Executives & Staff

John C. Bersia

John C. Bersia, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 2000, is a global educator and commentator. He serves as Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives, as Director of the Global Perspectives Office and as a University Professor at the University of Central Florida. He also writes a foreign-affairs column that is internationally distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. Bersia previously served as a Foreign-Affairs Columnist and an Editorial Board Member for the Orlando Sentinel. He won the first Pulitzer Prize of the 21st century for the Sentinel, as well as for its parent organization, the Tribune Co. Additionally, he is the recipient of the Walker Stone Award of the Scripps Howard Foundation, the first-place “Green Eyeshade” editorials award of the Society of Professional Journalists, the annual Media Award for Editorial Excellence of The National Association of Consumer Advocates and other national awards. Before his journalism experience, Bersia worked in the global political-risk analysis and publishing businesses, as well as for the U.S. government. He is also the author of World War 4: Confronting Terrorism (2003); serves as Editor of the Worldviews for the 21st Century monograph series; hosts the “Global Perspectives Show” on the UCF TV Channel; co-chairs the UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program's advisory board; and co-directs UCF programs dealing with India, China-Taiwan, global peace and security, and Kurdish political studies. Further, he is the Chair (a voluntary position) of the Global Connections Foundation, a non-profit, non-ideological, non-political, regional, educational network that promotes international awareness and understanding. Bersia pursued undergraduate studies at Clark University and the University of Central Florida, receiving a B.A. in Political Science/International Relations and French from UCF; was awarded an M.A. in Government/Foreign Policy from Georgetown University’s Graduate School; completed an M.S.P.I.A. in Public Information Administration at The American University’s College of Business Administration; and received an M.Sc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London.

Dr. Stephen Sloan

Stephen Sloan is the Lawrence J. Chastang Distinguished Professor of Terrorism Studies and also serves as a University Professor and a Fellow in the Global Perspectives Office. He is the author or co-author of numerous books, including Terrorism: The Present Threat in Context (2006), Terrorism: Assassins to Zealots (2002), the Historical Dictionary of Terrorism (1994), Corporate Aviation Security (1993), and Beating International Terrorism (1992). Until 2004, he served as Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Presidential Professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma, where he taught the first U.S. university course on terrorism. He also has held positions at Booz, Allen Hamilton and the Center for Aerospace Doctrine Research. Sloan regularly conducts terrorism seminars and simulations for government officials, military audiences, law enforcement personnel and other groups in the United States and other countries. Sloan completed a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Comparative Politics at New York University in New York City. He obtained a B.A. from Washington Square College of New York University. In addition to his work in terrorism/counter-terrorism studies for the Global Perspectives Office, where he serves on the Internationalization Advisory Board, Sloan teaches courses on terrorism, the changing nature of war and intelligence. He is sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation.

Ambassador Harriet Elam-Thomas

Ambassador Harriet Elam-Thomas directs a rapidly growing global initiative at the University of Central Florida, the Diplomacy Program, which features education and training for undergraduate students. From 2003-2005, she served as Diplomat in Residence at UCF under the auspices of a national U.S. Department of State program. In that capacity, she was the U.S. Department of State’s official liaison in Central Florida, conducting workshops, providing information on careers, connecting students to internship and scholarship opportunities, and speaking on policy matters. Until the fall of 2005, she was a Senior Foreign Service Officer with the rank of Career Minister. Previously she served as U.S. Ambassador to Senegal from 1999-2003; Chief of Mission to Guinea-Bissau; Acting Director of USIA; Cultural Attaché at the American Embassy in Athens; Country Affairs Officer for Greece, Turkey and Cyprus; Director of the American Press and Cultural Center, American Consulate, Istanbul, Turkey; and in other positions at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the President's Appointments Office at the White House and the Foreign Service Personnel Office. Amb. Elam-Thomas' additional posts abroad were in France, Mali and the Ivory Coast. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the U.S. Government's Superior Honor Award, the Lois Roth Award for Excellence in Informational and Cultural Diplomacy, and a Group Superior and Meritorious Honor Award for her work in connection with the first Persian Gulf War. In 2007, she received the Director General's Cup of the U.S. Department of State. She holds a B.S. in International Business from Simmons College and an M.A. in Public Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She speaks Turkish, Greek and French. Amb. Elam-Thomas is partly sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation.

Gabriela Othon Lothrop

Gabriela Othon Lothrop is the Program and Research Coordinator for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program, the Terrorism Studies Program and other affiliated offices. She is responsible for helping to manage globally oriented projects, programs and research, and serves as the business and research liaison to key partners, such as the Global Connections Foundation, the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Foundation for Democracy and Development) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and the U.S. Department of State. She is also the Business and Research Editor for the Worldviews for the 21st Century monograph series. Lothrop is responsible for managing budgets and serving as manager for support staff. She also conducts research on topics of international, national and metropolitan significance; participates in externally funded research projects; explores grant opportunities; and facilitates public events. She has played a vital role in key research projects at the University of Central Florida on terrorism trends and the marketing of high technology projects from the United States to India. Previously, she was a Research Specialist for the Global Perspectives Office, a Global Connections Scholar and a Global Fellow. Prior to those positions, she worked as manager in the retail sector for several years. Lothrop is a graduate of UCF, with a B.A. in Political Science, International Relations Track, and is a recipient of the Bledsoe-Young Award. She is a native of Panama, speaks Spanish, and has traveled extensively in the Americas and Europe.

Jessica Gagnon

Jessica Gagnon is the Project Specialist for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program, the Terrorism Studies Program and other affiliated organizations, including the Global Connections Foundation. Gagnon is responsible for assisting with globally oriented projects and programs, conducting research and serving as a liaison to key partners, notably the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations. She also specifically works on research projects related to China and Taiwan. Previously, she was a Program and Research Assistant for the same group of partners. She was also the Spring 2010 China-Taiwan Fellow, under the auspices of the C.T. and Jean Hsu Fund of the Global Connections Foundation. She graduated with honors from the University of Central Florida with B.A. in International Relations and Comparative Politics and a minor in Marketing. Gagnon is currently pursuing an M.A. in International Studies at UCF and is a Graduate Assistant in the UCF Political Science Department. She was a Provost’s Fellow in 2007-2008. Gagnon’s research interests include East Asia and American national security. Fluent in French and a student of Mandarin, she has traveled extensively in North America and has visited China. She is sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation.

Timothy Hill

Timothy Hill is a Global Connections Scholar for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program, the Terrorism Studies Program and affiliated organizations, including the Global Connections Foundation. A recent graduate of UCF, he served as an Intern and Senior Intern for the Global Perspectives Office. Hill majored in Political Science, with a minor in International and Global Studies. He is a member of the National Political Science Honor Society. Hill’s research interests include terrorism/counter-terrorism studies and international relations. He plans to pursue a graduate degree in international relations. Hill is studying Arabic.

Lauren Adair

Lauren Adair is the Global Connections Program Assistant for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program, the Terrorism Studies Program and affiliated organizations, including the Global Connections Foundation. A senior at UCF, she is majoring in Psychology, with a minor in Spanish. She is also a volunteer with Volunteer UCF. Her research interests include peacemaking, human rights and human trafficking. Upon graduation, Adair plans to teach English in South Korea for a year, then pursue a graduate degree in either counseling or clinical psychology. She speaks conversational Spanish, and has traveled to Panama, Mexico and the Caribbean.