Engineering. Leadership. Global.

ClarkLEAD Onboarding Curricular Leadership Experiences Global Opportunities & Study Abroad Contact Us

Contact Us

The Office of Global Engineering Leadership in the A. James Clark School of Engineering provides a range of services and programs to students and faculty members interested in global engineering leadership.

We are located in the Clark School of Engineering Student Affairs and Academic Support Services Office in Glenn L. Martin Hall.

A. James Clark School of Engineering

1131 Glenn L. Martin Hall Bldg. #088

4298 Campus Drive

University of Maryland

College Park, MD 20742-3011
General Inquiries: globalengr@umd.edu
Fax: 301-314-9867

Office of Global Engineering Leadership

	Brian Dillehay (he/him/his) Director (301) 405-8921 \| dillehay@umd.edu Brian Dillehay is the Director in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership and oversees our global, leadership, and onboarding initiatives. He has been working and teaching courses in the A. James Clark School of Engineering since 2017 and has an extensive background in international education, global programming, and inclusive leadership initiatives. Brian joined the University of Maryland from AMIDEAST where he supported the Fulbright program for students from the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, he has experience teaching and working abroad, primarily in Taiwan. He received his MA in International Training and Education from American University in 2016 and his BA in International Affairs from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2006.
	Dr. Darren Pierre (he/him/his) Senior Lecturer & GEL Minor Advisor (301) 405-6828 \| dpierre@umd.edu Darren Pierre, Ph.D. is a lecturer in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership. Pierre is a thought-leader within higher education, authoring a book, book chapters, journal articles, and presenting at numerous conferences on topics centered on leadership, identity development, and student engagement. In 2020, he led a team in developing one of the nine strategic priorities developed to inform the 2020-2025 National Leadership Education Research Agenda (NLERA). Dr. Pierre received his Ph.D. in College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia.
	Katherine Schwarzentraub (she/her/hers) Program Manager, Maryland Engineering Global Experiences (301) 405-0786 \| ktraub@umd.edu Katherine Schwarzentraub is the Program Manager, Maryland Engineering Global Experiences in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership. Katherine joined the OGEL team in December 2021, after initially working as the General Advisor in Education Abroad. As the Program Manager for Global Experiences, Katherine works with Engineering students to find programs that align with their major, goals, and interests. She also supports Incoming ENGR Exchange students during their time at UMD and Clark faculty members who lead short-term study abroad programs. Katherine is a proud Terp and received her MA in International Education Policy from the University of Maryland, and BA in Government and German with an Art History minor from Wofford College. During semesters abroad in London and Vienna, she furthered her interest in British culture and German language. Since 2017, Katherine has served as a resource in various roles on campus to encourage UMD students to pursue study abroad opportunities, and she is excited to help them explore ways to incorporate global learning opportunities into their Maryland experience!
	Aralia Ramirez (she/her/ella) Assistant Director for Experiential Learning (301) 405-0786 \| aramir14@umd.edu Aralia Ramirez is the Assistant Director for Experiential Learning. She joined our team from California in June of 2022. Aralia oversees and supports a number of experiential learning opportunities in Maryland Engineering which help develop students' inclusive leadership and intercultural capacities. She manages our ClarkLEAD onborading initiative, Maryland VIPs (Vertically Integrates Projects), engineering intergroup dialogue courses, and supports our engineering student organizations housed in the Clark School. Prior to joining us, Aralia worked at California State University, Chico (Chico State) and Duke University supporting onboarding and leadership programming primarily for first-year students and students in STEM. She has experience teaching intoduction to women's studies and introduction to latine studies courses at Chico State, where she earned her Bachelors in Sociology. Aralia also earned her Masters in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Iowa. Her research interests include leadership development, student development, equitable supervision practices, and ways to create equitable campus environments. Outside of work, Aralia enjoys reading, spending time with her family, exploring a new local coffee shop, listening to music and building lego sets.
	Kelly McNulty (she/her/hers) Program Manager for Experiential Learning kmcnult@umd.edu Kelly McNulty is the Program Manager for Experiential Learning in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership, working on Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP), student organization leadership, and Maryland Engineering Intergroup Dialogue Programs. She has facilitated global education programs in both the U.S. and abroad for 13+ years. Her own first experiential program was an undergraduate research internship in Cape Town, South Africa, working at a public health non-profit focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness through soccer. She has taught in Washington, DC Public Schools, focused on service learning and experiential curriculum, and completed a Fulbright English teaching grant in South Africa. Following this, she coordinated exchange programs through World Learning and 4-H, including Department of State programs for South American and Caribbean students in the U.S. and for American students traveling abroad. Most recently, she was the Experiential Programs Manager at George Mason University, coordinating student travel, virtual and hybrid internships abroad for STEM and other fields. She was also an Undergraduate Instructor for student internships and cross-cultural communication courses, which included traveling with students to Argentina, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand. She holds a Master’s in Teaching from Trinity Washington University and a Bachelor’s in Sociology/Anthropology and American Studies: Social Justice Issues from Lafayette College. In her free time, Kelly loves hiking, playing soccer, and gardening.
	Dr. Léna Kavaliauskas Crain (she/her/hers) Lecturer lkavalia@umd.edu Léna Crain, Ph.D. is a lecturer in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership. She has instructed undergraduate and graduate courses, including programs in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, the Netherlands, and Australia, and has lived and worked in France. These experiences contributed to her research, which examines the relationship between culture, pedagogy, and cognition (how culture influences the way we teach and learn), and the influence of cultural dimensions on conflict and resolution. In her broader career in higher education, Dr. Crain has been recognized by ACPA as a Diamond Honoree and Annuit Coeptis Scholar. Dr. Crain received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.
	Christina Yang (she/her/hers) Administrative Coordinator cyang227@umd.edu Christina is the Administrative Coordinator for Science, Technology and Society (STS) programs in the A. James Clark School of Engineering. She provides student, curriculum, and logistical support to the STS Scholars program, the Engineering Ethics program, and the Office of Global Engineering Leadership. She graduated from UMD in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Disability Studies. Before joining STS, she was an Intake Specialist with the DORS Intake Unit at CTCI UMD, where she helped high school and college students with disabilities in Maryland apply for post-secondary transition services. Currently, she is pursuing her Master's in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Health Equity at the University of Maryland. She is especially interested in imagining structures and systems that help us dismantle our learned, implicit bias.

Clark in Madrid & Madrid Exchange Programs

Julia Blatchford (she/her/hers)
Clark in Madrid On-Site Program Director
jblatchf@umd.edu

Julia serves as the On-Site Coordinator and primary advisor for the Clark in Madrid Program and Madrid exchange programs. She advises and supports all UMD students planning to and taking part in our programs in Madrid, Spain. In addition, she supports incoming exchange students from our partners in Madrid considering an exchange experience with Maryland Engineering. Prior to these roles, Julia worked as an International Student Advisor to European students heading to the USA for undergraduate or graduate degrees, as an English Language and Culture Instructor in K-12 bilingual schools in Madrid and as a Spanish language teacher in her home state of Vermont. Julia earned her B.A. from Beloit College with a double major in Cultural Anthropology and Spanish Language & Literature, her teaching certification from Champlain College and then went on to pursue Master’s degrees in International Education and Global Higher Education from the Universidad de Alcalá. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, keeping her houseplants alive and exploring new corners of Madrid. Julia is excited to share her love of Spain with UMD students going abroad.

Emila Gannello (she/her/hers)
Clark in Madrid On-Site Coordinator
gannello@umd.edu

Emilia Gannello joined the Clark in Madrid team in Spring 2025. While studying Political Science, Global Studies, and French at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, she had an opportunity to study abroad and fell in love with Europe and the challenges that come with living abroad. After graduating from university in the U.S., she moved back to France for 3 more years, where she taught English, and completed a Master’s degree in International Relations. She then moved to Spain to teach English, and learn Spanish. After ten years of teaching English in Spain, she had the opportunity to become a study abroad coordinator for American university students in Madrid, and she continues that work through her support of the Clark in Madrid Program.

Top

	Brian Dillehay (he/him/his) Director (301) 405-8921 \| dillehay@umd.edu Brian Dillehay is the Director in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership and oversees our global, leadership, and onboarding initiatives. He has been working and teaching courses in the A. James Clark School of Engineering since 2017 and has an extensive background in international education, global programming, and inclusive leadership initiatives. Brian joined the University of Maryland from AMIDEAST where he supported the Fulbright program for students from the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, he has experience teaching and working abroad, primarily in Taiwan. He received his MA in International Training and Education from American University in 2016 and his BA in International Affairs from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2006.
	Dr. Darren Pierre (he/him/his) Senior Lecturer & GEL Minor Advisor (301) 405-6828 \| dpierre@umd.edu Darren Pierre, Ph.D. is a lecturer in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership. Pierre is a thought-leader within higher education, authoring a book, book chapters, journal articles, and presenting at numerous conferences on topics centered on leadership, identity development, and student engagement. In 2020, he led a team in developing one of the nine strategic priorities developed to inform the 2020-2025 National Leadership Education Research Agenda (NLERA). Dr. Pierre received his Ph.D. in College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia.
	Katherine Schwarzentraub (she/her/hers) Program Manager, Maryland Engineering Global Experiences (301) 405-0786 \| ktraub@umd.edu Katherine Schwarzentraub is the Program Manager, Maryland Engineering Global Experiences in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership. Katherine joined the OGEL team in December 2021, after initially working as the General Advisor in Education Abroad. As the Program Manager for Global Experiences, Katherine works with Engineering students to find programs that align with their major, goals, and interests. She also supports Incoming ENGR Exchange students during their time at UMD and Clark faculty members who lead short-term study abroad programs. Katherine is a proud Terp and received her MA in International Education Policy from the University of Maryland, and BA in Government and German with an Art History minor from Wofford College. During semesters abroad in London and Vienna, she furthered her interest in British culture and German language. Since 2017, Katherine has served as a resource in various roles on campus to encourage UMD students to pursue study abroad opportunities, and she is excited to help them explore ways to incorporate global learning opportunities into their Maryland experience!
	Aralia Ramirez (she/her/ella) Assistant Director for Experiential Learning (301) 405-0786 \| aramir14@umd.edu Aralia Ramirez is the Assistant Director for Experiential Learning. She joined our team from California in June of 2022. Aralia oversees and supports a number of experiential learning opportunities in Maryland Engineering which help develop students' inclusive leadership and intercultural capacities. She manages our ClarkLEAD onborading initiative, Maryland VIPs (Vertically Integrates Projects), engineering intergroup dialogue courses, and supports our engineering student organizations housed in the Clark School. Prior to joining us, Aralia worked at California State University, Chico (Chico State) and Duke University supporting onboarding and leadership programming primarily for first-year students and students in STEM. She has experience teaching intoduction to women's studies and introduction to latine studies courses at Chico State, where she earned her Bachelors in Sociology. Aralia also earned her Masters in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Iowa. Her research interests include leadership development, student development, equitable supervision practices, and ways to create equitable campus environments. Outside of work, Aralia enjoys reading, spending time with her family, exploring a new local coffee shop, listening to music and building lego sets.
	Kelly McNulty (she/her/hers) Program Manager for Experiential Learning kmcnult@umd.edu Kelly McNulty is the Program Manager for Experiential Learning in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership, working on Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP), student organization leadership, and Maryland Engineering Intergroup Dialogue Programs. She has facilitated global education programs in both the U.S. and abroad for 13+ years. Her own first experiential program was an undergraduate research internship in Cape Town, South Africa, working at a public health non-profit focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness through soccer. She has taught in Washington, DC Public Schools, focused on service learning and experiential curriculum, and completed a Fulbright English teaching grant in South Africa. Following this, she coordinated exchange programs through World Learning and 4-H, including Department of State programs for South American and Caribbean students in the U.S. and for American students traveling abroad. Most recently, she was the Experiential Programs Manager at George Mason University, coordinating student travel, virtual and hybrid internships abroad for STEM and other fields. She was also an Undergraduate Instructor for student internships and cross-cultural communication courses, which included traveling with students to Argentina, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand. She holds a Master’s in Teaching from Trinity Washington University and a Bachelor’s in Sociology/Anthropology and American Studies: Social Justice Issues from Lafayette College. In her free time, Kelly loves hiking, playing soccer, and gardening.
	Dr. Léna Kavaliauskas Crain (she/her/hers) Lecturer lkavalia@umd.edu Léna Crain, Ph.D. is a lecturer in the Office of Global Engineering Leadership. She has instructed undergraduate and graduate courses, including programs in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, the Netherlands, and Australia, and has lived and worked in France. These experiences contributed to her research, which examines the relationship between culture, pedagogy, and cognition (how culture influences the way we teach and learn), and the influence of cultural dimensions on conflict and resolution. In her broader career in higher education, Dr. Crain has been recognized by ACPA as a Diamond Honoree and Annuit Coeptis Scholar. Dr. Crain received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.
	Christina Yang (she/her/hers) Administrative Coordinator cyang227@umd.edu Christina is the Administrative Coordinator for Science, Technology and Society (STS) programs in the A. James Clark School of Engineering. She provides student, curriculum, and logistical support to the STS Scholars program, the Engineering Ethics program, and the Office of Global Engineering Leadership. She graduated from UMD in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Disability Studies. Before joining STS, she was an Intake Specialist with the DORS Intake Unit at CTCI UMD, where she helped high school and college students with disabilities in Maryland apply for post-secondary transition services. Currently, she is pursuing her Master's in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Health Equity at the University of Maryland. She is especially interested in imagining structures and systems that help us dismantle our learned, implicit bias.