Author Biographies
Anas Al-Fattal is an Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Business Department at the University of Minnesota (UMN) Crookston in the U.S. He received his PhD and master’s degrees from the University of Leeds in the UK. The focus of his study and research has been educational management, marketing, applied psychology, cryptocurrencies, entrepreneurship, and consumer behavior (student choice). He has lectured in several higher education institutions in Syria, Oman, and the US. ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9736-7439.
Lynn C. Anderson worked at UMN Twin Cities for 29 years. Over three summers, she was the faculty director for groups of students conducting independent research in German. She was the founding director of curriculum integration (CI), and led CI for eight years, and served as Dean of International Education at UC San Diego for six years before retiring. Prior to and after retirement, Anderson consulted on international education at a number of universities and colleges and with education abroad organizations.
Dunja Antunovic (PhD, Penn State) is an Associate Professor of Sport Sociology at the UMN School of Kinesiology. She is also an affiliate faculty member with the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication and an affiliate scholar with the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Antunovic’s research examines the media visibility of women’s sport, with a focus on media production, representation, and consumption. In addition to her U.S.-based research, she also conducts cross-national comparative research on diversity in sports media in Central and Eastern Europe. She has given keynotes at conferences in Croatia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Her classes focus on the historical, philosophical, and sociological approaches to sport and physical activity, with attention to global perspectives.
David Beard is Professor of Rhetoric at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). He has published in the International Journal of Listening, Philosophy and Rhetoric, the Southern Journal of Communication, and Enculturation, among other venues. With Richard Enos, he co-edited Advances in the History of Rhetoric (Parlor Press). With Heather Graves, he co-edited The Rhetoric of Oil (Routledge). Like his collaborator on this project, Katy Chapman, he has won awards for advising and for teaching at UMD and been a participant in UMN’s Internationalizing Teaching and Learning Cohorts, a mentor to other faculty in this program, and an International Teaching and Learning Fellow; he is also a Fellow with the Institute on the Environment at UMN. Beard is most proud of internationalizing courses that students don’t expect to internationalized, integrating international perspectives into courses on the history of literacy, on board game design, and on Minnesota writers.
Thorunn Bjarnadottir was the Program Director of Culture Corps from 2000 until 2019, when she retired as the Director of Intercultural Education. She never tired of guiding fellow international students to find a way to make a difference to the UMN community. Since 2019, Bjarnadottir has focused her work on healthcare, inflected by a passion for the intercultural that she still cultivates through connections in Minnesota and Iceland.
M. Buchanan is a doctoral researcher at UMN, specializing in multilingualism and multilingual education research. Her research focuses on the intersection of power and language within performances of race, ethnicity, multilingualism, and gender. She is particularly interested in the gap between performative and communicative oral speech acts and their transcription.
Andréa Caloiaro is an Associate Instructional Professor of the University Writing Program at the University of Florida (UF). He teaches courses in discipline-specific writing, service-learning, and cultural studies. He is also the Coordinator for Professional Communication for Engineers at UF. In all of his courses, his goal is to enable students to write in or for real-world contexts. His research interests are divided between writing studies, mainly service-learning and student research writing, and Irish studies, particularly Irish literature of the First World War.
Katy Chapman is an Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences and serves as the Director of Sustainability at UMN Crookston; she is also an educator with the Institute on the Environment at UMN. She has published in several journals, including the Journal of Environmental Quality, Agronomy Journal, Soil Science, Ecological Engineering, Chemosphere, Botany Research Journal, and Bioresource Technology. Chapman has been recognized by UMN Crookston many times, with the 2020 Distinguished Faculty Service Award, the 2017 Distinguished Scholar Award, and the 2017 Award for Outstanding Support for International Students, and she received the UMN’s 2016 C. Eugene Allen Award for Innovative International Initiatives. She has not only been a participant in UMN’s Internationalizing Teaching and Learning Cohorts, but has served as a mentor to other faculty in this program a number of times, and has been an International Teaching and Learning Fellow. Through these activities, Chapman has internationalized not only her classes, but also both the Environmental Science and Biology programs at UMN Crookston.
Brian J. Dingmann, PhD, is an Associate Professor at UMN Crookston, and actively works to internationalize the student experience. He earned the UMN system-wide C. Eugene Allen Award for Innovative International Initiatives in recognition of his collaborative efforts to integrate global perspectives into Crookston’s biology curriculum. Dingmann has built meaningful international partnerships through research collaborations, and plans to spend a sabbatical in Hungary in Fall 2025 to further promote cross-cultural understanding and academic exchange.
Neamatallah Elsayed is currently pursuing her PhD in Comparative and International Development Education in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at UMN. Since fall 2023, she has been working as a Research Assistant at the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, focusing on community-based research. Prior to joining UMN, she served as a Senior Programs Officer at the Economic Research Forum, a regional research network based in Cairo, Egypt, where she co-managed various local and regional research projects for over two years. Elsayed also holds a Master’s in Development Practice from UMN’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Her research broadly explores the relationship between education and the formation of national identities in the Middle East and beyond.
Denny Falk served as a faculty member in the Department of Social Work at UMD for 40 years before retiring in 2017. He received the UMN Award for Global Engagement and the UMD Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, among others.
James Thomas Ford, PhD, teaches history and civic engagement as a student-based faculty member at the Center for Learning Innovation, UMN Rochester, and serves in the U.S. Army Reserve. He has published articles on early modern Germany in academic journals, taught global seminars in Germany and Türkiye, facilitated community-based projects for undergraduates, and been involved with the Internationalizing the Curriculum programs at UMN Twin Cities. His current research includes classroom use of the memoir as a primary historical source in the study of genocide and a prosopographical study of patient records from the now-defunct Rochester State Hospital.
Stephanie D. Gingerich, DNP, RN, CPN, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the UMN School of Nursing, where she is also the Specialty Coordinator for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program in Health Innovation and Leadership and the Director for Global Programming within the School of Nursing. Her scholarly focus is on global healthcare studies, partnership approaches to academic and professional nursing, leadership, partnership approaches, and equitable access to education. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Health Innovation and Leadership from UMN and a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Iowa. Gingerich is a Registered Nurse, a dedicated professor to her students and colleagues, and an active community member.
Ryan Goei (PhD, Michigan State University) is an Associate Professor in Communication and Director of University Honors at UMD. His research and teaching is focused on intercultural communication, social influence, and interpersonal and health communication. Goei teaches four courses, uniquely blending different approaches to help students improve communication and relationships across differences.
Marzell I Gray, DrPH, MBA, Pn1 MIT-PE ADSP, NLP, is an Assistant Professor in the Applied Human Sciences Department at UMD and serves as the Chair of the Professional Development Sector in the Physical Activity Alliance. He leads initiatives that foster professional growth and innovation in research and scholarly work. Gray holds several certifications, including from the certificate program in “Teaching in Globally Diverse Classes through UMNTC.” His commitment to continuous learning and diversity in education underscores his approach to teaching and mentorship in research. Gray’s research encompasses Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), exploring the benefits of physical activity in health promotion, and including health and wellness coaching in the minor he collaborated to start at UMD in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, where he continues to teach required courses, ensuring the program’s alignment with current industry standards and academic strategies.
Christopher Johnstone is an Associate Professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at UMN. He teaches courses in the Comparative and International Development Education program, and served as the Principal Investigator of the KA-2 International Education project (funded by the European Union), which was the basis for his chapter in this book. His research interests focus on inclusive education in global contexts and on the internationalization of higher education.
Dakota Leget is a proud first-generation college student, a third-year graduate student in the Clinical Health Psychology PhD program at UF, and director of UF’s Free Therapy Night clinic, which offers free mental health services to community members who are uninsured/underinsured. Leget earned a BA in Health and Human Physiology from the University of Iowa and an MA in Psychological Science from UMD. Outside of academic pursuits, Leget enjoys cats, spending time with loved ones, and exploring local coffee shops.
Jennifer Ostrom Liang is a Professor of Biology at UMD, and is very grateful to have been involved in the Transdisciplinary Engagement with Indigenous Thinkers project because it gave her the opportunity to work with such wonderful people and stretch her mind.
Dana Lindaman (PhD, Harvard University) is an associate professor of French at UMD, where he also serves as department chair for the Department of World Languages & Literatures. He is co-director of the Undergraduate Research Study Abroad program (URSA), which brings students abroad for research in Morocco.
Meredith McQuaid, JD, is former Associate Vice President and Dean of International Programs at UMN (2008–2023), past president and board chair of NAFSA: Association of International Education, and a past board member of AIEA (Association of International Education Administrators). She has been an active member of the international education community for more than 30 years, providing support and leadership in matters related to immigration, curriculum and campus internationalization, program development, study abroad, and international student support.
Kelly Meyer, ME, School Partnerships and Clinical Learning Coordinator in the College of Education and Human Development at UMN Twin Cities, is a former classroom teacher, an international conference presenter, and a globe trotter and linguaphile.
Viann N. Nguyen-Feng, PhD, MPH, LP [vee-anne win-fang] (she/her), is a counseling psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychology at UMN. She serves as core faculty in the clinical-counseling graduate program and directs the Mind-Body Trauma Care Lab. Nguyen-Feng acknowledges her positionality as a bi/queer person with Southeast Asian/Vietnamese Buddhist ancestry who grew up on the Lands of the Piscataway. For more information, see her lab website (MindBodyTrauma.Care).
Jade Orgill is a dedicated human development specialist with a passion for sustainable development and social justice. She works to assist the education sector and community-based organizations to bring food security and nutritional diversity into the school system and beyond. She believes that her role in South Africa’s social empowerment story lies within the nexus of child development, institutional strengthening and self-sufficiency. To this end, her social sector work has spanned research, infrastructure development, program development, and child literacy. Combining more than a decade of experience in the South African education sector with a passion for regenerative land practice, she began The Sprightly Seed in 2017. Her vision is to build and strengthen positive and sustainable relationships between people and earth so that vulnerable individuals and communities become thriving participants within natural ecosystems. In achieving this, her mission is to provide tangible and developmental support to vulnerable schools and communities in a way that builds power and agency through integration with natural ecosystems. The Sprightly Seed has, to date, taught 46 schools in the Western Cape how to grow organic produce in cost effective and sustainable ways. It has set up a market garden model at a school for children with disabilities, and has trained over 100 community members and organizations in regenerative agriculture practice. Orgill also volunteers as a mentor to social impact entrepreneurs through the Oribi Village Food Systems incubation program. She holds a Masters in Social Planning from the University of Cape Town, but started her career in the Fast Moving Consumer Good sector at South African Breweries with a business undergraduate degree. She has volunteered for international humanitarian organizations and mentored at-risk girls through Khulisa Social Solutions. Orgill strives for health and balance in mind and body, engaging in meditation practice and the creative arts, and expanding her knowledge of healing through plants.
Paula J. Pedersen, EdD, retired in 2020 from a 30-year career at UMD, where she served as psychology faculty and Director of Education for Inclusive Excellence. An educator and psychologist, Pedersen is also an interculturalist and a consultant to educational and leadership groups seeking self-awareness and strategies toward intercultural effectiveness. She has been a licensed psychologist, and is a facilitator with the Center for Courage and Renewal, facilitating retreats based on the work of Parker J. Palmer. As an educator, singer, and citizen, she strives to facilitate understanding of the complexity of multiple perspectives, whether singing, teaching, training or tending her garden. In retirement, she continues to strive toward what Parker Palmer called the “undivided life.” She lives with her wife in the north woods near the Twin Ports of Duluth/Superior along with their dog, cat, 12 chickens, and two beehives.
Jonathan Stuart, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at UMN. Stuart specializes in writing and facilitating for business and educational purposes. For over 25 years he has taught in higher education, designing customized and experiential courses. He has trained in South Korea, South Africa, Guatemala, and the Twin Cities. His clients include Medtronic, the City of Minneapolis, Habitat for Humanity, and the MSP International Airport. Stuart offers both workplace mediation and meeting facilitation services. He volunteers with the Dispute Resolution Center and Pilgrim Center for Reconciliation, both in St. Paul. He holds an MA in Human Resource Development & Adult Education and a PhD in Organizational Leadership, both from UMN, and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2015–2016.
Joseph Shostell is Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences at UMN Crookston. He earned his PhD in environmental biology from the University of Louisville with a concentration in limnology/ecosystems ecology. He holds a master’s degree in zoology, with a concentration in limnology/community ecology, from North Dakota State University, and is a certified Hazwoper Trainer (teaching about hazardous chemicals), STEM Education Trainer (Center for the Advancement of STEM Education), and Wind Senator for Kidwind. Shostell has received numerous awards, including Penn State’s 2008 and 2012 Scholarly Excellence Awards, and key grants from the Department of Environmental Protection and the National Science Foundation. He has written or cowritten articles published in journals such as Ecosystems, Journal of Freshwater Ecology, Freshwater Biology, Aquatic Ecology, and The Journal of Heredity, and co-written or contributed to several academic books and monographs.
David Syring is Professor and Department Head of Anthropology at the University of San Diego. He earned a PhD in cultural anthropology from Rice University, and a BA in history and English from Cornell College. Syring’s research, teaching, and community service focus on cultures of place, humanistic approaches to resilient food systems, human-environment relationships, and globalization and craftwork. He draws on sustainability as both a theoretical framework and a practical approach to addressing contemporary issues of social inequality, and facilitates participatory media creation with community groups. His book Places in the World a Person Could Walk: Family, Stories, Home, and Place in the Texas Hill Country was a Minnesota Book Award finalist. His students produced Northern Roots: Growing Food in the Western Lake Superior Region (streamable on Vimeo). From 2015–2020 he served as lead co-editor of Anthropology and Humanism. He has conducted major community research on sustainable regional food systems in the Western Great Lakes. Since 2005 he has done fieldwork in Ecuador with Indigenous community members in Tuncarta, Saraguro, and this work led to his book With the Saraguros: The Blended Life in a Transnational World. He creates videos with Saraguro collaborators and others (youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4C25rHGw36B1EsjFCMHyWi6n38oEGbvL). He has taught participatory media making, specifically digital storytelling, to community groups. Syring’s current research focus is on the transdisciplinary intersections of the arts, sciences, social sciences, and humanities, as well as on the significance of Indigenous knowledges as we grapple with environmental and social challenges created by globalization and climate change.
Angelica Walton, DNP, RN, RYT, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the UMN School of Nursing in the Population and Health Systems cooperative. She has expertise in holistic and integrative systems of care, and her teaching focuses on diverse global health perspectives to advance education, practice, and leadership through innovative and creative systems improvement strategies. Walton’s practice focuses on addressing structural and social barriers to health through creative and collaborative design of environments for more regenerative and cohesive system relationships in the context of social change, planetary health, and healing justice. She is a global health faculty scholar and advisor to the interdisciplinary arts board, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Regional Sustainable Development Partnership. A scholar in the areas of ecosocial and embodiment studies and practice models, Walton continues to present and publish in both national and international journals as a subject matter expert.
Lauren Wright currently serves as a Communications and Advocacy Fellow with a renewable energy non-profit organization based in Oakland, California. She earned her bachelor’s degree in May of 2023 from UF, where she studied sustainability, mass communication, and business. She plans to further her education and study environmental policy so that she can continue to pursue fulfilling, impactful work that improves the lives of those in underserved communities.
