The Global Leadership League upcoming events

Mentor Circles (15 Sep 2026)

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 06:00:00 GMT

MENTOR CIRCLES - STARTING September 30

Mentor Circle sessions commence two times a year, and groups are made up of 3-5 League members per session. Visit our website for more information. Deadline to register- two weeks before program launch (Sept 15).

This is a MEMBERS ONLY benefit. Take the opportunity to learn and grow from others in the international education field. Mentor Circles are designed to enable participants to explore in small groups, a specific professional topic of their choice. Topics include:

Blazing your Career Trail
Leadership
Exploring Management Concepts
Navigating Change & Uncertainty
Negotiating
Designing a Well-Lived Life
The Intersection of DEI & Intercultural Learning

After you sign up for this event, you will receive a link to the longer mentor circle survey to place you into a group. You MUST fill out that survey to be included in this mentoring circle program.

Designing Your Work Life (15 Sep 2026)

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

What if the key to a more fulfilling career isn't finding the perfect job, but discovering where you'll thrive?

Based on the evidence-based Life Design framework developed by Stanford University professors Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, this interactive workshop draws on insights from their bestselling books—Designing Your Life, Designing Your Work Life, and How to Live a Meaningful Life—to help participants make more intentional career and leadership decisions.

Participants will explore the work environments where they're most likely to thrive, identify their key work drivers, and learn a practical framework for evaluating opportunities with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.

Participants will learn how to:

Identify the work environments that bring out their best thinking, creativity, and contribution.
Understand how their preferred level of change and desired impact influence career satisfaction.
Clarify personal work drivers, including autonomy, mastery, purpose, and collaboration.
Apply a practical framework to make more intentional career and leadership decisions.

Leadership competencies:

Self-Awareness, Self-Leadership, Strategic Thinking, Adaptability & Agility, Decision Making, Growth Mindset, Career Management

Host:

Catherine Dalipe is a certified Designing Your Life Facilitator and Coach with over 30 years of leadership experience across international education and U.S. higher education. She brings a unique blend of global operations expertise and human-centered design practice, supporting leaders as they navigate change, transitions, and what’s next with clarity and intention.

Catherine has held senior leadership roles across global education organizations including EF Education, Study Group/Embassy English, Amerigo Education, Sannam S4, and EC English. She collaborates with Designing Your Life Consulting and Fieldbrook Advising, facilitating leadership development, change readiness, and design-thinking workshops for individuals and teams. She has facilitated workshops for organizations and institutions including Intuit, Continental, TIAA Financial Services, and Arizona State University.

She has also been an active member of the Global Leadership League, serving as a mentoring circle facilitator and career guide for global educators.

Coffee Connect for European Based Professionals (22 Sep 2026)

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT

Please adjust your time zone, this program is held at 10AM CEST (Central European Timezone)

For GLL professionals across Europe, our Coffee Connect session offers a welcoming space to forge genuine connections and hear straight from you, our community, on the topics you'd love to dive into at upcoming events.

Whether you've just returned from a conference or haven't joined one yet, come share your perspectives, swap stories, and guide future conversations that resonate with our shared priorities and passions.

Hosts:

Deborah Knaust has served as Dean of Student Life and Engagement at Franklin University Switzerland for the past decade. Situation in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, Franklin welcomes a diverse student body, approximately half from North America and half from around the world. As a member of the President’s Cabinet, Deborah plays an integral role in institutional planning, decision-making, strategic development, and management of U.S. partnerships. Before relocating to Switzerland, she held positions at U.S. universities supporting international students, scholars, and study abroad programs. A dedicated advocate for intercultural learning, she consistently weaves global perspectives into her work and recently assumed leadership of Franklin’s Career Readiness initiatives. Having lived in Bulgaria, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States, Deborah brings a wealth of international experience and looks forward to engaging with GLL members to foster meaningful growth and collaboration

Metrice Harris-Weedman (PhD) is an international education consultant, mental health practitioner, social justice advocate, and researcher. She created MENSCH, an international advisement framework that bridges gaps for underrepresented students in education abroad through culturally sensitive, student-focused practices. Her work emphasizes inclusive approaches, student wellbeing, and collaborative support, drawing on experience in campus counseling, crisis intervention, and cross-cultural education. She recently collaborated with Rutgers University on an innovative initiative in international education and mentors study abroad alumni. Having lived abroad for over 25 years in Germany and France, Metrice brings lived intercultural insight to her work. As Co-Chair of the Global Leadership League’s European Affinity Group, she is committed to fostering support and advancing inclusive leadership.

Affinity Group: Early Career Professionals (24 Sep 2026)

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Are you considering working towards a graduate degree? Currently earning a masters or doctorate degree? Join the Early Career Professionals affinity group for a back to school special event where we will discuss going to graduate school as an international educator. This event will feature guest speaker Emma Swift, Director of the Office of International Education at the University of Vermont, who will share about her own experience furthering her education, what she sees as most valuable on a resume, and tips for having conversations with supervisors about going back to school. As always, there will be time for questions and informal networking at the end of the event.

If you have feedback, ideas, or questions for affinity group meetings, please email hayley.barriere@uvm.edu and kclaggett@ceacapa.com. See you there!

Not a member of the Early Career Professionals Affinity Group yet? Go your League account and join now!

About Us:

Katie Claggett is a Partner Engagement Manager at CEA CAPA Education Abroad. She is currently pursuing a graduate degree in International Education Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, where she also serves as a Mentor Fellow for the Conflict Transformation Fellowship Program. Katie calls Maryland home, and has worked, volunteered, and studied in various countries including Chile, Morocco, and Belize. Katie's professional experience centers in education abroad with a focus on marketing and alumni relations. Katie holds a Bachelor's Degree from Guilford College in Sociology and Anthropology, and is an avid Ultimate Frisbee player and aspiring gardener.

Hayley Barriere is the Education Abroad Programs Coordinator at the Office of International Education at the University of Vermont. She has held this position since 2022. Hayley primarily works with faculty-led study abroad programs and students participating in independent international travel opportunities. She is a UVM alum, graduating with an undergraduate degree in Global Studies in 2019 and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in 2025. In her free time, Hayley enjoys traveling, riding her bike, skiing, and searching for the best ice cream in the state of Vermont.

New to Management: Affinity Group (25 Sep 2026)

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMT

The New to Management Affinity Group is for new managers, experienced managers, soon-to-be managers, and "maybe someday" managers. This group is here to support all of us on our management journeys. Our discussions can cover tricky terrain - feedback! motivation! burn out! (oh my!) - or serve as a sounding board for new ideas and approaches. This group exists to give us a space where we can create a community and connect with other busy professionals, allowing us to continue to show up for our teams (and for ourselves) in a way that aligns with our intentions and values.

Elizabeth Erbeznik (she/her) is an international educator with nearly two decades of experience in higher education. Her first role in education involved teaching English to middle schoolers as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar. (Had her Malagasy colleagues done a performance review of her teaching abilities back then, she'd have been placed squarely in the "needs improvement" phase.) She then went on to earn a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. After spending several years teaching college-level French and leading study abroad programs in Paris and Bordeaux, she took a role in the Academic Affairs department at WorldStrides (originally ISA) in 2015. She loves onboarding new colleagues, setting goals, meeting quarterly objectives, and collaborating with her team to ensure that they're supporting student learning on all their programs. In her spare time, she thrives by hanging out with her family in Austin, TX, reading, writing short stories, and traveling.

LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Meeting (29 Sep 2026)

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Join the LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group for a beginning of the school year chat where we will discuss current trends in the international education sector. As always, this will be an informal networking opportunity to learn and share ideas and best practices.

If you have any feedback, ideas, or questions for future group meetings, please email me at racollier@davidson.edu. See you soon!

LGBTQ+ Affinity Host:

Ramil Collier is an International Education professional who has worked in the field for over 5 years. Ramil’s journey began in the study abroad office of a small college in Michigan in 2016 and has served in various capacities on both the institution and provider side during the past 5 years. Ramil is an openly gay professional who uses he/they pronouns and has navigated working for religiously affiliated schools as well supporting students in different diverse scenarios. In their current role, Ramil serves as an Education Abroad Advisor for a College in North Carolina.

Parents of Children Affinity Group: Back to School! (30 Sep 2026)

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMT

The transition from summer break to a new school year can be exciting, overwhelming, and everything in between. Join us for an open conversation about rebuilding routines, managing changing schedules, and supporting your family's return to the school-year rhythm. This discussion is designed to be collaborative, giving everyone the opportunity to share experiences, exchange practical ideas, ask questions, and offer thoughtful encouragement in a supportive, judgment-free space.

Parent Affinity Group Hosts:

Amara Stuehling

Kate Lamanna

Tough Questions: Candid Conversations on Team Dynamics, Promotion, and Growth (01 Oct 2026)

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Bring your toughest workplace challenges to this interactive, problem-solving session! Drawing on 50+ years of experience in the field, panelists will facilitate a candid, anonymous Ask Me Anything (AMA) style dialogue on career advancement, negotiation, team dynamics, and other topics. Through real-time polling and peer exchange, participants will define transparency, explore actionable practices, and leave with practical ideas they can apply to build trust, equity, and stronger teams.

Speakers:

Sara Dart is Senior Vice President for Education in Ireland where she supports Irish higher education institutions in partnership, outreach, and recruitment efforts. She sits on the Access Partner Advisory Board for the Fund for Education Abroad and authored the chapter on student advising in the most recent edition of NAFSA’s Guide to Education Abroad. She has served on multiple working groups with the Forum on Education Abroad, as Co-Chair of the New England Lessons From Abroad Conference and Communications Representative for NAFSA Region XI. She has presented extensively on topics including personal branding, imposter syndrome, and burnout in international education. Sara holds a BA in History and an MA in Higher Education Administration, both from Boston College.

BJ Titus is the Director of Outreach and Engagement in the Learning Abroad Center at the University of Minnesota. He has worked in education abroad since 2002, at the UMN and Macalester College. He holds a BA in Spanish Studies & Linguistics and an MA in Comparative & International Development Education. He has presented on 3 different continents on numerous topics such as heritage seeking, GLBTQIA, Ask Me Anything crowdsourcing, HR policies & intergenerational workplaces.

Kelly Holland is the Vice President for Strategic Communications & Engagement at AIFS Abroad. She has worked in higher education since 2007 and previously held roles with Towson University, Eastern Illinois University, and Lehigh University. She also taught abroad with the Spanish Ministry of Education in Andalucia, Spain, and has led multiple study abroad programs with university students. Kelly holds a BA in International Business Management from Moravian College and a M.Ed. in Comparative and International Education from Lehigh University. Kelly is a certified Gallup CliftonStrengths coach and aims to apply the positive psychology approach throughout her work, and as a frequent presenter about mental health and wellbeing in the international education profession.

New to Management: Affinity Group (27 Oct 2026)

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT

New to Management: Affinity Group (18 Nov 2026)

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 19:00:00 GMT

New to Management: Affinity Group (15 Dec 2026)

Tue, 15 Dec 2026 21:00:00 GMT