Pardee School Staff

(617) 353-2540 | longman@bu.edu

Professor Longman serves as the Pardee School’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of International Relations and Political Science, and  Director of the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA). current research focuses on state-society relations in Africa, looking particularly at human rights, transitional justice, democratization, civil society, the politics of race and ethnicity, religion and politics, and women and politics. His book, Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda (Cambridge University Press 2011), is based on his field research in Rwanda in 1992-1993, and 1995-1996.

Learn more about Professor Longman on his Pardee School faculty profile.

(617) 353-9282 | elaineb@bu.edu

(617) 353-9349 | lthams@bu.edu

Lauren received her Master’s in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University and her Bachelor’s in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Michigan. She has worked in higher education in a variety of functional areas, including academic advising, international student services, experiential and co-curricular learning, and academic support services. Before transitioning into higher education, Lauren worked in refugee and immigrant services and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, West Africa. Pardee is the perfect place to merge her interest in global engagement and professional experience in higher education administration. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys traveling, gardening, and trying new restaurants around Boston.

nimiwari@bu.edu

(617) 353-0983 | cepeliss@bu.edu

(617) 353-7303 | ewiehe@bu.edu

Dr. Elsa Wiehe leads the K-16 Education Outreach program at the African Studies Center, whose main goal is to promote the study of Africa with public K-12 teachers, in addition to higher education instructors. She updates a website of interdisciplinary teaching resources, manages a lending library, directs the Teaching Africa Teacher Certificate program, and runs a variety of professional development events for educators.

Dr. Wiehe’s research and published writing focus on language policies and practices in schools; race and racism in pedagogical discourse, place-based education, and critical literacies for social justice. Learn more about Dr. Wiehe on her African Studies Center profile.

(617) 353-7306 | mdib@bu.edu

(617) 358-0847 | amreyes@bu.edu

alarena@bu.edu

(617) 358-6253 | sharma@bu.edu

Professor Sunil Sharma is passionate about the role of literary and artistic cultures to enrich and empower the lives of people, a belief that inspires his teaching and research. The overarching theme in his scholarship is the study of historical cross-cultural encounters and intellectual exchange that have led to innovations in Persianate societies, particularly in South Asia, across an entire millennium.

A prolific writer, Sharma has written several articles and books, including Mughal Arcadia: Persian Poetry in an Indian Court, which explores the aesthetic representations of idyllic spaces in cities and nature in the early modern poetic imaginary and Amir Khusraw: The Poet of Sultans and Sufis, which synthesizes the sacred and profane. 

To learn more about Professor Sharma, visit his Pardee School profile.

(617) 358-2109 | meprb@bu.edu

veskog@bu.edu

Vesko Garčević served as the Ambassador of Montenegro in Brussels (NATO) and Vienna (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe – OSCE and other International Organizations). He was a Montenegrin Ambassador to Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. During his diplomatic career he held important positions at the challenging political time of the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and democratic transition of Montenegro. After Montenegro regained independence in 2006, he served as the first Montenegrin Ambassador to Austria and the OSCE. He has outstanding knowledge of multilateral issues, especially in the field of European Security.

Learn more about Vesko Garčević on his Pardee School faculty profile.

alarena@bu.edu

(617) 358-1173| coryd@bu.edu

Cory Diamond leads the Pardee School’s fundraising and alumni relations team, cultivating philanthropic engagement and enhancing the School’s connections with alumni and friends.

Cory joins Pardee from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, where he served as Senior Director of Development and Alumni Engagement. During his twenty-year advancement career, Cory has worked in a variety of roles at Brown University, Harvard Law School, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, focused on major and principal gifts, annual giving, planned giving, research funding, engagement activities, reunions, and alumni communications.

Cory earned a Bachelor of Arts in European History from Brown University.

(617) 358-3238 | rstigers@bu.edu

Rachel joined the Development team in August 2022.

(617) 353-8700 | ye@bu.edu

Min Ye is a Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. Her research situates in the nexus between domestic and global politics and the intersection of economics and security, with a focus on China, India, and regional relations.

Ye holds bachelor’s degree in law, international relations, and diplomacy from Peking University, China; a master’s degree international relations from the University of South Carolina; and a post-doctorate degree in political science from Princeton University. She also received a post-doctoral fellowship from Harvard University, Fairbank Center for China Studies.

To learn more about Ye’s work and accomplishments, visit her Pardee School faculty profile.

(617) 353-0983 | aiveras@bu.edu

(617) 358-0919 | edamrien@bu.edu

Elizabeth Amrien has been working in the international studies arena at Boston University – designing, developing, and directing interdisciplinary projects of global scope and relevance, as well as connecting people and groups who are doing similar work – since May of 2002. She has planned and executed hundreds of public and scholarly events (lectures, panel discussions, exhibits, film screenings, workshops, and international conferences), featuring prominent politicians, policy experts, artists, activists, academics, writers and public intellectuals, for students and the greater Boston community. She has also overseen a number of fellowship programs and written several successful grants.

Presently, Elizabeth serves as the Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of Europe at Boston University and as the Assistant Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Boston University. Her responsibilities include event planning and program management, finances and operations, grant writing and analysis, outreach and publicity, student and faculty support, and other new and ongoing initiatives, including an active visiting researcher program.

Elizabeth holds a BA in religious studies from Fordham University (1991), an MDiv (magna cum laude) from Yale Divinity School (1995), and an MBA from Boston University (2008). She is an active member of Boston’s Church of the Advent.

(617) 353-0983 | sferris@bu.edu

(617) 353-7959 | tinacd@bu.edu

Tina Carter De La Cruz functions as the Director of Strategic Affairs and Communication at the Pardee School of Global Studies. In this capacity, she works closely with the Dean to bring the school’s mission and priorities to fruition. Moreover, she oversees the communication strategy and planning for the Dean’s Office.

With over two decades of experience in higher education administration, Tina joined Boston University in 2023. She earned her Master of Arts in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University and finds joy in embarking on adventures with her family.

sgpratt@bu.edu

Sophie Pratt is the Communications & Marketing Associate for the Pardee School of Global Studies, where she helps develop and implement communications strategies for the School, Faculty, and Staff. Before joining Pardee, she worked as the Brand Designer for Light Page Creative and as the Gallery Assistant to the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University, both where she created unique brand identities, graphics, and marketing strategies that appeal to both local and international audiences. Her interests include sewing, hiking, and skiing.

She received her MLA from the Harvard Extension School in Museum Studies & Technology and her BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Education & Textiles.

naominfa@bu.edu

Naomi Frim-Abrams is the Events Specialist for the Pardee School of Global Studies, where she oversees the implementation and execution of events held within Pardee. Prior to this role, she worked as the Project Coordinator for the Boston University Global Development Policy Center’s Human Capital Initiative. She has spent considerable time in Java, Indonesia and Sunderland, UK, and her interests include international policy and development as well as population- and individual-level approaches to global health. She previously worked as a Research Fellow for the University of Jember’s Centre for Human Rights, Multiculturalism, and Migration, and reviewed and edited content for the Journal of Southeast Asian Human Rights.

She received her BA from Princeton University in Sociology, and is currently completing an MS in Global Health degree at Boston University’s School of Public Health.

tejalp@bu.edu

Tejal Pednekar is the Strategy & Communications Coordinator for the Pardee School of Global Studies, where she supports strategic initiatives, special projects, and communications efforts that advance the school’s brand voice and public presence. Previously, she served as a Marketing & Communications Assistant at Pardee, contributing to content strategy and cross-functional initiatives.

In addition to her work in higher education, Tejal has experience as a magazine writer, producing both branded and editorial content for the Indian editions of Vogue, GQ, Architectural Digest, Condé Nast Traveller, and Elle Decor.

She holds a master’s degree in Media Science from Boston University’s College of Communication and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from The Wilson College.

(617) 353-9348 | kpg@bu.edu

Professor Gallagher is a Pardee School Professor of Global Development Policy and the Director of the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. He serves on Think Twenty International Finance Task Force to the G20, the Chair’s Council of the United States Export-Import Bank on China competition, and the international chair of the Greening the BRI Task Force of the China Council. He has served on the United Nations Committee for Development Policy, the U.S. Department of State’s Investment Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy, and the National Advisory Council on trade policy at the Environmental Protection Agency.

Learn more about Professor Gallagher on his Pardee School faculty profile.

(617) 358-6773 | wkring@bu.edu

William N. Kring, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. His research and teaching interests focus on international political economy, global economic governance, international financial institutions, and Southern-led financial institutions. He actively conducts policy-oriented research on global economic governance and works regularly with government officials and staff officials of various international financial institutions, particularly regional financial arrangements. He has served as a consultant for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and has been awarded grants by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, the Academy of Korean Studies, and UNCTAD. His work has appeared in World Development, Development and Change, Global Policy, Global Governance, and International Relations of the Asia-Pacific.

(617) 353-9214 | mmvp@bu.edu

Victoria Puyat is the Associate Director for Finance and Administration at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, where she leads organizational development, reinforces structures and processes for effective program implementation and management, and manages the financial aspects of the Center’s portfolio of grants.

She has been a staff member of Boston University since 2011, directing an extensive portfolio of programs at the Pardee School of Global Studies and at the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

Victoria is a long-serving volunteer at a global non-profit that helps women achieve economic independence by providing a network of support and development tools to help them thrive in work and in life.

genevac@bu.edu

As Assistant Director of Communications and Outreach, Geneva Costopulos leads the Boston University Global Development Policy Center’s efforts to shape how the Center engages with public audiences. In collaboration with the communications team, she supports the development and execution of communications strategies to ensure dissemination of compelling and consistent messaging that advances awareness of the Center’s research and policy engagement.

Geneva brings a decade of communications experience from across international organizations and NGOs, working in humanitarian responses, international development and strategic storytelling across sectors. Before joining the Center, she served as a Communications Officer with the UN, managed global policy advocacy campaigns and worked for various development organizations across countries. She holds a master’s degree in International Development from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex in the UK.

(617) 358-0692 | menchik@bu.edu

Jeremy Menchik is Associate Professor of International Relations and Political Science, and Director of the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA). His first book, Islam and Democracy in Indonesia: Tolerance without Liberalism (Cambridge University Press, 2016) explains the meaning of tolerance to the world’s largest Islamic organizations and was the winner of the 2017 International Studies Association award for the best book on religion and international relations. He has received numerous awards and fellowships for teaching and research, and his work has appeared in the academic journals Comparative Studies in Society and History, Comparative Politics, Party Politics, International Studies Review, Politics and Religion, Indonesia, and South East Asia Research as well as in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. 

Learn more about Professor Menchik on his Pardee School faculty profile.

(617) 353-0983 | nashapat@bu.edu

Natasha Patel is the Assistant Director of CURA. Natasha brings nine years of experience at Boston University in program management, outreach, and equity and inclusion. Most recently, she served as Manager of Communications and DEI Outreach in the BU Department of Computer Science, where she led strategic communications, coordinated events, and advanced equity and inclusion initiatives across the department. Prior to that, Natasha spent five years as Program Administrator for the BU African Studies Center, managing day-to-day operations, communications, and events, while supporting the administration of the African Language Program.

Natasha earned her B.A. in International Relations from the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies in 2017 and is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work at the BU School of Social Work with a focus on multicultural therapy.

(617) 358-6283 | kschilde@bu.edu

Professor Schilde is a Jean Monnet Chair in European Security and Defense, Pardee School Associate Professor of International Relations, and the Director of the School’s Center for the Study of Europe. Her primary research interests involve the political economy of security and transatlantic security. Her book, The Political Economy of European Security (Cambridge University Press, 2017) investigates the state-society relations between the EU and interest groups, with a particular focus on security and defense institutions, industries, and markets. Her research interests span multiple dimensions of the historical institutionalism of security organizations, including the causes and consequences of military spending; the relationship between spending, innovation, and capabilities; defense reform and force transformation; the politics of defense protectionism; and the international diffusion of internal and border security practices.

Learn more about Professor Schilde on her Pardee School faculty profile.

(617) 353-5633 | ketaylor@bu.edu

(617) 353-5633 | acono@bu.edu

Alethea holds an M.Ed. from Lesley University, an M.A. in history from UCLA, and a B.A. in history and French Studies from Smith College. Before coming to Boston University, she taught high school social studies in the Boston suburbs, but she has also worked in higher education, as well as in museums and the summer camp industry. Although she calls New England home, she has enjoyed living in many other regions of the U.S., as well as Paris, France. In her free time, she loves hiking with her family in the beautiful landscapes of Massachusetts and Maine.

(617) 358-8625 | hnemery@bu.edu

Holly holds an MA in International Education from the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares/Instituto Franklin and a BA in Spanish from SUNY New Paltz. She hails from Long Island, New York, but prior to joining Pardee, Holly lived and worked in Spain for ten years. While in Spain, she first taught ESL classes to students of all ages, and then transitioned into higher education. Her last job in Spain was in MBA Admissions at IE Business School in Madrid.

(617) 358-0988 | spereira@bu.edu

(617) 353-6417 | sgish@bu.edu

Sophia received her Master’s in Education (Ed.M.) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her B.A. in English from Dartmouth College. She also holds a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification and has experience supporting multilingual and international student populations. She has worked with college students in a variety of capacities – as a tutor, an academic coach, and an English language teacher – and she loves helping students explore, identify, and pursue their academic, professional, and personal goals while in college.

Originally from the Boston area, Sophia also lived in Europe as a child and grew up speaking English and French. She enjoys hiking, cooking, and playing board games.

(617) 353-8689 | sonial31@bu.edu

Sonia Liang is the inaugural Director of Career Services, bringing with her over a decade of expertise in higher education, including seven years of dedicated work in career services. Her passion lies in guiding individuals through the career development process including exploration, decision-making, effective communication across cultures, and creating holistic institutional career support for diverse students.

Before joining Pardee, Sonia played a pivotal role in supporting graduate students within the Master of Finance program at MIT Sloan and the Master of Business Analytics at Brandeis International Business School, empowering them to pursue competitive opportunities in both the public and private sectors. Prior to this, she made significant contributions at Brandeis University, where she led an array of career initiatives tailored to the needs of undergraduate international students. Her exceptional efforts were recognized when the Hiatt Career Center at Brandeis received the “Service to International Students” award from the National Career Development Association (NCDA) in 2019. In her early career, she provided study abroad consultations to students and families in China and managed a team of five.

Sonia’s academic background includes a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Kent State University, complemented by a Bachelor of Arts in English from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China.

(617) 353-5241 | jimrpaul@bu.edu

Jim is the Employer Relations Manager at the Pardee School. He most recently served as Director of the Boston office for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Jim also previously worked for the World Trade Center Association Los Angeles – Long Beach, a global logistics firm and an export/import company. His experiences include assistance to exporters on sales to markets worldwide, partnership development with international organizations in the private and public sectors, management of international trade internship programs and presentations at educational institutions on global career opportunities. He had interned for the U.S. Embassy in Belgium and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC.

Jim received a BA in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from University of California, Berkeley and an MBA in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management. He later earned an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from MIT Sloan School of Management. Jim enjoys hiking, traveling and having new adventures with his family.

(617) 353-6342 | csbecka@bu.edu

Claire-Solène Bečka is an Academic Advisor within Student Services at the Pardee School. She graduated summa cum laude from Boston University and Kilachand Honors College in 2021 with a B.A. in American Studies and is currently pursuing her M.S. in Arts Administration at BU. Prior to rejoining BU, where she first served as Office Coordinator and now as Academic Advisor, she worked in museum development & operations for Design Museum Everywhere in Boston. She also teaches high school students as a French tutor. Outside of work, she loves to dance, cook, and train for triathlons.

dindia@bu.edu

With a wealth of experience in international education and a steadfast commitment to lifelong learning, Nick brings expertise in student advising, faculty engagement, training, and partnership development. Prior to his role with the Student Services team at the Pardee School of Global Studies, Nick effectively managed over 20 study abroad programs within Boston College’s Office of Global Education. His extensive background also includes serving as the University Pathways Manager at EF San Francisco and teaching English as a Second Language in South Korea, providing him with valuable insights into working with diverse student populations.

Nick holds a Master’s in International Affairs from the School of Global Policy & Strategy at UC San Diego, complemented by a Bachelor’s in History from Brown University. Additionally, he completed graduate certificates in Executive Leadership & Organizational Development and International Higher Education from Boston College.