Meet Our Board

Christine Shiau drives vision and performance, leading strategy and program development and cultivating global partnerships to grow a resilient ecosystem for technology-enabled exchanges. She blends strategic insight with creativity to establish virtual exchange as a cutting-edge field that builds global competencies and career readiness skills in youth. Christine sits on the boards of the Alliance for International Exchange, AMP Global Youth, and Podium Education. She joined the Initiative following a career in the public and private sectors. Christine graduated from the University of Illinois-Chicago with a BS in accounting and a minor in marketing. She received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland.

Chanettia Nelson embarked on her journey in foreign language studies at the age of eight, laying the foundation for her deep passion for linguistic and cultural exploration. Her focus on Mandarin Chinese persisted from elementary school through college, culminating in a transformative study abroad experience in Beijing during her undergraduate years at DePaul University. Her dedication and academic prowess earned her a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Chinese Studies upon graduation, making her the first African American student to obtain a Chinese Studies degree from DePaul University.

Transitioning from higher education to the government sector, Ms. Nelson observed a noticeable lack of diversity within her colleagues engaged in global education and affairs. Drawing from her own journey, she recognized the imperative need to bridge this gap by instilling a broader understanding of global affairs in young minds. Motivated by this insight, she founded Engaging Minorities in International Cultures (EMIC), a non-profit organization committed to educating minority youth about the significance of learning world languages and fostering awareness of international affairs.

Currently, EMIC boasts a successful partnership with DC Public Schools, and Ms. Nelson envisions expanding these collaborations in the near future.

Laura Engel is a Professor of International Education and International Affairs at the George Washington University, where she directs the GW Global Education Lab, and serves as co-chair of the GW UNESCO Chair in International Education for Development. In 2023-2024, she is a Fulbright Scholar in Costa Rica. Previously, Dr. Engel was a research fellow at University of Nottingham, working on two European Union funded research projects on education and social policy to advance inclusion and social cohesion. As a policy sociologist, her interests focus on the influence of global education policy trends in national and regional systems, with specialization in federal systems. Her current work is examining policy developments related to education for sustainable development and global citizenship education at local, state, national, regional, and international levels. Dr. Engel's research, which has been funded by the American Educational Research Association, the National Geographic Society, and the Stevens Initiative, has been published in four books and over 50 articles, book chapters, and policy briefs. She is the recipient of several teaching awards, including the 2022 GW Morton A. Bender Teaching Award. She currently serves on the board of directors of the NEA Foundation, and is Honorary Professor of International Education Development at University of Nottingham, UK. Dr. Engel earned her PhD from the University of Illinois.

Dr. Lily Lopez-McGee (she/her) has dedicated more than a decade to capacity building, diversity, equity, and inclusion within international education and exchange and U.S. national security and foreign policy. Prior to joining Diversity Abroad, Dr. Lopez-McGee served as the director of the nationally-recognized Pickering Graduate Fellowship Program based at Howard University where she managed a vital pipeline of diverse, talented U.S. diplomats. She also empowers and educates future leaders as an adjunct professor at American University’s International Teaching and Education Master’s Program. Prior to her work at Howard University, Dr. Lopez-McGee served as manager at Diversity Abroad where she managed the Diversity Abroad Network, a professional network of institutions of higher education, and oversaw the development of the Access, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in International Education (AIDE) Roadmap (now the Global Equity and Inclusion Scorecard), the first assessment tool developed to evaluate diversity and inclusion efforts in study abroad offices at U.S. institutions. Dr. Lopez-McGee also previously worked at UNCF Special Programs Corporation where she worked with minority-serving institutions on capacity-building efforts related to campus internationalization and grant management.
Dr. Lopez-McGee is a scholar, researcher, and speaker on the intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion, international education and exchange, and careers in international affairs. Dr. Lopez-McGee has published in industry and academic journals including Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, Global Impact Exchange, and the IIE Networker. She also serves as a Co-Chair of the Global Access Pipeline and has helped coordinate the Conference on Diversity in International Affairs sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations.
She is a graduate of the University of Washington, where she earned her bachelor’s in International Relations and master’s in Public Administration. She completed her doctoral work at George Mason University where she studied students’ perceived self-efficacy gains from study abroad. She is deeply committed to equalizing access to education and increasing opportunities for young people to gain international credentials. Dr. Lopez-McGee is based in Washington, D.C

Veronica Boix-Mansilla is a Principal Investigator at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she leads the IdGlobal and Re-Imagining Migration projects. Originally from Argentina, Veronica brings an intercultural sensitivity as well as a background in cognitive science, human development, and education, to her examination of how to prepare our youth for a world of increasing complexity and interdependence.  Her research focuses on three main areas. She studies (a) global competence as it develops among learners and teachers in various world regions with a particular emphasis on intercultural education, equity and migration; (b) quality interdisciplinary research and education among experts, teachers and youth; and (c ) quality teaching and learning in disciplines (history, biology, the arts) as lenses through which to understand the world.  Veronica’s work has produced frameworks and practical tools to support educators interested in quality teaching, learning, curriculum, research, assessment, professional development, and program evaluation. For example, she has advanced the Re-Imagining Migration framework to understand migration as a shared human experience and reduce hatred and xenophobia. She established Re-imagining Migration at Smithsonian- an interactive museum digital collections space for educators world-wide.  She has co-led the development of the OECD Global Competence framework, PISA assessment and pedagogical framework. Her work on Global Competence education set the foundation for the US Department of Education’s International Education strategy in 2010. Her writings on interdisciplinary work and evaluation—have informed National Academies of Science, National Science Foundation, International Baccalaureate, and the Argentinian Ministry of Education interdisciplinary initiatives.   Veronica serves as an advisor and contributor at a variety of institutions including UNESCO, OECD, Asia Society, Smithsonian Institute, AFS American Field Services, the Longview Foundation, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Council of Chief State School Officers, the Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, the International Baccalaureate, WorldSavy and Global Kids, among others. She teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and has taught the University of Buenos Aires. She is the author of multiple papers and books including “Educating for Global Competence: Preparing our youth to engage the world” (2011) with Tony Jackson. Second Edition forthcoming.

Jay Glassie is the AP Capstone Diploma Program Teacher and Global Studies Coordinator at Calvin Coolidge High School. He holds a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master’s in English from SUNY Binghamton, and a Bachelor’s in Sociology from George Washington University. In his work at Coolidge, he develops research writing curriculum based on the Sustainable Development Goals for his classroom instruction in AP Seminar and AP Research. He serves as the sponsor and founder of Coolidge Nature Club, a community service-based student organization which enhances the school’s connection to animal welfare and conservation groups through student-led enrichment and advocacy work. He also bolsters Coolidge’s community partnerships with many groups such as the Humane Rescue Alliance, George Washington University Law School’s Animal Law Education Initiative, the Smithsonian Science Education Center, Animal Welfare Institute, and others to develop student opportunity and college readiness inside and outside the classroom. He also serves as the Redesign Pillar Lead for the school’s Action Research mission as part of the DCPS-XQ partnership. Finally, as a Global Studies School, he serves as Coolidge’s Coordinator to establish afoundation of global awareness, leadership, and excellence.

Julian Hipkins I serves as the NAF Academy Director at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Washington, D.C. Hipkins earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Morehouse College and his Master of Arts in Teaching from American University. He lived in Japan for eight years teaching English before returning to Washington, D.C. to teach at Capital City Public Charter School. Hipkins has received numerous awards, including the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award, George Washington University Jackie Robinson Project Outstanding Teacher Award, and the District of Columbia History Teacher of the Year Award. Hipkins received a Rubenstein Staff Member of the Year award and has been featured in numerous articles and videos.All Content By This Author

Avani Mack isthe IB Coordinator at Shepherd Elementary School. Avani received her master'sin International Education from The George Washington University. Prior to herrole as IB Coordinator, Avani Mack was an elementary classroom teacher for DCPublic Schools. During her time as a teacher, Avani was selected to serve as atravel ambassador for the DCPS Study Abroad Program. Avani was also a teacherpartner for the DCPS Embassy Adoption Program which connects classrooms toembassies around the world. In addition to her experiences with the DCPS GlobalEducation Department, Avani is a Fulbright Scholar. During her time as aFulbright Scholar, Avani partnered with schools and educators in Peru toexchange ideas and best practices. Avani is passionate about incorporatingglobal perspectives into K-12 classrooms and works closely with educators tobring the world into the classroom.

Jennifer Manise leads the Longview Foundation for Education in World Affairs & International understanding which strives to enable all students to graduate high school prepared for work in the global economy and for active civic life in the 21st century. Manise oversees the Longview GTE Fellowship for faculty at colleges of education, leads a network of 35 states and large districts engaged in globally focused work, supervises the grant inquiry and application process, and champions global understanding in the preK-college education system in the United States. Trained in organizational development and knowledge management, Manise seeks to create connections and build strong systems of education with opportunity to engage in a bright global future for all children in the United States. Prior to joining Longview, Ms. Manise worked in organizational management and education policy at the Council of Chief State School Officers. Ms. Manise has experience in executive leadership, coaching, philanthropy, strategic planning, and pre-K-20 international education policy and partnerships.

Founder & CEO of African Tourism Union - work in conjunction with 17 African countries on Tourism, Trade and Investments34 years of Business Consulting Focus on development, event production, sponsorship and Investment Past events Baltimore Grand Prix, New York Fashion Week, Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam, AFFRAM, Video Game Conventions