Michigan State University International Studies and Programs has welcomed 11 new full-time employees across seven different units since last fall.
Heidi Quintero joined the Center for Gender in Global Context as the office coordinator and communications manager last fall. Prior to her role, she worked for the Office of the Executive Vice President for Administration as an office coordinator and executive assistant.
Quintero enjoys working with visiting international scholars and learning about their research. “Their work often centers on issues affecting their home countries, and hearing about their findings has broadened my understanding of what’s happening around the world,” Quintero said.
Fun Fact: Quintero traveled to Shanghai over the summer to visit a friend she met at MSU during her freshman year. They were randomly paired as roommates, and they’ve maintained their friendship after not seeing one another since her friend returned to China in 2018.
Angie Boynton is the executive secretary to Opal Leeman Bartzis, assistant dean for Global Learning and Innovation and executive director of the Office for Education Abroad. Boynton also collects the documentation submitted for new program proposals and provides support for events and guest visits.
Boynton previously worked at Central Michigan University for two and a half years and at MSU in another department for 14 years. “Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful,” Boynton said of her coworkers.
Fun fact: Boynton once worked for Dow Chemical where she had the opportunity to travel to Italy for work. “I loved the old architecture, the slower pace of life and focus on family, and of course, the amazing food!”
Cathy Hamlin is the associate director for the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, or CLACS, where her primary responsibility is to manage the center’s student-facing academic and funding programs as well as outreach.
Prior to joining ISP earlier this month, Hamlin worked for over 17 years as a foreign service officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, serving in Angola, El Salvador, the Philippines, Brazil and countries throughout West Africa. Her most recent posting as environment director in Brazil supported biodiversity conservation and sustainable development projects in the Amazon.
“I am thrilled to be part of ISP and the CLACS team because I think bridging people across cultures, countries and disciplines is transformative,” said Hamlin. “I also appreciate how important it is for students and researchers in the U.S. and an institution like MSU to have that global perspective.”
Fun fact: While managing projects with USAID/Brazil, Hamlin traveled by riverboat up the Juruá River to learn about the largest freshwater scaled fish pirarucu or Arapaima gigas and about traditional/Indigenous communities living in the Amazon, whose livelihoods depend on sustainably managed fisheries and lands. “The trip was extraordinary not only for the opportunity to understand a highly successful approach to support sustainable, forest-based enterprises, but also to appreciate the rich culture of Amazonian people who understand better than most how human life is inseparable from the natural world we inhabit.”
Kevin Cox is a financial analyst for ISP and brings more than seven years of experience in international funding for research, education and capacity building. He started his career at Jackson National Life Insurance, prior to joining MSU as an accountant with Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics. In 2024, Cox became a research administrator for AgBioResearch providing pre- and post- award financial administrative support for multiple departments within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Fun fact: Cox welcomed a new baby to his family a couple of weeks ago and is on paternity leave until October.
Nizar Lajnef became the associate dean for research and strategic partnerships last August. Lajnef joined MSU as an assistant professor in the College of Engineering in 2008.
In his role in ISP, he works closely with Vice Provost and Dean Titus Awokuse, the ISP senior leadership team, the Office of Research and Innovation, MSU college deans, unit directors and university administration to advance international engagement.
“I am excited to bring my academic and leadership experiences to ISP. This role reflects values that are deeply important to me: collaboration, openness and service to the public good,” Lajnef said.
Fun fact: Lajnef is originally from Tunisia, which is where he earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in computational mechanics. He earned a master's degree in civil engineering and a dual doctorate degree in structural and civil engineering from Michigan State.
Julie Andersen is no stranger to higher education. Previously, she worked for the University of Denver and later at Southern New Hampshire University where she worked as a learning coach. She has been working as a professional coach, coach trainer and mentor coach since 2015.
Next month marks one year since Andersen joined ISP as the advocacy and outreach coordinator for the Office for International Students and Scholars. In her role, she supports international students and scholars who are experiencing academic, financial, health or other types of crises. Working closely with OISS advisers and campus partners, Andersen works hard to ensure international students and scholars have access to the many resources across campus.
“The best part of my job is the people! The students, scholars and OISS staff are some of the best human beings, and it is an honor and a privilege to work hard together each day,” Andersen said.
Fun fact: Andersen served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Albania where she also met her husband.
Fumi Matsumoto Cheever joined OISS last fall as the assistant director for Student and Scholar Success. Cheever’s team helps plan and coordinate programs such as International Orientation, cultural excursions, Coffee Hour, global career programs, health and wellness activities and much more. Additionally, she is a member of the immigration advising team where she provides guidance and support to international students as they navigate U.S. immigration regulations and university requirements.
Cheever has worked in higher education for the last 14 years at universities in Kentucky, Missouri and Minnesota.
“The best part of my job is the opportunity to learn from people from around the world every day. Even though I have not traveled to all the countries our students and scholars call home, I often feel as if I have because they share their stories, cultures, histories and cuisines with me,” Cheever said.
Fun fact: Cheever attended the University of Nevada – Reno as an international student from Japan.
“Meeting students at the airport as they take their first steps into a new chapter of life brought back memories of my own arrival and the challenges of adjusting to a new country, culture and community. It was a powerful reminder of why I do this work and how important it is to provide a warm welcome, guidance and support as students begin building their new lives in the U.S.”
Sandy Claypool is an employment immigration adviser in OISS where she prepares immigration forms, supporting different campus departments as they navigate employing foreign national employees. Part of this work includes working with the U.S. Department of Labor compliance for MSU’s H-1B petitions.
Before joining ISP last fall, Claypool worked with World Relief in the Immigration Legal Services department of its Refugee Resettlement Program.
Claypool enjoys supporting employees as they navigate a complex system. “The best part of my job is when an approval comes through from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, giving an employee peace of mind as well as the ability to be in the U.S. and continue to work and or conduct their research,” Claypool said.
Fun fact: Claypool took a crash course navigating the European rail system when she mistakenly arrived at the wrong train station in Frankfurt, Germany after a flight from Central Asia. Seven trains, one taxicab ride and the kindness of a local stranger, got her where she needed to be an hour before her meetings began.
Sloane Barlow is new to ISP but not MSU. She graduated last spring with degrees in English and journalism. At the end of July, Barlow joined the staff in the Visiting International Professional Program as the communications manager where she manages VIPP’s communication strategy through marketing, content creation and digital storytelling. Previously, she interned for four years with MSU Honors College.
Barlow’s love for learning about different cultures drew her to her current role as she gets to meet people from around the world.
“I truly admire the individuals who come into our program to travel with a purpose, whether that be higher education, professional development or taking a chance to experience a new culture in an immersive experience,” Barlow said.
Fun fact: Barlow’s most recent international experience provided her the opportunity to travel around Northern Thailand with a global non-profit organization. Barlow said, “Thailand has a special place in my heart with my grandmother being from there, and I was excited to find an opportunity where I could travel while giving back as a responsible tourist.”
The Office for Global Health, Safety and Security has a small but mighty team. A little over a year ago, Matt Cullinane was named director. During his first year, he was tasked with hiring two global safety analysts.
Raised in Montreal, Jennifer Conners, a global safety analyst in the Office for Global Health, Safety and Security, lived in Vermont until she and her husband moved overseas. For 20 years, she and her family lived abroad, and, for nearly a decade, Conners worked for the U.S. Department of State in the Diplomatic Security section overseeing background investigations.
Some might say the road would eventually lead Conners to East Lansing. Not only did her daughter choose to study at MSU before the family had returned to the U.S., her sister and brother-in-law are professors at Michigan State.
Conners is happy to be working in an office that helps keep MSU faculty and students safe while they are traveling around the world. As a global safety analyst, Conners conducts travel risk analysis, responds to incidents, and develops preparedness and response strategies for Spartans traveling overseas.
“Living overseas for 20 years provided my family with so many amazing opportunities. We were able to visit the Taj Mahal, ski in the Alps, hike up a mountain in Nepal, explore ancient ruins in Cambodia, visit castles in Germany and the UK, walk through the Torii gates in Japan and see the sights in Moscow’s Red Square among other things.”
Fun fact: Conners worked in the MSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for the first year she lived in Michigan.
Lauren McBroom is a global safety analyst as well, though her role differs some from Conners. McBroom is largely responsible for providing security briefings, approving international travel and coordinating risk management. In additional to Cullinane, she assists with on-the-ground emergency response when an incident occurs.
Prior to joining ISP, McBroom spent six years with the U.S. Department of State in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, focusing on internal operations and crisis management. She has additional international experience working in education development with USAID in Mali.
“My favorite memories overseas are from my family’s time in Tanzania. From sailing the Indian Ocean and hiking the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro to tracking elephants in the Serengeti and trekking with chimpanzees in Mahale, my family experienced a lifetime of adventure,” McBroom said.
Fun fact: Earlier in McBroom’s career, she was a teacher in Paris, Detroit and Washington D.C.
To learn more about ISP and the people supporting the programs, visit International Studies and Programs.
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