first outreach session on the Fund for Innovation, which featured updates on funded projects and information on how to apply for support from FFI.

In this post we’ll introduce you to a new member of the Middlebury College staff. Please join us as we welcome Sonja to campus!

On April 1, 2016, Sonja Burrows joined the Instructional Design team in the Office of the Associate Provost for Digital Learning, where she provides guidance and support for digital projects across the institution with particular focus on the Language Schools and Schools Abroad. As a language educator, second language acquisition scholar, and digital language-learning expert, Sonja brings to her work an on-the-ground understanding of the diverse ways in which digital projects can amplify language and cultural learning environments.

Prior to joining the Office of Digital Learning, Sonja developed curricula for summer language academies as well as digital language courses at Middlebury Interactive Languages. She also taught Spanish both at Middlebury College and the University of Oregon, where she developed a specialization in Spanish Heritage Language pedagogy. A self-described language geek and cultural scholar, Sonja has lived, worked, and taught in five countries outside of the United States. She speaks English and Spanish, some Italian and French, and aspires to learn Portuguese.

Sonja holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from the University of Oregon, as well as Master’s degrees in Spanish literature from the University of Oregon and in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the School for International Training. Her fields of expertise and scholarly research aim to bridge the disciplinary gaps between literature and linguistics, and include Spanish Heritage Language pedagogy, Spanish in the U.S., and English-Spanish bilingualism.

In this post we’ll introduce you to a new member of the Middlebury College staff. Please join us as we welcome Ursula to campus!

Ursula Olender is the new Director of Career Advising for the Center for Careers and Internships. Ursula tells us that her life’s work has been supporting liberal arts students who are in pursuit of their goals and dreams. After completing at B.A. in psychology at Greenville College (IL) and M.Ed. in counseling at Springfield College (MA), she served as a career counselor at Champlain College, Associate Director of Career Services at Dartmouth College, and Director of Career Services at Colgate University.  Most recently, Ursula was Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Career Center at Amherst College.  Ursula also reports that she has “dreamed of working with Middlebury students for more than 20 years” and “feels blessed to have the opportunity to return to Vermont.”

In this post we’ll introduce you to a new member of the Middlebury College staff. Please join us as we welcome Bijan to campus!

Bijan Samimi has worked in the dining services industry for over 30 years. Bijan supports the community through his efforts with local youth programs and guest speaking engagements. He joins us as Lead PM Cook for Retail Foods.

In this post we’ll introduce you to a new member of the Middlebury College staff. Please join us as we welcome Amy to campus!

Amy Frazier comes to Middlebury most recently from Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where she worked as the Digital Literacy Librarian at Cushing Academy. Her professional background before she became a librarian was in media production and education, with a focus on teaching video production skills and techniques to novice users. She has a B.A. In Film Studies and Comparative Cultural History from Marlboro College, studied filmmaking at the London Film School in the U.K., and most recently she earned her MLS from Emporia State University’s satellite program in Portland, Oregon.  Amy maintains a pretty standard collection of “nerd hobbies”: board gaming, knitting, video gaming, over-involvement with the Song of Ice and Fire series, and playing old time and bluegrass mandolin (enthusiastically, but not well.)

In this post we’ll introduce you to a new member of the Middlebury College staff. Please join us as we welcome Katie to campus!

Katie Gillespie is the new Research Compliance Manager at Middlebury College and will provide guidance on requirements pertaining to the IRB, IACUC, and IBC. Katie is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and earned her bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. She also holds a master’s of science from Oregon State University in Science Education. She comes to Middlebury from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, IL where she served as the Conservation Programs Manager. In that role she oversaw the zoo’s accreditation/licensing, managed special projects, and conducted behavioral research on non-human animals (meerkats are her favorite) and humans alike. In her free time she enjoys running, hiking, cheering for the Green Bay Packers and hanging out with her dog, Stampy.

In this post we’ll introduce you to a new member of the Middlebury College staff. Please join us as we welcome Kas to campus!

Kas Singh joined Middlebury College on January 29, 2015. As an International Student and Scholar Advisor, Kas assists international faculty, staff and students with maintaining their legal visa status by advising them on immigration regulations pertaining to their respective statuses. With a focus on the international faculty and staff population, Kas coordinates with hosting departments to support the faculty/staff experiences at Middlebury College and Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey and the many other programs that bring international faculty and staff.

Kas’ passion for working in international student and scholar services developed after studying abroad as an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). After participating in a semester program in Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic and Slovakia) and Belgium, Kas graduated with a B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in International Business. She worked at UNO with the Intensive English Language program for 3 years as Project Coordinator. Wanting to explore the world more, she joined the U.S. Peace Corps and served as an English-for-Specific-Purposes Instructor in Kaunas, Lithuania for 3 years.

After the Peace Corps, Kas moved to Brattleboro, Vermont where she participated in a Masters in International/Intercultural Management program at the School for International Training (SIT Graduate Institute). She then moved to Stony Brook, New York and worked as an International Student and Scholar Advisor at Stony Brook University for about 2 years. After a short hiatus from the field of international education, she decided to return to the field and obtained a job as an International Student & Scholar Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and worked there for 10 years before moving to Middlebury.

Kas is originally from Iowa/Nebraska along the Missouri River and claims Omaha, Nebraska as her ‘home town’. Kas is married and has 3 daughters. Her husband, Ian, comes originally from Trinidad & Tobago. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, bowling, people-watching, going to festivals, and attempting to golf. She looks forward to learning how to snow shoe and cross-country ski next winter. She also enjoys drinking coffee and wine and eating chocolate and cheese – all things that she has found to be abundant in Vermont!

In this post we’ll introduce you to a new member of the Middlebury College staff. Please join us as we welcome Chelsea to campus!

Chelsea Griggs is the new academic coordinator for the environmental studies program. Prior to joining Middlebury College, Chelsea worked for 7 years at Helen Porter Healthcare Center (Porter Medical Center). Chelsea resides in Bristol with her husband, an almost two year old daughter, and three energetic dogs. In her spare time she enjoys kayaking, snowshoeing, jogging and spending time with friends.

In this post we’ll introduce you to a new member of the Middlebury College staff. Please join us as we welcome Kate to campus!

Kate Livesay ’03 was named the school’s new women’s lacrosse assistant coach in May of this year. She is excited to be here, as she grew up in Middlebury and graduated from the College. Kate has been coaching at Trinity College for the past 10 years. Kate now lives in Middlebury with her husband and three daughters. Read more about Kate here.