John C. Bersia
Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives and Director

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
Lawrence J. Chastang Distinguished Professor of Terrorism Studies

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 Current 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 partly sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation.

Ambassador Harriet Elam-Thomas
Diplomacy Program Director

Ambassador Harriet Elam-Thomas is shaping a new global initiative at UCF, 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.

John Tracy
Research Project Director

John Tracy, a certified Project Management Professional, brings more than 25 years of experience in software development/quality assurance, accounting, project management, program management and general management to his position as Research Project Director in the Global Perspectives Office. He is responsible for organizing an ongoing study into the development of high-technology products, with the aim of determining why certain ones succeed in the marketplace and others fail. The research is being conducted in a cross-cultural (U.S.-India) context. Tracy's background includes executive level coaching, P&L responsibility and organizational design. His industry/systems background includes Telecommunications/Billing, Accounting (Payables/Receivables), Payroll and Tax. Tracy also has driven offshore outsourcing programs. Before joining the Global Perspectives Office, he worked for Convergys from 1990-2005, most recently as Project/Program Director. Tracy completed his B.S. in business management at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, a master's certificate in project management at George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and an MBA at the University of Central Florida. He is partly sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation.

Mark Allen Freeman
Public Affairs Coordinator

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 UCF. 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.

Stephanie Gavarrete
Program Coordinator/Support Staff Manager

Stephanie Gavarrete is a Program Coordinator and Support Staff Manager for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program and other affiliated offices. She is responsible for projects and programs worldwide, and serves as the business liaison to key partners, such as the Global Connections Foundation and the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Foundation for Democracy and Development) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Gavarrete is also the Business Editor for the Worldviews for the 21st Century monograph series. She additionally is responsible for managing budgets, and serving as coordinator for researchers, research assistants, scholarship students and interns. She has worked as a UCF team member since 2003 (Office of Research and College of Business Administration – MIS), as well as in previous administrative and marketing roles in the private sector. She is a graduate of UCF, with a B.A. in Political Science, and the College of DuPage (Illinois), with degrees in management and management supervision.

Gabriela Othón
Research Coordinator

Gabriela Othón joined the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program and other affiliated offices as a Research Specialist in 2006. She is responsible for conducting research on topics of international, national and metropolitan significance; participating in externally funded research projects; exploring grant opportunities; facilitating public events; and supporting a variety of publications. She has played in key role in two major research projects at UCF, one involving terrorism policy and trends, and the other focusing on the marketing of high technology projects from the United States to India in a rapidly changing global economy. Othón serves as Research Editor of the Worldviews for the 21st Century monograph series. Previously she was a Global Connections Scholar, sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation, in the Global Perspectives Office. She also was a Global Fellow under the auspices of the Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at UCF. 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.

Jessica Gagnon
Program Assistant/Research Assistant

Jessica Gagnon is the Program & Research Assistant for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program, the Terrorism Studies Program and the Global Connections Foundation. She graduated from UCF with a University Honors degree in International Relations and Comparative Politics and a minor in Marketing. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in International Studies at UCF as a Provost Fellow and Graduate assistant with the Political Science department. Jessica's research interests include East Asian studies and American national security. She has traveled throughout North America, speaks French and is studying Mandarin.

Joshua Smith
Researcher and Analyst

Joshua Smith is a Researcher and Analyst for the Global Perspectives Office, sponsored by the Global Connections Foundation. He works primarily with Dr. Stephen Sloan on terrorism and national security issues, but also conducts research on other international topics and assists with the production of the Worldviews for the 21st Century Monograph Series. A graduate of UCF in Information Technology and Liberal Studies, he focused on computer science, economics and international relations. He was born in Illinois and has traveled to Mexico.

Johanna Marizan-Ho
Fellow

Johanna Marizan-Ho is a Fellow of the Global Perspectives Office and the Global Connections Foundation. She assists with projects in both organizations. Until 2007, she was a Project Specialist in the Global Perspectives Office, responsible for activities and programs worldwide and for serving as the business liaison to key partners. Previously, she worked as a program assistant in the Global Perspectives Office and spent several years as a retail manager. Marizan-Ho holds a bachelor’s degree in B.A. in Political Science (American Policy track) and a minor in Legal Studies from UCF. She has traveled extensively in the Caribbean and Europe, and speaks Spanish.

 

Joshua Hill
Fellow

Josh Hill is a Fellow of the Global Perspectives Office and the Global Connections Foundation. He assists with projects in both organizations, with particular reference to those dealing with political violence, terrorism/counter-terrorism, national security and international security. Previously he was a Researcher and Analyst for the Global Perspectives Office, working primarily with Terrorism Studies Program Director Dr. Stephen Sloan on terrorism and national security issues, but also conducting research on other international topics. A graduate of the UCF, he received a B.A. in International Relations. Currently Hill is pursuing graduate studies in criminal justice/terrorism at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He has traveled extensively in Thailand, Mexico and Italy, and speaks American Sign Language.

Michelle Harrington
Fellow

Michelle Harrington is a Fellow of the Global Perspectives Office and the Global Connections Foundation. She assists with projects in both organizations. Until 2005, she was a Project Specialist in the Global Perspectives Office, responsible for programs related to Latin America and Asia, and for serving as the business liaison to key partners. Harrington also was the Business Editor for the Worldviews for the 21st Century monograph series. Prior to that, she worked with a world affairs council, an international trade firm and the state attorney general's office in Washington state. Harrington holds a master's degree in Public Administration from UCF, and a B.A. in international studies and Spanish from the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. She has studied abroad in Spain, has traveled in Ecuador and throughout Europe, and speaks Spanish.

Abeer Abdalla
Global Connections Advanced Scholar on Terrorism

Abeer Beshir Abdalla is a Global Connections Scholar for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program, the Terrorism Studies Program and the Global Connections Foundation. Abdalla’s studies focus on the interconnected relationship between multimedia, terrorism, and the radicalization of Islam. Abdalla is a graduate of UCF, with a B.A. in Radio and Television and a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. She has earned a M.A. in Mass Communications, also at UCF. While at UCF, Abdalla served as the Political and Media Columnist for the Central Florida Future, and ran WGKN Radio Station. She is a native of Washington D.C., speaks Arabic and is also studying Mandarin Chinese and French.

Stephanie Pavolini
Global Connections Advanced Scholar

Stephanie Pavolini is a Global Connections Advanced Scholar for the Global Perspectives Office, the Diplomacy Program, the Terrorism Studies Program and the Global Connections Foundation. She was previously a Global Fellow under the auspices of the Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellows Program at the University of Central Florida. Pavolini is pursuing a B.A. in Political Science–International Relations, with a minor in Latin American Studies, at UCF. Her research interests include Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as human trafficking. Born in San Cristobal, Venezuela, she is fluent in Spanish.

Christopher Estoch
Intern

Christopher Estoch is an intern at the Global Perspectives Office. He is in his third year at the University of Central Florida and is currently majoring in Political Science with an emphasis on International Relations. Christopher was recently awarded a Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship with the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. His research interests include strategic weapons, human rights and genocide. He has traveled extensively throughout North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Misuk Kim
Intern

Misuk Kim is an intern at the Global Perspectives Office. She is currently a senior at Rollins College and pursuing a B.A. in International Affairs with an emphasis on International Relations. She has been studying English and Korean Language and Literature at Dan-kook University in Seoul, South Korea. Misuk has also served on the Academic Honor Council at Rollins College Hamilton Holt School. She is a Korean teacher at Orlando Korean School, which is supported by the Korean Embassy. Her research interests include nuclear weapon issues of North Korea and relations between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States. She plans to pursue graduate degrees in International Relations, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region and comparative politics.  She speaks English and Korean.
 

Xiaolin Lu
Intern

Xiaolin Lu is an intern at the Global Perspectives Office. A graduate with honors from Rollins College , he earned a B.A. in International Affairs with a minor in Business Administration. Xiaolin is also a member of Tau Sigma, the Academic Honor Society and a recipient of Outstanding College Students Award of The National Dean’s List. Xiaolin was awarded a full scholarship by the Crummer Business School at Rollins to pursue an MBA degree with concentrations on International Business and Finance. He came to United States through The Walt Disney World International Program, participating at Epcot as a Cultural Representative from China. Xiaolin is fluent in English and Mandarin, and speaks some Cantonese. Xiaolin also served as a journalist and consultant at Good Life Media and a researcher at the China Center at Rollins College. His areas of research include business development and economy in China, as well as politics in Asia.

Michael Marcous
Intern

Michael Marcous is an intern at the Global Perspectives Office. He is in his third year at the University of Central Florida and currently pursuing a B.A. in International Studies with an emphasis on the Middle East. Michael was recently awarded the Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic at the Center for Maghrib Studies in Tunis, Tunisia. He has also studied the history of Islam at the University of Cambridge as a President's Scholar. Michael is currently a Resident Assistant in the Towers at the Golden Knight's Plaza. His research interests include the war in Iraq and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Timothy Mason
Intern

Timothy Mason is an intern for the Global Perspectives Office. He is currently a senior pursuing a double major in Political Science  - International Relations Track - and Radio Television - Broadcast Production Track - as well as a minor in emergency management and homeland security. His interests include the Iraq War, strategic arms and the Arab Israeli Conflict. Upon graduation, he plans to pursue graduate degrees in both law and international relations.

Maria Pecoraro
Intern

Maria Pecoraro is an intern in the Global Perspectives Office. She is graduate student at the University of Central Florida pursuing her Masters in Political Science with a focus on International Relations. She graduated summa cum laude from UCF with a B.A. in Political Science, specializing in American politics and policy and is a member of the Order of Pegasus. She currently serves as Director of Governmental Affairs for UCF Student Government and is active in several organizations. Her research interests include the study of democracy, political theory, American Presidential and Congressional politics, and constitutional law. She plans to attend law school after completing her Masters.  Maria speaks fluent Spanish and has traveled to Puerto Rico.

Andrea Perez
Intern

Andrea Perez is an intern at the Global Perspectives Office. She is currently working towards her Bachelor's degree, studying Economics with an emphasis on International Affairs at Rollins College.  Andrea is also an intern at the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission in the Business Intelligence department. She has traveled to Peru, throughout the United States, and lived in South Africa for four years. Andrea has recently became the Vice Chair of the Academic Honor Council at Rollins College Hamilton Holt School, and is a founder of the Ethics Roundtable, which will become an annual event at the Hamilton Holt School.

Mohenna Sarkar
Intern

Mohenna Sarkar is an intern in the Global Perspectives Office. She is a sophomore at Haverford College, majoring in Political Science and Environmental Science with a minor in East Asian Studies. She is an active member of Amnesty International and her college’s student government. Her research interests are in environmental sustainability and international political theory and after graduation she intends to further her education by attending law school. Born in India, Mohenna has also lived in the Middle East before moving to the United States. Along with her native languages of Bengali and Hindi, she is also conversational in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.