Speakers
Panelists
Panel Session 1:
Integrating Global Issues Into the Curriculum
- Robert Costello, Digital Media Coordinator, Encyclopedia of Life, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
- Gregory Fulkerson,
Education Associate, World Languages and International Education,
Delaware Department of Education
- Audra Schmitt, Global history and geography mentor teacher, Rochester, New York
- Betsi Shays,
Deputy Director, International Affairs Office, U.S. Department of Education
Panel Session 2:
Taking Action—Global Issues and Service Learning
Biographies
Josephine K. "Jody" Olsen
- Jody Olsen, PhD, has had a distinguished career at the Peace Corps, beginning in the agency's earliest years, when she served as a Volunteer in Tunisia from 1966 to 1968, teaching English and developing community health programs. In 1979, she was country director for the Peace Corps in Togo. During her tenure, she managed all aspects of the agency's programs in-country, which focused on education, health, and agriculture.
In 1981, Dr. Olsen served as regional director for the Peace Corps, managing operations in 17 countries throughout North Africa, the Near East, Asia, and the Pacific. From 1989 to 1992, Dr. Olsen was the chief of staff for the Peace Corps. During this time, the agency expanded into 25 new countries. Prior to becoming Deputy Director, Dr. Olsen was the senior vice president at the Academy for Educational Development (AED), a large international development organization. From 1992 to 1997, she served as executive director for the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), the organization responsible for managing the Fulbright Senior Scholar Program. Return to top
Susan Sclafani
- Susan Sclafani, PhD, is managing director of the Chartwell Education Group. She moved there after retiring as Assistant Secretary of Education for Vocational and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education, where she was also counselor to the Secretary of Education. She led in the creation of the Mathematics and Science Initiative, which focused attention on the importance of these subjects—and able teachers of them—at all levels. She also led the joint E-Language Learning Project with the Chinese Ministry of Education, as well as the Department of Education's High School Initiative to better prepare students for 21 st century education, training, and the workplace. Before that, Dr. Sclafani was chief academic officer for a major urban school district in the United States.
Return to top
Amy Horton
- Et quid erat, quod me delectabat, nisi amare et amari? sed non tenebatur modus ab animo usque ad animum, quatenus est luminosus limes amicitiae, sed exhalabantur nebulae de limosa concupiscentia carnis et scatebra pubertatis, et obnubilabant atque obfuscabant cor meum, ut non discerneretur serenitas dilectionis a caligine libidinis.
Return to top
Sivasailam Thiagarajan (aka Thiagi)
- Sivasailam Thiagarajan, PhD, more familiarly known as Thiagi, leads the Thiagi Group, an organization with the mission of helping people improve their performance effectively and enjoyably. Thiagi conducts training in such areas as diversity, creativity, teamwork, human performance technology, and organizational learning. He is the author of 40 books, 120 games and simulations, and more than 200 articles, and currently writes a monthly online newsletter, Thiagi GameLetter. This newsletter features Thiagi's training games and other creative interventions that deliver results quickly and effectively. Thiagi has made hundreds of presentations and keynote speeches at professional conferences, and has received numerous awards for his ideas and dynamic presentations. No one leaves his presentations with a frown. He is internationally recognized as an expert in multinational collaboration and active learning in organizations.
Return to top
Matthew Erdman
- Matthew Erdman was a Peace Corps Volunteer in southern Madagascar, where he served in the environment protection program from 2004 to 2006. While there, he worked on conservation issues facing the spiny forest eco-region: leading an ecotourism initiative, organizing large-scale reforestation projects, and promoting sustainable use of resources.
Since his return, Mr. Erdman has worked with Ecofusion, a communications consulting and media company focused on sustainability, social enterprise, and green business. As program manager, he has put together several Google Earth interactive tools and mini-documentaries on environmental issues. He has also been managing the development of emPivot.com, a new online video-sharing community dedicated to conservation, sustainability, and environmental media.
Panelists
Panel Session 1:
Integrating Global Issues Into the Curriculum
Robert Costello
- Robert Costello has been involved in science education since 1986, when he began teaching and developing curriculum as a graduate student at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He moved from the classroom to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in 1998 to expand education outreach through the Internet. He has joined expeditions and conducted research in the Andes, the Rockies, and Brazil, as well as along the North Atlantic seafloor. For the Smithsonian Institution, he is co-leading Education & Outreach for the Encyclopedia of Life, a major online biodiversity initiative to document all known species within 10 years. The Biodiversity Heritage Library, the Field Museum, Harvard University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Missouri Botanical Garden, and Smithsonian Institution have all collaborated to create this unprecedented resource for citizens and scientists, for biodiversity and conservation. Return to top
Gregory Fulkerson
- Dr. Gregory Fulkerson is the education associate for world languages and international education at the Delaware Department of Education, where he supervises the ongoing development and implementation of the recommended statewide curriculum. Before coming to Delaware, Dr. Fulkerson served as the foreign language specialist for the Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools, the world language specialist for the Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools, a consultant on various national, state and district projects, and a middle and high school teacher of French. During his tenure as supervisor, he has designed professional staff development in the areas of foreign language literacy, performance assessment, and standards-based instruction. Return to top
Audra Schmitt
- Audra Schmitt is a global history and geography mentor teacher in the Greece Central School District in Rochester, New York. As district social studies mentor, she has developed curriculum aligned with the needs of teachers, and has strived to improve the extent to which students and teachers met New York State social studies standards. She has developed an innovative strategy to integrate cross-cultural studies, global issues, and technology in the social studies classroom through the use of global music videos. Ms. Schmitt has served as a consultant for districts seeking to effectively promote student awareness of world issues through this powerful medium. Return to top
Betsi Shays
- Betsi Shays spent 27 years teaching elementary through high school, including two years in Fiji as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She worked at the Peace Corps from 1998 to 2007, first directing the Coverdell World Wise Schools program for U.S. students and teachers and then leading the Center for Field Assistance and Applied Research. She is now deputy director of the International Affairs Office in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education. Along the way she earned two master's degrees in educational leadership and administration at Teachers College, Columbia University. Return to top
Panel Session 2:
Taking Action—Global Issues and Service Learning
Amy Cohen
- Amy Cohen is director of Learn and Serve America at the Corporation for National and Community Service. She previously worked at the Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Cohen received her degrees from Brandeis University and the University of Pennsylvania. Learn and Serve America is the federal resource for service learning in schools, community organizations, and higher education. Through more than 1,700 local programs across the nation, Learn and Serve involves over 1 million students in meeting community needs and solving problems with others in their communities. Learn and Serve America also administers the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (www.servicelearning.org), the nation's source for service-learning information as well as the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Return to top
Betsy McWhirt
- Betsy McWhirt, National Director for Roots & Shoots USA, oversees the Jane Goodall Institute's education initiative, Roots & Shoots. The program creates and implements service-learning projects that make the world a better place for people, animals, and the environment. Ms. McWhirt was the president and CEO of NashvilleREAD, a nonprofit agency in Tennessee that delivered literacy programs to more than 6,000 families across the state. As part of the founding staff of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, she developed and directed an innovative volunteer program that served more than 2,000,000 visitors annually. She is a member of Leadership America, a national program for women of achievement, and holds a Master of Arts Management degree from The American University in Washington, DC. Return to top
Karen Scheuerer
- Karen Scheuerer, manager of Global Action at the Girl Scouts of the USA, works to integrate global education into the Girl Scout program and support girls' participation in service and experiential learning opportunities globally. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras from 2003 to 2005, where she helped a remote village establish a computer education program. Her international experience also includes work in rural Poland, studies in the Czech Republic and Spain, and an exchange in Denmark. Karen Scheuerer served as an AmeriCorps team leader for an antihunger project in Los Angeles and worked with grassroots community organizers in New York City. She earned her BA in history from Wellesley College and holds a master of science in information from the University of Michigan. Return to top
Return to conference information
E-Newsletter
Stay up-to-date
with our e-newsletter,
World Wise Window.
Read more
Get Acrobat
PDF files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Go Get It