Presenters

Stephanie Sanders is an Academic Exchange Specialist in the Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, at the U.S. Department of State, where she works closely with cooperating partner World Learning on the planning and implementation of the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD). 

Prior to joining ECA, Stephanie was Associate Director of Programs at the Mansfield Foundation, where she managed the ECA-funded Mansfield Fellowship Program and the Government of Japan-sponsored U.S.-Japan Network for the Future program. As a Research and Program Associate at CULCON, she oversaw monitoring and evaluation for the U.S. Embassy Tokyo-funded TeamUp Campaign. At the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC, she provided research support on U.S.-Japan trade issues. 

Stephanie spent four years teaching English at rural public schools in South Korea and Japan, is an alumna of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, and served on the board of the DC chapter of the JET Alumni Association (JETAADC). She holds an MA in International Education from George Washington University and a BA in East Asian Studies from Smith College.

Melissa Oppenheimer is the vice president for Global Programs. In that capacity she manages global development and exchange programs, as well as program monitoring, evaluation, and learning. Oppenheimer further provides oversight of the technical quality of international development business acquisition. Through a career of 15 years at World Learning, she has served in various program implementation and management roles for projects funded by the U.S. Department of State and USAID. Oppenheimer has also served as an assistant education advisor at the Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange between the U.S., Belgium, and Luxembourg. 

Earlier in her career, she was a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) at the U.S. Department of Education overseeing grants and acting as a liaison with state education officials. Following the completion of the PMF Program, she remained at the Department of Education, holding various analytical positions in budget policymaking and planning and evaluation in the Office of the Under Secretary. Oppenheimer holds a bachelor's degree in diplomacy and world affairs from Occidental College and a master's degree in Latin American studies from Georgetown University. 

Simon 'Si' Norton is a Global Educator, Facilitator, Trainer, Coach and Guide with 30+ years of experience facilitating empowering workshops, directing programs, and leading effective teams. He has successfully facilitated more than 1,000 experiential programs and workshops with adults and youth from over 175 countries and all 50 U.S. States. He has worked in more than 60 countries. He currently works on many freelance projects for NGO, educational, and corporate clients around the world. Si is an accomplished teacher, trainer, and facilitator with expertise in many areas including: leadership and teambuilding, project design and delivery, global issues and civics, mentoring and coaching, risk management, peacebuilding and dialogue, communication skills, emotional intelligence, positive psychology, wellness and resilience, and adventure and outdoor education.

Si has a master’s degree in global education from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in world issues from the School for International Training. His home base is in Lake Tahoe on the California/Nevada border and his interests include kayaking, paddle-boarding, skiing, snowshoeing, curling, baking, landscaping and stonework, and designing and building Tiny Homes and Cabins.

Dr. Lily López-McGee has dedicated more than a decade to capacity building, EDI within international education and exchange, and U.S. national security and foreign policy. Dr. López-McGee currently serves as Senior Advisor at Diversity Abroad and Senior Director of Diplomatic Fellowships at Howard University. 

She previously served as the Executive Director at Diversity Abroad and oversaw grant programs at UNCF Special Programs. She is a practitioner, researcher, and facilitator, and has published in industry and academic outlets. She also serves as a Co-Chair of the Global Access Pipeline. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and George Mason University and is an International Career Advancement Fellow.

Abby Henson is a nonprofit leader, communications strategist, and content creator. Currently, she serves as World Learning’s senior communications manager. Prior, she worked for Women for Women International and most recently was a senior director on Project HOPE’s marketing and development team. Her areas of expertise are communications, writing, strategic planning, development, and teaching. She earned a master’s in teaching English as a second language from American University and has her bachelor’s in speech communications from Miami University of Ohio.

Leah Busler is a professional digital creator who builds and manages brands to educate and inspire others in the global nonprofit sector. As a Digital Media Specialist for World Learning, she specializes in social media content creation, graphic design, photography, and videography.

Tanisha Smith, a leader in strategic partnerships and fundraising, has 16 years of experience, at Volunteers of America (VOA), currently serving as the Vice President of Corporate Partnerships.

Tanisha excels at cultivating high-value relationships with corporate partners.  She consistently secures sponsorships, exceeding targets, and generating significant funding for VOA initiatives. For example, she led a campaign that secured a $1.3 million title sponsorship for an LPGA tournament, exceeding the initial goal by $600,000.

Throughout her career, Tanisha has demonstrated a talent for developing and executing strategic partnerships.  She spearheads a longstanding relationship with The Home Depot Foundation to end veteran homelessness and transform veterans housing, showcasing her commitment to social impact and yielding more than $25 million in grant funding.  Additionally, she revitalized VOA's partnership with the MLB Players Trust, securing $13 million in donations over 10 years.

Tanisha's leadership extends beyond fundraising.  She has a strong background in event management, having launched a successful Avon Walk for Breast Cancer program that raised $43 million.  Her dedication to participant experience and mission alignment resulted in an impressive 73% retention rate.

Tanisha's extensive experience in relationship building, fundraising, communications and event leadership makes her a valuable asset to Volunteers of America.

Anna Rossi is a social science researcher and facilitator with a strong track record in project management, stakeholder engagement, and science communication. She works at a strategic communications and facilitation firm, Kearns & West, where she specializes in managing and implementing environmental collaboration and conflict resolution processes. 

With experience consulting at local and international levels, Anna has delivered research, analysis, and recommendations on sustainable development issues like environmental peacebuilding, technology innovation, and climate change perception to a range of clients, including multilateral funding organizations, federal and state governments, and international organizations. 

Anna enjoys applying her data-minded, systems thinking brain and interpersonal values to her work supporting complex decision-making processes. She holds a bachelor's degree in environmental and natural resource economics from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s degree in environmental studies from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. 

Cristina Blough (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Director of Development at New America. In this role, she is responsible for growing New America’s fundraising efforts, including corporate, foundation, and individual partnerships. She oversees fundraising strategies for the organization and supports the Development team. Cristina has firsthand experience in relationship building, fundraising, special events, corporate engagement and marketing. 

Most recently, Cristina was the Director of Corporate & Foundation Philanthropy at World Learning where she cultivated, solicited, and stewarded corporate and foundation donor relationships for the organization. She has also previously served as the Director of Corporate Partnerships & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Volunteers of America (VOA). 

Outside of her professional role, Cristina serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) through the SCAN of Northern Virginia for abused and neglected youth. She is also an inaugural member of the DEI Committee for the SCAN of Northern VA.

In addition, Cristina volunteers with local animal rescues across the DMV as a foster for adoptable dogs. She has an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University and a B.A. in Global Studies from the College of William and Mary. She loves dogs (has one of her own – a rescue cattle dog named Josie) and plants (has too many to count). In her free time, she enjoys spending time at the beach with her family, learning languages, trying new foods, and traveling the world. Cristina is a first-generation Hispanic- American and a proud citizen of both the United States and Uruguay. She is natively fluent in Spanish and English.

Gigi Bennett joined World Learning as Director of Corporate and Foundation Philanthropy in September 2024. Most recently, Gigi served as Director of Philanthropy at the award-winning military family support organization Our Military Kids.

A career development professional for nearly two decades, Gigi also has extensive nonprofit fundraising experience with prestigious arts and culture institutions, including The White House Historical Association, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, American Battlefield Trust, Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation, Harvard Museum of Natural History, and Currier Museum of Art.

Gigi’s roles in the nonprofit sector have all included significant special event planning experience, curating unforgettable custom experiences everywhere from the battlefields of Gettysburg to backstage at the Kennedy Center to the private apartments of Buckingham Palace.

A natural relationship builder and accomplished frontline fundraiser, Gigi brings a contagious enthusiasm to her institutional giving work. An art history major at the University of Connecticut, Gigi spent six months of immersive study in Florence, Italy; she also completed graduate coursework in nutrition and dietetics at Simmons University and earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2021. Gigi was recently elected to serve on the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) DC Chapter Board of Directors with a term beginning in January 2025.

When away from her desk, Gigi enjoys reading, cooking, needlepoint, traveling, playing golf, visiting museums, attending arts performances, and searching for treasures in antique stores. A native of New Hampshire, Gigi now resides in Reston, Virginia, with her husband and rescue dog.

Jeremy joined World Learning as a Development Associate for the Corporate and Foundation Philanthropy Team in October of 2022 before being promoted to Philanthropy Officer in January of 2024. Prior to this, he worked as a Development Specialist at the Autism Society of America for three and a half years.

Having grown up with a younger brother on the Autism Spectrum, Jeremy’s work in the nonprofit sector has been motivated by a desire to create more equitable opportunities for children and families from underserved backgrounds in education, employment, and other important fields. His work has involved building relationships with corporate, foundation, and individual partners from all over the United States to fund and build programs that will create pathways to these opportunities.

Jeremy graduated from Oberlin College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and from American University with a Master's in Public Administration with a focus on nonprofit management. When not working, Jeremy enjoys traversing Washington DC with his running club, which has helped him discover a wealth of opportunities for hiking, discovering new museums and restaurants, and going to the movies.

Amy is the managing director and lead trainer of Equilibrium Coaching & Consulting. She works with people and organizations around the world to foster their sense of purpose and effectively leverage systems to help them be their best. Before this role, she worked for two decades at the intersection of education, international development, and activism at universities, nonprofits, and in government. She is passionate about organizational management and helping people connect with themselves and lead their teams to holistic success.

In addition to being a certified professional coach, she has a master’s degree in International Education from the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Studies from John Carroll University. She sits on the board of the DC-based non-profit Learning Life and has also served on advisory boards for Story District and Dagaeno School for Girls in Tanzania.

She lives in Washington, DC where she is also a yoga teacher and mother of two small humans. 

Nina Oduro is a Ghanaian-American with over 14 years of experience as curriculum designer, trainer, and specialist on leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She has designed and facilitated curricula within the public and private sectors for governments and organizations such as the U.S. Department of State, Facebook, IREX, the James Beard Foundation, and Microsoft. She has coached trainers and supported design and delivery of trainings for adults and youth globally, including in countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Jamaica. Nina is certified in DEI from eCornell. She received a graduate degree from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.    

Melaney Monreal Starling is the Regional Alumni Coordinator for Africa at the State Department in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of Alumni Affairs. Prior to her current position, Melaney worked in the Bureau of Global Talent Management, where she managed leadership and rotational programs for the Civil Service. Melaney also worked at the Peace Corps as a Country Desk Officer in the Africa Region. She also held the positions of Overseas Staff Training Coordinator and Program Support Assistant in the Office of Overseas Programming and Training Support. Before working at the Peace Corps, Melaney worked as an Education Program Specialist at the Woodrow Wilson Center, where she coordinated the internship program. Melaney is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and served as a teacher of English as a foreign language in Benin. She holds a BA in Political Science from Miami University and MA from American University in International Development.