The Board of Directors is responsible for the strategic direction of yPIE DC, overseeing all aspects of the organization, including membership, communications, partnerships and activities. One member of the Board serves as Chair, while the remaining members serve on one of three committees: Membership & Development, Events, and Communications.
Board Chair
Kelsey Prima
Program Manager for Academic Exchanges and Systems, University of Maryland
Kelsey has led yPIE DC over the last two years after taking over as Chair in January 2020. At UMD she oversees incoming exchange and coordinates exchange processes, agreements, and curriculum integration efforts. In her previous role at ISEP Study Abroad she worked closely with over 70 international partners in Europe, the United Kingdom and Oceania to promote mobility, manage exchange partnerships, develop new programs and facilitate strategic initiatives. Kelsey is a Philadelphia native who completed her bachelor’s degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Delaware and her master’s degree in International Education Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. While at UD, Kelsey studied abroad in Austria and Costa Rica, and went on to teach in Austria through the Fulbright U.S. Teaching Assistants program after graduating, and later worked in international education at the Middlebury School in Mainz, Germany. In addition to her work with EA, she serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of yPIE DC, or Young Professionals in International Education in Washington, DC. In her free time, Kelsey enjoys long hikes in Shenandoah, losing herself in a good novel, scouting out specialty coffee shops and planning her next trip abroad.
Membership & Development Committee
Richard Bobo
Senior Alumni Relations & Advancement Officer, Cultural Vistas
Richard joined Cultural Vistas in 2011 as an Assistant Program Officer on the US Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. In this position, he arranged visits to the US for hundreds of international visitors invited by US embassies around the world. He was awarded the distinguished IVLP Programmer of the Year Award in 2015 in recognition of his contributions to citizen diplomacy and the field of international exchange. In early 2016, he transitioned roles to build the Cultural Vistas Alumni Network and later to build out their philanthropy and advancement efforts. Richard has held roles as an International Trade Assistant for the Northern California World Trade Center and as a Team Coordinator for US-Brazil Connect. Richard is a StartingBloc Social Innovation Fellow, a graduate of the UC Davis, and is currently pursuing an MBA at Georgetown University. He enjoys long-distance cycling, running, and photography.
Tiana Spruill
Program Analyst at U.S. Department of State
Tiana has been a government contractor at the U.S. Department of State
since 2015 and currently works as a Program Analyst in the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). She manages 181 academic
sponsors who host J-1 exchange visitors in the Exchange Visitor
Program. Tiana began her career interning for the International Visitor
Leadership Program at ECA and World Learning. Previously, she was a
Junior Program Analyst in ECA, Management Analyst at the Bureau of
Overseas Building Operations, and Program Assistant at the Foreign
Service Institute. One highlight of her career was traveling to Ecuador to
assist a leadership development course that she co-coordinated for U.S.
diplomats. Tiana earned an MA in Global Affairs & Human Security
from the University of Baltimore. She has a 160-hour TEFL certificate
and taught English online to kids from China. Originally from Maryland,
Tiana enjoys attending concerts, learning languages, samba dancing,
practicing yoga, traveling, and trying new things.
Events Committee
Crockett Sewell
Special Projects Manager, EducationUSA, Institute of International Education
A native of Tennessee, Crockett Sewell is the Special Projects Manager for the Global EducationUSA
Services team at the Institute of International Education. As the Special Projects Manager, he works on
multiple different projects that help promote US higher education to students around the world.
Crockett joined the EducationUSA family in July 2019 after working as an International Admissions
Counselor at Purdue University. Before joining the international student recruitment field, Crockett
completed his Master of Arts in International Public Relations and Global Communications Management
at Cardiff University and his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at Queens University of Charlotte.
As a student, Crockett discovered EducationUSA and the field of international education through study
abroad in Brussels, Belgium, and internships with the EducationUSA team at IIE.
Mary Johnson
PED Program Associate, Meridian International Center
Mary Johnson received an MS in Public Relations and an MA in International Relations from Syracuse University where she specialized in Public Diplomacy. During her time at Syracuse, Mary interned with More Europe/The Cultural Diplomacy Platform funded by the European Commission in Brussels. She also interned with USAID in the Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs supporting the Development Outreach Communicators team. Mary received a BA in Spanish and a BA in Communication from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. During her time at Bellarmine, she studied abroad in Spain on several occasions, including at the Universidad de Salamanca. Mary speaks Spanish and has traveled to countries in Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. She is a Program Associate in the Professional Exchanges Division and serves as the CBM Staff Exchange Co-Facilitator at Meridian International Center.
Kristen Geatz
Executive and Operations Assistant, National Public Education Support Fund
Kristen Geatz joined the National Public Education Support Fund in August 2020. Prior to joining NPESF,
Kristen spent five years at the Institute of International Education (IIE) serving in a number of roles.
Most recently, she served as the Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President, where she managed
the daily operations of the Office of the EVP. Additionally, Kristen supported IIE initiatives such as Higher
Education Initiatives and the Emergency Student Fund, as well as managing IIE events for public and
private stakeholders. Kristen began her career in international education working on the International
Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), and the KAUST Gifted Students Program (KGSP) at IIE. Kristen is a
member of Hood College Class of 2015, where she graduated from the Honors Program with a Bachelor
of Arts in Law and Society. During her tenure at Hood, she studied abroad in Sydney, Australia, interning
as a paralegal with the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre of New South Wales. In her free time, Kristen can be found
on stage or behind the scenes of community theater productions in the DMV area.
Priyanka Vakil
Senior Associate, Grant Thornton Public Sector
Priyanka is a Senior Associate with Grant Thornton’s Public Sector Advisory, where she works with different federal clients to help them solve organizational transformation business challenges. Prior to joining Grant Thornton, she worked in international development conducting policy and legal research analysis, and supporting international rule of law initiatives, foreign policy, and gender issues. Originally born in Kenya, she and her family immigrated to North Carolina. She taught English in Spain through the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, and consulted for NAFSA on U.S. – Cuba diplomacy. Her passion for international education has evolved from a dream her parents had to provide their children access to the best opportunities, to advocating for those who face barriers to accessing educational opportunities at home, or internationally. She is fluent in Hindi, Gujarati, Spanish, Kiswahili and can piece together enough sentences to get by in Portuguese, French, and Arabic. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Hispanic Linguistics from UNC Chapel Hill, and a Master’s in International Affairs from American University’s School of International Service.
Communications Committee
Courtney Wade
Research Analyst, American Councils for International Education
Courtney is currently assisting with research and data analysis at American Councils for International Education. Originally from Gainesville, Florida, Courtney has earned an MA in International Training and Education from American University and a BA in Psychology & Linguistics from Emory University. During her undergraduate studies, she studied abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Japan. Before moving to DC for graduate school she was an Assistant Language Teacher in Himeji, Japan, for three years through the JET Program. In the field of international education, Courtney is especially passionate about diversity and inclusion initiatives. She enjoys finding new brunch places, going to concerts, and – of course – traveling.
Molly Hogan
Study Abroad Specialist, Youth For Understanding USA (YFU)
Born and raised in the DMV, Molly entered international education as a private tutor for international
ESOL students after graduating from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where she earned her Liberal Arts Degree in English Language with a concentration on Education. In 2017, she joined Youth For
Understanding USA where she is now the Study Abroad Coordinator. Her primary role is helping
American students choose and prepare for outbound intercultural exchange programs in more than 40
countries worldwide. She also assists in marketing for YFU, coordinating events and conferences, and
generating written and visual commutations. She decided on international education as a career path at
just 14 years old during her first study abroad experience in Florence, Italy. Outside of work, Molly
enjoys HGTV, taking her dog to local parks, and “touristy” DC weekends
Kim Rush
Manager of Advising Services, George Washington University
A now two-year resident of DC and PA-native, Kim Rush currently serves as the Manager of Advising Services at the George Washington University’s Office for Study Abroad. In this role, she manages the overall advising team of full-time advisors, graduate assistants, and undergraduate peer advisors, determining the advising strategy for supporting students at every phase of the study abroad process. Before joining the GW community, Kim worked as an enrollment and eligibility specialist in inbound and outbound international student health insurance. Kim recently received her Master of Arts in International Education from GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development. As part of her graduate experience, she has conducted research in both Cuba and Italy on the internationalization of higher education. Prior to grad school, Kim completed her undergraduate degree at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania, earning a BA in International Studies and French Language and Culture. During which time, she studied abroad for a semester in Montpellier, France and a month long summer program in Maastricht, Netherlands. In addition to those experiences, Kim enjoys traveling independently throughout the world. One of her favorite traditions is spending each New Year’s Eve in a new country.
Former Board Members
The following international education professionals previously served on the board of yPIE DC:
Janice Wait, Mary Catherine Chase, Katie O’Connell, Marc St. Hilaire, Jason Terry, Emily Volpe, Sarah (DeNapoli) Wedmark, Brian Wiehr, Franziska Rook, Kelsey Sherbondy, Maria Morck, Stephanie Blochinger, Erin Baldwin, Jenna Hartsell, Holly Ratcliffe, Zachary Adams, Andrew Barbagallo, Omobosola Olabisi, Tess Cannon, Lauren Kardos, Peter Boller, Emma Reinhalter, Liz Sinclair, Ashley Whittington