About Us
Mission & Staff
USF Education Abroad Mission Statement
The Education Abroad Office promotes global competency by supporting and creating high-impact, innovative, and accessible international experiences for students.
Amanda Maurer, Director of Education Abroad
Ms. Maurer came to USF in 2008 from the Columbia University School of Law, where she
held the position of Senior Director of International Programs for thirteen years.
She also worked with an NGO that developed conferences and programs in the USSR and
PRC. She holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Russian language and literature
from FSU. Her study abroad experiences were in former Yugoslavia and the USSR.
Email: Send A Message
Phone: (813) 974-4126
Jim Pulos, Associate Director of Education Abroad
Mr. Pulos is the primary contact for Education Abroad student advising or issues with
various university offices (Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, etc.). He coordinates
student course registration, course approval, grades, and all payments of program
fees. He also serves as the liaison between students and Education Abroad faculty
directors and between non-USF students and their universities' respective offices.
He is also responsible for the Italian and Greek semester programs, internships in
Dublin, and selected summer Education Abroad programs.
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Phone: (813) 974-4043
Rene Sanchez, Assistant Director of Education Abroad
Mr. Sanchez joined the Education Abroad Office in the fall of 2001. He is a USF graduate,
with a Bachelor of the Arts in Psychology and a minor in International Studies. He
completed his Master of Education with a focus on Instructional Technology and Curriculum
Design. His passion for international education led him to complete study abroad programs
in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, Peru, and the United Kingdom; later leading
programs to the United Kingdom and France. He currently serves the office as the Assistant
Director for Operations where he acts as the primary contact for faculty development,
contracting, virtual global exchange, and oversees the program development and exchanges
team.
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Phone: (813) 974-3104
Raheleh "Rahi" Dayerizadeh, Ph.D, Assistant Director of Education Abroad
Rahi has diverse experience in higher education as an academic advisor, instructor,
coordinator, and leadership that she brings to her role as assistant director for
student services in Education Abroad. As an academic advisor for Pre-law, Political
Science, International Studies, Africana Studies, and an Adjunct Professor in the
School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and the Judy
Genshaft Honors College, with over 17+ years of experience in public higher education,
Dr. Dayerizadeh brings a unique interdisciplinary critical perspective to curriculum
and global learning and program development. During COVID, through the Global Citizen
Project, she directed a global virtual program called Operation: Global Action which
connected over 1000 students together from USF and UniNorte to collaborate on projects
promoting the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Over the years, she
has taught 25+ courses in the areas of World Perspectives, Comparative Politics, Geo-perspectives,
Conflicts in the World, Politics of Developing Areas, Women in the Middle East and
North Africa, and Women in Development. Furthermore, she has studied abroad in Argentina
and has helped direct education abroad programs in the UK and France. She is well
traveled, and speaks fluent Farsi, and has proficiency in Arabic, and Spanish. She
has served on multiple committees including co-chairing the UGS Diversity Equity and
Inclusion Committee and has been nominated for the USF Inclusive Excellence Award.
Her passion for promoting global competency and the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals drives her to inspire students for academic success at USF and empowers them
to study abroad.
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Phone: (813) 974-8450
Olga Atehortua, Assistant Director - Global Travel Safety and Health
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Phone: (813) 974-3274
Nancy Di Bella, Education Abroad Program Manager
Ms. Di Bella is a Program Manager for USF programs in Latin America, the Caribbean,
and the Iberian Peninsula. She also oversees student travel through affiliate programing
with the GREEN Program, and CISAbroad. Born and raised in Venezuela, she grew up bicultural
and bilingual completing a Bachelor’s degree in Venezuela and a Master’s at USF. Since
2005 she led many Education Abroad programs to Costa Rica and Ecuador as faculty before
joining the Education Abroad Office in 2014. She has seen students’ experiences abroad
from many angles yet she never ceases to be amazed by its transformative power.
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Phone: (813) 974-1969
Elena Efremova, Education Abroad Program Manager
Elena Efremova is a Program Manager overseeing faculty-led programs in non-Mediterranean
Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa. Elena also works with students
going on affiliate programs through SIT and Barcelona SAE.
Born and raised in Russia, she completed her undergraduate exchange program at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania and received a Master’s degree in International Economics back in her home town of Vladivostok, Russia. Since 2004, Elena managed cultural exchanges and partnership projects between Russia and the United States at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow before moving to Tampa and joining the Education Abroad Office in 2018.
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Phone: (813) 974-6789
Lauren Strange, Student Programs Coordinator
Lauren Strange serves as the advisor to incoming exchange students, students attending
non – affiliate programs, and oversees the Peace Corps Prep certificate program. An
alumnae of USF, Lauren participated in an exchange with Oxford Brookes University
as an undergraduate student and then went on to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer
in the Kyrgyz Republic.
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Phone: (813) 974-6148
K.C. Kirchner, Student Programs Coordinator
KC Kirchner serves as the program coordinator overseeing outbound exchange programs, special programs, and our Global Classroom Initiative, including the Virtual Global Exchange program. Originally from North Carolina, she is an alumna of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte with Bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Public Relations. KC began her study abroad experience as an undergraduate student in Valencia, Spain, and lived overseas in Palma de Mallorca and Madrid for three years teaching English as a foreign language. She earned her Master's in Global Higher Education from the University of Alcalá (UAH) in Madrid before moving to Tampa and joining the Education Abroad Office in 2023.
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Phone: (813) 974-2901
Adelia Douglas, Advisor Student Services
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Phone: (813) 974-7911
Kirby Purdom, Advisor Student Services
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Shari Gray, Fiscal Business Manager
Shari is a proud USF alumnus with a BA in Finance and a BS in Accounting. She came
to work for USF with over 25 years of accounting management in private industry. Her
primary responsibility is the fiscal management of our Education Abroad programs.
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Ivelisse Hernandez , Fiscal Business Analyst
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Em Maxwell, Fiscal Business Specialist
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Hong Wu , Fiscal Business Specialist
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C. J. Edwards, Enrollment Management Specialist
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Trang Ly, Enrollment Specialist
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Gary Bellamy, Web and Database Coordinator
Mr. Bellamy has over 20 years experience in Data Analysis, Telecommunications and IT in the private sector. A U.S. Patent holder and experience with ITIL and Lean/Six Sigma methodologies. Gary is the Web, Database and Reporting Coordinator supporting the Education Abroad Office.
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Phone: (813) 974-3933
Wendy Baker, Campus Director
Wendy Baker is responsible for leading global engagement for USF World at the St.
Petersburg campus. She is serves on the Education Abroad leadership team, oversees
the Education Abroad Advisory Council, and co-leads the Virtual Global Exchange (VGE)
initative with Mr. Sanchez.
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Phone: 727-873-4851
Joseph Kenny, Advisor Student Services
Mr. Kenny is responsible for promoting and marketing education abroad programming
across USF, the registration of student-related travel, and providing supporting services
for outgoing and incoming exchange students at the St. Petersburg campus.
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Phone: 727-873-4270
Brandon McLeod, Ph.D., Campus Director
Brandon is responsible for leading internationalization and global engagement activities
for USF World at the Sarasota-Manatee campus. Additionally, he oversees Education
Abroad Scholarships and Visiting Scholar Programming for all three campuses. He holds
a Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi in Higher Education with a graduate minor
in Applied Statistics. His dissertation is titled "Online Learning Readiness among International Students". He also co-authored the chapter "Overview of Post-baccalaureate Student Needs" with Dr. George S. McClellan, which appears in Shephard and Perry's "A Practitioner’s Guide to Supporting Graduate and Professional Students". Brandon also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching Languages (TESOL) from the University
of Southern Mississippi, a Master of Arts in English and Writing from the University
of South Alabama, and a Bachelor of Arts in English, with minors in French and Philosophy
from Spring Hill College. Prior to joining USF, he served as the Assistant Director
for International Programs at the University of Mississippi and, prior to that, taught
English to speakers of other languages in both the US and Japan. His research interests
include international and comparative higher education, instructional technology and
online learning, belonging, and widening participation.
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Phone: (941)359-4314
Phal Patel, Fiscal Business Analyst
Phal is a Fiscal & Business Analyst for USF Education Abroad programs. Born and raised
in India, she is bilingual and graduated with a Bachelors and Masters in Clinical
Psychology from India and MBA in Management from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut.
Though she never had an opportunity to participate in a study abroad experience, she has a passion for traveling and has traveled extensively within the United States and internationally. She believes that traveling enhances one’s outlook and appreciation of different cultures.
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Phone: 941-359-4266