Why CISabroad

At CISabroad, we feel that our strongest asset is our staff. From the moment you first hear from us be it through a phone call, email or personal visit, you will find someone that truly cares about helping you to find the best study abroad program to fit your needs.

Not sure who to contact? Give us a call at 877 617 9090 or email us at info(at)cisabroad.com

Executive Management

Jeff Palm

Founder and Executive Director
jpalm(at)cisabroad.com

Jeff holds a BA degree in Biology from the College of Saint Scholastica (MN) and an MA in Management from Hawaii Pacific University.  Jeff's international experiences include working in Europe, Asia and Africa during his tenure as Associate Director of International Admissions at Hawaii Pacific University, international program development in Europe and Australasia, and in business and "pleasure" travel to more than 30 countries.  As the Director, Jeff is primarily responsible for managing the strategic direction of the company as well as in developing and maintaining the relationships with CIS's overseas educational partners. Outside of the office, Jeff keeps busy hiking, snowshoeing, playing basketball, surfing (only in warm water) and spending as much time as he can with his wife, sons and dog.

Kris Holloway

Director of University Relations and Marketing
kholloway(at)cisabroad.com

Kris is the author of a travel narrative, Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali, based on her experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa. As Kris will tell you, "my study abroad experience in France during undergrad and my time in the Peace Corps formed the way I think about the world and the people in it. I am so excited to connect students with the overseas education that can change their lives." Kris holds a MPH in administration and education from the University of Michigan and has used her unique background in writing, public health, and strategic planning to further the mission of numerous non-profits and educational institutions including Planned Parenthood, the National Priorities Project, the University of Michigan, Springfield College, and the Greenbelt Movement International. She is a confirmed Francophile, a devoted (if slow) runner, loves chocolate, and sits on a physio ball while at her computer. She lives in Northampton, MA with her husband, two sons, and their giant black poodle. 

Scott Tayloe

Director of Customized Programs
stayloe(at)cisabroad.com

Scott is a twice-graduate of Jacksonville University with a BS in Aeronautics and an MBA. During his undergraduate college career, Scott studied and volunteered abroad in Australia, Costa Rica, France, Portugal and the Philippines. Scott received his pilots license at the age of 17, backpacked Europe at 18 and has since visited 6 continents - with the hopes of visiting Antarctica soon. He is originally from St. Louis, Missouri but has lived in Jacksonville, Florida for the past 10 years.

Scott enjoys playing on the beach with his dogs or planning his next trip abroad. In his current role at CIS, Scott is the Director of Customized Programs helping faculty and advisors plan their own trips to incredible destinations.

Joe Debiec

Programs Manager
jdebiec(at)cisabroad.com

Joe Debiec received a BA in Anthropology from Vassar College and an MA in International Education from the School for International Training. While growing up Joe was always on the move, but stayed close to home in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate NY. His international adventures began in East Africa during his junior year of college, and since then he has spent the majority of this time abroad. Joe has studied, lived and worked in Japan, Thailand, Senegal, Oman, Kenya and Vietnam. These days many of Joe’s adventures take place close to his home, in Northampton, MA. Among Joe’s favorite activities are eating sushi, drinking micro-roasted coffee, scuba-diving, relaxing in hot spring bath houses, exploring places for the first time, bicycling, snowshoeing and snowboarding.

Amanda Bernhard

Programs Manager
abernhard(at)cisabroad.com

Amanda Bernhard attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics. Before going to college she worked on a horse farm in Adare, Ireland for three months, and then later studied in Cork, Ireland for a semester in her Junior year at UMass. She loves language and speaks conversational Spanish and Irish Gaelic but wants to be fluent in as many languages as possible! At CIS Amanda assists both the Marketing and Programs departments with tasks ranging from tracking applications, sending out transcripts, developing promotional materials and visiting college study abroad fairs. Amanda loves hiking, biking, practicing yoga, playing the fiddle and uilleann pipes, riding her horse and spending time with her husband. 

Jessica Sztaimberg

Program Coordinator 
jsztaimberg(at)cisabroad.com

Jessica is a native Cantabrigian (from Cambridge, MA), but she has spent a semester living in Sydney, Australia, 3 months in Spain, and a month in Ukraine. She has visited 10 countries and 4 continents, and is addicted to traveling! Jessica is currently working on her Masters in International Education at the School for International Training and is extremely passionate about study abroad and cultural exchange. She has worked in various capacities in the field of international education, and will now be coordinating programs at CISabroad.

Jessica has dabbled in both Spanish and Ukrainian language learning, but is most fluent in English. She enjoys a bit of adventure when she can, and has so far tried skydiving, tarzan- swinging, zip lining, glacier hiking, kayaking, white water rafting, scuba, snorkel, and rock climbing. Her biggest brag moment may just be her climb to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney!

At home, Jessica is most happy with iced coffee, glossy magazines, HGTV, the travel channel, and exotic food. Pretty new to Northampton, she is excited to explore the area!  

Andrew Jaquith

Assistant to the Student Accounts Coordinator
ajaquith(at)cisabroad.com

Andrew attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, earning a bachelor's degree in Finance & Operations Management and Economics. He has spent time abroad in Denmark, France, Italy, and New Jersey throughout the years, and yearns to leave Massachusetts once again, despite its pleasant fall foliage. He enjoys sitting in front of computers, both in the office and at home, combing the bowels of the internet for obscure news in the world of international political economy, counting beans, and using Photoshop to enhance his drab lifestyle. Andrew also enjoys playing music, reading sonnets, drinking espresso, eating spicy food, riding bikes, sleeping, astrology, moral polemic, and imagining taking long walks on the beach from the comfort of home.

Student Advising Team

Kailee Sanchez

Student Advising Coordinator

Kailee graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in Business Administration and Marketing concentration. She completed her Spanish minor while studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. She caught the travel bug in high school while participating in a Spanish summer travel program and later returned to Spain to finish courses for her Spanish minor. She fell in love with Madrid and was able to travel extensively throughout Spain and Europe while living abroad. She is passionate about sharing the wonders of travel, experiencing new cultures and Harry Potter. She was once given a real wand but claims to have never tried to use it. When she is not saving money for her next adventure abroad, she spends her time hiking, skiing, hanging out with friends and drinking wine in beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado.

Molly Theodora Oringer

Student Advisor

Molly Theodora is currently a senior at Smith College studying Religion and Middle East Studies. She studied immersion Arabic in pre-revolution Alexandria, Egypt, ambled around the Levant, and eventually settled into East Jerusalem to conduct fieldwork on illegal housing demolitions in Palestinian communities. Now back at Smith, Molly enjoys throwing themed costume parties, the Arabic language, eating everything with Sriracha chili sauce, religio-political theory, and drinking a steady stream of coffee. A true-blue Scorpio, she is also a secret astrology nerd, a trained classical singer, and a former trapeze artist. Her inner animal is a red Tibetan yak.

Marquisa Cassell

Student Advisor

Marquisa is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a graduate of Saint Mary's College of California. At SMC she got her BA in International Studies with a concentration in Western Europe and double majored in Spanish. She first studied abroad in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where she became fluent in Spanish and fell in love with traveling and then later studied in Madrid, Spain. She considers herself an honorary Madrileña after having adopted the lifestyle in 2008 and traveled in France, Italy and Morocco. She recently moved to Massachusetts and is happy to be closer to Europe for more travel opportunities. In her free time she spends time with her fiancé, cat and enjoys attending Spanish conversation groups to keep fluent.

Julie Forrest

Student Advisor

Julie graduated from Wheaton College with a BA in English/Creative Writing and a minor in Dance. Her excitement for traveling and studying abroad began with her own study abroad experience in Wollongong, Australia. During her stay, she was fortunate enough to spend time scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, climbing the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, and exploring Hobbit holes from the Lord of the Rings movies in New Zealand! In her spare time Julie enjoys reading, knitting, teaching dance, and planning out her next adventures.

Marketing and University Relations Team 

Amber Kettmann

Senior University Relations Coordinator
akettmann@cisabroad.com

Amber holds a BA in Counseling from Keene State College and a Master of Leadership Studies in Higher Education from North Central College. As an undergrad, Amber studied abroad in both Italy and Greece. As a grad student, she was fortunate enough to spend time in Brazil conducting research on short-term study abroad programs. Amber is passionate about promoting different worldviews and new ways of thinking among students, and firmly believes that we should all be constantly challenged to move beyond our comfort zones at any stage in life. Although Amber is and always will be a New Hampshire girl at heart, she thoroughly enjoyed the mini-culture shock she received while living in Chicago for several years, and is now enjoying life in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Keith Born

Senior University Relations Representative
Mountain States: CO, UT, WY, MT

Keith graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with majors in Spanish and International Studies. While at the UW he studied abroad for a semester in Seville, Spain, worked as a Spanish tutor and played an active role in promoting study abroad on campus. Keith's recent overseas experiences include leading programs to Ecuador, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic; living in Oaxaca, Mexico; and traveling to Argentina, Chile and Peru. Originally from the Chicago area, Keith is a recent "transplant" to Colorado, where he spends much of his time atop bikes and mountains.

Laura Brinkman

University Relations Representative
Southwest: AR, KS, LA , NM, MO, OK, TX (NAFSA Region III and parts of II & IV)

Laura graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in International Studies and History. She first studied abroad in High school as part of a European student ambassador program, and then returned in college to spend a semester in Rome, Italy. She has since spent time in 12 countries, and loves planning her next adventure abroad. Laura enjoys large quantities of coffee, college football, two stepping, (She is a Texan after all) reading, meeting people from all over the world, and adding new items to her bucket list. She truly loves working with students, and helping to encourage and connect them to opportunities abroad.

Karen Eisenhut

University Relations Representative
West Coast: AK, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA
(NAFSA Region I & XII)

Karen is a graduate from Whittier College with a BA in Sociology and Education. As an undergrad she spent a semester abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark and traveled back two other times to complete research for her senior project on the Danish educational system. Additionally, she has backpacked around Western Europe and visits Mexico frequently. Originally from New Jersey, she has made the west coast her new home living in California and now Oregon. Karen enjoys running, going to the beach, snowboarding, traveling, quality time with family and friends and whole-hearted attempts at cooking.

Ben Ernst

University Relations Representative
Midwest: IA, IL, MI, MN, WI
(Part of NAFSA Region IV & All of Region V)

Ben is a graduate of the University of Michigan twice over with an BA in German and a MA in Higher Education. In high school, Ben used his agricultural background to organize a summer working on a dairy farm in northern Germany, which ignited his interest in cultures, language and international travel. Since then, he has spent a year as a student at the Albert-Ludwigs Universität in Freiburg, Germany and a year as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Austria. His love for travel and cultural discovery has taken him throughout Europe and into Africa. Currently living in Ann Arbor, MI, Ben spends his free time attempting to restore his old Volkswagen Karmann Ghia as well as antique clocks and watches. He also enjoys “noodling around” on the guitar and banjo.

Kate Godwin

University Relations Representative
Southeast: AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN
(NAFSA Region VII)

Kate holds a BA in Spanish & Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the University of Georgia, and a MS in International Affairs from Georgia Tech.  She studied abroad in Cadiz, Spain & Niteroi, Brazil.  Prior to joining CIS, Kate worked at Georgia State University's Study Abroad Programs.  Kate enjoys coffee, attempting to cook, bargain shopping, spending time with friends and family, traveling, and living in Atlanta.

Leah Meyer

University Relations Representative
NE, ND, SD
(Parts of NAFSA Regions IV & V)

Leah graduated from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln with a BA in Spanish and European Studies. During her undergraduate she spent a year in Spain, studying Spanish literature and philology, working as a conversational teacher in the local high school, and tutoring young children in English. With a love of helping others study abroad, she has interned at the International Affairs offices at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and Omaha and also worked with the Lincoln International Network Community. Settled in Nebraska, she enjoys cooking, knitting and yoga and is excited to try her hand at gardening with her fiancé.

Meaghan Murphy

University Relations Representative
New England: CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT
(NAFSA Region XI)

Meaghan has a BA in Psychology and a minor in Women’s Studies from Wheaton College in Massachusetts and is currently pursuing an MA in International Education from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, VT. While at Wheaton, she studied abroad in Auckland, New Zealand, which gave her the inspiration to work with education abroad programs. In addition to New Zealand, she has visited Australia, Italy, and Greece, and looks forward to traveling to South America, Africa, and Asia in the future. Meaghan loves playing her djembe drum, throwing a football around, watching soccer, spending quality time with her friends and family, and is always ready for roller coasters and other adrenaline-filled activities.

Tammen Nicholson

University Relations Representative
Mid-Atlantic: DC, DE, MD, NY, NJ, VA
(NAFSA Region VIII & X)
 
Tammen has a bachelor’s degree from Springfield College in Sport Management. During his sophomore year of college, he studied abroad at Bond University on Australia’s Gold Coast. From there he became hooked on international study and travel. The following year he backpacked through Central and Eastern Europe before spending a semester in York, England. After experiencing the varied cultures of the two continents he became extremely intrigued by international development. A sports fanatic, Tammen loves anything to do with organized, recreational, (and especially) non-profit sports. He tries to spend as much of his time as he can outdoors and is always up for a game of Frisbee.

Nick Vasiloff

University Relations Representative
Eastern Midwest: IN, OH, KY, PA, WV
(NAFSA Region VI & VIII)

Nick is a graduate from the University of Evansville with a BA in Spanish/International Studies. During his undergraduate years he spent a semester in England, a summer in Guadalajara, Mexico, and another summer in the Yucatan Peninsula. As a second-generation Greek-American, he has lived in northern Greece and had the opportunity to travel through Europe, including France, Spain, Germany and Macedonia. He currently calls Columbus, Ohio home, and enjoys studying foreign languages, watching soccer, dancing, eating baklava, and spending time with his big fat Greek family.

Customized Programs Team

Claire Novotny

Customized Program Coordinator
cnovotny(at)cisabroad.com

Claire graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a Bachelors degree in Anthropology. During her sophomore year she studied abroad in Argentina and fell in love with South America. Over the next couple of years she was able to travel to and study in numerous South and Central American cities. Claire has been to over 20 countries but her desire to learn about the world’s cultures and languages has not yet been fulfilled, will it ever be? Claire is a Northampton, MA native and now lives down the street from where she grew up! These days you can catch her walking around town, rock climbing with friends, singing in the car and teaching English in a café!

Tiffany Lyman-Olszewski