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Our Team of Professionals Board Elaine Wheeler, Chair Retired. Formerly Director of California College Prep initiative, University of California System Ms. Wheeler has 25 years of management experience in the higher education arena, particularly within the University of California System. Her most recent position was that of founding director of the University of California College Prep Initiative (UCCP), which is a statewide, academic initiative of the University of California designed to deliver online college preparatory courses to California high school students by means of distance-learning technologies. Previous responsibilities have also included serving as Director of the Academic Senate Office at UC Santa Cruz, Associate Executive Director of the California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) at UC Irvine and Senior Assistant Registrar at UC Santa Barbara. Ms. Wheeler holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Ecology (cum laude) and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. Her publications include, inter alia, the co-authorship of a chapter in a handbook on “Disaster Preparedness and Recovery in a Records Management Environment” in Students Records Management. Thomas M. Andersen, Treasurer Principal, Rothstein Kass & Company, P.C. Mr. Andersen is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Brigham Young University and attended the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. He has served the accounting profession for close to 40 years and has authored several articles on taxation. Mr. Andersen is a frequent speaker and has extensively given lectures for organizations such as the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the National Institute of Farm and Land Brokers, the National Association of Accountants, California State University, Northridge, the University of Southern California and the California Society of CPAs. Mr. Andersen is a member of the International Fiscal Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants (CalCPA), where he has served on various local and state committees. He has also served as President of the Beverly Hills Estate Planning Council. Mr. Andersen has been actively involved with the Los Angeles Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and formerly served as treasurer and board member. Sylvia Higashi, Secretary Associate Attorney, Kessner Duca Umebayashi Bain & Matsunaga Ms. Higashi served as an Admissions Specialist, Assistant Dean and Program Specialist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa before retiring after 28 years of service. Currently she is an Associate with the law firm of Kessner Duca Umebayashi Bain & Matsunaga and serves on the Board of Directors of the University of Hawaii Federal Credit Union. Ms. Higashi holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Master of Education in Secondary Education and a Juris Doctor from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is a frequent speaker at workshops addressing workers' compensation issues in Hawaii, edited the AACRAO publication: Guide for International Admissions and Evaluation Officers and co-edited the PIER volume on The Educational System of the United Kingdom, The Admissions and Placement of Students from the United Kingdom and Study Abroad Opportunities. Mary A. Falvey Dean of the Charter College of Education, California State University System Dr. Falvey earned a master's degree in Special Education from San Francisco State University and a doctorate degree in Personnel Preparation in the Severely Handicapped from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In addition to her present position as Professor at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), which she has held since 1980, Dr. Falvey serves as Director of Student Services for the Charter College of Education at CSULA. In July 2006, she assumed the role as Dean of the Charter College of Education at CSULA. In 1987, she received the award for Outstanding Professor of the Year. She has served on numerous committees, such as for the Commission for Teacher Credentialing and the Los Angeles County Developmental Disabilities Area Board. Dr. Falvey has also published extensively in the field of special education and has presented over 300 papers at local, national and international conferences. She has served on the editorial review board for the Journal for the Association for Persons with Severe Disabilities (JASH). Patricia E. Potter Vice Chancellor, Business Development, National University System Ms. Potter has over 25 years of experience in business development and marketing. She is currently Vice Chancellor of Business Development within the National University System. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in American History and an MBA and is completing her doctorate in Business Administration. Appointed by the California Senate, Ms. Potter recently served on the Professional Panel Working Group for the California Joint Commission to Update the Master Plan for Education, K-16. She has received much recognition and awards of distinction for her contributions, including the Impacting Education Award from eCollege and numerous honors from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Inez Sepmeyer President Emerita One of the co-founders of IERF, Ms. Sepmeyer was Admissions Officer for International Students at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1953 to 1977. She is a distinguished member of AACRAO, PACRAO and NAFSA and has served on several committees within these organizations. She has authored books on educational systems, co-authoring the pioneering volume on The Educational Systems of Africa. She is the editor of The Country Index. Leo A. Van Cleve Director, International Programs, California State University System Mr. Van Cleve holds both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree in History from Eastern Illinois University. Since 1995, he has been associated with the California State University System, from 1995-97 as Associate Director of International Programs and, since 1997, as Director of International Programs. His responsibilities include the oversight and management of study abroad programs in 18 countries with 50 universities. Under his directorship, new programs were developed with Chile, China, Israel, South Africa, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Previously, Mr. Van Cleve was the Director of International Education at Central College, as well as Program Officer at the Institute of European/Asian Studies (now IES). He has presented numerous papers in international education. His publications include the co-authorship of “Marketing, Promotion, and Publicity” in NAFSA’s Guide to Education Abroad for Advisors and Administrators (2005) and “Program Designs and Strategies” in NAFSA’s Guide to Education Abroad for Advisors and Administrators (2005). He is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Fulbright International Education Administrators Award in 1997. Staff Executive Director Susan joined IERF in 2002. She is from Johannesburg, South Africa and has over 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors of higher education. Susan was one of the founders of both the Midrand Campus Group in 1990 and Educor (Education Investment Corporation), the largest private education group in southern Africa, in 1996. Susan held numerous academic and management positions within the Midrand Campus Group, such as Lecturer, Director of Studies and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to 1990, Susan held a full-time position as lecturer in the school of law at the University of Witwatersrand. After resigning from her full-time position, Susan served as Education Management Advisor to Educor. In this principal consulting role, she provided advice on developments and trends in private and public higher education, Department of Education and state regulatory issues. Susan's academic credentials include the Baccalareus Procurationis (BProc) cum laude from University of Witwatersrand. Susan has published and presented numerous papers, amongst others on education, the rights of the child and the disabled, both in South Africa and abroad. She has served in various capacities (Executive Director, Non-Executive Director and Chairman) on many educational and other boards (non-profit organizations, private for profit companies, as well as on the board of the publicly traded Educor). She currently serves on various educational and professional advisory boards in the United States. At present, Susan also serves as NACES® chair. This organization, which comprises an association of private foreign educational credential evaluation services, is committed to formulating and maintaining ethical standards in the field of foreign educational evaluation. She has a special interest in and has been involved in numerous community outreach projects. IERF Country Index Project Director Retired. Associate Dean of Graduate Studies Emerita, Stanford University Karlene worked at Stanford University for 21 years. She was responsible for graduate admissions (both U.S. and international), graduate financial support and graduate degree progress. She has served on many national and international boards, including AACRAO (Vice President for International Education and Group II Chair), NAFSA (ADSEC chair), the Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials, (Chair), TOEFL Policy Board (member), National Council on Graduate Studies (member), TRACE/TransRegional Association for Credential Evaluation (Co-Founder and Chair), Western Association of Graduate Schools (member) and IERF Board (Chair). She is the author of a number of publications in the field of international education: World Education Series volume on Switzerland, PIER Special Report (with Karen Lukas) on Swiss Higher Schools of Engineering and Swiss Higher Schools of Economics and Business Administration, PIER World Education Series country reports on Denmark (with Valerie Woolston), Sweden (with Kathleen Zanotti) and Norway (with Shelley Feagles). She led the PIER Workshop on Hungary and Yugoslavia and wrote the reports on both countries with Desmond Bevis. She also wrote the PIER World Education Series Working Paper on Slovenia. In addition, she monitored the PIER World Education Series Report on Austria and the one on Vietnam. Karlene was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by AACRAO and the Cuthbertson Award for outstanding administrative personnel from Stanford University. Director of Evaluations Emily received a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from the University of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, she lived in England for two years, where she earned a Master of Philosophy in Classics from Cambridge University. Besides ancient Greek and Latin, she has studied Sanskrit, German, French and Spanish. She has taught at the college level, both in England and the United States. Active in the international education community, Emily has presented at national and regional conferences and serves on various NAFSA committees. Examples include serving as the Dean for the Foreign Educational Credentials Analysis Workshop at NAFSA and the Credentials Co-Editor for the NAFSA Admissions wRAP UP newsletter. She is currently in the International Doctor of Education program (EdD) at the Institute of Education, University of London. Manager of Evaluations Traci began her higher education experience at a community college in Michigan, where she earned an Associate of Arts in 1993. Since that time, she became a Fulbright-Hays fellow and has earned a Ph.D. in Comparative & International Education from the University of California, Los Angeles. Both her B.A. and M.A. were in French Literature, from Michigan State University and the University of California, Santa Barbara respectively. Traci has co-authored several publications on educational reform in the European Union, which included a focus on recent changes linked to the Bologna Process. She was also the sole author of an essay review in the Comparative Education Review focusing on the homogenizing effects of globalization on educational systems throughout the world. Traci has presented her dissertation research on educational reform in Francophone Africa at the Comparative & International Education Society and the African Studies Association’s annual meetings. She has lived extensively in both France and Mali. Traci is fluent in French and has a working knowledge of Spanish, Arabic and Bamanankan. She has more than eight years of teaching experience in both French and Californian universities. Senior Evaluator Andrea was born and raised in Germany where she received her law degree. Most recently, she worked at the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation in Los Angeles, working on translations and contributing to the Foundation’s searchable thesaurus. Andrea has traveled extensively, having also lived in Japan. She has a working knowledge of Spanish and Hebrew. Senior Evaluator Carole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Loyola Marymount University and a Master of Arts in Psychology from Pepperdine University. She is a native of Lebanon and has lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for fifteen years. She is fluent in Arabic and French and conversant in Spanish. She has traveled extensively within the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Senior Evaluator I-Hsing has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese from Soochow University in Taiwan and a Master of Arts degree in Linguistics from California State University, Northridge. While at CSUN, she worked at the university's ESL program as a student advisor, assisting international students with issues related to the U.S. educational system and culture. She also taught English conversation at CSUN and Japanese at Santa Monica College. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Taiwanese. I-Hsing has also presented on international educational systems at numerous NAFSA conferences at the national and regional level. Senior Evaluator Alvin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, with double majors in Asian Studies and Law and Society, from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Juris Doctor degree, with a specialty in International Law, from Golden Gate University School of Law. He received his primary education and early secondary education in Hong Kong. Alvin is fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese. While pursuing his post-secondary education, he interned at an immigration law office, where he served as a Chinese interpreter and translator, assisted in legal research and drafted legal motions. Physical Therapy Evaluator Specialist Cindy received her Master of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Columbia University. She worked in New York for 3 years in pediatrics, acute care and orthopedics. Cindy went on to work in a variety of settings in New Mexico, Arizona and Hawaii. She became a Board Certified Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy in 2000. Cindy became a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) in 2004. Cindy manages her own private practice in Santa Monica, California. Evaluator Bon has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in German from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has studied abroad in both Hungary and Germany. He has traveled throughout Europe and North America and parts of Asia, North Africa and South America. Bon is conversant in Pilipino, Spanish, German and Hungarian and has studied Russian and Mandarin Chinese. His hobbies include Javanese Gamelan music and Bharata Natyam, a South Indian classical dance. Physical Therapy Evaluator Specialist CeCe Chin (DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT) received her Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree with Honors from Loma Linda University. She became certified in Neuro-Dynamic Therapy in 2003 and a Board Certified Orthopedic Specialist in 2004. That same year, CeCe became a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. In addition to working as a physical therapist, her job responsibilities have included the development of in-service education, mentorship for physical therapy orthopedic residents and clinical instruction and supervision. She currently works at Evergreen Physical Therapy Specialists in Pasadena, California. Evaluator GG holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Arts in Education/Counseling from California University, Dominguez Hills. She is presently completing the credential in School Psychology. She has served as a legal intern where she gained experience in legal research, editing and reviewing legal documents. She has also worked at the University of California, Los Angeles as an administrative assistant and as an office manager to the Dean of the College of Natural and Behavior Sciences at California University, Dominguez Hills. She is fluent in Tagalog and has a working knowledge of French and Spanish. Nursing Consultant Dr. Sharon K. Johnson (RN, FNP, PhD, APRN, BS) is currently the Director of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Santa Rosa Junior College. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (Family Nurse Practitioner, FNP) from California State University, Fresno and a doctoral degree in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Johnson has previously held positions as Associate Professor and Coordinator of FNP Programs at California State University, Dominguez Hills and San Francisco State University. Her expertise in nursing has enabled her to serve as a consultant in various domains such as software computer programming for physical assessments and in legal cases involving nurse practitioners. Dr. Johnson has held memberships and served in various positions in a number of organizations, including the California Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and the American Association of Diabetes Educators. Dr. Johnson has also written articles which have appeared in publications such as the Journal of Transcultural Nursing and has presented at conferences such as the American Association of Higher Education and the Western Institute of Nursing Research. Dr. Johnson has also lectured at many hospitals and clinics in China. Evaluator Amy holds an Associate of Arts degree from Santa Monica College and a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles. She was identified by UCLA’s Teacher Education Program as a “Social Justice Fellow” - an individual making a difference in the lives of children in the broader community. Amy has worked as a registration counselor and as a medical assistant. She has also worked in sales and customer service. She is fluent in Spanish. Nursing Consultant Dr. Shannon E. Perry (RN, Ph.D., FAAN) is Professor Emerita at the School of Nursing, San Francisco State University. She received her doctorate in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Child Development from Arizona State University, and was subsequently a post-doctoral fellow in Perinatal Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Perry was also a visiting fellow at the Department of Nursing Studies of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and has led groups of students on educational trips and courses in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Ghana, Italy and Thailand. Dr. Perry previously served as Coordinator of the Child and Adolescent Development Program in the Marian Wright Edelman Institute and as Director of the School of Nursing at San Francisco State University. She has also lectured at colleges, universities and nursing schools and served as a nurse in hospitals in as many as seven states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin). She is licensed as a registered nurse in these states as well as a medical-surgical nurse in the country of Kenya. Having done extensive research in the field, Dr. Perry has presented papers nationally and internationally and published numerous articles, which have appeared in journals such as the American Journal of Nursing, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, Journal of Nursing Administration and Journal of Nursing Education. Moreover, she has co-edited three nursing textbooks. Exceptionally active in the profession, Dr. Perry has served on committees for organizations such as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Nurses' Association, the American Academy of Nursing, the National League for Nursing (NLN) and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). She currently co-chairs the Joint NLN/NLNAC Task Force on Creating a Global Nursing Education Community. Evaluator Irene, who has been with IERF for over 10 years, received her Associate of Arts degree from Santa Monica College and completed further studies at California State University, Los Angeles. Prior to occupying an evaluator position, Irene managed the Client Service Department for 6 years. She has traveled throughout Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. Evaluator A native of India, Ujjaini has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Mumbai and a master’s degree in human development and family studies from the Maharaja Sayajirao University in India. Upon moving to the United States, she earned another master’s degree in education from California State University, Long Beach and focused her thesis on international mobility among graduate students from India. At CSULB, Ujjaini also worked as a graduate assistant at the Center for India Studies and has previously held teaching and non-teaching positions at various educational organizations. She is fluent in English, Hindi and Bengali, and has a working knowledge of Marathi. Evaluator Alice holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to assuming her current position of evaluator, she successfully held the position as the Allied Health Evaluation Coordinator at IERF. Alice has extensive experience in customer service and education, including that of participating in adolescent outreach and immigration literacy development programs. She has traveled throughout parts of Europe and Asia and is conversant in Mandarin Chinese and Russian. Evaluator Tara holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Literature with a minor in Russian Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She also has a Master of Arts in English Literature from Loyola Marymount University. Tara is proficient in Spanish and has a working knowledge of Russian and French. She has worked as a research assistant at Loyola Marymount University and held a position as editor at a news distribution company. For more information about IERF, please visit: |
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