Internationalization Courses - Faculty

Ebrahim Bamanger is a Teaching Assistant Professor at the University of Denver, where he serves in the Center of World Languages and Cultures. He holds a Ph.D. in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, with minors in Instructional Systems Technology and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University – Bloomington, Indiana. His diverse academic background underpins his innovative approach to teaching and research. 

Brian Cicero (Ph.D., Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Grand Canyon University; MBA, International Business, Regis University) works for the University of Denver and maintains a private consulting practice. Brian brings expertise and more than 20 years of experience in international relations, organizational leadership/development, strategic planning, human resource development, business operations, professional development and coaching. Brian’s passion is mentoring/coaching/educating learners to prepare them to work in the ever competitive global market both as a leader and global citizen. 

Lauren Collins is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Denver and scholar of study abroad. She has been teaching INTZ 2501 since 2018! She has lived, worked and studied in Japan, Taiwan, China, Macau and Hong Kong and led over 15 faculty-led led study abroad programs to Asia. She loves teaching this course and if she could do study abroad all over again, this time she would go to Canada, Argentina, or Indonesia. Living abroad is a chance for personal growth and global perspective-building that leads to increased self-confidence, expanded worldviews, and a deeper understanding of global interconnectedness that just cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom setting. Her own transformative undergraduate study abroad experiences include a full year studying abroad in Taipei, Taiwan through a CIEE program and a summer of direct enrollment as a student in Tianjin, China. She is passionate about preparing students to study abroad because of this and considers herself a “study abroad evangelist”.  

Amani Gashan is an adjunct professor at the University of Denver. She holds a Ph.D. in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, with two minors in Instructional Systems Technology (IST) and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC) from the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. Amani has worked locally and internationally with diverse age groups, cultures, and educational levels. Her six years of professional experience and the diverse academic background supports her innovative approach to teaching and research. Amani is passionate about educating learners to prepare them for the competitive global market and cultures, both as leaders and global citizens. She has authored over 12 published papers worldwide. 

Ping Huang works primarily at Rocky Vista University as an Educational Learning Specialist. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Denver (DU). Ping has a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from DU and a master's in teaching Chinese as A Second Language from National Kaohsiung Normal University. She worked in Taiwan, India and came to the U.S. in 2017. Ping enjoys learning languages, cultures, and people's stories. She also engages in immigrant dialogues, research, and bridging the gaps in education. 

Dr. Sunga Lee has been with the University of Denver since 2018. Her background includes a doctorate degree in anthropology involving research in Ethiopia and she was fortunate to have been able to do a semester abroad in Kenya.  

Levi Lindsey brings over 10 years of professional experience working internationally in a variety of roles and industries ranging from higher education, learning and development, and tech. He has studied and worked in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Australia, and traveled to 26 countries. His favorite part about teaching is helping learners connect seemingly abstract concepts to their own lives that result in an "ah-ha" moment. 

Kristen Noble is an adjunct professor at the University of Denver. She teaches classes on restorative justice, power and oppression and intercultural communication at the graduate and undergraduate level. Kristen Noble holds a Master’s in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington D.C., and a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Denver. Kristen Noble specializes in Restorative Justice and other customized approaches to solving conflict and building community that integrate equity, inclusion, intercultural communication, and strategic organizational cultural design. She has a background in facilitating inter-group dialogue and cultural awareness workshops and strategic planning toward non-violent action. She is the co-founder of WhyRJ. She serves on The Conflict Center’s Adjunct Advisory Board for Restorative Practices and is a lead facilitator for Restorative Denver with the Denver County District Attorney’s Office. 

Luke Parrott brings over nine years of experience in international experiential education. He is currently the Director of Graduate Admissions at Daniels College of Business.  Prior to his current role, Luke directed a gap year program, where he managed operations in seven countries with a diverse leadership team. He holds an MBA from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business, an MA in International Development from Eastern University, and a BS in Sport Management from Miami University. Luke enjoys hiking, road biking, and trying new restaurants all over the Denver metro area with his partner, Amanda, and three young daughters. 

Camilla Raymond comes from a diverse heritage that finds its origins in a British Caribbean, Maroon, and Sephardic Jewish blend. This background influences her research in migration, decoloniality, and religious communities in the ancient and modern world. In addition to her role as instructor in the Office of Internationalization at the University of Denver (2017- present), she teaches Global Studies-Culture in the Department of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Colorado School of Mines (2023- present). 

Dan Solomon is an Advisor in the Office of International Education and Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver. Dan is originally from suburban Chicago and earned a B.S. in Visual Communication from Bowling Green State University and an M.A. in International Education Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Dan has participated in study abroad, volunteer abroad, intern abroad, and work abroad (working holiday) experiences. Since returning to the US after five years abroad, Dan has worked in international education and intercultural learning, and is a Qualified Administrator of the IDI (Intercultural Development Inventory) which we'll learn about in this course.  

Dr. Alisha Stanton graduated from the Morgridge College of Education doctoral program at the University of Denver. After spending many years in broadcast sports and music entertainment she entered the field of education, and following the completion of an internship in Lancaster England, along with traveling throughout Latin America with secondary students, she developed a passion for global and international knowledge. In addition to creating global experience opportunities for students of all ages, economic and cultural backgrounds, her current research initiatives also focus on bridging the gap between institutional research and the larger public through media resources.  

Dr. Melanie Witt is an experienced educator who is passionate about supporting culturally and linguistically diverse students. Melanie has almost 20 years' experience working in higher education and has been involved with teaching, teacher training, curriculum development, and assessment at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level. She has worked in education and with international students at the University of Denver, Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, the Community College of Aurora, Red Rocks Community College, and at Tianjin University of Traditional Medicine in collaboration with the US Department of State and Georgetown University. Melanie holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (University of Denver) and an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Colorado State University). Melanie has an immense sense of wanderlust and has greatly enjoyed traveling all over the world and engaging in intercultural exchange. She is passionate about fostering meaningful relationships with her students and is hopeful to promote greater self-awareness that will catapult her students into loving and appreciating their own strengths, weaknesses, and beauties. 

Natalie Wolfe began teaching at the University of Denver in January 2023. Prior to joining the DU community, Natalie taught various age groups in many different settings, including high schools, university and language schools. She has studied in both Germany and Austria and fondly remembers taking students abroad as a high school teacher. Natalie co-wrote the German curriculum for the Lawrence Unified School District and served on the board of the German School of Northeast Kansas for 5 years. Her academic interests include the role of peer-peer interactions in language development, grading for proficiency and second language acquisition during study abroad.