Pre-Conference Workshops

Karen Binger Marshall

Assistant Director of International Student and Scholar Services and Outreach, Appalachian State University

Karen Binger Marshall has been the Assistant Director of International Student and Scholar Services and Outreach at Appalachian State University for eight years and loves interacting with international students on a daily basis. Prior to this position, she spent eight years working in international admissions and several years teaching English abroad. She looks forward to connecting with you at the F-1 Beginner workshop!

Dawn Turner

Director of International Student Services, NC Wesleyan University

Dawn Turner has been the Director of International Student Services/PDSO/Senior International Advisor for 9 years at North Carolina Wesleyan University. Dawn’s passion is advising her students from arrival to graduation and beyond, and researching the best practice solutions to their immigration questions. She enjoys training and mentoring international professionals, and alongside her staff, providing a true home away from home experience to them at NCWU. She is excited about breaking down the F-1 beginner information with you at the conference.

Amanda Mills

Associate Director for International Student Services, UNC-Chapel Hill

Amanda Mills is currently the Associate Director for International Student Services at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has worked at UNC’s International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) for 18 years and has had 5 different roles. She enjoys working with F-1 and J-1 students and advising them on their immigration related questions. In addition, Amanda loves meeting and training colleagues who are new to the field of international education. She has also served on the board of NCAIE as the ISSS representative and is currently the Past-Chair after having served as the Chair of NCAIE last year.

Olga Booth

International Admissions & Immigration Specialist, Methodist University

Olga Booth holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Old Dominion University in Virginia, USA. With over 13 years of experience at Methodist University in North Carolina, Olga has played an integral role within the Global Education Office, serving in various capacities. She currently works as a Student Immigration Advisor, International Student Admission Officer, and International Recruiter. Since 2012, Olga has been a Designated School Official (DSO) and has served as the Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) for the past five years, providing expert guidance to international students and helping to shape the university’s global outreach efforts.

Greta Smith

Senior Immigration Specialist, Wake Forest University

Trinh Copsey

Assistant Director for Data Services & Compliance, UNC Chapel Hill

Trinh Copsey is the Assistant Director for Data Services & Compliance at UNC-Chapel Hill with over a decade of experience in International Student and Scholar Services. In her previous role as Senior International Advisor, she worked primarily with international researchers and faculty to assist with university sponsored immigration-related matters. She is looking forward to connecting with new and existing professionals in the field for the J-1 Beginner training!

William Pryor

PhD Student in Culture, Curriculum, and Teacher Education, UNC-Chapel Hill

William Pryor is a passionate researcher and educator with a focus on the international education and experiential education. His work explores how global experiences shape teaching and learning. As a PhD student in Culture, Curriculum, and Teacher Education at UNC-Chapel Hill, William is dedicated to creating equitable, experiential education opportunities, particularly in study abroad programs for preservice teachers. With a background in participatory action research and a commitment to decolonizing international education, he strives to foster critical, intercultural understanding through innovative pedagogy and global engagement. He also has a Graduate Certificate in Improvement Science and Implementation from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Kayla Bassett Andrade

Student Services Specialist at UNC-Chapel Hill Center for European Studies

Kayla serves as the Student Services Specialist at UNC Chapel Hill’s Center for European Studies. Kayla plans to leverage her Graduate Certificate in Improvement Science and Implementation to connect undergraduate and graduate students with global learning opportunities across Europe.

Kendra Faries

Public Health Educator at Richmond County Health and Human Services

Kendra has prior health professional and secondary education experience and decided that the greatest impact would be with public health education since health is a significant barrier to obtaining education. Her role as a Public Health Educator is to create effective and meaningful health education campaigns and programs using methods and strategies that enable the acceptance of evidence-based practices. She also works to identify health issues and trends and works with stakeholders to find solutions to improve health, wellness, and equal access to quality health care. She looks forward to sharing her experiences in improvement science and implementation in our workgroup.

Gina Difino

Director of Global Programming and Fellowships at UNC-Chapel Hill Honors Carolina

Gina is passionate about intercultural learning and experiential education. She has worked as an educator for students from kindergarten through executives for over 20 years. Currently, she manages faculty-led programs and independent fellowships for undergraduate students at UNC Chapel Hill from her role in Honors Carolina. She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Grinnell College and a master’s degree in international education from SIT Graduate Institute.