Executives & Staff

John C. Bersia

John C. Bersia, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 2000, is a global educator and journalist. 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 weekly foreign-affairs column that is internationally distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. Bersia previously served as a Foreign-Affairs Columnist and Editorial Board Member for the Orlando Sentinel. During that time, 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. Earlier, Bersia worked in the global political-risk analysis and publishing businesses, as well as for the federal government. He is the author of World War 4: Confronting Terrorism (2003), serves as Editor of the Worldviews for the 21st Century monograph series, and has written thousands of commentaries on global issues. He hosts the “Global Perspectives Show” on the UCF Channel, co-chairs the UCF Middle Eastern Studies Program's advisory board and co-directs The India Program at UCF. 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 holds an M.Sc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics; an M.S.P.I.A. in Public Information Administration from The American University; an M.A. in Government (Foreign Policy) from Georgetown University; and a B.A. in Political Science (International Relations) and French from UCF.

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 is shaping a new global initiative at the University of Central Florida, the Diplomacy Program, which will feature education and training for both students and professionals. 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 on from 1999-2003; Chief of Mission to Guinea-Bissau; Acting Director of USIA; Cultural Attaché, American Embassy, 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. 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. Ambassador Elam-Thomas is partly sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation.

Mark Allen Freeman

Mark Freeman joined the Global Perspectives Office as Public Affairs Coordinator in 2006. He is responsible for the coordination and promotion of events, ranging from distinguished speakers to panels to symposia to conferences. He also plays a key role in developing and expanding partnerships at the regional, state, national and international levels. Freeman is the Marketing Editor for the Worldviews for the 21st Century monograph series. Prior to joining Global Perspectives, he was a Global Fellow in the Global Perspectives Office under the auspices of the Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at the University of Central Florida. He also was a graduate teaching assistant in the University of Central Florida’s Political Science Department. In that capacity, he also served as an assistant to the Director of the Lou Frey Institute for Politics and Government, where he helped to organize and publicize a series of symposia dealing with issues of critical importance to the United States. Freeman holds an M.A. in political science with an emphasis on Environmental Politics and Policy from UCF and a B.A. in political science, with a focus on international relations, also from UCF. He also earned a minor in cultural anthropology. He has traveled to several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Panama and Mexico.

Gabriela Othón

Gabriela Othón 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. Othón is responsible for managing budgets, and serving as manager for support staff. She also conducts research on topics of international, national and metropolitan significance; participating in externally funded research projects; exploring grant opportunities; and facilitating public events. She has played a key 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. Othón 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 visited Europe.

Jessica Gagnon

Jessica Gagnon 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 graduated from the University of Central Florida with an Honors degree 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.

Elvira Bouriak

Elvira Bouriak is a Program Assistant for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program, the Terrorism Studies Program and other affiliated organizations, including the Global Connections Foundation. She is responsible for providing support to globally oriented projects and programs, contributing to research efforts and serving as an initial point of contact for the office. Previously, Bouriak was a MacArthur Scholar in the Global Perspectives Office. She is currently working on a B.A. degree at Rollins College, with an emphasis on International Affairs. Bouriak speaks Russian and some Spanish, was born in Russia, has traveled in the Americas and was an exchange student in China. She is sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation.