Higher Education Advisory Council

The IELTS USA Higher Education Advisory Council serves as an external review panel for IELTS USA. Council members are leaders in their fields representing secondary schools, undergraduate and graduate education, public and private institutions, and the TESOL profession.

The responsibilities of the Board include but are not limited to:

informing the Executive Director and staff about trends in higher education that are relevant to IELTS USA
advising the Executive Director and staff about IELTS USA issues, policies, and strategic plans
serving as an ambassador for IELTS USA publicly in everyday work situations, and at conferences and meetings
assisting the Executive Director and IELTS USA staff with introductions to specific non-recognizing institutions
being available to the Executive Director and staff of IELTS USA for individual consultation
recommending and recruiting potential Board members

IELTS USA Higher Education Advisory Council Members

Patriece Campbell-Palmer

Director of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment Management University of Louisville Patriece has more than 15 years of experience in international education. She holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan-Flint, an M.P.A. from Michigan University in Ann Arbor, and a Ph.D. from the University of New England.

Christopher Connor

Assistant Dean and Chief Enrollment Officer for Graduate Education School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (SUNY) Chris has been involved in international enrollment management for over 20 years. He holds a B.A. and an Ed.M from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (SUNY).

April Crabtree

Vice Provost for Strategic Enrollment Management University of San Francisco April has worked in admission since 2008. She holds a B.A. from Eckerd College and an M.A. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Jamila Everett

Director of Admission and Financial Aid The Webb Schools Jamila joined the Webb Schools in Claremont, CA in 2016 as the Director of Admission and Financial Aid with over two decades of previous admission leadership experience. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Communication Management from USC and a doctorate in Education Leadership from UCLA.

Andrea Felder

Assistant Vice Provost for Undergraduate Admissions American University Andrea has been involved in international education for close to 15 years. She holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.Ed. from North Carolina State University; and Ed.D. from North Carolina State University.

Lindsay Gentile

Director of Graduate Admissions NC State University Lindsay has worked in international higher education for more than 18 years. She earned a B.A. in Anthropology and an M.A. in International Studies from East Carolina University.

Aaron Ghirardelli

Senior Assistant Dean for Graduate Admissions and Visiting Associate Professor LMU Loyola Law School Aaron teaches international law topics and supervises graduate programs at LMU Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. He holds his law degree from University of Milano - Bicocca, Italy and an LL.M. degree from UC Hastings, California.

Kate Hellmann

Director, International Student and Scholar Services Washington State University Kate serves as Director of International Student and Scholar Services at WSU where she oversees a suite of retention services from ESL to immigration.

Becky Konowicz

Dean of Undergraduate Admission Santa Clara University Becky has worked in enrollment management since 2004. She holds a B.A. from DePauw University and an M.Ed. from Grand Valley State University.

Kayla Landers

Language Specialist, ITA Liaison, and Instructor Lehigh University Kayla has been teaching ESL since 2009. She holds a B.S. from Slippery Rock University and an M.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Maria Luis Landry

Director of Admission Tulane University Maria counsels prospective L.L.M. and S.J.D. students through the application process. She holds a law degree from Universidade Catolica de Lisboa – Faculdade de Direito and an L.L.M. from Tulane Law School.

Maggie Lucas

Dean of College Counseling Marlborough School Maggie has over 15 years of admissions and college counseling experience. She holds a B.A. from Rowan University and an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Krista LaVack

Associate Director of International Admission Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) Krista has worked in international education for over 20 years. She earned a B.A. degree from Trent University in Canada and a M.S.Ed. degree from SUNY Potsdam.

Brenda Reid

Director of International Student Services Cedarville University Brenda has nearly 10 years' experience in international education. She holds a BA in both History and Comprehensive Social Science and an M.Ed., from Cedarville University. She specializes in high retention and culturally responsive programming to support student adjustment, engagement, and academic success.

Christy Riddle

Executive Director, International Student Services & Student Success Center Delta State University Christy has 24 years of higher education experience, including 10 years in international education. She holds a BBA, MBA, and MSCD from Delta State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Costas Solomou

Vice President for Enrollment The State University of New York (SUNY) Geneseo Costas has worked in international education for more than 15 years. He holds a B.A from St. John Fisher College and an Ed.D. in Higher Education from the University of Rochester.

Andrea Stiefvater

Director, International Admissions Ball State University Andrea has been involved in international education for almost 15 years. She holds a BA from Goucher College, and MA and Ed.D degrees from University of Cincinnati.

Ashley Tankersley

Manager, International Recruitment Hillsborough Community College Ashley specializes in international student recruitment and has worked in international education for over 10 years. She holds a B.S. from Florida State University and an M.A. in International Education from the SIT Graduate Institute.

Dean Tsantir

Director of Graduate Admissions University of Minnesota Dean has experience in international student recruitment, educational technology research, and overseas ministries of education. He holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire and an M.A. from the University of Minnesota.

Gil Villanueva

Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Rhodes College Gil J. Villanueva is the Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.

Emilija Zlatkovska

Director of IEP & Executive Director, Center for International Programs University of Southern Indiana Emilija has been active in the field of international education for about 15 years. She holds an MSc and PhD in language education, EFL/ESL from Indiana University, Bloomington.