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RIT Global

Office of International Education and Global Programs

Dr. James Myers
Associate Provost of International Education and Global Programs
585.475.4772
Dr. James Myers
Associate Provost of International Education and Global Programs
585.475.4772

Dr. James Myers is the Associate Provost of International Education and Global Programs. He previously served as the Director for the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies where he helped establish RIT Kosovo and created numerous corporate and government sponsored outreach education programs. He was also previously the Associate Dean and Associate Professor at RIT Croatia, in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Dr. Myers’ interest and research focuses on the nexus of natural resources, infrastructure, and human health in developing countries. He has served as a consultant to the World Bank’s Western Balkans Energy Efficiency Assessment team. Since 2009, he has served as the Associate Executive Director for Haiti Outreach Pwoje Espwa (H.O.P.E.), a non-profit organization that operates a health care system in Borgne, Haiti. Dr. Myers has written and received more than $13 million in grants, contracts, and foundation awards since 2002.

Dr. Myers received a B.S. in Food Systems Management, and a M.S. in Packaging Science, both from the Rochester Institute of Technology; and a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from Michigan State University. Dr. Myers has recently traveled to India, China, UAE, Sweden, Croatia, Kosovo, Ecuador and Peru. He is an avid runner and has competed in many ultra-marathons.

Lyndsey McGrath
Director of Global Programs and International Partnerships
585.475.5177
Lyndsey McGrath
Director of Global Programs and International Partnerships
585.475.5177

Lyndsey is the Director of Global Programs and International Partnerships. She has been working at RIT since 2006 and is also an alumni of RIT, holding a Master of Science degree in Science, Technology and Public Policy. She manages operations and support of RIT’s global locations and partnerships, including the delivery of academic programs abroad, international agreements, and global partnership engagement. Lyndsey is also an adjunct professor for RIT’s Department of Public Policy within the College of Liberal Arts.  

In her spare time, Lyndsey enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking, and snowshoeing. Overall, she just likes to be outside. Her research interests are focused on community access to health care and education. She has traveled to Albania, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Germany, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Turkey, and the UAE. 

Jenny Sullivan
Director of Education Abroad and International Fellowships
585.475.3224
Jenny Sullivan
Director of Education Abroad and International Fellowships
585.475.3224

Jenny began working for RIT in 2010 and is responsible for managing outbound students, faculty-led program development and international fellowship advising. Her research interests include access to study abroad for diverse students, strategic fellowship advising, and study abroad in career development.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, Jenny earned her undergraduate degree in Communications and Business from the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana and her Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Oregon State University. As an undergrad, Jenny studied abroad to England which inspired a life-long mission to get students out of their comfort zone and engage in the world. Since then, she has lived and worked in Ireland and Ecuador and traveled extensively in Europe and South America. Jenny lives in Rochester with her husband and two young sons who already have their passports.

Andrea Buscemi
Senior Staff Assistant
585.475.6557
Andrea Buscemi
Senior Staff Assistant
585.475.6557

Andrea has been at RIT since 2007. Throughout the years she has been in different departments at RIT and most recently at RIT Global.

She makes sure all operations run smoothly in the day to day as well as being in charge of all the logistics for visits from international scholars and partners to Rochester.

Andrea loves to cook and loves to hang out with her husband Joe. Andrea’s younger son is an RIT Engineering Technologies student who went on his first study abroad experience this past summer to Kosovo and the Balkans, he is now hooked and can’t wait for his next study abroad experience!

Caroline Murray
Senior Staff Accountant for Global Programs Partnerships
585.475.5684
Caroline Murray
Senior Staff Accountant for Global Programs Partnerships
585.475.5684

Caroline started working for RIT Global in 2018. She provides direct accounting support to Global Programs related to operating, capital, gift, study abroad deposits/billing and transfers, endowment, special projects and discretionary accounts.

Caroline earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition from Cornell University. After practicing as a Registered Dietitian, she earned an Accounting Certificate from St. John Fisher College and became a Certified Public Accountant.

She brings 10+ years of big four public accounting experience, having practiced as an expatriate tax specialist.

Caroline loves taking long walks with her golden retriever, skiing, cooking and spending time with her family. She enjoys both domestic and international travel with one of her favorite destinations being her native country of Argentina.
 

Education Abroad

Myles Chalue
Global Programs Manager, Study Abroad Advisor (Global Campus & Exchange Programs)
585.475.7077
Myles Chalue
Global Programs Manager, Study Abroad Advisor (Global Campus & Exchange Programs)
585.475.7077

Myles was born and raised in southern New Hampshire. He attended Syracuse University for both his undergraduate and graduate studies, where he graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy and a minor in Educational Studies. Later he obtained a Master of Science in Higher Postsecondary Education and a Certificate in Data Science from Syracuse University. As an undergraduate, he spent a summer abroad in Madrid, Spain. He has spent time abroad during personal travel to countries such as Colombia, Argentina, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Myles has been with RIT since the summer of 2023 as Global Programs Manager. Before that, he worked for Syracuse University for five and a half years in a similar role as an International Programs Advisor. In his spare time, he has volunteered as a tutor with Syracuse RISE (Refugee & Immigrant Self-Empowerment). He also finds time to pursue his love for outdoor activities such as roller skating, camping and hiking.

Michelle Fitz
Program Manager
585.475.4481
Michelle Fitz
Program Manager
585.475.4481

Michelle is the Marketing Manager for study abroad. She began working for RIT in 2015 and her main responsibilities include promoting study abroad programs, event planning and student billing.

A native of Rochester, she earned her undergraduate degree in Communications and Journalism from St. John Fisher College and her master's degree in Higher Education Administration from Stony Brook University. As part of her master's program, she studied abroad in China as part of a faculty-led program and visited five universities in Beijing to learn about the Chinese higher education system. 

Michelle has traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean, always looking for new beaches to visit and reefs to snorkel. Her dream trip is to visit the Galapagos Islands. In her spare time, she takes pottery classes, enjoys vegetarian cooking and tries to keep up with her active dog, Lucy.

Cecelia Hencke
Program Specialist - Faculty-Led Programs
585.475.7634
Cecelia Hencke
Program Specialist - Faculty-Led Programs
585.475.7634

Cecelia is the Program Specialist for Education Abroad and International Fellowships and is primarily responsible for managing faculty-led programs.  She also manages a team of Global Ambassadors who are returned study abroad students that work for the Education Abroad office to help promote study abroad.

Cecelia has a Master of Public Administration degree from the College at Brockport and is a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha Global Honor Society for Public Affairs & Administration. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Ithaca College. Prior to coming to RIT, Cecelia was the Executive Director of a local nonprofit, Rochester Global Connections, which provides inbound cultural and professional exchange programs for emerging leaders from around the world.

Cecelia has a passion for travel and learning about other cultures. In undergrad, she studied abroad in Germany for a semester. She has traveled abroad to numerous countries such as Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Caribbean islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Peru, Russia, and Switzerland, and the bucket list of countries to visit continues to grow! Cecelia currently lives in the City of Rochester with her husband and dog, and in her spare time she enjoys being outdoors, baking, and spending time with family and friends.

Roseanne Hernandez
Study Abroad Advisor - Affiliate Programs
585.475.7629
Roseanne Hernandez
Study Abroad Advisor - Affiliate Programs
585.475.7629

Roseanne has been with the RIT Global Office since 2007. She has held a variety of different positions within the office including Graduate Assistant, Program Coordinator and Program Manager. She is currently the Study Abroad Advisor. Her main responsibilities entail meeting with all students interested in studying abroad and guiding them through the application process, as well as building relationships with academic advisors in each of RIT's colleges.

Roseanne is a graduate of Niagara University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Commerce with a concentration in Marketing. She completed her Master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from RIT. In college, Roseanne studied abroad in London for 7 weeks during her undergraduate career and in Italy for 6 weeks during her graduate degree. Since her study abroad experiences, she has returned to Italy multiple times and she has visited some Caribbean islands, Ireland, France, Germany, Kosovo, Spain and Turkey. She is fluent in Italian and she knows some elementary ASL.  In her spare time, Roseanne enjoys learning about improv comedy and taking yoga classes.

Global Programs

Donika Demiri
Global Programs Specialist
585.475.7113
Donika Demiri
Global Programs Specialist
585.475.7113

Donika has been working for RIT since 2007. She gives support to faculty traveling to the Global Campuses on different teaching assignements. Donika also assists with the graduate degree program in Service, Leadership and Innovation and Networking and System Administration at PUCMM, in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Donika is fluent in Albanian and Croatian. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family, most recently they traveled to Bermuda.

Mery Palarea-Lobos
Communications and Media Manager
585.475.7697
Mery Palarea-Lobos
Communications and Media Manager
585.475.7697

Mery started at RIT in 2012 as the Global Programs Specialist for RIT Dubai and is now the Communications and Media Manager for RIT Global.

Mery has a background in fine arts and arts management. She completed her undergraduate degree at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia and she completed her graduate degree at the School of Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.

Mery grew up in Guatemala City. She lived in Italy for some time right after high school and again after she completed her undergraduate studies. Mery has traveled throughout Central Europe, Scandinavia, Nepal and India and in 2015 had the great opportunity to visit Kosovo and the RIT China campus in 2017. Mery has an obsession with Japanese culture and Mr. Hayao Miyazaki's films which she now shares with her 13-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter.