Conference Presenters

Session 1
Embracing & Transforming Conflict in Study Abroad

David Wick, Associate Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies; Program Chair, International Education Management

David Wick has worked in international education since 1988. His experience includes leading study abroad efforts at a youth exchange organization, Arkansas State University, San Francisco State University, and Santa Clara University. Additionally, Wick brings private sector experience from a decade as a project manager and account executive in advertising and design. 

Wick’s international experience includes study in Mexico, France, Germany, Austria, and the UK. He has also taught in Hungary and France, where he participated in the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) from 1991-92 at Lycée Yves-Kernanec in Marcq en Baroeul. Wick has taught education abroad programs, lectures, or workshops in Azerbaijan, France, Georgia, Greece, Hong Kong, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. He is also a Fulbright Scholar who participated in the 2011 International Education Administrators’ Program in India. 

Volunteer service is central to Wick’s professional engagement. Wick has held appointed and elected leadership roles for NAFSA: Association of International Educators with the Academy, Trainer Corps, Annual Conference Executive Committee, Region III and Region XII teams, and the Education Abroad Knowledge Community. He has supported Diversity Abroad since the organization’s inception as a conference planner, workshop designer and facilitator, and content developer. His engagement with the Forum on Education Abroad includes co-authorship of the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad Sixth Edition and plenary panelist at the 2024 Europe, Middle East, and Africa conference in Athens, Greece in 2024. His current leadership activities include service as facilitator for the Diversity Abroad International Education Diversity & Inclusion Certificate Program, Associate Editor for Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, editorial board member for Diversity Abroad Global Impact Exchange, and as course designer and teacher for the Nobel Future Laureates Scholarship Program. He has received awards from NASFA in recognition of his international education policy leadership and received the Diversity Abroad 2023 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in International Education Award for Inclusive Excellence in Teaching.

Christiane Magnido, Associate Professor and Director of the School in Cameroon

Christiane is a native of Cameroon, and is passionate about education. She holds a master’s degree in business management from the University of Dschang and a master’s degree in development and peace from the Protestant University of Central Africa. Christiane recently joined Middlebury Schools Abroad as Director of the School in Cameroon. Before Middlebury, she was the Academic Director of SIT Study Abroad in Cameroon for 17 years. In this position, she oversaw the administration of the program, designed the academic program and syllabi for five program courses, taught the research method and ethics course, and a virtual course on women’s rights and resilience in conflict situations. She recruited relevant and experienced professors for lectures and worked with program staff, partner institutions and internship providers for conducive field-based learning for students. She also facilitated students’ learning and experiences in the classroom, during field activities, and in the community. Before SIT, Christiane worked with the Peace Corps for five years as a cross-cultural, language, homestay coordinator, and co-technical trainer for the Small Enterprise Development project. She supported Peace Corps volunteers during pre-service training in learning the target language, adapting to living with Cameroonian homestay families, integrating smoothly into the community, and understanding how small businesses and microfinance institutions worked in Cameroon. With a team of French trainers, she wrote a French manual for trainees and trainers of the Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. 

Kerstin Wilsch, Associate Professor and Director of the Middlebury School in Jordan

Kerstin Wilsch has spent many years in the Middle East and North Africa in a variety of academic positions.  Her Ph.D. is in Arabic Language and Translation, from the University of Leipzig.  For the four years prior to becoming the Director of the program in Jordan, Kerstin was living in Jordan, working as the Coordinator of the Translation Section at the German-Jordanian University in Amman, where she also served as acting Vice Dean.  Before coming to Jordan, she was at the German University in Cairo for two years, and from 1999 to 2005, she was the Coordinator of the German Department at the Ecole Supérieure Rio Fahd de Traduction at the University Abdelmalek Essaadi in Tangier, Morocco.  Kerstin has also taught Arabic at the University of Oxford for three years, and spent some time early in her career in Yemen. 

Jon Hutchinson, Paris Site Director, EUSA Internships

Jon Hutchinson has worked in the field of International Education for the past three decades. Jon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in French and German language and society from the University of Aston (UK), plus a Masters degree in Languages (English and Spanish), Interculturality and Cultural Marketing from the University of Reims (France), which alongside his dual nationality (British and French) have inspired him to devote his career to intercultural communication, working with students from all over the world. Jon joined EUSA – Academic Internship Experts in 2011 and has held the roles of European Development Manager and EUSA Paris Director.

Session 2
Incorporating Conflict Transformation into Discourse

Sarah Stroup, Professor of Political Science at Middlebury College

Sarah Stroup is professor of political science at Middlebury College. Her research focuses on international NGOs active in humanitarian relief, human rights, and peacebuilding. She is author of Borders Among Activists  (2012) and co-author of The Authority Trap (2017), both from Cornell University Press. During her 2025-26 sabbatical year, she will be a visiting research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki. She is former co-director of the Engaged Listening Project (2018-21) and of the Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation (2022-25).

Agnes Roche, Middlebury College '24 

Agnes graduated from Middlebury in the Spring of 2024 with a double major in Political Science and French. She is in her second year as the Middlebury International Programs Conflict Transformation Fellow where she works with the IPOCS team to develop CT programing at our 16 Schools Abroad. As a student, she was the School in France CT Intern for the Summer of 2023 following a semester abroad in Bordeaux and economics field research in Cameroon. Before attending Middlebury she spent much of her life abroad, living in Senegal and the Philippines where she fostered a love for language learning, immersion, and cross-cultural education. In August, she will move back to France to pursue a Masters in Public Policy at Sciences Po Paris.

Shane Silverman, Middlebury College '24.5

Shane Silverman graduated from Middlebury College in February 2024 with a major in Political Science.  On Middlebury's Vermont campus, he participated in Conflict Transformation projects that focused on fostering community resilience through open dialogue on divisive political topics, such as abortion, immigration, and gun control.  Shane also engaged with Conflict Transformation as a CT intern with Middlebury's Schools in Spain, France, and Japan where he helped integrate CT knowledge, skills, and dispositions into the immersion experience. In August, Shane will attend National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan, for Chinese language study.

Session 3
Deepening Relationships with Community Engagement 

Netta Avineri, Middlebury’s Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation Executive Director, MIIS Intercultural Communication Professor

Dr. Netta Avineri is an applied linguistic anthropologist whose research and practice focuses on critical intercultural communication, language teacher education, storytelling for impact, ethical university-community partnerships, language and social change. She has two decades of interdisciplinary expertise that bridges individual, institutional, community, and government perspectives for common collective commitments. Netta is Professor of Intercultural Communication (ICC) at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where she has served as ICC Program Chair since 2014, Middlebury Social Impact Corps Director since 2015, CoLab Leadership Team Member since 2016, and Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation Graduate Director since 2022. She has also taught at California State University (Monterey Bay, Long Beach), University of California (Los Angeles, Berkeley, Santa Cruz), and community colleges in California. She engages deeply with community partners focused on social issues including environmental stewardship, food access, language advocacy, housing insecurity, and civil rights both domestically and internationally. Netta has published several books on critical research methodologies, language and social change, and heritage language socialization and is Series Editor for the Critical Approaches in Applied Linguistics series (De Gruyter). She served as the inaugural Public Affairs and Engagement Chair for the American Association for Applied Linguistics and is a Member of the Executive Board for the Society for Linguistic Anthropology.

Kailee Brickner-McDonald, Director, Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement

Kailee Brickner-McDonald has always learned the most through experiences and in connections with others. She is enthusiastic about supporting Middlebury College students to better understand themselves, work collaboratively across differences, and make a positive impact in the world. Kailee came to Vermont in 2008 to earn her Master’s of Education at the University of Vermont in Higher Education and Student Affairs. She continued working at UVM in support of various community engagement programs and courses and earned her Doctorate in Education (Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with a concentration in Higher Education) before coming to Middlebury College in 2018 to work at the Center for Community Engagement. Outside of work, Kailee enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors hiking, swimming, and camping. Her dog Flash occasionally visits the CCE.

Betsy Vegso, Director, Projects for Peace, Middlebury College

Betsy sees her work as helping to support and connect peacebuilders. Betsy was lucky enough to spend almost three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jordan. While there Betsy shared many great meals with her neighbors, collaborated with local leaders on community projects, learned a lot about the joys and challenges of intercultural exchange, and taught 10th-grade English at the local girl’s secondary school. Subsequently, she worked for the Peace Corps as a staff member in several countries across Eastern Europe and Asia. She helped open or reopen Peace Corps programs in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Montenegro, and Vietnam.

Sarah Messner, Assistant Director, Projects for Peace, Middlebury College

Sarah loves to partner with university students and community members in order to catalyze transformative initiatives in the service of a more just and peaceful world. As the Assistant Director for Projects for Peace, Sarah focuses on developing partnerships, programming, and training strategies to advance the goals of Projects for Peace. This includes providing guidance in the areas of community engagement, intercultural competence, and student project management, as well as the integration of conflict transformation themes in working with students and partner institutions around the world.

Kristen Mullins, Assistant Director, Intercultural and Global Programs, Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement

Kristen's first teaching job, fresh out of college, was simply a way for her to be where she wanted to be. She didn’t know it would become her vocation, a place and practice and thread of meaning, action, and connection. She came to Middlebury after teaching English in Japan; teaching martial arts, self-defense and violence and abuse-prevention in Brooklyn; directing nontraditional job training for women and girls in Winooski, Vermont; and developing safety programs for adolescents working in agriculture. The areas differ, but the meaning is shared – learning has personal and shared value (it can save our lives and the lives of others); and equity, access, and inclusion are our keys to sustainable community. Kristen's work at CCE centers on intercultural and global programs and partnerships.

Samuel Eshetu, Middlebury College 2026

As an undergraduate student at Middlebury College, Samuel is majoring in Anthropology and Sociology with a minor in Linguistics, driven by a curiosity about how conflict, care, and language shape our worlds. In 2024, he led digital skills training for teachers as a Team4Tech intern in rural Uganda, and has recently co-facilitated the 2025 Language Access program and co-organized workshops on conflict transformation analysis at Middlebury. Now, working as a Summer Experiential Learning Intern for the Middlebury Center of Community Engagement, Samuel continues to develop educational programs and resources that promote inclusion, language equity, and community-driven problem solving.

Cassie Pfitzenmayer, Middlebury College 2026

Cassie Pfitzenmayer is a rising senior at Middlebury College with a double major in Environmental Policy and German. She is passionate about language learning and cultural immersion, working at the college’s Language Tables as a waiter and volunteer teaching with the Language in Motion program. She interned with the diiVe consulting program in Cape Town, South Africa, funded through the Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation, and attended the Middlebury School in Germany in their Potsdam location in Fall 2025. As she enters her final year at Middlebury, she is working with EcoReps as their Athletics Coordinator to implement sustainable solutions in athletic operations, as well as with the Center for Community Engagement as a Conflict Analysis Peer Facilitator.

Session 4
CT Projects in the Middlebury Schools Abroad: Case Studies 1-5

Patricia Rodríguez, Associate Professor and Director of the Middlebury School in Spain

Patricia Rodríguez was born in Madrid, Spain, where she got her B.A. in English Philology from Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She later received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literatures from the University of California, Berkeley. Since 2002 she has taught courses in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture at different institutions, such as Williams College, UC Berkeley, Saint Mary’s College of California, and Middlebury College School in Spain. Before joining Middlebury, she directed two summer programs in Madrid from UC Berkeley. Her research interests are 20th Century Spanish Literature and Film, the Second Republic and the Spanish Civil War, Cultural Studies, and Performance Theory. She is author of La reinvención de la identidad española durante la Segunda República (Las Misiones Pedagógicas y el teatro profesional en las tablas madrileñas). 

Christiane Magnido, Associate Professor and Director of the Middlebury School in Cameroon

Christiane is a native of Cameroon, and is passionate about education. She holds a master’s degree in business management from the University of Dschang and a master’s degree in development and peace from the Protestant University of Central Africa. Christiane recently joined the Middlebury Schools Abroad as Director of the School in Cameroon. Before Middlebury, she was the Academic Director of SIT Study Abroad in Cameroon for 17 years. In this position, she oversaw the administration of the program, designed the academic program and syllabi for five program courses, taught the research method and ethics course, and a virtual course on women’s rights and resilience in conflict situations. She recruited relevant and experienced professors for lectures and worked with program staff, partner institutions and internship providers for conducive field-based learning for students. She also facilitated students’ learning and experiences in the classroom, during field activities, and in the community. Before SIT, Christiane worked with the Peace Corps for five years as a cross-cultural, language, homestay coordinator, and co-technical trainer for the Small Enterprise Development project. She supported Peace Corps volunteers during pre-service training in learning the target language, adapting to living with Cameroonian homestay families, integrating smoothly into the community, and understanding how small businesses and microfinance institutions worked in Cameroon. With a team of French trainers, she wrote a French manual for trainees and trainers of the Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. 

Carter Ottele, Grinnell College '26 & Middlebury School in Cameroon alum

Carter is originally from Denver, CO, and a recent graduate of Grinnell College. He majored in Political Science and French and studied abroad with the Middlebury School in Cameroon in Spring 2024. During his time in Yaoundé, Carter took a CT course focused on women displaced by the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon and their unique role in conflict transformation efforts. The CT course inspired him to work at a refugee resettlement agency and pursue a career in migration advocacy.

Jon Hutchinson, Paris Site Director, EUSA Internships

Jon Hutchinson has worked in the field of International Education for the past three decades. Jon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in French and German language and society from the University of Aston (UK), plus a Masters degree in Languages (English and Spanish), Interculturality and Cultural Marketing from the University of Reims (France), which alongside his dual nationality (British and French) have inspired him to devote his career to intercultural communication, working with students from all over the world. Jon joined EUSA – Academic Internship Experts in 2011 and has held the roles of European Development Manager and EUSA Paris Director.

Nana Tsikhelashvili, Associate Professor and Director, Middlebury School in Russia, Russian Program in Kazakhstan

Ph.D. (Kandidat nauk) in History (History of Russian-American Relations), Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH), 1998. Ms. Tsikhelashvili joined the School in Russia in 1997. Her previous experience includes work with the Russian State Archives, Russian Television, the American Collegiate Consortium (USIA-supported exchange program administered through Middlebury College) in Moscow, and part-time teaching American History to Russian students at RSUH.

Liria Evangelista, Professor, Writing for Linguistic and Cultural Competence, Middlebury Schools in Argentina and Uruguay; Director, Graduate Spanish School in Buenos Aires

Liria earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and taught at Middlebury College and Dickinson College before returning to Argentina to work for the Centro Universitario de Idiomas, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires. There she developed the Spanish Program for Foreigners, and coordinated the English Program, also working as General Academic Director until 2004. A specialist in cultural studies and Argentine literature, she has published a book on the issues of cultural memory during post-dictatorship Argentina, as well as several articles on Latin American and Spanish literature. She teaches Latin American History and Culture to American students at the Universidad de Belgrano. She is presently teaching two courses at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires: Art and Horror during the XIXth Century and Popular Literature in the XIXth Century. 

Claudio González-Chiaramonte, Associate Professor and Director of the Middlebury Schools in Argentina and Uruguay

After studying in the United States as a Fulbright Fellow and Scholar from 1992-1994, Claudio returned to his native Argentina and designed the International Studies Program at the Centro Universitario de Idiomas—Facultad de Agronomia, Universidad de Buenos Aires. He directed the Dickinson College summer program in Málaga, Spain, and most recently worked with the Pepperdine University program at the Universidad de Belgrano. He has also worked at the Universidad de Buenos Aires and the Universidad del Salvador and he has taught at Middlebury College and Dickinson College as a Visiting Instructor. Currently, Claudio teaches a semester-long seminar, “U.S. Diplomacy in the Cold War: Foreign Policy, Society, and Culture,” at the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (Universidad de Buenos Aires). Claudio is based in Buenos Aires, but remains in regular contact with all Middlebury Schools Abroad students studying in Argentina and Uruguay.

Avi Helft, Amherst College '26 & Middlebury School in Argentina alum

Avi is a senior at Amherst College who originally hails from the Bay Area. He studied abroad at the Middlebury School in Buenos Aires, Argentina during the Fall 2024 semester. As part of the Cultural and Linguistic Competency course, he participated in a CT project focused on indigenous, territorial, and natural resource rights in Argentina. Through site visits and conversations with local communities during the class's excursion to Neuquén, Avi learned about the tensions between economic development, environmental sustainability, and indigenous rights. Observing the destructive impacts of resource exploitation and the constructive efforts of groups like the Mapuche and local farmers who defend their land, culture, and future, Avi saw CT brought to life as a path toward resilience and justice.

Session 5
Embodying Conflict

Lida Winfield, Assistant Professor of Dance, Middlebury College

Lida Winfield is an innovative and accomplished dancer, choreographer, spoken word artist, and educator. She has created original work merging storytelling, dance, and visual art to build community and facilitate communication across differences. As an artist, educator, and keynote presenter, she has performed and taught nationally and internationally in both traditional and non-traditional environments, from the Bates Dance Festival to MindMingle in Malviya Nagar, New Delhi. At Middlebury, Lida serves as the Pillar Two Head, overseeing professional development for faculty and staff in the Conflict Transformation Collaborative’s Engaged Listening Program. She is also a partner in the Restorative Practices team, supporting community building and assisting in situations where harm has occurred. www.lidawinfield.com

Session 6
CT Projects in the Middlebury Schools Abroad: Case Studies 6-10

Hung I-Chiao 洪亦喬, Director of Middlebury in Taiwan

As a native of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, I-Chiao is an experienced educator with a strong background in Chinese language teaching (beginner to advanced levels) and Chinese language program management. I-Chiao received her B.A. from the National Taipei University of Education, and an M.A. in Teaching Second Language from Utah State University in 2017. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Chinese as a Second Language at National Taiwan Normal University. Her research interests are Chinese reading strategies and instructional technology.  

Amy Tondu, Associate Director, Middlebury School in France; Director of the Undergraduate Programs in Paris and Bordeaux

PhD. French Literature, Vanderbilt University; M.A. French literature, University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill; B.A. Comparative Area Studies and French, Duke University. Amy joined the team of the School in France as Assistant Director after nine years with the Franco-American Commission for Educational Exchange where she was responsible for the American Fulbright program for Research Scholars and Lecturers, Advanced Students, Teaching Assistants and Secondary School Teachers in France. Amy directs the undergraduate programs in Bordeaux and Paris and assists the director in liaising with local universities. 

Nicolas Roussellier, Professor of political history, Middlebury School in France, Middlebury Summer Language School of French, Sciences Po Paris & l’École polytechnique

Nicolas graduated from l'ENS Saint-Cloud with his doctorate in history. He has since devoted his research to political history, and in particular constitutional transformations of democracy in the 20th century. Nicolas has also contributed to several collective works on the political history of France, the history of political cultures, intellectuals, historical journals and socialism. A member of the Vingtième Siècle committee, he is a regular contributor of articles and book reviews to a number of history journals. In addition to his research, Nicolas teaches at Sciences Po Paris and l’École polytechnique. He is also a permanent faculty member at the Middlebury School in France and at Middlebury's French Summer Language School. 

Sanae Eda, Associate Professor and Director of the Middlebury School in Japan

Sanae received her first M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Puerto Rico (1994), and a second M.A. and a Ph.D. in Japanese Linguistics and Pedagogy from the Ohio State University (1997, 2004). She held a position as an Educational Exchange Program (EEP) Lecturer and taught Japanese at the University of Puerto Rico for three years, where she was the first teacher ever to teach Japanese. Sanae taught at the Middlebury College Japanese Language School for eight summers between 1994-2004 and served as an assistant director of the Japanese School in 2004. She held a position as an Assistant Professor and taught Japanese and linguistics at University of Kansas from 2004 until the spring of 2010, before returning to Middlebury in 2010 as the director of the School in Japan. Sanae loves jogging and learning foreign languages. 

Paulina Solís Iturra, Assistant Director, Student Services and Special Projects, Middlebury School in Chile

Paulina is a psychologist with a social and environmental focus, a perspective she integrates with her background in Environmental Sciences from the Federico Santa María Technical University (UTFSM). She is currently pursuing graduate studies in Psychology at Universidad Alberto Hurtado (UAH) where she researches the effects of water scarcity on the mental health of rural communities and its intersections with gender, ethnicity, and environmental justice. She also has specific expertise in biodiversity and Chilean ecosystems. Since 2001, she has worked as an environmental educator and consultant with a community-based approach, developing, advising, and leading projects using nature-based and participatory methodologies, in collaboration with local NGOs, Chile’s Ministry of the Environment, the UNDP, and Fauna & Flora International (London). Since 2014, she has been part of the Middlebury School in Chile team. Her academic interests include community resilience to climate change, Indigenous worldviews, human rights, peacebuilding, and water governance.

Juan Pastene, Director of the Middlebury School in Chile

Juan has worked for the Middlebury program in Chile since its beginnings, first as professor of the Writing for Linguistic and Cultural Competence course and as a journalist for a newspaper in Valparaíso. Following this he served as the Interim Director from 2016-2018, and became Director of the School in Chile in 2018. Juan studied both Spanish and Journalism at the Universidad de Playa Ancha at Valparaíso. He has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the major of Journalism and Public Administration at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV), respectively. He obtained an M.A. in Communications from PUCV, and studied at SUNY-Plattsburgh and McGill University, as well. Today, Juan is working on his PhD thesis in Latin American Literature from PUCV. Contemporary Chilean literature, marginalization, transnationalism and hegemony are among Juan’s academic interests. 

Anna Parrott, Pomona College '26 & Middlebury School in Chile alum

Anna is a rising senior at Pomona College from Seattle, Washington. She studies Environmental Analysis with a concentration in Biology. In the Fall of 2024 she studied in Temuco through the Sustainability and Society track at Middlebury Schools in Chile. There, she enrolled at the local university, Universidad de la Frontera (UFRO), interned at the school's Agroecology station, and carried out a research project on socioenvironmental conflicts in collaboration with the Mateo Nahuelpan community, a Mapuche-Lafkenche community whose ancestral land is located in a coastal wetland protected internationally through RAMSAR. The project, supported by a Middlebury CT grand, consisted of a collaboration between four UFRO students and two Middlebury Schools Abroad students, who studied conflict transformation and carried out oral interviews and presentations with the community. Following community feedback, the group developed a map and explanatory cards showcasing socioenvironmental conflicts and the history of the community. The community has recuperated its territory given the colonial legacy of the land, two destructive earthquakes that have altered and flooded the landscape, pressures from illegal hunting, and competing land interests. By learning from the community's efforts to protect their way of life, Anna saw the power of history in legitimizing the community's protection efforts, and the role of conflict transformation in raising questions rather than imposing solutions. 

Teresa Peña-Jordán, Associate Professor and Director of the Middlebury School in Puerto Rico

Teresa was born and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. She earned a PhD in Latin American Literature (2005) and a MA Certificate in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies from the University of Pittsburgh (2003). Once back on the archipelago, she taught courses on Humanities, Transatlantic Literature, Comparative Literature, Spanish, and Gender Studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, where she also worked as the Director of the Women and Gender Studies Program (2018-2022). Teresa has also taught courses on Spanish as a second language at the University of Pittsburgh and at George Mason University in Virginia. Decoloniality, Caribbean ecocriticism, and the intersections between ecology and gender, are among her current academic interests. As an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University she studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain.