Cheryl E. Gibbs is the senior director of the U.S. Department of Education's International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office. She directs IFLE’s grant administration and policy development activities and oversees the administration of all Title VI and Fulbright-Hays institutional grant and fellowship programs. In addition to her role as senior director, Cheryl works as the program officer for the Title VI American Overseas Research Centers (AORC).
Cheryl received a Bachelor of Science in English from Clarion University and a Master of Education in curriculum development and school supervision from Westminster College. Cheryl began her Federal career in the Office of Postsecondary Education in 1984 after relocating to Washington, D.C. when her former career as a high school English teacher in her hometown of Sharon, Pennsylvania ended. She holds the distinction of being the first African-American secondary school teacher hired by the Sharon School District.
Michelle Butler serves in IFLE front office, providing substantive technical and administrative support to the Deputy Assistant Secretary, senior director, and program officers using a variety of U.S. Department of Education systems. She is well-versed in the usage of CPSS, FMSS, G5, GEMS, and E2Solutions. During her 24 years of service in international education, she has worked with each of IFLE's Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs and is highly knowledgeable in the content and purposes of the programs. Michelle became a certified contracting officer representative (COR) in August 2010 and now applies her program knowledge in her work as a COR for several contracts.
Cynthia Fisher is a program specialist for IFLE, providing technical and administrative support to the front office and to IFLE's International Studies Division for its grant programs. Cynthia has worked in government for 29 years, with 12 years of specialized experience in grant processing, grant monitoring, budget tracking, and travel logistics. Cynthia has expertise in a wide variety of government management and reporting systems and serves as a staff liaison for IFLE. Prior to joining IFLE, Cynthia was a program specialist for the Fund for the Improvement of Postecondary Education, the Office of Student Financial Assistance, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Cynthia also serves as ED's Union Local 2607 vice president (Area IV) for collective bargaining unit employees in OPE, working in coordination with the Executive Office, Office of Management Labor Relations Division, Union President, and AFGE District 14.
Sara Starke is a management and program analyst in IFLE's front office. She earned her bachelor's degree in political science from Loyola University, New Orleans, and her master's degree in Russian and East European history from The George Washington University. She joined the U.S. Department of Education in 1999 and worked in the front office of Higher Education Programs, which oversaw IFLE programs at the time, alongside Title III, Title V, and TRIO programs. Sara worked in IFLE as a program officer for the Title VI National Resource Centers, Title VI Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships, and Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship programs. She also worked as a program officer for the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program. She rejoined IFLE in 2011, where she works on various budget, contract and program-related policy issues.
Garrett Schiche works in IFLE as an education research analyst to provide subject matter expertise and oversight of program evaluation, performance reporting, and data analysis. He received a dual bachelor's in international studies and Spanish from the University of Wyoming, and a master's in international administration from the University of Denver's Joseph Korbel School of International Studies. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand, Garrett worked on community-based organizational development. After Peace Corps, he gained over 11 years of research and evaluation experience in humanitarian aid and development. He worked with the American Red Cross in Thailand on its Indian Ocean Tsunami Recovery Program and with Catholic Relief Services in Afghanistan and Pakistan managing emergency response programs. He then joined Lutheran World Relief in 2011, where he played a lead role in the development and operationalization of an organization-wide monitoring and evaluation system for over 100 projects, located in over 20 countries on four continents. Garrett is fluent in Spanish and Thai.
Advanced Training and Research Division
Sarah Beaton is the director of IFLE’s Advanced Training and Research Division (ATRD). Under her management, she oversees six Title VI programs under the Higher Education Act, as amended, for institutions of higher education and non-profit educational organizations to develop robust and innovative international and modern foreign language programs. The suite of Title VI programs strengthens the nation’s capacity to respond to national needs by developing a pipeline of highly proficient linguists and experts on critical world regions, by preparing globally competent students for tomorrow’s workforce, and by supporting teaching and research on critical world regions, modern foreign languages, and diverse global issues.
Sarah fosters a culture of teamwork, creativity, and excellence, empowering her team to achieve their fullest potential and deliver meaningful results that advance the mission and purpose of the IFLE office. Sarah earned her undergraduate degree in economics and business from The College of New Rochelle and University College of Dublin in Dublin, Ireland and a master’s degree in liberal arts from George Mason University. She is an enthusiastic traveler and an avid reader.
Tim Duvall serves as a senior program officer for IFLE, overseeing the Center for International Business Education program, as well as the National Resources Centers and Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship programs with a focus on the Middle East and Western Europe.
Tim joined IFLE after 15 years as a professor of political science and a small business owner. He earned a B.A. from The College of William and Mary, M.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Tim taught at the University of Arizona and at St. John's University in New York City, where he earned multiple teaching and research awards.
Carolyn Collins is a senior program officer overseeing IFLE's Language Resource Centers program as well as the National Resource Centers and Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship programs with a focus on the Western Hemisphere (Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean). She is IFLE's communications team lead.
Before joining IFLE in 2015, Carolyn worked at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., where she managed the Teaching Assistant Program in France. Carolyn previously worked for an adventure travel company specializing in ecotourism and educational trips in developing countries, and as an English-language teaching assistant for elementary school students in France. Carolyn earned a master's degree from New York University in Paris, and a bachelor's degree from Colgate University. Carolyn enjoys learning languages and speaks fluent French.
Brian Cwiek is a program officer for the National Resource Centers and Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship programs focused on East Asia, Pan-Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Brian holds a Ph.D. in history and Central Eurasian studies from Indiana University, master's degrees in area studies fields from Columbia University and Indiana University, and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Prior to joining IFLE, Brian taught history and East Asian studies courses at multiple institutions of higher education, including Bates College and Indiana University South Bend. Brian has conducted research while living abroad in China and Taiwan, including a period as a U.S. Student Fulbright Program grantee. Brian has studied multiple less commonly taught languages, including Mandarin Chinese, Uyghur, and Tajiki. In addition to teaching and research, Brian has a demonstrated track record for introducing and expanding area studies content in K–12 classrooms through curriculum development and educator training initiatives. Brian has also worked to internationalize Indiana University East through teaching and curriculum design work for the university’s International Studies Program.
Yoon Durbin joins ATRD as an education program specialist for the National Resource Centers and Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship programs. She holds a master’s degree in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College. Between college and graduate school, she taught middle school as part of the Inner-City Teaching Corps in her hometown of Chicago and then worked in Japan for a city board of education. Yoon served as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Department of Education, where she managed a discretionary grant program that transformed public schools into after-school community learning centers. In the two decades since, she has lived in Tokyo, Seoul, Jakarta, Budapest, Hanoi, Belgrade, and Washington, D.C., while continuing to pursue her love of education by teaching; working as an education policy consultant for the Open Society Institute; and serving on the board of directors of the United Nations International School in Hanoi. Prior to joining IFLE, she worked in the cultural affairs section at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
Dana Sapatoru is an education program specialist overseeing the International Research and Studies program as well as the National Resource Centers and Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships portfolio for Russia, East Europe, and Eurasia. She holds a Ph.D. in the economics of education from Stanford University, a master's in international affairs from Columbia University, and a master's in economics from Central European University. Her professional work has focused on the design, implementation, and management of data-driven research projects in international education. During her career, Dana has applied her analytical skills and policy analysis expertise to understand the role and transformation of education systems in countries undergoing economic and political change, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. She has a special interest in studying the factors that affect individual postsecondary education choices and the impact of such choices on labor market outcomes (e.g., employability, wages, and career choices and paths). A native of Romania, Dana has studied and lived in multiple countries in Europe (Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Scotland and Sweden). She loves to learn, dance, read, travel and bake anything and everything with filo dough.
International Studies Division
Gary Lima is the director of IFLE’s International Studies Division (ISD). He leads a team of program officers to administer and manage new and existing Fulbright-Hays grants. Fulbright-Hays programs provide overseas funding to U.S. educators to participate in advanced overseas study and research in modern foreign languages and area studies. These include the Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowships, Faculty Research Abroad fellowships, Group Projects Abroad, and Seminars Abroad programs.
Gary has worked at the U.S. Department of Education since 2000. Prior to joining IFLE, Gary served as a senior program manager for the Office of Postsecondary Education’s (OPE) First in the World program. Previously, he served as a senior policy advisor in the Higher Education Programs office, where he managed the allocation of Minority-Serving Intuitions higher education grant funds. Prior to his service in OPE, Gary worked in the Department’s Federal Student Aid Division and as a higher education policy analyst for the Maryland General Assembly. He has been a fellow in the Department’s Excellence in Government and Executive Leadership programs, and was selected for the President’s Management Council Interagency Rotation Program, where he served as the president of the Department of Interior (DOI) University. In DOI, Gary oversaw the delivery of high-quality training programs provided to Federal employees.
Gary studied political science and French as an undergraduate, completing a French language and international studies program at L’Université Laval in Quebec City, Canada. Gary holds a master’s degree in public administration. Gary has also volunteered for the Youth for Understanding Program, and has served as a member of the National Academies’ Fellowship Roundtable and the World Affairs Council.
Pamela Jefferson Maimer is a senior program officer in ISD. Pamela provides programmatic assistance for a number of IFLE's international education grants and is responsible for overseeing the global Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowships program.
Before joining ISD, Pamela served as a policy and budget analyst in OPE's Policy, Planning, and Innovation Office. Pamela has 20 years of experience in postsecondary education policy issues, including budget formulation, research, and policy development for low-income, first-generation college students. She was the policy lead for various programs focusing on improving access for low-income and disadvantaged populations in higher education, including TRIO, GEAR UP, Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need, and the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship program. Pamela served as the lead analyst in the formulation and presentation of OPE's $4.1 billion program budget. Among her accomplishments at the U.S. Department of Education, Pamela drafted legislation and regulations for the TRIO, GEAR UP, and Migrant Education programs, and also created, implemented, and maintained two new web-based statistical analysis tools for the Equity in Athletics Disclosure and Campus Crime Act that allow members of the public to access departmental data for research.
Pamela holds both a bachelor’s and master’s of social welfare from the University of Kansas. She completed her Ph.D. in social welfare at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tanyelle Richardson serves as a senior program manager for IFLE, where she provides programmatic guidance for both Title VI and Fulbright-Hays Programs. In 2022, Tanyelle was detailed to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) where she provided supervisory and risk management support in administering over 75 billion dollars of federal aid awarded to institutions with unmet financial need due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tanyelle began her federal career as an intern in the Office of Postsecondary Education in 1990. After completing her undergraduate studies, she provided programmatic support for fellowships and grants to institutions of higher education under the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN), the Law School Clinical Experience, and the Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship programs. Tanyelle received her bachelor's degree in law and society from Hood College and her master's degree in administrative management and public policy from Bowie State University.
Jessica Lugg is a program officer managing the Title VI Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language program, which supports initiatives aimed at enhancing undergraduate education in international studies and foreign languages. Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a master’s degree in international studies with a focus on education from Oklahoma State University.
Before her current role, Jessica served as a grants manager for the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services program within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education. Her career also includes two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, where she taught content-based English to youth in a rural community. In this role, Jessica collaborated with parents, teachers, and local organizations to support youth development and prepare them for active roles in their families, communities, and future careers.
Cory Neal oversees the Group Projects Abroad Program, which provides grants to support overseas projects in training, research, and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area studies for teachers, students, and faculty engaged in a common endeavor.
Cory has over a decade of experience in education, ranging from serving as a middle school teacher and varsity tennis coach, to serving as both an educator and education specialist in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP). Cory’s passion is helping others pursue their highest education endeavors. He has taught and mentored countless youth and incarcerated men in order to help them earn their educational achievements. Each year while working at the FBOP, Cory exceeded the goals set for inmates to earn their General Equivalency Diplomas. He also introduced numerous new courses for inmates to earn certifications and licensures they could utilize upon release. In his spare time, Cory enjoys traveling abroad, playing and writing music, and studying history. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Matthew Robinson is an education program specialist in ISD. He brings with him over ten years of postsecondary teaching experience, both in the U.S. and abroad, during which he taught courses focused on the intersections of education, language and culture. He brings an international focus to his work, drawing on his experiences living abroad, including working as a Lecturer at the Royal University of Bhutan, an English Language Fellow in Timor Lorosa’e (East Timor), and a Peace Corps volunteer in Kiribati. His alma maters are the University of Virginia, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Amy Marrion is an education program specialist in IFLE’s International Studies Division. Amy currently supports the Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad and Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship programs. Prior to joining the Department of Education, Amy managed a dynamic portfolio of international opportunities for the School of International Service at American University (AU). At AU, Amy advised students regarding study abroad opportunities and helped to develop the first-ever joint undergraduate degree between a U.S. and Japanese university, the Sakura Scholars. She also spent several years coordinating an Intensive English Program that welcomed students from around the world to Washington, D.C.
In 2019, Amy participated in the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Seminar where she visited institutions and met with senior-level administrators, faculty, Fulbrighters, and students to learn about internationalization efforts in India and to explore ways to increase collaboration between the U.S. and India. She has had the opportunity to study, intern, and teach abroad in England, Lithuania, and Ecuador, and is passionate about increasing access to international and cross-cultural experiences for educators and students. Amy holds a master's degree in international education management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, a bachelor's degree in international studies and history from Elon University, and a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from American University.
Mark Bladel is an education program specialist in IFLE’s International Studies Division. He brings with him over eight years of experience working in international education at institutions across the United States. Most recently, Mark managed the study abroad and global education programs at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to this he worked several years in careers in international student recruitment, enrollment, and retention. Mark holds a master's degree in higher education policy, research, and administration from Goucher College and a bachelor's degree in urban studies and Spanish from the University of Pittsburgh. As an undergraduate he had the opportunity to participate as an exchange student in São Paulo, Brazil. This experience inspired him to pursue a career in international education and he remains passionate about providing meaningful global experiences to educators and students.