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

The Pardee School and the wider BU community mourn the loss of our dear colleague, Sam Gammons

 

(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) 353-3674 | melissa3@bu.edu

Melissa is the Assistant Director of the African Studies Center. She brings to the role extensive grants management experience in international public health, having worked and consulted for a number of NGOs operating in Africa and elsewhere. She studied at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and completed a Certificate in African Studies while majoring in International Politics. After attaining her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, she spent two years living in Côte d’Ivoire on a Fulbright fellowship focused on the assessment of programs to help families affected by HIV/AIDS. Her time in Côte d’Ivoire was life changing. After returning to the United States and working on a USAID-funded global AIDS prevention program for three years, Melissa completed an MBA at Harvard Business School.  She then worked at Harvard University in a number of roles before returning to international public health. While professionally focused on global matters, Melissa also is deeply committed to giving back to her local community—she recently completed six years as an elected member of her town’s School Committee.

(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) 358-5550 | paulhare@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. Elizabeth’s responsibilities include grant administration and analysis; budget development and monitoring; financial reporting and record-keeping; and procurement, payments, and reimbursements. 

Prior to assuming this role in March 2025, Elizabeth managed the programs and finances for BU’s Center for the Study of Europe (2011-2025), Center for Latin American Studies (2015-2025), and Institute for Human Sciences (2002-2010). She holds a BA in religious Studies from Fordham University (1991), a Mdiv (magna cum laude) from Yale Divinity School, and an MBA from Boston University. She is an active member of the Church of the Advent. 

(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

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.

(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) 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) 353-2286 | ebibby@bu.edu

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

Rachel joined the Development team in August 2022.

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

(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) 358-0988 | sbaz@bu.edu

Sarah (she/her) supports Dean Scott Taylor through various administrative capacities, including scheduling meetings, organizing events, and acting as a liaison for students, faculty, and staff. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in English. Her senior thesis analyzed works of feminist science fiction by Ursula Le Guin and Octavia Butler. Outside of Pardee, Sarah is a freelance writer/editor and oboist.

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

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

(617) 358-1349 | 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.

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

Samantha actively manages social media channels on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Currently working on optimizing the website with dynamic visuals and SEO-optimized content, Samantha also handles responsibilities in media management, advertising, and event publicity. Holding a bachelor’s degree in social science from Plymouth State University and coursework towards an Innovation and Entrepreneurship graduate certificate, as well as pursuing a master’s degree in advertising at BU, Samantha joins BU from Suffolk University, where she worked on managing web presence, CRM software, and data strategies. Passionate about the intersection of creativity and data, Samantha enjoys learning new technologies, especially within Adobe Creative Cloud. Residing next to Fenway Park, Samantha lives with a tuxedo cat named Zimo. She is interested in travel, having studied Spanish in Cuernavaca, Mexico, volunteered at a primate rescue in South Africa, played violin with an orchestra in Paris, and explored Iceland, Spain, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

(617) 358-7238| ashlieb@bu.edu

Ashlie Bermudez is a Pardee graduate and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer with a passion for bringing people together. Drawing on her experience in the nonprofit sector, food industry, and entrepreneurship, she returns to her alma mater with fresh insights and purpose. In her role, she plans, coordinates, and executes a wide range of high-profile events with her unique blend of creativity and intention. 

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

Claire-Solène returns to the BU community as Office Coordinator in Student Affairs and Services. After graduating from Boston University with a B.A. in American Studies, she worked in museum operations in Boston. Claire-Solène also teaches high school students as a French tutor. In her free time, she loves to dance and to bake sourdough bread. 

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.