Senior International Leaders’ Meeting 2025

Diego Quiroga is the President of Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). He has held several leadership roles at USFQ, including Dean of Research and External Affairs, and co-director of the Galápagos Academic Institute of Arts and Sciences (GAIAS). He also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina’s Center for Galápagos Studies.

Diego earned his BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A former Olympic swimmer, he represented Ecuador in the 1980 Summer Olympics.

His research focuses on urban ecology, political ecology, medical anthropology, and conservation in the Galápagos, Amazon, and Andes. He has published extensively on biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable development.

Thomas Schneider is the 5th Chief Executive of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), a role he took up in January 2023. A native of Germany, Thomas Schneider studied at the Universities of Zurich, Basel and the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. He earned his degrees (Lizentiat 1990; Dr. phil. 1996; Habilitation 1999), all in Egyptology, from the University of Basel. Throughout his career, he has held academic and administrative positions in four global regions – North America; Asia; Europe; the Middle East. He was a Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Zurich (2000-3), a Junior Research Professor of the Swiss National Science Foundation at the University of Basel (2001-5), inaugural holder of the Chair in Egyptology at Swansea University, Wales (2005-7), before joining the University of British Columbia as a Professor of Egyptology and Near Eastern Studies. He held Visiting Professorships at the University of Vienna, the University of Heidelberg and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 2018-20, Thomas Schneider served the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, as Associate Vice President (International). He also co-founded PALAC – a new consortium of liberal arts colleges in Asia and North America. 

Andrea C. Encalada is an Ecuadorian freshwater scientist with over 30 years of experience in stream ecology and conservation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and a PhD from Cornell University. In 2004, she founded the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory at USFQ and later the BIOSFERA-USFQ Research Institute in 2016. Her research spans various ecological topics, from aquatic life history in temperate streams to biodiversity patterns in the Amazon and Tropical Andes. With over 90 peer-reviewed publications, Andrea has contributed significantly to biodiversity conservation and sustainable water use. She received the 2018 “Matilde Hidalgo” National Research Award and joined the Ecuador Academy of Sciences. Between 2019 and 2021, she co-chaired the Science Panel for the Amazon. Since 2021, she has served on its Science Steering Committee. As Provost at USFQ, Andrea leads the university’s academic and research missions, developing programs that reflect the mission and vision of the liberal arts, while ensuring academic excellence in the education and formation of students.

Cindy Fan is Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement and Professor of Geography at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She provides strategic leadership for the university’s international partnerships and agreements, represents UCLA globally, promotes international education and research, and oversees dozens of interdisciplinary research centers and degree programs within the International Institute. She also leads the Global Goal of UCLA’s Strategic Plan. Dr. Fan received her PhD from The Ohio State University and is internationally recognized for her research on migration, split households, gender, and regional development in China. She has authored numerous publications, including the pioneering book China on the Move. Dr. Fan has received several honors, including Distinguished Teaching and Scholar Awards, major research grants from the Mellon Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the National Science Foundation, as well as an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Bristol. She is also an elected member of the National Academy of International Education.

Vinitha Gengatharan is the inaugural Executive Lead, International Strategy at Simon Fraser University, where she leads initiatives to strengthen SFU’s global presence, enhance research impact, expand student opportunities, and support international student success. She brings over 20 years of experience in international higher education administration. Previously, as Assistant Vice-President of Global Engagement and Partnerships at York University, Vinitha developed the institution’s first international strategic plan, expanded global learning, and fostered impactful partnerships. She also held senior roles at the University of Toronto. Beyond her institutional leadership, she contributes to the sector as Chair of the Ontario International Education Working Group and as a board member of the Canadian Bureau for International Education.

Associate Professor Sau Kim Lum is Associate Vice President (Global Relations) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She is a faculty member of the Department of Real Estate at NUS Business School, specialising in real estate finance and securitisation. Assoc. Prof. Lum is an acclaimed educator who has received multiple teaching excellence awards. Her research interests include housing and land policy, index construction, as well as green finance.

Beyond academia, Assoc. Prof. Lum’s contributions span both the public and private sectors, domestically and internationally. She developed the official suite of indices for Singapore’s housing sector and has shared her expertise with various organisations including Citibank, GIC, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Housing, and Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority. Assoc. Prof. Lum currently sits on the Ministry of Finance’s Valuation Review Board.

A former ASEAN and British Commonwealth scholar, Assoc. Prof. Lum graduated with a BSc (Estate Management) honours degree from NUS. She later obtained a Master of Land Economy from the University of Aberdeen in 1989, and a PhD in Business Administration (Finance and Real Estate) from University of California, Berkeley, in 1996.

Alexandra Velasco holds a Doctorate in Education with a focus on Organizational Leadership from Northeastern University (United States). Additionally, she has an MBA in Sustainability and Innovation from the University of Oregon (United States). She serves as the Senior Director of Internationalization at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, analyzing the strategy for international development programs and fundraising. Alexandra is founder of and manages GAIAS Europa, a USFQ hub in Spain that connects the Americas and Europe in academic and research matters. At USFQ, she initiated the Office of Innovation and Sustainability and the Smart Campus Group to ensure more efficient university resource management, leading to STARS Sustainability by AASHE and making USFQ the first campus in South America to achieve this. She has secured external funding, such as the BID-WISE project for Women in Science Entrepreneurship.

Michael Lazzara serves as Associate Vice Provost of Academic Programs and Partnerships in Global Affairs, and Professor of Latin American Literature and Cultural Studies at UC Davis. In his administrative role, he advances global engagement through strategic partnerships, faculty initiatives, professional programs, international academic English, and oversees the UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center. Prof. Lazzara regularly represents UC Davis in global forums, fosters interdisciplinary collaborations, and supports global research and education.

Adrian Little is Pro Vice-Chancellor International at The University of Melbourne. He is the university’s Senior International Leader in the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) in which he is also the founder and co-convenor of the Indigenous and First Nations Knowledges Network. For several years he also served on the board of the Asia Pacific Association of International Education (APAIE). In his academic life, Adrian is a Professor of Political Theory and has written or edited ten books, along with numerous journal articles on social and political philosophy, Indigenous politics, and democracy and political conflict. He is an elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

Toshiya Ueki is the Executive Vice President for General Affairs, International Relations, and Academic Resources at Tohoku University and also serves as Professor of International Law at the Faculty and Graduate School of Law. From 1988 to 1990, he was a Visiting Fellow at the Research Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge, UK, and from 1996 to 1997 he was a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard-Yenching Institute at Harvard University, USA. Prof. Ueki is a member of several distinguished academic societies, including the Japanese Society of International Law and the International Law Association. He served as President of the Japanese Association of World Law from May 2020 to May 2023, and as President of the Japanese Society of International Law from June 2022 to June 2024.

Dennis Galvan is Dean and Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Professor of Political Science and Global Studies at University of Oregon.  He manages study abroad, international student services, global faculty research, global partnerships, international fundraising, international alumni relations and global representational work. In Senegal and Indonesia, Galvan studies everyday acts of creativity that reshape political and economic institutions from below, resulting in alternate modernities aligned with local cultures.

Mellissa Withers, PhD, MHS serves as Professor, and Director of Pedagogical Enrichment and Training in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. She is also the director of the APRU Global Health Program. Her research is informed by her international experiences and commitment to understanding diverse health challenges. Her work focuses on a broad range of global health issues, including sexual and reproductive health, women’s empowerment, migrant health, and mental health, with a particular emphasis on community-based participatory research and qualitative methodology. Dr. Withers’ dedication to pedagogical excellence has been recognized through several teaching awards. She earned her PhD in Community Health Sciences from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, a Master’s in Health Sciences from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, and a BA in Global Development from UC Berkeley. Dr Withers has published over 100 scientific papers, 6 book chapters, and has co-edited two global health books- Global Health Leadership: Case Studies from the Pacific Rim and Global Perspectives on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Across the Lifespan. She serves as co-editor-in-chief for the Journal of Public Health and Emergencies. She has conducted research in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia.

Mirko Varano serves as Vice Rector for International Affairs at Tecnologico De Monterrey – ITESM. He has been active in the field of internationalisation of higher education for over 30 years. From 1992 to 2008, he covered different positions of responsibility at the Turin Technical University in the field of international relations. He was appointed as CLUSTER network coordinator from 2008 to 2010. He was previously internationalisation officer at KTH Royal Institute of Technology where he was appointed a member of the international strategy group from 2013 to 2016, and afterwards as adviser for international projects at the same institution. Between 2019 and 2024, he acted as Key Liaison officer for the Unite! European University Alliance. Mirko holds an academic background in Political Science with a specialisation in International Relations and European Studies. He is currently chairing the EAIE Thematic Committee on Partnerships.

Patricia Montano’s professional career has developed between Information Technology Management and Internationalization. During her 31 years at Tecnológico de Monterrey she has collaborated in academics as well as in administrative posts always related to the international development of the university. Patricia Montano obtained two Master degrees, an MBA from EGADE Business School with specialization in Global e-Management and a Master in Information Technologies Management, both at Tecnologico de Monterrey. She has been a speaker at several international conferences. As Director for International Innovation and Networks at Tecnológico de Monterrey she is responsible for designing new formats for student’s international experiences, new paths for the university’s internationalization as well as for the university activities at consortia. Her experience in the development of programs for the internationalization of the faculty and the growth of the international cooperation of academics in teaching-learning tasks has had an impact on the advancement of internationalization at home for both students and professors, achieving that more than 18,000 students and more than 1,000 professors, both Mexican and international, get involved in online collaborations facilitating the understanding of cultures and the discussion on topics of common interest based on the UN SDG.

Cheryl Dumaresq serves as Executive Director, Global Engagement at The University of British Columbia. As UBC’s Senior International Officer, she represents the university on Canada’s U15 International Leadership Committee and global networks such as the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU).

In her role, Cheryl oversees UBC’s Office of Global Engagement, which includes student mobility programs, international partnerships, and the university’s satellite offices in Hong Kong and Delhi. She brings extensive leadership experience across international education, student services, academic advising, student recruitment and marketing, as well as institutional research and analysis.

Cheryl holds a Master of Arts in Higher Education from UBC. She is currently completing an EdD in Educational Leadership at Western University, where she is exploring how to increase participation in study abroad programs. In 2020, she was awarded the President’s Service Award for Excellence, the University’s highest award for staff. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, including her three young adult daughters who are navigating university life.

Takako Izumi is a Professor at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) and the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies at Tohoku University, Japan. Her research focuses on international disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies, humanitarian assistance, and DRR initiatives at the local and community levels.

She serves as Director of the Multi-Hazards (MH) Program, launched in 2013 by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), a consortium of 62 leading research institutions across the Pacific Rim.

Prior to joining Tohoku University, she spent over 15 years working in the fields of DRR, disaster response, recovery, and development with NGOs and various United Nations agencies, including UN-Habitat, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the UN Office of the Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias (UNORC), and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Since May 2015, she has been serving as a member of the Asia-Pacific Science and Technology Advisory Group (APSTAG), established by UNDRR to support governments and stakeholders in implementing the Sendai Framework for DRR.

She holds a PhD in Global Environmental Studies from Kyoto University, Japan.

Carlos Rilling Tenorio is the Executive Director of the Office of the President at the Universidad de Chile, where he leads strategic initiatives in governance, institutional development, and international cooperation. He recently coordinated the 2025 APRU Undergraduate Leaders Program in Santiago, which brought together students from across the Pacific Rim to address global challenges through intercultural dialogue, collaborative leadership, and a Latin American perspective.

With over 15 years of experience in higher education management, Carlos has developed a strong trajectory in advancing equity and inclusion. He has directed major institutional improvement projects, promoted affirmative action in admissions, and contributed to Chile’s constitutional process as Executive Secretary for Citizen Participation. He has also played leading roles in undergraduate education, accreditation, and strategic planning.

Carlos is a PhD candidate in Higher Education (UDP–Leiden) and a Senior Fellow of both the Melton Foundation and Qatar Foundation’s Learners Voice Program, as well as an alumnus of the U.S. State Department’s IVLP.

Jaime López is a full-time professor at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). He holds a Master’s degree from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and a PhD from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). At USFQ, he coordinates the Environmental Design minor and directs the Institute of Architecture and Urban Form (AFORU). His academic work examines the intersections of geography, ecology, and urban morphology, with a particular focus on the Galápagos Islands and Quito’s Machángara River. Within APRU’s Sustainable Cities & Landscapes (SCL) hub, he collaborates closely with the University of Oregon through the Galápagos SCL workshop, a co-teaching program that integrates education, community outreach, and research, bringing together scholars and students from across the Pacific Rim. Through these activities, Jaime has helped connect local ecological and urban challenges to broader regional and global discussions. His collaborations with APRU partners—including the University of Oregon, The University of Hong Kong, The University of Melbourne, and other members—underscore his commitment to advancing interdisciplinary dialogue on sustainability and resilience within the APRU network.

Joanna Regulska, vice provost and dean of Global Affairs and distinguished professor of gender, sexuality and women’s studies at the University of California, Davis, has led large-scale programs that transform institutions, establish partnerships, and substantially improve global services for over 30 years.

Regulska oversees Global Affairs at UC Davis where she strives to provide all students with global learning experiences through the Provost’s Priority of Global Education for All. She also engages faculty, staff and students with the UN Sustainable Development Goals as part of UC Davis’ commitment to solving global challenges; and promotes understanding while addressing global inequities.

In 2022, Regulska was honored with the Charles Klasek Award for outstanding service to the field of international higher education from the Association of International Education Administrators. A respected scholar, Regulska’s research concentrates on women’s political activism, grassroots mobilization, decentralization, democracy and democratization, with a focus on Europe and the Caucasus.

Karla Urriola Gonzalez currently serves as the National Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the Center of Recognition for Human Dignity, Técnologico de Monterrey.

A forensic expert and is accredited as a facilitator in intervention models for the prevention and treatment of violence, Karla has advised numerous groups and collectives on issues related to disability, sexual diversity, youth and women—including Instituto Nuevo Amanecer, fathers and mothers of Arcoiris AC.

As a teacher in the Clinical Psychology program at Tecnológico de Monterrey, she teaches human sexuality subjects and leads seminars focused on vulnerable groups.

Karla holds a master’s degree in clinical Sexology Sciences from the Mexican Institute of Sexology, is a PhD Candidate in Human sexology, and a Graduate in Clinical Psychologist from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León.

In recognition of her advocacy, she was a finalist for the National Human Rights Award presented by the National Human Rights Commission in Mexico City (2012).

Juan Manuel Guayasamin is Vice-Dean of Research, Full Professor, and Director of the Tandayapa Cloud Forest Station at Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Ecuador. He earned his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Kansas and has published 150 scientific papers and four books. He is a member of both the Science Panel for the Amazon and the Ecuadorian Academy of Sciences.

His research interests span the evolution, ecology, taxonomy, morphology, and conservation of Neotropical biodiversity. He is a leading scientist in understanding the mechanisms that drive speciation in the Andes, Amazon Basin, and Galapagos Islands. To date, he has described seven glassfrog genera, 69 new frog species, 15 reptiles, and two mammals.

He actively integrates research with ecosystem conservation, fostering close collaboration with fellow scientists, NGOs, and local communities. Since 2022, he has directed the Tandayapa Cloud Forest Station—an initiative focused on conserving the Tropical Andes, one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. In this cloud forest, he and his team are working to protect standing forest and reestablish ecological connectivity, with a special emphasis on endangered species such as Andean bears, frogs, and birds. Simultaneously, they collaborate with local communities to promote sustainable, nature-based livelihoods.

Felipe Ante is Director of Institutional Affairs and Relations at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), where he also serves as Director of USFQ PATH and Academic Director of the university’s Model United Nations program. He holds an MBA and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, with a minor in Political Science and History, from USFQ.

Before joining USFQ, Felipe worked at a prominent strategy and political analysis consultancy, advising both public and private sector institutions. He later served as Political Advisor to Ecuador’s Minister of Social Development, where he played a key role in designing and implementing the legislative strategy for a landmark bill that integrated housewives into the national social security system.

Felipe began his tenure at USFQ as Coordinator of the Office of the President and has since led institutional initiatives that strengthen the university’s national and local relations.