Our Management Team
Jessica Rose Miller, Executive Director
Jessica has always had passion for leadership development and initiating personal change as she is proud to be a first generation college graduate. Her passion for international education and social entrepreneurship stems from various experiences studying, living and working abroad, as well as years of experience operating and managing international programs in developing countries for GLA. Jessica is a graduate of Oregon State University, where she studied history, anthropology and Spanish. She believes in the genuine inspiration and transformation of the next generation through authentic, international learning experiences abroad.
Judy Calkins, Financial Controller
A California native, Judy is the Financial Controller, earning her degree from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA. She has held several finance, leadership, and IT positions during that time. She has traveled internationally to Costa Rica, Ireland, Scotland, Mexico and Peru. She has volunteered in Peru, with Big Sisters and in youth sports. She loves reading, hiking, snow skiing and trying new adventures, and is proud to help broaden high school students' understanding of other cultures with GLA.
Brett Scuiletti, Director of Marketing
Brett describes his job as connecting people from digital spaces to real-life places. He graduated as a Journalism and Communications Fellow from Elon University and has been incredibly fortunate to travel to five continents so far - Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas - on his journey to visit them all.
Carly Sullivan, Director of Program Operations
With a degree in Natural Resource Management and a deep admiration for the outdoors, Carly believes the world is our classroom and the most effective type of education is through experience. Carly started working with GLA in 2010 and spent 4 consecutive summers abroad directing GLA programs throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Carly has been deeply moved by the transformation that occurs when one extends themselves beyond their borders and she works every day to ignite that passion while increasing empathy for every student and staff member who passes on through our programs each year.
Korissa Zanrosso, Director of Admissions & Systems
As a Green Bay, Wisconsin native, Korissa is a proud All-American Cheesehead! However, she found her home as a global citizen and uncovered a deep passion and curiosity for the new cultures and experiences found though education abroad while studying abroad in Mexico and Spain. She has since worked tirelessly towards helping others grow through international education and travel. She has worked with travel, tourism and university study abroad programs in both the US and Ecuador. She has been working with the GLA Admissions team since 2011 at both the San Diego Headquarters and in Costa Rica. She has had the pleasure of visiting many of the GLA programs and loves to see the process and transformation from a student requesting a catalog to then coming home with a new-found perspective and curiosity for the world.
Bridget McTaggart, Senior Admissions Manager
Bridget loves helping students find international experiences that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. During the past 8 years with GLA, Bridget has worked on programs in Brazil, Dominican Republic, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ghana, and Tanzania. Bridget lives in San Diego with her husband and is always planning her next adventure.
Hannah Shepherd, Admissions Manager
A native Brit now living in San Diego, Hannah's curiosity for exploring other cultures and world wide travel was established at a young age. Having embarked on a service learning program to Costa Rica as teen and then traveling independently throughout Latin America, South Africa, Australia and many European countries Hannah is a strong believer in the personal growth and priceless global perspective obtained from educational, international travel. With a background in sales and having personally seen the passion GLA programs ignites in its students, Hannah is continuously inspired to help the next generation grow into compassionate, educated and innovative global citizens.
Sophie Rouhandeh, Admissions Manager
Sophie joined Global Leadership Adventures after working in and collaborating with schools as an educator and nonprofit professional. She is a strong believer in opportunities for learning outside the classroom, and is excited about connecting with students and families to encourage unique learning and personal growth opportunities abroad. Sophie has traveled internationally in Europe and Asia and is always eager for the next great adventure. A graduate of Carleton College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Sophie is happiest outside in the company of great friends and good books.
Jackie Eash, Admissions Manager
Jackie's passion for travel, adventure, different cultures, and learning languages began during her time studying and living abroad in Madrid, Spain. After doing some travel in Europe she was eager to see more of the world and help others do the same. When she arrived back in California she had a rewarding experience working as a Program Coordinator and Cultural Teacher for a group of Spanish high school students who were doing an English program abroad. After graduating with her BA in Business Management from San Diego State University she spent several years as a travel expert visiting new countries and helping students, young adults, and families plan their trips around the world. Most recently she lived abroad in Costa Rica, teaching English and diving into the local culture. She's excited to share her knowledge, experience, love, and the importance of travel with others!
Heidi Bohn, Director, GLA Custom Group Travel
From a family that constantly spoke of their heritage and genealogy, Heidi grew up with a curiosity about the world. She studied Spanish in high school and college, leading her to study abroad in Ecuador. Fueled by a passion for understanding cultures, traveling, and experiential learning she eventually earned her MA in International Education from SIT.
Mary Beattie, Program Coordinator, GLA Custom Group Travel
Mary is a coffee-loving Chicago native with passion for adventure, service, and travel. She is excited to be working in Costa Rica and helping students have life-changing experiences like she did as a student on GLA's Guatemala and Tanzania programs.
Ros Galati, Admissions Officer
Ros is consumed by travel. If she’s not at GLA HQ preparing students and their families for their own life changing experience, she’s busily planning somebody else's or off on her own! Originally from Australia, Ros has studied abroad in Japan and Italy, volunteered as an English teacher in Costa Rica and traveled to 42 countries over 6 continents. Naturally curious about foreign cultures and ways of life, Ros finds adventure travel to be the most valuable tool to becoming a global citizen and force for positive change. Ros’ credo; one should never pass up an opportunity to travel; they may just discover their calling along the way.
Brittany Raab, Senior Travel Coordinator
Brittany developed a passion for youth leadership early on as a high school mentor. She decided to pursue her interest in leadership at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, CA. In addition to earning her Bachelors in Managerial and Organizational Communication, she studied abroad twice in college. Her first semester abroad took place on a ship that sailed to 15 countries through a program called Semester At Sea. She also spent four months living abroad in Thailand. Since then, Brittany has worked for GLA in our Costa Rica office, served as a GLA Mentor, and is eager to continue work that allows her to lead, serve, and inspire students around the world. She is excited to work with Global Leadership Adventures to offer life-changing programs for students.
Lauren Jaffe-O'Malley, Travel Coordinator
Lauren’s first international trip, visiting Costa Rica at age 15, sparked her love of languages, travel, and cultural exchange. Those passions intensified at UC Santa Cruz, where she studied linguistics and Spanish, and spent her junior year in Spain. Lauren couldn’t be more thrilled to be working in GLA’s Costa Rica office helping students prepare to embark on such impactful programs.
Jenny Hamilton, Travel Coordinator
Jenny graduated from Grand Valley State University with a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literaure with minors in International Business and Latin American Studies. During college she studied abroad in Spain, Costa Rica, and Brazil where she was able to travel and learn languages, the beauty of different cultures, and the importance of global learning. She worked in the Study Abroad office as a Peer Adviser and is thrilled to pursue a career in international education encouraging others to learn through educational travel and adventure - and to be back in Costa Rica! She loves trying and cooking new foods, days at the beach, slack-lining, and the outdoors.
Rachel Bistodeau, Travel Coordinator
Rachel fell in love with the world during her first trip to Paris in 2006. After a study abroad year in England and seeing the benefits of going abroad as an American, she decided to make International Education her career path. Rachel has worked in study abroad admissions and as an English teacher in South Korea and Spain. She graduated with her Masters in International Education from the Universidad de Alcala in Spain in 2018 and continues to push students to get out of their comfort zone and explore the world.
Heather Hargas, Travel Coordinator
Heather is from San Diego, California. She is devoted to leadership development through meaningful travel and cross-cultural communication. A lover of languages, Heather speaks Spanish and Portuguese. She earned a Master’s in TEFL Education at Alliant International University, and has taught English to students in California, Costa Rica, and Germany. She is a passionate water woman and marine life advocate, dedicated to protecting our world’s oceans. She loves to spend her free time outdoors surfing, free diving, practicing yoga.
Karen Drazba, Senior Enrollment Specialist & Events Strategist
Commonly referred to as Miss World Traveler among her friends, Karen has been jetsetting across the blue pebble sharing the passion for student volunteering and adventure travel to students for years, and motivating sales teams to do the same. Sharing the mindset of traveling with a purpose is a genuine passion of hers as personal involvement in experiencing these programs has helped shape her worldview. Born and bred in Chicago, but between graduating with a BS in Marketing in sunny California and living and working abroad Down Under in Australia, the beach has won her heart...so if she's not in the office, you can bet she's enjoying the San Diego coast!
Sydney Miller, Senior Enrollment Specialist
Sydney believes that the future depends upon people being thoughtful, dedicated global citizens, and that traveling abroad is one of the best ways to achieve this. She earned her BA from Oregon State University and has traveled throughout Europe, Latin America, and Tanzania.
Chenoa King, Senior Enrollment Specialist
Chenoa grew up in the mountains of Colorado where her adventurist spirit took flight at a very young age. She began traveling internationally when she was five, which feed into her desire to see and learn more about the world we live in. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelors degree in Anthropology and Dance. Chenoa has been honored to be apart of Global Leadership Adventure's team since 2013, and has worked our programs in Tanzania and Thailand, as well as visited one of our programs in the Dominican Republic.
Aaron Nichols, Enrollment Specialist
Aaron is from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, and he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016 with a degree in Kinesiology. Since graduation, Aaron has worked in various fields including 9 months as an Au Pair in Spain! He is beyond excited to join the Global Leadership Adventures team, and to help inspire teens to make this work a better place.
Nina English, Enrollment Specialist
Having grown up in various countries across Africa, Nina has always had a keen interest in development and a passion for theatre as an educational tool. Nina completed a Masters degree in Theatre and Global Development in the UK, where she was able to refine her theatre skills and further her global knowledge. During her studies Nina has worked as a theatre practitioner/facilitator in UK, India, Malawi and Uganda. Having experienced the joy of travel and experiencing new cultures Nina is excited to inspire young adults to take advantage of the incredible opportunities offered.
Abigail Paige, Enrollment Specialist
Abigail graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a bachelor’s degree in Tourism & Hospitality Management and Magna Cum Laude honors in 2017. She has always had a passion for travel gifted to her by her parents and adventurous upbringing. Originally from the US she has traveled abroad to 11 countries at the age of 22. Her last great adventure was living and traveling on a sailboat in the Caribbean. In her free time she enjoys cooking vegan cuisine, photography, and blogging about lifestyle, travel and food. Abi couldn’t be more excited about her future with GLA and the opportunity to live the Pura Vida lifestyle in San José.
Jessica LeBlanc, Enrollment Specialist
Jess is a Canadian with the travel bug! She's done a home-stay in the Dominican Republic, volunteered in Malawi, and studied abroad in Slovenia. She believes that travel fosters the kind of global consciousness that can inspire people to create positive social change.
Erika Parke, Enrollment Specialist
Erika is a food lover with an even bigger appetite for adventure! Her time spent abroad in Barcelona and her degree in Development Studies from UC Berkeley has taught her to be a critical thinker in a globalized world. As an alum of GLA herself, she is thrilled to help the next generation of global citizens discover their capacity to impact our world.
Jose Hernandez-Ugalde, EduTerra Global Internship Supervisor
Jose graduated from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin with a degree in English Literature. Since his return to his native Costa Rica,he studied International Relations and Diplomacy and has worked in different organizations in International Cooperation or with volunteer and educational programs. He likes traveling, history. and learning about cultures.
Lisa Brancheau, Regional Director of International Programs
Originally from Ohio, and proud of her Midwestern roots, Lisa is passionate about the transformative power of study abroad to break down barriers and foster cross-cultural understanding. She earned a Bachelors degree in International Studies and Spanish from the University of Richmond and a Masters degree in International Education from George Washington University. Lisa served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica and has over a decade of experience designing and implementing international programs around the world. She enjoys yoga and hiking to offset her sweet tooth.
John Strand, Regional Director of International Programs
John’s passion for education is evident from his own academic background; he has a Bachelor’s in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in International Relations, and a TESOL Certificate. John was a teacher in Thailand for over a decade, working in all kinds of educational institutions from kindergarten to university. He has also worked in UNESCO and owned a successful restaurant in Bangkok. John is a well-traveled citizen of the world with over 15 years’ experience living and working abroad, the last 14 of these in Thailand. He recommends one travel must-do: “Stay away from touristy areas. Take your time to experience the real local culture and the daily life. This can be done anywhere.
Shawna Sanders, Regional Director of International Programs
Shawna grew up in beautiful British Columbia, Canada and spent the snowy winters scanning the pages of National Geographic and dreaming of exploring tropical destinations. While attending Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington she had the opportunity to study abroad in Mexico and thus began her fascination with Latin American culture. After backpacking Europe and completing an internship in South Africa, she jumped at the chance to improve her Spanish and headed to the Peruvian Amazon, spending the next 6 years working and traveling with various volunteer and tourism organizations around the country. Now based in Cusco, Peru she loves exploring the weekend markets and cooking Peruvian food which she considers the best in the world!
Yente Oosthuysen, Regional Director of International Programs
Yente is proudly South African! She has a deep passion for youth empowerment and community development, which can be seen from her work with a locally based NGO, the Olympic Studies Centre as well as UNICEF in South Africa. She recently obtained her masters degree in Sport Management, where she specialized in creating "Safe Spaces" for development programmes in Africa. As an avid explorer and adventurer, when she’s not busy trying to make the world a better place, she’s out climbing mountains around the world and hiking the beautiful mountain ranges South Africa has on offer. Yente is currently the field manager in Africa, and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Madison Moore, Hiring & Logistics Manager | Country Field Manager
A South Carolina native, Madison had her first international experience at the age of 17 -- when she traveled to Italy as a high school senior -- which sparked her interest in international education and inspired her subsequent world travels. Madison studied abroad in Australia during university and upon graduation from the University of South Carolina, she moved to South Korea to teach English. She traveled throughout Southeast Asia before moving to South America to teach in Chile. She's since traveled through South and Central America and served as a GLA program mentor in the Dominican Republic. Madison brings her enthusiasm for international education to GLA and is eager to help teens discover the world and become international leaders and ambassadors.
Daniel Herrera, Field Manager
Daniel grew up in San Carlos, Costa Rica, a part of the country that is famous for its cattle ranching and production of dairy products. During college, he studied Business Management and English, which led him to working with Global Leadership Adventures. Daniel says Ticos (as Costa Ricans refer to themselves) really enjoy welcoming people to their country, and as the person managing our program directors at multiple sites in the region, he looks forward to meeting all the new students who arrive for a life-changing experience each summer.
Megan McKinley, Field Manager
Originally from a small town in Ohio, Megan has always longed for what is “out there.” After stumbling upon LIU Global, Megan was fortunate enough to spend her entire undergraduate career traveling, studying, and eating her way through ten different countries. She graduated with a degree in Global Studies and wrote her senior thesis about cross-cultural education as a form of empowerment for girls. As a product of educational travel herself, Megan feels passionately about the transformative power of educational travel. Megan currently works as the Field Coordinator in Costa Rica managing and developing programs.
Sarah Davidson, Creative Marketing Specialist
Sarah is passionate about culture, heritage, and sustainable tourism. She holds a BA in Anthropology from UC Berkeley, with a focus in archaeology and sustainable preservation. From her extensive travels through Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia, she has come to understand first-hand the value of experiences abroad. She is excited to help students prepare for experiences that will change their lives and their perspective on the world. Sarah has staffed GLA programs in Costa Rica, Ghana, Galapagos, and India.
Jenica Pistone-Donahue, Content Marketing Specialist
Jenica discovered her own passion for international travel while studying abroad in Mexico during college. Upon her graduation from the University of Oregon, she was determined to enable other young people in their own life-changing experiences abroad. Jenica is going into her fifth season helping families to prepare for their programs, and loves empowering students to travel with confidence. She has staffed GLA programs in Peru, Thailand, China, and Fiji.
Ashley Welter, Digital Marketing Specialist
Ashley was born and raised in San Diego and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Communication & Behavioral Psychology from UC San Diego. She discovered her love for international travel after visiting the Caribbean during high school, and this passion was reignited during a GLA staff trip to Guatemala. She looks forward to marketing GLA’s diverse programs and service-driven mission.
Vinny Zanrosso, Event Marketing Coordinator
Vinny is a firm believer in the power that international experiences have to transform lives. His passion for adventure travel has led him on journeys abroad in 30 countries and counting! Vinny is enthusiastic about inspiring the next generation to #bethechange, see the world and grow into educated, cultured and caring global citizens.
Matt Miller, Photographer & Videographer
Matt is a photographer and videographer from Tennessee that spent a year living in Costa Rica during the first year of high school. From whitewater rafting to hiking the AT, he is always looking for the next adventure and wants to help GLA students find theirs.
Anna Graham, Accounting Specialist
Anna grew up in San Diego and obtained her Bachelors in Accounting at Lynchburg College in Virginia. She enjoys working for Terra Education because it aligns her love of numbers with her passions for traveling and helping people and animals. At a young age she developed an adventurous spirit from listening intently to her parent’s experiences living and working in Antarctica. Anna’s global travels began close to home volunteering at a school in Tijuana, Mexico as a teen. She has since traveled to many places and hopes to visit Antarctica soon.
Our 21-day Flagship programs provide the ideal amount of time to satisfy every dimension of the GLA Experience.