Biography: Natalie Kohler coordinates education abroad programs for the College of Business, James Madison College, and the College of Law.

Natalie is from Columbus, Ohio and attended The Ohio State University earning her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a focus in Security Studies, Foreign Policy, and International Relations. She participated in short-term study abroad programs in China and Egypt before spending a full term in Brazil. Living with a host family and learning Portuguese in Brazil offered the opportunity to embrace a new culture and way of life. Through these experiences, Natalie developed a love and respect for international education and travel.

After graduation, Natalie served as a Study Abroad Coordinator at Ohio State before moving to Chicago in 2010. She completed a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration & Policy at Northwestern University in 2013 where she continued her work in education abroad before joining Michigan State University in May of 2016.

Natalie believes that the best ways to engage with a new culture are through food, music, and making mistakes in a foreign language. She views education abroad as a profound opportunity for students to develop empathy, self-reliance, and problem solving skills while experiencing personal growth. She is dedicated to helping students achieve these outcomes and have a positive impact in the global community.

Biography: Kelsey Pink, Office for Study Abroad Financial Services Coordinator, is responsible for overseeing the development, approval, and implementation of all faculty-related program budgets, including the preparation of travel advances and the reconciliation of programs upon return. Kelsey maintains reports regarding financial activities associated with education abroad programming and works closely with a team of program coordinators to develop, implement, and streamline processes and procedures related to program budgeting.

Originally from Troy, Michigan, Kelsey graduated from Michigan State University with both her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Accounting. After spending a few years in public accounting serving as a tax accountant at Plante & Moran, PLLC, she came back home to her alma mater and joined the Office of Study Abroad in November 2016.

Biography: Jean-Paul Sewavi came to MSU from the University of Dayton where he worked as the Programs Manager for Education Abroad for several years. Prior to joining the University of Dayton, he served as a study abroad advisor at the State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY –New Paltz) for over four years where he developed expertise in planning and managing study abroad and exchange programs. Jean-Paul’s primary responsibility at MSU is the administration of education abroad programs offered through the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, as well as serving as liaison with the Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement and initiatives related to community engagement abroad.

With over 14 years of experience in education abroad program management, Jean-Paul brings invaluable experience and expertise in managing faculty-directed study abroad and global service-learning programs. Jean-Paul holds a Master’s degree in Multicultural and International Management from the School for International Training and he has extensive experience working and living in Africa.

Biography: As associate director, Inge provides leadership and direction for all functions related to program development and management, student advising, college/unit liaisons, and portfolio development and maintenance. She oversees program evaluations and works with the executive director and a team of program coordinators on ensuring a well-balanced program portfolio. In addition, she directs faculty engagement and development and is responsible for academic outreach, faculty seminars, and other faculty development initiatives, such as site visits, the Faculty Learning Community on Teaching & Learning Abroad, and an annual workshop series offered in conjunction with MSU’s Academic Advancement Network.

Inge has contributed scholarly articles to several books on topics ranging from orientation programming, culture learning/teaching and faculty development to assessing intercultural competencies. She is the co-editor of the forthcoming third edition of NAFSA’s Learning Across Cultures book. A member of and regular conference contributor to NAFSA: Association of International Educators since the mid-1980s, Inge has held various national leadership positions in the organization, mostly recently as chair of the 2016 national NAFSA conference.

A native of Heidelberg, Germany, Inge first came to the U.S. on a Fulbright and has now spent more than half of her life there. She earned her PhD in intercultural communication from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus, where she also worked in the Office of International Education and taught in the department of communication. Her dissertation research focused on conceptualizing and developing a model to assess the impact of education abroad on students' cognitive development and she continues to be interested in defining and assessing education abroad learning outcomes. She considers herself fortunate to have a professional career that is also a vocation.