Global Executive

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Student Profiles
The Global Executive Doctor of Education is a one-of-a-kind program designed to meet the needs of senior leaders in education by
providing them with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the 21st century.
Anja Abney is the Assistant Director of
International Admission at Ross College in East
Hampton, New York. Anja earned a Master of
Business Administration from Xavier University
and Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages at
Louisiana College. Anja is fluent in English,
German, Spanish, and French and conversational
in Arabic.
Faisal Al Ali is Scholarship Division Manager at
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in the United
Arab Emirates. His position focuses on Human
Resource Management, budget planning, and
control, and the Emiratization Program. Faisal
earned a Master of Business Administration from
Al Hosn University in Abu Dhabi and a Bachelor of
Business from Al Ghurair University in Dubai.
Sana Al-Buainain is the founder and owner of
The Journey for Coaching in Qatar, a consulting
firm focusing on building partnerships with
special international programs and local
institutions. Prior to this position she worked for
the Qatar Foundation as the Manager for Alumni
Affairs at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Sana
earned a Master of Business Administration at
Hull University Business School and a Bachelor of
Fine Arts from Richmond University in London.
She also completed the Executive Leaders
Program at the Qatar Leadership Centre.
Turki Al-Mahmoud is Assistant Director of the
Higher Education Authority at the Supreme
Education Council in Qatar. Prior to this position,
he was Director of Business Improvement at the
Qatar Foundation. Turki earned a Master of
Education Leadership at Qatar University, a
Master of Business Administration at the
University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Arts in
Computer Science at Qatar University.
Azizullah Amir is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Cardiology at Kabul Medical
University in Afghanistan. He is also President of
the Afghanistan Private Hospital Association.
Azizullah earned a Doctor of Medicine at Kabul
Medical University, a Diploma in Medicine at
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and
a Masters degree in Preventive Cardiology at
Imperial College in London.

Alison Badgett is the Director of Research and

Planning at Raise Your Hands Texas in Austin, a
non-profit education advocacy organization that
advances public education by leading researchdriven public policy advocacy and investing in
best-in-class programs for Texas public schools.
Prior to this position, she was an Executive
Director at the New York State Association for
Affordable Housing. Alison earned a Master of Art
in Philosophy and Education at Columbia
University and Bachelor of Science in Politics at
Princeton University.
Christopher Bankston is an entrepreneur and
educator in Cupertino, California. He recently
completed the Master of Arts in Teaching
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
(MAT-TESOL) degree at the University of Southern
California. Previously, Christopher was a media
executive, having founded Vista 2020 Films and
Stealth Media GmbH. Christopher earned a
Bachelor of Science in International Business
Administration at San Jose State University.
Geeta Bidasha Brown is President and CEO of
InterCoast Colleges, which encompasses 12
branch campuses and online programs. Geeta
earned an Executive Master of Leadership at the
University of Southern California and a Bachelor
of Arts at California State University, Sacramento.
Angela Broeckel works for an education
company in Shanghai as the Senior Curriculum
Specialist and Teacher Trainer. This position
provides her the opportunity to create a global
learning curriculum for K - 12 students and
mentor teachers to assist them in being better
educators. Prior to this role, Angie worked in
various international schools in Hong Kong,
Norway, Switzerland, Thailand, Georgia and
Japan as a teacher and Coordinator of ServiceLearning and Experiential Education Learning.
She earned her Master of Education degree at
the University of Oregon and her Bachelor of Arts
degree in Intercultural Communication at Linfield
College in Oregon.

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Estella Y.M. Chen is the founder of MandarinX, a

MOOC-based language program, and a full-time
lecturer at National Chengchi University in
Taiwan. Estella earned a Master of Education in
Teaching English as a Foreign Language at the
University of Southern California and Bachelor of
Arts in Applied English at Ming Chuan University.
Jennifer Chidsey is the Chief Education Officer at
Ross Institute in New York City. Prior to her
current position, she was the Chief Operation
Officer and Chief Academic Officer at Ross
Institute. Jennifer earned a Certificate of
Advanced Study in Educational Leadership at the
University of Pennsylvania, a Certificate in Critical
and Creative Thinking at the University of
Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Science in
Education at Northwestern University.
Kona-Facia Freeman-Nepay is the Operator and
Executive Director of Baltimore International
Academy, Inc. Prior to this position, she was
Principal of Robert Goddard French Immersion
School. Kona earned a Master of Education in
French and a Bachelor of Science in Language
Sciences at the Universit de Franche-Compt
Besanon in France and a Bachelor of Arts in
French and Public Administration at the
University of Liberia.
Eric Fung is Director of Chung Hing Engineers
Group in Hong Kong, a data center and IT
infrastructure company. Eric earned his Master in
Management at Macquarie University in Australia
and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical
Engineering at the University of Southern
Californias Viterbi School of Engineering.

Troy McVey is Associate Dean for the College of

Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and an Associate
Professor of Theatre at the University of Guam.
Troy earned a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre
Design at Tulane University and a Bachelor of Fine
Arts at Drake University in Iowa. He also earned a
Management Development Program Certificate
from the Harvard University Graduate School of
Education.
Wilson Peters is a state office teacher at the
Department of Education in Hawaii where he
coordinates the curriculum for the Mlama
Honua Worldwide Voyage, a program that allows
children in schools throughout Hawaii to connect
with mariners circumnavigating the globe in
Polynesian voyaging canoes. Wilson earned an
Executive Master in Public Administration at
Columbia University, a Master of Arts in Pacific
Island Studies at the University of Hawaii and a
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the
University of Hawaii.
Nigel Winnard is the founding Principal at
Khartoum International Community School in
Sudan. Prior to this position, he was Director of
Studies at St. Pauls School in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Nigel earned a Master of Arts in K-12 Educational
Administration at Michigan State University, an
Advanced Diploma in Education Management at
the University of Leicester and a Bachelor of Arts
degree in English and European Literature at the
University of Essex in the United Kingdom.

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