Board of Trustees

Partner, ArentFox Schiff LLP
 

Education

Class of SYA France 1998
The Dalton School
Harvard University
Columbia University

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

The opportunity to live in another country, learn a new language and learn how to thrive across differences is a formative experience. My time at SYA changed my life for the better and brought opportunities that I could not have foreseen.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

Living with my host family in a small village outside of Rennes totally prepared me to live in a small village in Japan where I was the English teacher. I was able to integrate into the village, make friends and maintain long-term relationships that were incredible to have when I moved to Tokyo with my family 10 years later.

Head of School, Newark Academy
 

Education

Choate Rosemary Hall
Georgetown University
New York University

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

As a former Resident Director, I have witnessed the transformational impact of a full year of study abroad in high school students. The world opens up to them through this experience, and it helps them to become global citizens who understand and promote internationalism.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

Living abroad began as a quest to learn French and discover France and evolved into a key foundation of my career. It enriched my understanding of the world and broadened my perspective.

Customer Success, Airtable
 

Education

Class of SYA China 2006
Milton Academy
Georgetown University
Northwestern University

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

International education broadens perspectives. It teaches a person about the world and narratives outside of their own. It also teaches a person about themselves as they navigate new experiences.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

I had moved around frequently growing up, but my time with SYA in Beijing was among the formative experiences of my life. The obvious impact was the youthful confidence that came with helping new friends navigate an unfamiliar linguistic and cultural environment. What was harder to observe, though it serves one better in the long run, was the humility that came from realizing my own perspective is just one among many. My time abroad developed in me a willingness to engage with different views and ideas to sustain a lifetime of growth.

Director, Strategy and Communications, Georgetown University
 

Education

Class of SYA Italy 2002
Sidwell Friends School
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Georgetown University

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

Our lives today, personal and professional, are increasingly interconnected and global, and require more than just intercultural awareness. Students today must be prepared to learn, live and collaborate with peers that bring different perspectives, awareness and experiences in order to address the complex challenges facing our world today and in the future.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

When I arrived in Viterbo, I was welcomed by a new community of classmates, teachers, host families and friends that have shaped my life in countless positive ways since then. While my travels have taken me to several countries since then, Italy remains one that still feels like home. Personally, I've returned to Italy for many trips, including undergraduate and graduate programs. My professional path was also shaped by my first study abroad experience, first leading me to work for a U.S. based Italian company, and ultimately leading me to work that aims to create more high-impact and transformative experiential learning opportunities for all students.

Director of Outreach and Associate Director of Admissions, Phillips Exeter Academy
 

Education

Class of SYA Italy 2006
Phillips Exeter Academy
Yale College

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

International education fosters the opportunity to explore diverse perspectives while embracing risk-taking by stepping out of comfort zones. It cultivates relationships built on understanding differences, building empathy and elevating respect for people and cultures.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

Living abroad in Italy through School Year Abroad and other countries after my SYA experience has grown my versatility in navigating cultures and lifestyles. It has boosted my confidence, especially linguistically, while building resiliency and resourcefulness. These experiences have also made me more adventuresome, sparking a passion for exploration and the thrill of discovering something new!

Board Member, Climate XChange Education & Research, Inc.
 

Education

Class of SYA France 1979
Phillips Exeter Academy
Harvard College
University of Virginia

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

Living and studying in Rennes during SYA changed my perspective on the U.S. and the world. The U.S. for all its diversity can be a rather inward-looking place. I want more American students to have the opportunity to have the life-changing experience I did.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

The SYA experience prepared me for new challenges and led me down a path I never would have taken otherwise. After French I studied Japanese at Harvard, then as a summer intern I lived in a Japanese company dorm outside Tokyo for two months. Following graduation I lived on my own and worked in Tokyo for four years, where I met my wife Kyoko. Later I went back for two more stints of five and nearly eight years in Tokyo with my wife and growing family, working for a consulting firm and then for IBM.

Retired Head of School
1998-2001, American School in England
2001-23, Norfolk Academy
 

Education

Moorestown High School
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

At this point in human history (its current challenges too vast to enumerate), what greater gift could we bestow upon children than to help them feel like they are citizens of an international community? Helping children develop, advance and deepen their understanding and love of their fellow man or woman has never had more currency or urgency. Attempting to understand unfamiliar cultures, languages, religions and ethnicities might at first seem daunting, but seeing human diversity as an invitation to explore, to learn, to create relationships and advance understanding is a surer path to universal empathy and world peace.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

I studied in London during my junior year in college, a profound and powerful chapter in my life, that afforded me an opportunity to see and experience the world anew — from a vantage point outside my own country. That startlingly different perspective has remained with me and shaped the arc of my life since then. I yearned for 20 years to live abroad again and luckily had a professional opportunity to do so. My wife, our two very young children and I surrendered our comfortable Virginia life and spent several years living in London. The greatest gift accrued to our children as their world was opened more widely and liberally than my wife and I could ever have imagined.

Education

Class of SYA France 1974
Phillip Exeter Academy
Harvard College
Duke University

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

International education promotes better understanding and appreciation for other cultures and peoples.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

I lived in France with a wonderful host family during SYA and later studied in Vienna, taught primary school in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and served as U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg. These experiences were among the most enriching of my life, allowing me, among other things, to gain a valuable perspective on the United States.

Senior Pro Bono & Community Engagement Manager, Alston and Bird
 

Education

Class of SYA Spain 2001
The Westminster Schools
Brown University
University of California, Los Angeles

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

International education opens your eyes to other cultures and traditions and provides important perspective on how interconnected the world is. Studying abroad not only builds confidence in oneself but also increases empathy and understanding toward others.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

SYA Spain 01 (host family - the best!); Lyon, France Fall 2004 (apartment) and Barcelona, Spain Spring 2005 (host family)

Education

Class of SYA Spain 1985
Kent Place School
DePauw University
Harvard University

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

I am passionate about international education because it fosters cross-cultural understanding, broadens perspectives and equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to thrive in a globalized world. It opens doors to diverse opportunities and promotes a more inclusive and interconnected society.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

At 16, through SYA, I lived in Barcelona with a host family for the school year, an experience that deeply immersed me in Spanish culture and language. Four years later, I returned to study at the University of Barcelona through DePauw University, once again living with a host family who were friends and neighbors of my original hosts. Additionally, I lived in Guatemala teaching health education as part of DePauw's winter terms in mission. While the language skills I had acquired through these experiences opened many doors, it was the less tangible aspects that truly transformed me. These experiences taught me to be comfortable with the unexpected and navigate life's uncertainties with confidence. They also fueled my cultural curiosity and openness, fostering a deeper appreciation for diverse perspectives and ways of life.

Head of School, Albuquerque Academy
 

Education

Hackley School
Cornell University
Columbia University

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

Students are encouraged to question everything around them, including the political systems, social constructs, gender roles and cultural norms. They are also forced to try things, take risks, acknowledge and learn from failure and try again.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

In 2009, I was appointed Deputy Headmaster for Student Life and Dean of Students at King’s Academy in Jordan. I learned how to be comfortable being uncomfortable … all of the time. I relied on others to communicate for me — a humbling experience that helped me forge meaningful relationships with the people I worked with. I had to bridge cultures, which depended on learning and developing the patience to listen well and hear the things that are unsaid.

Member, Ramsey Properties, LLC
 

Education

Class of SYA Spain 1981
St. Stephen's Episcopal School
University of Texas
University of Arizona
University of Denver

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

My life has been so enriched by the opportunity to learn a foreign language and experience a different culture. Drawing from Mark Twain, I believe that studying abroad helped me to develop a broader, tolerant and more nuanced view of the world — all while sparking curiosity and interests that have made me a lifelong learner.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

I have been fortunate to live abroad as a student at SYA Spain from 1980-1981 and as a student in Madrid from 1983-1984. I spent two years in Honduras as a Peace Corps Volunteer working in adult literacy from 1988-1990. All of these experiences impacted me profoundly. Having the opportunity to be immersed in foreign cultures prompted me to reflect on my own values and acculturation and engendered greater understanding and empathy for others. My early career as an immigration attorney and later as a fourth grade teacher in a mostly Spanish-speaking classroom grew out of my experiences of living abroad and learning Spanish. I continue to volunteer for activities that serve the Spanish-speaking community.

Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of State
 

Education

Class of SYA Spain 1985
Episcopal High School
Kenyon College
George Mason University

How did living abroad change or inform you?

After my SYA year in Barcelona, I spent my junior year of college in Grenoble, France. With the Foreign Service, I have lived in Honduras, Norway, South Africa and Rwanda.

Head of School, Georgetown Day School
 

Education

La Jolla High School
Yale University
Columbia University

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

I studied abroad in college and it was transformative for me.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

I studied in Geneva, Switzerland my junior year of college. I lived with a host family, traveled widely, made wonderful international connections and deepened my sense of the world.

VP Communications, The Arcus Foundation
 

Education

Class of SYA France 1978
Phillips Exeter Academy
Harvard College

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

It opens the young mind to diversity, stokes curiosity, encourages empathy, engenders humility and plants the seeds of global citizenship.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

I spent my junior year in Rennes at School Year Abroad. That year helped me understand that the American way of life is but one of many if not an unlimited number of ways and that every culture has something to offer to the rest. My ability to approach people from other cultures without "othering" them but rather with curiosity grew tremendously that year and has persisted ever since. SYA was a gateway to lifelong learning and engagement with the world.

Assistant Head of School for Admission and Financial Aid, Phillips Academy
 

Education

Phillips Academy
Dartmouth College

Why are you passionate about study abroad?

The impact the experience has on students who take advantage of the opportunity.

How did living abroad change or inform you?

I studied in Italy for a semester in college and stayed with a host family. It changed my perspective on the importance of global citizenship.