Election time is here and we have a great slate of Candidates. We will be adding information about how and when to vote in the next day, but read up on the bios

OACAC Elections 2009

Candidate Biographies

Office of President-Elect :

Eliza Tortola, York University, Canada :

Elisa Tortola is the manager of the international recruitment team at York University, Canada’s third largest University, which is located in one of the world’s most multicultural and diverse cities, Toronto. Having been in international recruitment for eight years, she understands the important role that OACAC serves for international students, counselors, recruitment, admissions and financial aid personnel alike. Her knowledge of international curricula is wide and deep and as a result Elisa oversees the content for York’s international handbook and is a key contact for international admissions information in print and on the Web. A graduate of York with a double major in Theatre and English and the daughter of Italian immigrant parents, Elisa has a clear understanding of the struggle that international students and their families face and their incredible will to overcome adversity and succeed. Elisa has been assisting international students in realizing their postsecondary aspirations and helping them to find “the proper fit” through education, counselor contacts and student support programs. Recognizing the invaluable role that counselors play in guiding students through the sea of postsecondary options available to them, Elisa was instrumental in creating a counselor tour with Toronto and surrounding area Universities to give overseas and US counselors the opportunity to visit these dynamic Canadian schools. The value that counselors who’ve attended the tour have found is obvious in its growth over the past year, from 5 to 40! Her history with key organizations like OACAC, NACAC and CIS has resulted in requests from colleagues and organizers to have her present at the yearly conferences of these organizations on a variety of topics related to international admissions and student/counselor interests. Elisa is often heralded as a dynamic and engaging speaker as well as a subject matter expert on a variety of topics such as, “preparing for the performing arts in Canada.”

Elisa’s passion towards international student recruitment is apparent in her role as chair of the international scholarship committee at York University. Her compassion for students and her will to help them succeed however possible, placed her at the forefront of lobbying for more funding at York to assist the incoming international student population. During her time as head of the international recruitment team, Elisa assisted in creating a fully funded United World College Scholarship and in seeing the overall financial support for international students grow exponentially. She has created programming for York’s incoming international scholars that fosters a sense of community and helps them feel connected. One example of this is York’s “Circle of Scholars” program. During this event these exceptional students are invited to a special dinner reception held in their honor where they have the opportunity to meet and interact with past scholarship winners as well as recruitment and administrative staff. Mid-way through the year Elisa, her team and staff from the scholarship office meet with the students to discuss award renewal criteria and answer any questions or concerns they may have.

Her goal as president of a dynamic organization such as OACAC would be to bring forward the concerns of its membership and to better the international student experience. It has been said that Elisa has a way of garnering consensus through the confidence people have in her knowledge and excellent organizational skills. She feels that OACAC has yet to recognize its full potential and must continue to have its voice heard through NACAC and elsewhere as a resounding chorus that lobbies for the rights and privileges international students deserve. She believes in the importance of a continued and open dialogue among the membership so that individuals can feel confident that they are being heard and that their concerns are brought forward through their elected representatives. Perhaps best know within the OACAC community as the entertaining dodge ball referee, Elisa hopes to bring to the executive board the same spirit of fair play and energy that she exudes on the court.

Bridget Herrera, ESCOLA AMERICANA DE CAMPINAS, Campinas Brazil:

Bridget Herrera has been involved in the international college guidance scene for almost 23 years. Her experience in college admission and financial aid actually started when she was just 17, working for the Director of Financial Aid at a small liberal arts college in California. From there she worked in a similar office but at a rural northern New Mexico Community College. She then made the big leap to college guidance as an assistant to the counselor at Colegio Roosevelt in Lima, Peru, where she was encouraged by a visiting college recruiter to become a college counselor herself. This was something she had never dreamed of, but all it took was a bit of encouragement. Leaving Peru pregnant with her third child, Bridget earned a degree in Behavioral Science/Spanish then headed straight back overseas, this time to Guadalajara, Mexico. She spent six years there, two more in Quito, Ecuador, and has worked the last 9 years in Campinas, Brazil. During her time in Mexico, she earned an MA in Counseling at San Diego State.

Her history perhaps illustrates not only Bridget’s many years of experience and dedication to a particular region, but also a willingness to mentor those new in the field, just as she was mentored. She has recently visited schools where there are new counselors, and also visits schools in her region that do not have access to guidance professionals. One of the things she likes most about this is spreading the excitement about studying abroad.

Beyond her work within the school setting, where she describes herself as first and foremost an advocate for students, Bridget has been a proud and long-time member of the CIS Latin America Committee and more recently she has both served on and currently chairs the NACAC Human Relations Committee. Work on both these Committees has given her a broader view of the college admission landscape both domestically and abroad.

Bridget has had the good fortune to participate in many CIS Summer Counselor Tours and other counselor fly-in programs as well, thereby getting to see firsthand many of the outstanding colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. She has attended the OACAC Summer Conference for ten years, NACAC, the then ECIS Pre-Conference Institute, and the CIS Pre-Conference Institute for three years, serving as one of the organizers. She has presented on a range of topics at these meetings.

Bridget looks forward to working with the OACAC board and membership with the hope of promoting the association within the greater NACAC organization, as well as finding ways to provide access and mentoring for colleagues who do not have access to many of the professional development opportunities. With our diverse and energetic membership, she feels that many things are possible.

Vice-President for Membership:

Joe Giacalone: Marist College, New York, USA:

Joe Giacalone is currently Associate Director of Admission-Coordinator of International Recruitment at Marist College. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Marist and will be completing his Masters Degree in Public Administration December of 2008. As an undergraduate student at Marist, Joe took full advantage of all the opportunities presented to him at the institution including completing many of his art minor courses in Florence, Italy. After beginning his professional career at Marist in 2005 as an admission representative he has been promoted several times and now leads the international enrollment effort at the College which includes the campus in New York and Florence, Italy. Working with the Florence branch campus, Joe has a unique opportunity to deal with study abroad students as well, particularly those who participate in the Freshmen Florence Experience which is a study abroad program in Italy. The FFE is a prestigious program for a choice few freshmen who are selected by invitation only. He is currently a member of NAFSA, CIS, OACAC and has served on the steering committee for the NYSACAC regional conference where he is an active member. In addition his has attended conferences for E/CIS.

Through his travels and dedication to Marist’s mission for preparing students in the global community of the 21st century, Joe is committed to integrating international ideals and currents of thought in the classroom, campus and social organizations to better prepare Marist’s graduates from every walk of life.

Ray Marx, Colegio Americano, Quito, Ecuador:

Ray Marx has spent the last 15 years in education as a teacher, an administrator and, most recently a college counselor. Born in Canada and raised in the U.S., Ray received his B.A in English and Political Science from Fairfield University and an M.A in the Teaching of English from the University of Illinois in Chicago. He also received an ESL degree from Northern Arizona University and completed UCLA’s College Counseling Certificate Program.

He taught in the public schools of Chicago’s inner city and taught IB English for five years at Colegio Americano in Quito, Ecuador. Following this, he spent two years on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona where he worked as a school administrator before returning to Colegio Amerciano to work as a college counselor. He has been involved in college counseling for the past six years, with the last two as director of the counseling program. During this time he has attended every NACAC and OACAC conference and has presented often. In addition, he has attended several CIS and ECIS conferences, and has been part of the summer E/CIS bus tours for the past six years where he helped lead the infamous ‘Back of the Bus’ dodgeball team to two titles.

Ray has served as a delegate on the OACAC board for the past three years where he has advocated on behalf of international students and issues affecting them. In particular, Ray is very sensitive to the economic needs of itnernational students who need aid in order to make their college dreams a reality.

Vice President, Government Relations:

Rick Eber, Cottey College, Nevada, Missouri:

Rick Eber has been a Director of Admissions, Dean of Enrollment Management and a coach of several sports, for colleges, universities and boarding schools for the last 18 years. Born in St. Louis, Missouri and earning his undergraduate degree from Webster University and his Master’s Degree from Lindenwood University.  He has also taught various classes on the prep and collegiate levels. Currently serving as the Dean of Enrollment Management at Cottey College, Rick oversees the Admissions (domestic and international), Financial Aid and Marketing and is a member of the President’s Council which administer over the college.   He has been an active member of OACAC and NACAC for several years, as well as MOACAC, GPACAC, NAFSA and NASFAA to name a few.  He has also presented on various subjects at regional, national and international conferences. He has been an active participant in CIS tours of Europe and has actively recruited students in Japan, Jamaica, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland and many others.  In 1999 he was inducted into the International Who’s Who of Marketing Professionals.

Rick has worked with students from many countries and also with diverse populations from within the USA including students from the Alaskan bush to inner city students. In his travels he has spoken to these audiences about exploring the many avenues available to them for a higher education outside their community. He believes people in this field of work have an obligation to the youth of the world to educate them about all the possibilities of an education in relation to achieving their dreams.

Rick enjoys being active in sports and has been a volunteer for the Special Olympics. He has traveled the globe in his early years playing basketball. He is very active in the OACAC Dodgeball Championships. He has coached basketball on the prep and collegiate levels. He is active in his community in several civic organizations such as the Optimist Club, Nevada YMCA Board of Trustees, Chamber of Commerce to name a few. His favorite pastime to spend time and travel with his son, daughter and wife.

Assembly Delegate: PLEASE NOTE: only members who also have membership in NACAC are eligible to vote for the Assembly Delegate.

Karen Ekman Bauer: Independent Counselor, Stuttgart, Germany:

Karen Ekman-Baur, an American citizen, has been enthusiastically involved in the field of education for 46 years. She has a BS in Education from Florida State University and an ME in Curriculum from Florida Atlantic University. During the past 32 years, she has lived in Germany, where she first taught for the DoDDS system and for the past 20 years, in the international school_ system. Karen taught a wide range of subjects through the Elementary and Middle School, before assuming responsibility in 2002 for developing the College Advising program in the international school at which she was working. During the past four years, she served as the sole college advisor at a school with about 160 high school students. In September of 2008, after ending her school employment, she launched an independent educational consultancy in southern Germany, with the aim of assisting and advising local students and expatriates in the area as they investigate higher education study possibilities throughout the world.

Karen has been a member of OACAC since 2003 and has enjoyed participation in the yearly conferences as well as on the E/CIS College Counselor university tours which precede and follow the conference sessions. In 2007, she assisted with arrangements for the tour to the Pacific Northwest and took over leadership of the tour to the Upper Midwest in 2008. She is currently involved with planning the 2009 tour to California institutions. She has also participated in the Boston Area International Counselors tour, as well as the ECIS Counselors Tour to Scotland.

Karen has been a member of ECIS for 20 years and for the past two years served on the ECIS Guidance Committee. She is a supporting member of CIS, and after a wonderful first-time experience attending the NACAC conference in September of 2008, joined NACAC, as well. As she is no longer associated with a school, Karen is also pursuing membership in IECA (the Independent Educational Counselors Association).

Alexander Von Furstenberg: Mont’ Kiara International School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

Alex has spent 20 years in schools overseas located in Brazil, Kuwait, Thailand, Pakistan and Malaysia. He has a M.A. in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Colorado as well as a M.A. in Special Education from the University of Oregon. Previously to being a secondary school counselor, he was a social studies teacher in Denver. Alex keeps his involvement in social studies with his role as a reader and Table Leader at the AP U.S. History reading for the past ten years. A member of NACAC, OACAC and WACAC, he is a very active participant in college tours. He has attended the two week E/CIS counselor tour as well as the OACAC conference for the past 7 years and will participate again in 2009. To feed his addiction for touring colleges, he has also participated in tours this decade put on by Edu Nova, KASCAC, MOACAC, the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, as well as a Florida tour in February 2009. Alex will continue to the high school counselor at Mont’Kiara International School in Kuala Lumpur in 2009-10.

Lou Ann Diaz: Collège du Léman, Geneva, Switzerland :

Lou Ann has been working in education and advising for the last 29 years. Already as an undergraduate, she took on roles as resident assistant, peer counselor, new student orientation organizer, undergraduate teaching assistant, as well as working in residence life managment and training. She took the student lead in the first extensive retention and attritition study carried out at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh where she did her studies in Sociology. This study led to the development of several new programs to address the needs of students.

She completed her masters degree in sociology, with an emphasis in education and research at the University of Kansas. At KU she again took an active role, first as a graduate teaching assistant and then creating the academic advising program for a freshman residence of 800 students. In addition, as a graduate researcher with the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, she conducted a graduate transcript review and assisted in designing and conducting research investigating college choice rationale. As a result of this work, the university developed a new marketing strategy as well as looked more closely at transistioning from high school to college.

It was at Kansas where her passion for working with international students was ignited. Living in the international student residence, she became the vice president for the university wide international student organization which not only coordinated cultural activities, but also addressed student issues regarding adjustment and functioning in thier new university and cultural environment.

Upon leaving university, she worked with families in crisis at Catholic Charities developing a new program focused on keeping troubled youth in the home environment, advocating and contecting them to services. This included advocating for students at the local schools. Seeing the need, she developed her organization’s knowledge base for educational rights for families.

In 1990 she moved to Spain and made it her home with her husband who is Spanish and German. There she taught English as a second language and then, for the last five years in Spain, she was a professor at European University in Barcelona teaching marketing research, intercultural communications and interpersonal communications. In 2003 she moved on to Switzerland with her family and taught Sociology at Webster University until 2007.

Her experiences resulted a in comprehensive understanding of higher education, a keen and personal understanding of international students and their families, two 3^rd culture children, fluency in Spanish and French, counseling skills and an ever deepening passion and dedication to helping international students reap the most benefits possible from their educational experience.

These experinces led her to Collège du Léman to take on the post of College and Careers Advisor in 2007. She is responsible for applications to the US, Canada and Overseas. Since arriving she has been working to develop a school wide college guidance program for both the english and french sections of the high school which has almost 600 students.

Lou Ann has always been a service orientated professional and becoming a member of the OACAC board would allow her to make contributions to the benefit of all international students.

Cory Miller, Tarsus American College, Tarsus, Turkey:

Born, raised, and educated in small Canadian communities, Cory Miller has sought out wider horizons in the world through international teaching. She has an undergraduate degree in French Literature and Psychology from Trent University; she received a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University and additional counselor certification from the University of Toronto. She has thirteen years of experience teaching elementary, secondary and adult students in both formal and informal environments at home and abroad. She has taught students in the International Baccalaureate system, the Ontario Ministry of Education from Canada, the Turkish Ministry of Education and basic literacy programs. Her previous involvement with non-formal education projects have included collaboration and interaction with diverse populations such as prison inmates, native populations, homeless people, community development workers, diplomats, and the corporate world.

Cory has been an active member of OACAC and NACAC for the past three years while working as the only international university counsellor in a private high school with a population of 250 students. She has been an active participant in the E/CIS Counsellors’ tours and OACAC conferences and has attended training and conferences run by E/CIS, the IBO and the PTC.

Cory brings a unique blend of teaching experience, post-secondary career counseling and social/emotional counselling to her job. She currently advises Turkish students and their families on post-secondary options abroad. In this position, she is mindful of the multitude of ethical boundaries she must role model to peers and students as they apply to university. As part of her previous position as a guidance counsellor, she developed a pastoral care and learning skills program support materials for middle school and high school teachers. Topics included goal-setting, learning styles, time management, study skills, teambuilding, conflict resolution, cultural awareness and activities related to the MYP areas of interaction. Also in her function as a counsellor, she has provided personal counselling and referral in areas such as bereavement, family discord, self-harm, interpersonal conflict, depression, academic stress, and trauma.

Cory provides unique leadership to her school in the area of experiential learning and community service. She is a bilingual, global explorer and has traveled to more than three dozen countries around the world. She has an extensive background in experiential and service learning projects in non-traditional settings. While working in Singapore, she organized several house-building expeditions to Cambodia for groups of students and teachers. For the past two years, she has accompanied students to the ECIS-sponsored community service conference and been a part-time IB-CAS coordinator.

Peter Hauet: St. Mary’s International School, Tokyo, Japan:

Peter Hauet has spent almost his entire career in Japan. He has been the high school college counselor since 1978. In addition to his role as counselor he is also the IB coordinator, a position he has held since 1979. He is the longest serving IB coordinator in Asia.

Peter has degrees from San Francisco State University and Michigan State University. He has been a member of OACAC since the beginning. He has served as president, vice-president and currently is the vice-president for membership. He has been on the NACAC professional development committee and chief teller for two terms at the national convention.

Since the first meeting of OACAC in Washington DC with 12 people sitting around the table our membership has grown to over 1000. This growth has resulted in huge changes for the organization and Peter has been there to see them all. He was honored to receive the inaugural Peggy Templeton Strong Award in Counseling at the CIS conference in 2008. This organization is important to our profession and to the students we serve. As a member of the NACAC assembly he has the experience to represent Overseas.

Jack Schull, Cairo American College, Cairo, Egypt:

Jack Shull has worked at four American/International Schools during the past 26 years, as a counselor and as Director of Counseling and Special Services. He started his overseas career at the American School in Stavanger, Norway then moved to St. John’s International School in Belgium and then to the International School Bangkok (ISB) for ten years and now is in his 14^th year working at Cairo American College (CAC).

Jack has given numerous presentations at international conferences on the topics of advising college bound students, crisis management in international schools, effective K to 12 guidance programs, and most recently at ECIS presented a workshop on ‘Islam 101, Understanding Muslim Students in Your International School.’ He has published articles on college admissions, and developed programs and workshops for high school students who wish to study in North American and the United Kingdom. Jack has been an active member of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) serving on many committees and is currently on the NACAC Technology Committee. He is a past president of the Overseas Association of College Admissions (OACAC) and one of the founding members of the organization. Jack is also an active member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and has attended, for years, NACAC, OACAC, ECIS, and ACA annual conferences.

Recently Jack was an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University, Arlington, Virginia teaching an online graduate course in ‘International School Counseling,’ and currently he is an adjunct faculty member at the American University in Cairo (AUC) teaching a graduate course in the Educational Leadership Program. Jack holds a B.S. in Psychology and Education, a M.S. in Counseling and Guidance, and an Ed.S in Education Administration with a concentration in Leadership.

Patrick Stenger: Osaka International School, Osaka, Japan:

Patrick Stenger has spent the last eight years of his career in schools overseas. He began his career in Colorado as middle school counselor and after two years made the transition overseas where he worked as the K-12 guidance counselor at the International School of Aberdeen, Scotland. After three years as a K-12 guidance counselor and college admissions advisor in Aberdeen he has spent the last five years as a K-12 guidance counselor and college admissions advisor at the Osaka International School. Recently he accepted the high school counselor position at the Shanghai American School-Pudong and plans to start there in August of 2009. Originally from the United States, Patrick received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Portland, Oregon and his Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Patrick has been an enthusiastic member of NACAC and OACAC for several years and has attended many OACAC summer conferences as well as the Boston Area International Counselor’s tour and several E/CIS Counselor’s tours. At the 2006 OACAC conference he co-lead a presentation and hopes to do so again at the upcoming 2009 conference. In addition, he is a proud member of the original OACAC dodge ball tournament champions, “The Back of the Bus” team. He has attended E/CIS conferences while working at the International School of Aberdeen. Recently, he has been the sole representative from the Kansai region of Japan to attend the Kanto Plains School Counselor’s Association annual meeting.

As a committed advocate for international students Patrick has found membership and participation in NACAC and OACAC to be of tremendous importance and value in his role as an international university admissions advisor. He hopes to provide, to learn and to grow in a service role as a representative of the OACAC Executive Board.

Patrick is a proud new father and family man. He married in the summer of 2007 and his daughter, Josephine was born in August of 2008. He is committed to his family and to his career in serving the needs of international students.

Jared Harris: The International School Nido de Aguilas, Santiago, CHILE

Jared Harris has over twenty years of experience working with youth in coaching, counseling and education. He has worked/interned for Western Washington University Counseling Center, Western Washington University Graduate Counseling Clinic, Lynden High School, The Coalition for Child Advocacy, The Martin Center School, Catholic Community Services, The American School of Asuncion, Paraguay, George Mason University, and The International School Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile. He has given multiple professional presentations at OACAC, ECIS, and AASSA conferences. Jared holds a BA in Psychology and a M.Ed. in School Counseling from Western Washington University, being mentored by many of the top Cross-Cultural Psychologists in the world. In addition, he holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Seattle University. Jared in the recipient of several awards over the years including the 2006 Yale University College Counseling award, the 2004 CIS Travel grant, and was granted a 1999 research license from the United States Department of Treasury to investigate high school instructional methods in Havana, Cuba.

Jared is originally from Seattle, Washington, being the seventh of nine children from a traditional Southern family. He is married to Carey Harris, also a lifetime educator and an elementary counselor, and a father to three children under the age of four (#3 due in May). In his free time he enjoys many outdoor sports, wine tasting, and is a self-proclaimed Cigar aficionado.