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

mcs32@bu.edu

Ambassador Mark Storella is a Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and the Director of Boston University’s African Studies Center. Amb. Storella served as a United States Foreign Service Officer for over three decades serving as Ambassador to Zambia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, and Dean of the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute. Other postings include Deputy Chief of Mission in Brussels, at the U.S. Mission to the UN in Geneva, and in Phnom Penh.

Learn more about Ambassador Storella on his Pardee School faculty profile.

(617) 353-3674 | ericjs@bu.edu

Eric J. Schmidt is the Assistant Director of the African Studies Center at Boston University, where he also occasionally serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Pardee School of Global Studies and the College of Fine Arts. In addition to his teaching and research, he is an advocate for international education programs and serves as Vice Chair of the Association of African Studies Programs.

(617) 353-7311 | nashapat@bu.edu

Natasha Patel (PAR ’17) joined the African Studies Center in the fall of 2018. Prior to this role, she severed as the Outreach Coordinator in the BU College of Engineering Outreach and Diversity department.  In addition to her work at the ASC, Natasha also serves as the Program Coordinator at the Alexis Miranda Foundation, an organization aimed at serving people with autism locally in the Massachusetts area, and across Ghana. 

(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) 358-6704 | roldan@bu.edu

Professor Roldán-Figueroa is an Associate Professor of the History of Christianity at Boston University’s School of Theology and the Director of the Pardee School’s Center for Latin American Studies. He specializes in early-modern global Christianity, global Catholicism, Baptists, and the history of Christian spirituality. His publishing record includes The Ascetic Spirituality of Juan de Avila (1499-1569) (Brill, 2010), The Martyrs of Japan: Publication History and Catholic Missions in the Spanish World (Spain, New Spain, and the Philippines, 1597–1700) (Brill, 2021) as well as over thirty articles and book chapters.

Learn more about Professor Roldán-Figueroa on his Pardee School faculty profile.

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

As Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of Europe and the Center for Latin American Studies at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, Elizabeth oversees the Centers’ events and projects, operations and finances, and assists with fundraising and program development, as well as outreach and communications. Her interests lie at the intersection of politics and culture, business and spirituality. She is an impassioned advocate for building sustainable food systems and empowering local communities.

(617) 353-2194 | rhefner@bu.edu

Professor Hefner is a Pardee School Professor of Anthropology and International Relations and the Director of the School’s Center for the Study of Asia. He is the former director of the School’s Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA) and the former president of the Association for Asian Studies.

Hefner has directed 19 research projects and organized 18 international conferences, and authored or edited nineteen books.  Among the most recent are Shari‘a Politics: Islamic Law and Society in the Modern World (Indiana University Press 2011) and Muslims and Modernity: Culture and Society Since 1800 (Cambridge University Press 2010).

Learn more about Professor Hefner on his Pardee School’s faculty profile.

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

(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) 358-0919 | edamrien@bu.edu

As Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of Europe and the Center for Latin American Studies at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, Elizabeth oversees the Centers’ events and projects, operations and finances, and assists with fundraising and program development, as well as outreach and communications. Her interests lie at the intersection of politics and culture, business and spirituality. She is an impassioned advocate for building sustainable food systems and empowering local communities.

(617) 353-2286 | 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) 358-1293 | prandato@bu.edu

John Prandato is the Assistant Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, where he oversees the implementation of the Center’s programs and activities, including its events, publications, outreach efforts, and the Graduate Summer Fellows Program. He also serves as Boston University’s Designated Contact Point for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Prior to joining the Center in 2015, John managed communications and outreach for the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), a think tank focused on Massachusetts policy and politics. Previously, he was a Program Associate at Partnership for a Secure America (PSA), a Washington, DC, think tank that promotes bipartisan solutions to foreign policy challenges. While at PSA, he conducted research and outreach for advocacy initiatives focused on several international policy issues, including climate change and clean energy, science diplomacy, nuclear nonproliferation, and US-UN relations.

John holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s degree in Energy and Environmental Analysis from Boston University.

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

(617) 353-0983 | agomez1@bu.edu

Andy Gomez brings over four years of experience in finance and administration in the Private Sector and three years of experience in administration in Higher Education. Andy holds an undergraduate degree in Economics and a Master of Science in Banking and Financial Services from Boston University MET College.

(617) 358-1349 | tinacd@bu.edu

(617) 353-0125 | egrant@bu.edu

(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.

(617) 353-0424 | mheydt@bu.edu

Maureen Heydt is the Assistant Director for Communications and Outreach at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. She manages the center’s strategic communications, media relations, digital media, and email and event marketing.

Prior to joining the GDP Center, Maureen worked in communications at the Brookings Institution and Global Financial Integrity in Washington, D.C. She also taught English internationally in China and the Czech Republic and was a 2015-2016 J. William Fulbright Fellow to the Czech Republic, where she worked in coordination with the Czech Fulbright Commission and U.S. Embassy in Prague to promote growth and mutual understanding between the United States and the Czech Republic.

She holds a Master of Science in Media, Communication, and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and History from the University of Arizona. She is a proficient speaker of Czech and has intermediate language skills in Russian and Mandarin.

(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) 353-5241 | arleneb@bu.edu

Arlene Brennan, Assistant Director, joined CURA in 2013. Her primary responsibilities at the Institute include the management and administration of the budget, which is made up of funding from Boston University and a variety of foundation and government grants for the Institute’s ongoing research, conferences, and speaking engagements. She is charged with the coordination and marketing of all events, and serves as university liaison to CURA’s international visiting scholars.

(617) 358-2590 | selin@bu.edu

Professor Selin serves as the Pardee School Associate Dean for Studies and Associate Professor of International Relations. His research focuses on international environmental cooperation and policy-making in a broader context of advancing sustainable development. He is the author of Mercury Stories: Understanding Sustainability through a Volatile Element (MIT Press, with Noelle Eckley Selin), European Union Environmental Governance (Routledge, with Stacy VanDeveer), and Global Governance of Hazardous Chemicals: Challenges of Multilevel Management (MIT Press).  In addition, he is the author and co-author of over fifty peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters as well as numerous reports, reviews, and commentaries. He is also a Hans Fischer Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at the Technical University of Munich (2018-2021).

Learn more about Professor Selin on his 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

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

Sam holds an MA in Global Studies from the University of Oregon and a BA in Asian Studies from Mount Holyoke College. Their academic interests are in Chinese history, language, and culture, as well as the experiences of international students studying abroad in the United States. They have worked with high school, undergraduate, and graduate students for the majority of their career in the areas of student services, advising, and study abroad. Sam and their spouse live in Salem, MA, and encourages everyone to visit the Witch City!

(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) 353-6343 | 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. She enjoys supporting students at all stages of their higher education journey and coordinating and administering programming to enrich the student experience. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys traveling, gardening, and trying new restaurants around Boston.