Apply for the CFR Education Ambassador Program!
The CFR Education Ambassador program is a nine-month engagement that connects educators across the world with open educational resources, professional development activities, and a vibrant network of like-minded professionals who are committed to equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and perspective to navigate today’s connected world.
We are pleased to announce two Ambassador programs for the 2024-2025 school year:
- High School Ambassador Program: This program is dedicated to high school teachers, department heads, and curriculum leaders who actively champion global civics and global affairs education.
- Higher Education Ambassador Program: The higher education program is dedicated to professors, instructors, librarians, and administrators championing global affairs in colleges and universities across the country.
Click here to fill out an application for the CFR Education Ambassador Program. Applications for the CFR Education Ambassador Program are open from June 1 until August 15, 2024. Applicants will be notified of their admission status by August 30, 2024. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.
What are the perks for CFR Education Ambassadors?
✔ Join a prestigious educator program affiliated with the Council on Foreign Relations, the world’s leading global affairs think tank and publisher.
✔ Build a professional network by interacting with like-minded educators and sharing best practices in teaching global issues.
✔ Participate in professional development opportunities.
✔ Gain visibility: the chance to be featured by CFR Education on email, blog, or social media posts.
✔ Help shape and improve CFR Education’s award-winning educational resources
✔ Advance global literacy and global affairs education around the world.
✔ Receive a certificate with professional development hours.
... and more!
CFR Education Ambassadors
- participate in monthly meetings, including focus groups, product overviews, networking opportunities, and CFR expert insight. Ambassadors must attend at least three virtual meetings per year;
- actively use CFR Education resources and provide invaluable feedback;
- share their enthusiasm for teaching about global affairs, elevating the teaching of these subjects in their respective institutions; and
- spread the word about CFR Education resources with their community.
Hear what CFR Education Ambassadors say about the program
High School
“I have been thrilled to participate in the CFR Education Ambassador program and meet many different educators and CFR staff. Each meeting left me with new ideas and a sense of community as we gathered to share how best to educate our students. Having the chance to offer feedback to CFR is also wonderful.”
- Alison Walters, Frontier Regional School, MA
“The program was fantastic. I was able to network with other like-minded professionals from around the country and world to discuss international politics and how to engage students in their study of them.”
- Brendan Lavelle, Archbishop Mitty High School, CA
“The CFR Education Ambassador Program has been incredibly helpful for my professional development. The networking opportunities with other professionals, as well as the discussions on creating and sharing resources, have given me new ideas for my classroom that have improved my teaching.”
- Bernard McCauley, Great Valley High School, PA
Higher Education
“I’m so thrilled to have this opportunity to connect with other international affairs specialists so I can learn new ideas, tools, and approaches to help increase global civic literacy in our campus and community. We may be in the middle of the country, but our lives are affected daily by things happening elsewhere and I’m honored to have these experiences to help our students gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in our integrated world.”
- Jean Abshire, Indiana University Southeast, IN
“This Ambassador program is critical for quality international education in the future… One of the best experiences of my professional career as an academic.”
- Claudia G. Green, Pace University, NY
"I am thrilled to be a part of the CFR Education Ambassador Program! It has given me the opportunity to regularly connect with colleagues teaching similar courses, to share ideas, to learn about CFR resources, and to find common cause in the important work of educating college students about the complicated world in which we live."
- Peter Gerlach, University of Iowa, IA
"The CFR Education Ambassador program was fantastic! It allowed me to meet other educators from around the country, learn about other institutions' programs, and share teaching techniques with colleagues in varying fields and experience levels. If you enjoy networking, learning new pedagogical methods, and understanding what resources CFR Education offers to help you and your students in and outside the classroom, this program is for you! "
- Rudy Novak, United States Air Force Academy, CO
Who is eligible to be an Ambassador?
- high school teachers and administrators who incorporate global issues into history, social studies, English, science, or other disciplines
- higher education instructors and administrators who incorporate global affairs into international relations, history, public policy, area studies, economics, law, environmental studies, public health, or other disciplines
- instructors of all kinds who currently work at a private or public educational institution
- those who are passionate about global affairs and committed to equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and perspective to navigate today’s connected world
2023-24 CFR Education Ambassadors
High School
Kelley Akins, Northwest Early College High School, TX
Matt Bell, Marvin E Robinson School of Business & Management (Townview Magnet Center), VA
Bill Betthauser, Bishop O'Connell High School, VA
Eunice Bonaparte, Washington Preparatory School, WA
Jim Burns, Global Online Academy & Avenues School, NY
Lucas Carmichael, Kent Denver School, CO
Brian Chmielewski, Landmark Christian School, GA
Tara Cocanower, Bluffton High School, IN
Kevin Conlon, Francis W Parker School, IL
Jennifer Connolly, Preston High School, NY
Rhonda Coombs, Bozeman High School, MT
Kayla Corcoran, Thaden School, AR
Lilla Csaki, Brisbane Grammar School, Australia
Cynthia Cullen, Half Hollow Hills High School East, NY
Pamala Custer, Hanover High School, NH
Thomas DeMartinis, Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, NY
Mary Devane, Horace Greeley High School, NY
Jennifer Dikes, The Clinton School, NY
Nataliya Di Domenico, Sewickley Academy, PA
Cristina Drondoe, Mosaic Explore, NH
Chris Elder, Downingtown STEM Academy, PA
Kara Fagan, Academy at Charlemont, MA
Steven Filie, Beacon Academy, IL
Kyle Freiler, The School for Ethics and Global Leadership, Washington, DC
Thomas Fulbright, Hope Street Academy, KS
Jayme Gafford, Effingham County High School, GA
Angela Garcia, J. Frank Dobie High School, TX
Danielle Gross, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Patricia Haderer, Buffalo Public Schools Middle Early College High School, NY
Jeremy Hall, North Broward Preparatory School, FL
Amy Hansel, Compass High School, CA
James Hayward, Bushwick Ascend Middle School, NY
Kevin B. Held, Taipei American School, Taiwan
Jennifer Henley, Morrow High School, GA
Michael Hennessy, American School of Barcelona, Spain
Jane Highley, Devon Preparatory School, PA
Jennifer Hoffman, West Babylon Schools, NY
Chris Hughes, Scarsdale High School, NY
Dale Hutchison,Taipei American School, Taiwan
Melissa Jacobs, Herricks Union Free School District, NY
Dr. Shamita Johnson, Grace Snell Middle School, GA
Darby Kennedy, Logic Creative Labs, Inc, GA
Christine Kulke, Holton-Arms School, MD
René Lafayette, Leominster High School, MA
Tacarra Lake, Los Alamos High School, NM
Todd Lamb, Montverde Academy, FL
Brendan Lavelle, Archbishop Mitty High School, CA
Maggie LeGrand, North Gaston High School, NC
JT Logan, Briar Woods High School, VA
Lois MacMillan, Grants Pass High School, OR
Nathan McAlister, Kansas State Department of Education, KS
Bernard McCauley, Great Valley High School, PA
Aaron McWaters, Hammond Central High School, IN
Kimberly Meyer, Creighton Preparatory School, NE
Portia Mhlongo, Keystone Academy, China
Jacquelyn R. Moorman, Maquoketa Valley Community School District, IA
Rebekkah Morrow, Westmoore High School, OK
Ron Nash, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, NY
Moira O'Rourke, Dover High School, NH
David Piovanetti, Dwight Global Online Virtual School, NY
Elaine Priovolo, Needham High School, MA
Sarah Richards, Collins Hill High School, GA
Heather Savadel, Manatee School for the Arts, FL
Allison Shick, San Clemente High School, CA
Luke Sundermeier, Marysville High School, OH
Ian Tiedemann, Greenwich High School, CT
Gabriel Valdez, Fort Worth ISD Teaching and Learning Center, TX
Mike Vazquez, Boston Trinity Academy, MA
Francis Ventura, Calwell High School, Australia
Kaylyn Wade, Signal Mountain Middle High School, TN
Alison Walters, Frontier Regional School, MA
Ryan Werenka, Troy High School, MI
Mary Ellen Wessels, Gate City Charter School for the Arts, NH
Sara Ziemnik, Rocky River High School, OH
Higher Education
Daniel Abankwa, Western Carolina University, NC
Jean E. Abshire, Indiana University Southeast, IN
José Alarcon, IE University, Spain
Judith Anderson, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, NY
Gloria Ayee, Harvard University, MA
Galia Benitez, Michigan State University/James Madison College, MI
Brandon Boylan, University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK
Christopher M. Brown, Georgia Southern University, GA
Zarrin Caldwell, Mesa Community College, AZ
Erin Carriere-Kretschmer, Trinity Washington University, Washington, DC
Justin Chock, United States Naval Academy, MD
Clayton Cleveland, College of the Holy Cross, MA
Mary Catherine Colley, Auburn University, AL
Jennifer Cook, Fairfield University, CT
Lissette Acosta Corniel, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, NY
Ryan Daugherty, Butler University, IN
Jill Dougherty, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Steve Elliot-Gower, Georgia College & State University, GA
Flavia V. Farinetti, Universidad de las Américas Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
Sean Foreman, Barry University, FL
Hope Dewell Gentry, Montana State University Billings, MT
Peter Gerlach, University of Iowa, IA
Amber Godwin, Sam Houston State University, TX
Vanessa Gomes, Columbia University/University of New York (guest lecturer), NY
Neil Gonsalves, Durham College, Canada
Dr. Kelisha B. Graves, Virginia State University, VA
Ambassador (ret.) Gordon Gray, George Washington University, Washington, DC
Claudia G. Green, Pace University, NY
Kelly M. Greenhill, Tufts University/MIT, MA
Rita B. Groh, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, TN
Don Habibi, University of North Carolina Wilmington, NC
Stephanie Hallock, Harford Community College, MD
Holley Hansen, Oklahoma State University, OK
Ghina Harb, Lebanese American University, NY and Lebanon
Jerome Haynesworth, Howard University, Washington, DC
Loren Henderson, University of Maryland Baltimore County, MD
Jason Hensley, California Lutheran University, CA
Matthias Hofferberth, University of Texas - San Antonio, TX
Kristina Hook, Kennesaw State University, GA
Jin In, Boston University, MA
Susan Jagendorf-Sobierajski, State University of New York College of Agriculture & Technology at Cobleskill, NY
Eric M. Jepsen, The University of South Dakota, SD
Steven Jones, Georgia Gwinnett College, GA
Angela Kachuyevski, Arcadia University, PA
Mahmood Khan, Virginia Tech, VA
Ibtissam Klait, University of the People, CA
Raymonde Kleinberg, University of North Carolina Wilmington, NC
Rob Lalka, Tulane University, LA
Andrew Latham, Macalester College, MN
Azzedine Layachi, St. John's University, NY
Hyeyoung Lim, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL
Kelley Littlepage, University of Houston, TX
Sheng Lu, University of Delaware, DE
Emily Matson, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Mary M. McCarthy, Drake University, IA
Sommer Mitchell, Penn State University, PA
Gregory Moore, Notre Dame College/University of Texas at El Paso, OH/TX
Anthony Moretti, Robert Morris University, PA
Michael Mosser, The University of Texas at Austin, TX
Todd Myers, Grossmont College and San Diego State University, CA
Hyon Namgung, Metropolitan State University of Denver, CO
Tomoharu Nishino, University of Pennsylvania, PA
Rudy Novak, United States Air Force Academy, CO
Godwin Onuoha, University of Pennsylvania, PA
Ambassador (ret.) Susan D. Page, University of Michigan, MI
Andy Person, Long Island University, NY
Ashiyan Ian Rahmani, California State University, CA
Guy Ras, Evergreen Valley College, CA
Marcelo Rodríguez, University of Arizona, AZ
Mark Rush, Washington and Lee University, VA
Esha Senchaudhuri, Brandeis University, MA
Sarah Tenney Sharman, The Citadel - The Military College of South Carolina, SC
Laila Sorurbakhsh, George Washington University, Washington, DC
Andrew Spicer, University of South Carolina, SC
Takeo Suzuki, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, TN
Sana Tayyen, University of Redlands, CA
Linda Trautman, Ohio University, OH
Sharmila Udyavar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
Felicity Vabulas, Pepperdine University, CA
Leslie VanBelkum, Lebanon Valley College, PA
Aaron Walayat, University of Pittsburgh, PA
Yufeng Wei, New Jersey City University, NJ
Erinn Whitaker, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
Dan Whitman, George Washington University, Washington, DC
Jane Zhu, Suffolk University, MA
Learn more with the Council on Foreign Relations press release about the 2023-24 CFR Education Ambassador Program.