CIDE doctoral students
There are currently more than 60 doctoral students enrolled in our CIDE programs, and more than 200 across our department.
Ian Allen Ian Allen
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- he, him, his
- allen595@umn.edu
I am a PhD student in CIDE with interests in the role of higher education in global health security efforts and international development.

Rebecca Awuah Rebecca Awuah
- Doctoral Student, CIDE (LIIE Cohort)
- awuah004@umn.edu
I am a mathematics faculty at Ashesi University in Ghana. In addition to teaching mathematics courses such as Precalculus and Statistics, I teach Giving Voice to Values, part of Ashesi's leadership core curriculum, and oversee The Fund for Service to…

Abdulrahman Bindamnan Abdulrahman Bindamnan
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- binda019@umn.edu
Mr. Abdulrahman Bindamnan is a PhD student and Fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change at the University of Minnesota. Mr.

Megan Braunstein Megan Braunstein
- Doctoral Student, CIDE (LIIE cohort)
- she, her, hers
- braun754@umn.edu
I am a first year Ph.D. student in Leadership for Intercultural and International Education cohort.

Holly Buttrey Holly Buttrey
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- buttr017@umn.edu
In my full-time professional role, I am an Associate Dean of Admissions for Carleton College in Northfield, MN. This role takes me around the United States and Western Hemisphere recruiting the next generations of Carleton students.

Giselle Caretto Giselle Caretto
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- caret012@umn.edu
Having spent over a decade teaching internationally in varying types of educational settings, I gained keen interest in the effects of the internationalization of the English language and pedagogy and its intersection with local and indigenous…

Samira Chatila Samira Chatila
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- chati0052@umn.edu
ICGC Fellowship, 2020-21 Provost's Fund Fellowship, 2020-21 Chatila, S. & Alatas, S. F. (2022). Southern contributions to the sociology of knowledge .

Vallen Cook Vallen Cook
- Doctoral Student, CIDE (LIIE Cohort)
- cookx561@umn.edu
I am currently an environmentalist and youth worker for the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa in northern Minnesota. I also volunteer at an indigenous youth center in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Vu Dao Vu Dao
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- daoxx127@umn.edu
Grants to Advance Graduate Education (GAGE) Fellowship, University of Minnesota, 2020

Megan C. Deutschman Megan C. Deutschman
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her. hers
- deuts153@umn.edu
I am interested in understanding how white educators construct and consider their racial identities.

Dana Downey Dana Downey
- Doctoral Student, CIDE (LIIE cohort)
- she, her, hers
- downe174@umn.edu
I am curious about the overlap between universities and the public good in the global context, and the potential public and private benefits of higher education in the building (or rebuilding) of a nation.

Nisma Elias Nisma Elias
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- elias279@umn.edu
Instructor for Mastering Skills for College Success and Academic Success, Student Counseling Center Co-editor of the Reconsidering Development Journal Current chair and founding member of the Graduate League of Organizational Leadership, Policy and…

Danielle Fields Danielle Fields
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- field577@umn.edu
I have 19 years of experience as a public school educator in Grades PreK-12. Having a heart for social justice and equity, I have dedicated my career to serving underserved communities as both an educator and a school/district administrator.

Cody Freeman Cody Freeman
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- all pronouns
- freem849@umn.edu
My mission is to create freedom through education for queer youth globally. My work centers on leading the transformative shift of systems through actionable strategies at the intersection of academia, civil society, and the United Nations.

Liz Sehyun Hwang Liz Sehyun Hwang
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- hwan0243@umn.edu
My research interest is mainly around the internationalization of higher education in the United States.

Oliver Keels Oliver Keels
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- he, him, his
- keels004@umn.edu
I am a Lecturer in Political Science and History for Wenzhou Kean University’s College of Liberal Arts. Prior to working at WKU, I served as the Director of Student Services and Lecturer for the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani.

Abby Menter Abby Menter
- Doctoral Student, CIDE (LIIE cohort)
- mente021@umn.edu
I live in South Dakota and currently work to support teachers in developing equity-oriented teaching practices.

Lisa Miller Lisa Miller
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- mill9081@umn.edu
Currently, I am the Director of International and Professional Programs at the University of California, Riverside Extension.

Enet Mukurazita Enet Mukurazita
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- mukur002@umn.edu
Comparative and International Education Society DePodesta Fellow, 2023 Culture Corps Gender Equity Grant, 2022 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. College of Education and Human Development.

Thi Nguyen Thi Nguyen
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- nguy4982@umn.edu
I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Comparative and International Development Education at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. I was born and raised in Hanoi, Vietnam but call Sunnyvale, California my home.

Samantha Nissen Samantha Nissen
- Doctoral Student, CIDE (LIIE Cohort)
- she, her, hers
- nisse102@umn.edu
I am an educational researcher currently studying narratives from international students in U.S journalism schools on contested issues of democracy, press freedom, belonging.

Obafemi O. Ogunleye Obafemi O. Ogunleye
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- ogunl013@umn.edu
I am a doctoral candidate in Comparative and International Development Education with a minor in Program Evaluation.

Sarah Pattison Sarah Pattison
- Doctoral Student, CIDE (LIIE cohort)
- she, her, hers
- patti039@umn.edu

Dane Rowley Dane Rowley
- Doctoral Student, CIDE (LIIE Cohort)
- he, him, his
- rowle108@umn.edu
I have been working with students from the United States and around the world in outreach, counseling, admission, advising, and teaching for nearly 18 years In addition to being a student I am Director of International Admission at California…

Consuelo Sánchez-Bautista Consuelo Sánchez-Bautista
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her
- sanch620@umn.edu
I am a Fulbright-Colciencias doctoral student in the Comparative International Development Education program. Broadly, I am interested in the relationships between education and mobility, particularly in contexts of armed conflicts and violence.

Rachel M. Scholten Rachel M. Scholten
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- schol471@umn.edu
During my undergraduate studies I spent one semester at Universidad Autónoma de Queretaro in Mexico and one at Universidad de la Habana in Cuba, solidifying my interest in continued intercultural learning and working with international populations.

Gary Schwartz-Moore Gary Schwartz-Moore
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- he, him, his
- schw2472@umn.edu
After working in higher education for the past 15 years, I decided to start my PhD program as part of the LIIE cohort in 2020 to delve deeper into my areas of primary research interest: DEI in higher ed and inclusive leadership.

Ahmed Sirleaf Ahmed Sirleaf
- Doctoral Student, CIDE (LIIE cohort)
- he, him, his
- sirle004@umn.edu
A seasoned International Development, Rule of Law, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) professional, with over a combined decade of experience in planning and managing complex donor, Transitional Justice, and International Human Rights programs.

Lindsey Smaka Lindsey Smaka
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- wals0295@umn.edu
In addition to my doctoral work, I am a chemistry teacher and coordinate the Global Scholar Program at Edina High School in Edina, Minnesota.

Tamiya Smith Tamiya Smith
- Doctoral Student, CIDE

Kae Takaoka Kae Takaoka
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- take0036@umn.edu
I am a public high school teacher in Japan with over 13 years of experience. I have also taught at a public high school in Washington State for a year as an exchange teacher from Japan.

Tommy Van Norman Tommy Van Norman
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- he, him, his
- tvannorm@umn.edu
I am interested in exploring how formal higher education experiences (i.e., study abroad and experiential/immersive learning) imbed land-based, placed-based, or Indigenous education into their curriculum and programming, and how those experiences…

Vanessa Voller Vanessa Voller
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- voll0144@umn.edu
I am a doctoral student at the College of Education and Human Development and School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota and a visiting instructor in the Community and Global Health division of the International Studies Department at…

Ashley Watson Ashley Watson
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- watso670@umn.edu
Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowship (Swahili), 2018/2019

Hanna Girma Wedajo Hanna Girma Wedajo
- Doctoral Student, CIDE
- she, her, hers
- wedaj002@umn.edu
Hawkinson/Jacobson Scholar - Hawkinson Fund for Peace and Justice, 2019 Mary Corcoran Endowed Fellowship in Evaluation and Policy Studies, 2019 Educational Evaluation and Policy Studies Fellowship, 2018 Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of…
