Office of Global Education Staff

Craig Rinker has spent almost 20 years as a higher education professional promoting student development through intentional, transformative learning experiences. He believes in the critical role education abroad plays in producing global leaders through intercultural learning and student development goals. Craig has presented numerous sessions and workshops at national and international conferences, and served on a variety of organizational and institutional boards. He previously served on multiple committees in organizations such as NAFSA, the Forum on Education Abroad, and ACPA. Craig joined the Office of Global Education in December 2012 after serving as the Director of Education Abroad at Babson College in Wellesley, MA. He has worked in international education since 2002, including on-site in the United Kingdom and in institutional relations management for the Arcadia University College of Global Studies (formerly the Center for Education Abroad). Craig holds a M.Ed. in Student Personnel in Higher Education from the University of Georgia and B.Sc. in Psychology with a concentration in Environmental Modeling from Allegheny College. As a high school student, he participated in a cultural exchange to Switzerland.

You may contact Craig via email at cmr235@georgetown.edu.

Susan is an education abroad professional with a background in study abroad advising and non-profit development. Susan holds an M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina and a BA in English from Dickinson College. During college, she spent a semester abroad in Ecuador and later completed a summer graduate internship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Prior to joining Georgetown’s Office of Global Education, Susan was the Senior Study Abroad Advisor at the University of South Carolina. At OGE, Susan’s primary responsibility is overseeing office operations, as well as managing the office’s peer advisor program and being a program advisor for Russia, Central & Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and SIT programs in Latin America

You may contact Susan via email at Susan.Hochreiter@georgetown.edu.

Sarah, a DC native, holds an MSc in International Relations from the University of Bristol (UK) and a BA in International Relations and French from Bucknell University.  Prior to coming to Georgetown in 2013, she served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and for six years was a Program Officer in the Center for Global Education at George Mason University.  Sarah studied abroad in Tours, France as an undergraduate student and has traveled extensively throughout Western Europe and Turkey.    Sarah advises for programs in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and acts as the academic advisor for the incoming exchange students. She is also the interim advisor for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Turkey, GU Qatar, and DIS Copenhagen and Stockholm (COL & SFS).

You may contact Sarah via email at Sarah.Mournighan@georgetown.edu.

Melissa Riggio joined the Office of Global Education in August 2018, but has been a Hoya since 2010 as an undergrad, a staff member, and graduate student. She has lived, worked, and studied in Paris, Berlin, and Bordeaux, and earned her Masters of Art – Learning, Design, and Technology from Georgetown University in 2019. She also is part of the financial education outreach and “abroad after graduation” outreach for the Office of Global Education.

You may contact Melissa via email at mlr67@georgetown.edu.

Annette holds an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University and a B.A. in Japanese and German Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. Annette studied abroad in Tokyo and in Tübingen as an undergraduate, and in Heidelberg as a graduate student and Fulbright Scholar. In addition to Japanese and German studies, Annette has studied China and Mandarin Chinese. She facilitated exchange programs for almost a decade at the Institute of International Education (IIE), traveling widely in Asia and Africa. Annette advises for programs in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

You may contact Annette via email at Annette.Russell@georgetown.edu.

Jason Sanderson, Ph.D., joined the Office of Global Education in August 2004. Dr. Sanderson studied in Rennes, France and Valencia, Spain during his undergraduate career and graduated from Nazareth College of Rochester with a B.A. in Modern Foreign Languages and International Studies. He received his M.A. in Intercultural Communication from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His Masters research focused on issues related to sexual identity and study abroad. Dr. Sanderson completed his PhD. in Sociolinguistics at Georgetown University where his research focused on language policy and attitudes in France. He has also studied in Heidelberg, Germany and Brno, Czech Republic and has taught in Vitré, France. Before coming to Georgetown, Dr. Sanderson was Program Officer for Continental European and Asian Programs with Brethren Colleges Abroad.

You may contact Dr. Sanderson via email at Jason.Sanderson@georgetown.edu.

You may contact Danielle via email at ds1615@georgetown.edu.

Ericka has worked in the international education field for many years. She guided international and U.S. students through the study abroad cycle at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, managed second language acquisition and cultural programming in Spain, Latin America, and the Middle East at Marquette University (a fellow Jesuit institution), and organized international internships at the The Intern Group-New York. Her experience traveling twice to Spain with her high school Spanish class informed her decision to minor in Spanish and study abroad in Seville while earning a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota.  Later, she spent a year teaching English in northern Spain, which led her to enroll in SIT Graduate Institution, where she completed an M.A. in international education.  Her most transformational experience was at the start of her career, when she worked as a Student Affairs Assistant in Buenos Aires, Argentina with SIT Study Abroad, completing graduate school research focused on students’ intercultural development and adaptation to Buenos Aires.  Ericka is originally from Milwaukee, WI.  She is an avid outdoors woman, traveler, and biker; she can’t wait to speak with you about studying abroad! 

You may contact Ericka via email at es1628@georgetown.edu.

Gregory Spear joined the Office of Global Education in 2016.  A native New Jerseyan, he received an M.A. in global and comparative history from Rutgers University.  Prior to joining the Office of Global Education at Georgetown, Greg managed and advised for short-term faculty-led programs at Rutgers, with a concentration on global service learning programs.  He credits his first study abroad experience in Florence, Italy with having a lasting influence on his academic, personal, and professional interests, and is passionate about supporting students as they embark upon similar transformational journeys. Greg is currently also the interim advisor for select summer faculty-led programs.

You may contact Greg via email at gs901@georgetown.edu.

Karen Wardzala, M.A., joined OGE in January 2008. She holds an M.B.A. from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, an M.A. in Renaissance Art History from Syracuse University, and a B.A. in the History of Art from James Madison University. She lived in Florence, Italy for many years where she worked as a student life assistant and extracurricular activities coordinator for the Syracuse University in Florence program and has traveled extensively throughout Europe.

You may contact Karen via email at klw45@georgetown.edu.

Samuel Yocca is the advisor for Villa Le Balze (Fiesole, Italy) and Italy (affiliated programs).

You may contact Sam via email at sy653@georgetown.edu.