Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Kelsey studied abroad at the University of Sydney in 2002. After traveling, working and volunteering in several countries, she returned to Australia to earn her masters at Bond University on the Gold Coast. She then worked in international admissions and managed Bond’s study abroad and exchange program, working closely with the Education Abroad Network. She has most recently managed Monash University’s international engagement with North America and Africa. Kelsey lives in Melbourne, and holds a B.A. in art and African-American studies and a Masters in Film & Television.
Favorite Destinations:Accra, Ghana; Yulara (Uluru), Australia; Christchurch; New Zealand
Helen Armitage, Resident Director, Queensland
Helen has been working in the International Education Field for over 11 years. During her undergraduate degree at Griffith University, she started working in their international office on a part time basis. This became full time after she graduated with a Bachelors in Communications in 1998. Following her role at Griffith she worked in the International and Study Abroad teams at Bond University and was responsible for marketing and developing the study abroad and full degree programs in North America and Europe. This role saw Helen travel extensively throughout these regions for many years. Helen is now the Resident Director in Queensland for Study Australia and is also completing her graduate studies in Education.
Kieran was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. He graduated from La Trobe University, Melbourne with a Business degree which included two exchanges to the US - Ithaca College, NY in 2003 and University of Washington, WA in 2005. Kieran worked for La Trobe University within their International Programs Office for four years which involved extensive travel to Europe and North America, before moving to Sweden to undertake a Master of International Marketing and Brand Management at Lund University. He's passionate about international education and thinks that everyone should study abroad!
Favorite Destinations: Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Berlin, Chicago, Seattle and New York
Matt Hankins, Resident Director, Sydney
Matt moved from Iowa to Sydney in 2002 and he is now an Australian resident. He graduated from Macquarie University in Sydney with a degree in Primary Education. Matt studied abroad for a semester in Chile and has travelled extensively throughout Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.
Rachel has an extensive background in international education student services, marketing and university relations. She spent several years living and working abroad first in Japan on the JET program, then in London, England and Guangzhou, China. On return to New Zealand, Rachel managed the study abroad and student exchange programs at Massey University; her alma mater where she was awarded degrees in Business Administration and Marketing. She is now working at the University of Auckland, as well as representing TEAN as the New Zealand Resident Director.
Favorite Destinations: Coromandel, New Zealand; Tokyo, Japan; Hanoi, Vietnam; San Francisco, USA
Tommy Kysor, Resident Advisor, New Zealand
Originally from Nashua, New Hampshire, Tommy was once a study abroad student himself at the University of Auckland. Since studying abroad he has made New Zealand his home after graduating from the University of Auckland. He now lives and works in Auckland, and has been working with international students since early 2009.
Favorite Destinations: South Island, New Zealand; Cairns, Austrailia; Fijian Islands; Cliffs of Moher, Ireland; London, England; White Mountains, New Hampshire.
Ashley Smith, Resident Advisor, New Zealand
Originally from New Hampshire, USA, Ashley was a study abroad student herself in Auckland with The Education Abroad Network. Ashley graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of New Hampshire and since then has relocated to New Zealand. Ashley resides in Auckland.
Favorite Destinations: Auckland, New Zealand; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Paris, France
Cambodia
Megan Clavier, Resident Director, Cambodia
Megan finished college in 2006 and headed straight to the Burmese border to work with illegal migrant workers and refugees. In 2008 she returned to SE Asia to teach XO laptops to children in rural Cambodia. Megan has since moved to Phnom Penh, using her design skills to communicate the amazing work of small organizations to the outside world. Passionate about Cambodia, working with TEAN allows Megan to help students see the wonderful side of SE Asia that is often hidden from tourists.
Favorite Destinations: All of Burma; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Kampot, Cambodia; and Portland, Oregon.
China
Cheryl Chan, Program Assistant (based in both China and Malaysia)
Cheryl was born in Selangor, Malaysia and speaks Bahasa Malaysian, English, Mandarin and Cantonese. She received her BSC (Hons) in Computing and Information System in Kolej Damansara Utama, PJ, Malaysia. She has been in the education industry in China for several years and joined The Education Abroad Network in 2008. With her different cultural background and being from a multiracial country, she has adapted well to the cultures in China and has proven to be an excellent resource for all TEAN participants.
Favorite Destinations: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Beijing, China
Solaro Chan, Resident Director (Beijing)
Solaro was born in Calgary, Canada and grew up on the west coast in multicultural Vancouver, speaking 4 different languages (English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and French). He completed his BA (Economics) at University of Victoria and attained a TEFL certification prior to moving to China in 2004. Since then, he has worked in the education and youth travel industry where he has managed over 1000 travelers from around the world to experience the Chinese culture. Solaro has worked as support staff for The Education Abroad Network since 2008.
Robert Deng, Academic Director - China Programs
Robert holds a PhD in Communication Studies and is now Professor of Communications at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. A former journalist for the Shanghai Daily, he also served 4 years as the Assistant Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Global Online Magazine (Fudan Edition), and was involved with a number of World Bank projects as a technical interpreter and translator. Robert brings a balance of real world experience and academic life to the classroom and to our students. As the Academic Director for The Education Abroad Network, Robert delivers cross-cultural training with an emphasis on China for all TEAN China students each semester. His work focuses on increasing the academic and cultural integration of students and adds to the strong in-country support provided by our existing Resident Director network in Shanghai and Beijing.
Ramona Liu, Resident Director (Shanghai)
Ramona is a native Chinese, and has extensive international and cultural experience through her studies and professional career. Fluent in English, Ramona obtained her Bachelor of Economics in 1992 from Shenyang University in China, before moving to Australia. She then lived in Australia for 5 years, during which time she obtained her Masters of International Business from the University of Wollongong. In her professional career, Ramona has worked extensively with multinational companies focusing on sales and marketing, business development, and training and consultation. Her academic background and professional experience allows her to effectively advise overseas students, as she understands their needs while studying in China.
Simon Shi, Staff Assistant (Beijing)
Simon was born in Zhejiang Province in 1978 and moved to Beijing in 1987 to attend Yongdingmen School. Following his graduation from school, Simon joined Integrated Education Services Global Limited upon the opening of their Beijing office in 2004. Since that time, he has gained international exposure and developed the skills necessary for working with students in the education industry. He is also currently researching the viability of home stays in China, as he has strong aspirations of developing this particular industry in China. Simon joined the Education Abroad Network as a Staff Assistant in the Fall of 2008, putting to use the skills he has gained over the last several years working in the education industry.
Matthew Wong, Student Liaison (Beijing)
Matt has been with the Education Abroad Network since the Fall of 2008. He was born in Sydney, Australia and has been living in Beijing, China since April 2008. He completed his Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting/Marketing) at Macquarie University, and has worked in the accounting field for over 4 years whilst maintaining an interest in marketing and business development. He has travelled extensively throughout the world visiting such locations as England, Canada, USA, Pacific Islands and many Asian countries. Matt is currently based in China as he fulfills his aspirations to work in business development and marketing. He sees China as the ideal location for this line of work as it has as much to offer him as it does to the rest of the world.
Favorite Destinations: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Canada; USA
Thailand
Pongsdhorn (Kai) Lertsukon, Resident Director
Kai was born in northern Thailand in 1958 and attended school in Chiang Mai before joining the Thai military in 1974. His military career was a highly decorated one and lasted almost 20 years. After leaving the military he returned to Chiang Mai University where he completed his BA majoring in Marketing. Kai had a strong desire to meet people from all over the world so he also undertook Thai Tourism training and became a licensed tourist guide.
He started his own company in 1999 and has focused on small highly educational experiences for visitors to Northern Thailand since then. Kai has designed and led many cultural and academic excursions for students from Australian and US universities over the past 15 years and brings an incredible knowledge of his region and Thai customs and a true cross-cultural understanding to his role as Resident Director for Thailand. He lives in Chiang Mai with his family, and his daughter just became the youngest concert violinist for the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.
Nooy (pronounced 'Nui')Ornchuda, Resident Advisor
Nooy has worked in Thailand’s tourism industry for over 30 years. Originally based in Bangkok, Nooy moved to Chiang Mai almost 20 years ago. A graduate of Chiang Mai University’s Master of Arts in Tourism Industry Management, Nooy enjoys getting to know the students and providing an insight into Thai life and culture. Nooy loves the markets of Chiang Mai and considers herself an expert shopper. You definitely want to go shopping with Nooy when you’re in Chiang Mai.
Lauren Gabell, Manager Marketing
Lauren studied abroad at Boston College in 1997, which led to a desire to work in study abroad. Since graduating from Monash University in 1998, she has worked for the study abroad offices at Monash and Deakin University. At Deakin University she was responsible for developing the study abroad program, and marketing the university in Europe, North America and Thailand. A position which required extensive travel throughout these regions. Lauren joined Study Australia in 2005 as the Resident Director in Melbourne.
Favorite Destinations: Bergen, Norway; Melbourne, Australia; Northern Thailand; Chicago, USA
In addition, The Education Abroad Network utilizes several support staff in the United States and overseas to help administer and market the programs. All of the support personnel have previously studied, lived, or worked abroad and can provide unique insight into the study abroad experience.
