CEA CAPA International Internship Coordinators Directory
International Internship Coordinators Team
Maggie Fitzgerald
Center Director
Maggie earned a bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hotel Management from the Universidad del Salvador (USAL) and an MBA degree with a double specialization in Marketing and Operational Management from Universidad de Palermo (UP). She has worked for fifteen years in the hospitality industry in Argentina, Uruguay and The Netherlands, gaining extensive experience in luxury services, intercultural relations and teams management. In addition to her corporate experience, Maggie has always had a special interest for education. She has been a professor since 2007 in different Universities and Institutions for undergraduate and graduate students. In 2016, Maggie started up her own Marketing and Communication business, working with companies from diverse industries, helping them achieve their goals, grow and increase their performance.
Florencia Ferrari
STUDENT & ACADEMIC COORDINATOR
Florencia studied social anthropology at Buenos Aires University (UBA, Argentina) and is currently finishing her Ph.D in anthropology after winning a doctoral scholarship in 2016. Her research, which focuses on public policies around unemployment and their impact on workers’ organizations, was conducted in the province of Jujuy, in northern Argentina, where she used to travel and live for a couple of months each year. As part of her academic training, she moved to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) for a few months and attended the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). She also worked as a teacher and tutor in different public universities in Buenos Aires.
Growing up, Florencia considered herself to be a bit of a nerd – she loved reading literature and theater plays, listening to music and going to concerts, and watching films. Her hometown was a small city in the Buenos Aires province, so some films were difficult to obtain. Hence, she really looked forward to moving to Buenos Aires and enjoying all the cultural activities the city has to offer. In her free time, Florencia likes to take long strolls through different neighborhoods and explore Buenos Aires architecture and culinary circuits.
Martin Brokeš
Internship Program Manager
As Internship Program Manager, Martin maintains a network of host sites where CEA students can complete internships. He counsels students before the program begins to best match interns and placements. He also provides support and guidance to internship students on-site.
He holds a master’s degree in International Human Resource Management from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. During his studies, Martin completed two internships in Russia and Taiwan, where he was facilitating cross-cultural intelligence workshops. He taught himself Spanish while backpacking in South America. Martin has held various HR positions in the corporate sector. His work assignments were in the UK, Germany, and the Czech Republic. He has been involved in various NGOs and worked as a camp counselor at summer camps in the UK and Czech Republic.
Martin is passionate about psychology and philosophy, community development, education and facilitation, languages, and foreign cultures. He is a curious learner, explorer, swimmer, hiker, and meditator. Martin is not an artistic soul but likes to sometimes play ukulele.
Justine Mons
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Justine comes to CEA having worked at a student accommodation in the center of Grenoble. Through this work, with French and foreign students, she discovered her desire and passion for education. Prior to CEA, Justine studied English and foreign civilizations and cultures. She has previously worked as a buyer, a role requiring her to remotely coordinate with 50 other colleagues. These roles bring Justine into the Director position with prior experience in working with students, local stakeholders in Grenoble, and working remotely with teams to accomplish tasks.
Justine has lived abroad in Australia but was born in Grenoble, and is excited about our CEA commitment to deepening student learning and engagement in the local community.
Christopher Edwards, M.A.
ACADEMIC DIRECTOR
Christopher oversees academic programs offered through CEA Paris. His responsibilities range from curriculum development to faculty training, as well as student advising and partner program oversight. He has developed an extensive working knowledge of academic approaches to topics ranging from world health care systems to global management information systems.
Christopher holds a Masters of Arts in French from New York University (N.Y.) and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and French from Auburn University (Ala.). Prior to joining CEA, Christopher was an Instructor of French at Clemson University (S.C.). In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he facilitated study abroad programs for Clemson's College of Art, Architecture
As a long-time U.S. citizen living overseas, Christopher thinks that "students should be increasingly aware of the monumental competition they will face in an increasingly globalized job market. Learning languages and developing an ethical and responsible contact with non-U.S. cultures through structured study abroad programming is one way in which to do so."
ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
* Phi Beta Kappa
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PRESENTATIONS/PUBLICATIONS
* Facebook training for study abroad professionals, APUAF Annual Meeting of U.S. Program Directors in France, March 2010
* Student travel abroad: ensuring your student's safety, APUAF Annual Meeting of U.S. Program Directors in France, March 2013
* Digital Video Conference (DVC) Presentation, U.S. Department of State, Africa Regional Services, Paris, France (with US Embassy in Cotonou, Benin). Activism and the LGBT Community. June 2013.
Digital Video Conference (DVC) presentation, U.S. Department of State, Africa Regional Services, Paris, France (with US Embassy in Brazzaville, Congo). Study in the US. November 2013.
Sabrina Khellaf
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Sabrina joined CEA in 2021 as a Program Coordinator dedicated to sourcing and coordinating CEA Internships. She also contributes to all areas of program coordination, including assisting with Student Housing, Orientation sessions, activities and excursions.
Sabrina is bi-national (Franco-Algerian) and tri-lingual (French, Arabic and English). She graduated from EHEC in Algeria, before moving to Paris to complete her master’s degree at Ecole Supérieur de Gestion et Communication (ESGCI). Upon graduation, Sabrina moved back to Algiers where she worked as an Account Manager for Mc CANN Algiers, an advertising agency where she had the opportunity to work on several key accounts such as Nestlé, BNP Paribas, and Johnson&Johnson! Sabrina then moved to Toronto, Canada to pursue graduate business studies. After earning her degree, she worked in Toronto as a Student Services Advisor for international students at her university. Back in Paris after an amazing experience in Toronto, Sabrina loves to share her enthusiasm for international studies and professional experiences with CEA students!
Ilaria Dondero
INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR
Ilaria specializes in Business Communications and Professional Development strategies. She has 20 years of experience working in multicultural environments and since 2014 she’s been offering career coaching services across a variety of industries, in Ireland and abroad. Her work focuses on career transition and change management: her approach is structured and action-oriented to support improved self-awareness and effective business communications across different channels.
With a background in Law, in 2006 Ilaria started her career in the corporate Financial Services sector. Since 2016 she has been delivering corporate training programs and teaching Business Communications and Professional Development modules in Dublin (undergraduate and postgraduate).
Her professional qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Law (University of Studies of Genoa); Higher Diploma in Business (DBS); Certified Master Coach Practitioner (PSG); Qualified Trainer (IITD). Ilaria is originally from Italy and moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 2005. A nature lover, she enjoys hiking and swimming.
Daniele Bini
INTERNSHIP & STUDENT SERVICES COORDINATOR
As Internship & Student Services Coordinator, Daniele Bini helps CEA Florence students acclimate to their new home abroad. Daniele manages the Internship program in Florence, finding local host institutions and interviewing incoming students—while working to find matches that will benefit both hosts and interns. Together, with the internship seminar instructor, Daniele follows Interns’ experiences until the end of the program. He also organizes excursions that help introduce students to Italian locations beyond Florence.
Daniele holds a degree in Languages from the University of Florence, where he studied English, Japanese, and Portuguese. To complete his studies, Daniele fulfilled a 150-hour internship with CEA. But before joining the Florence team as a staff member in 2014, Daniele worked at a hotel in Chianti and assisted CEA with student arrivals and language exchanges.
Daniele loves to travel but did not study abroad as a student, and travels often in his free time. These personal travel adventures have made him an expert
Chiara Ortolani
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM MANAGER
As Academic Advisor for the CEA Rome Center, Chiara Ortolani serves as the primary contact for students and faculty regarding everyday academic issues. In addition, Chiara works with the Italy Assistant Academic Dean in all aspects of course registration, the coordination of class schedules, classroom use, and academic facilities management.
Chiara is responsible for keeping the Italy Assistant Academic Dean informed on a regular basis of the progress of the academic program and any issues that need her attention. A native of Rome, Chiara has many years experience working for American multinational companies such as Microsoft, Hertz, and Merck Sharp & Dohme. She earned her MA in Marketing and Product Management from Il Sole 24 Ore Business School in Rome, and holds a BA in Business Studies from Staffordshire University (UK). In addition to her native Italian, she also speaks English, Spanish and French.
Elisenda Figuerola
ACADEMIC ADVISOR & INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR
Elisa (Eli) Figuerola has joined the CEA Barcelona Academic team in the role of Academic Advisor & Internship Coordinator in December 2021. Eli ensures the good process of the daily operations related to the internship program, and supports faculty and students in academic and administrative matters. She started working for CEA in 2016 as Student Services Advisor and focused on the organization of the Academic-Integrated Cultural Activities Program (AICAP) until 2021.
Eli majored in History from the University of Barcelona and was lucky enough to study abroad in Lyons, France as an undergraduate student. After college, she lived in Santa Cruz, CA for a few months before pursuing her Master's in International Studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Fundació CIDOB). Eli started working in the International Higher Education field in 2013 working for a study abroad organization that gave her the opportunity to move to Colorado where she stayed for over 2 years teaching Spanish as a second language. Eli is fluent in four languages and in her free time, Eli enjoys running in Collserola and watching movies with her friends at home.
Silvia Martínez
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Silvia Martínez ensures that all CEA standards are maintained in Madrid. Silvia oversees all educational programs, including short- and long-term program planning, products, and services, and maintains the financial plan for Madrid. She also manages student services, host institution relations, local vendor relations, program improvements, and staff.
Silvia was born in Cádiz, South of Spain, but has always had close contact with the American culture and the English language. She lived in a U.S. Naval Base for two years and has many relatives in the U.S. Silvia has studied and worked in Spain, England, and Canada in the fields of Administration, Tourism, and Study Abroad. She interned at an Irish Building Society in London and worked in a Canadian study abroad company leading groups of Spanish students in Toronto.
Before joining CEA in 2002, Silvia worked at the North American Universities and Institutions Centre at the University of Alcalá de Henares for two years.
She holds a degree in Tourism Management from the Univeristy of Alcalá. Silvia speaks Spanish and English fluently and has studied French and German for several years.
Álvaro J. Sanjuán
STUDENT SERVICES ADVISOR
Álvaro J. Sanjuán studied English Literature, History and Linguistics at University of Oviedo (Spain) and continued his studies on Applied Languages at Dublin City University (Ireland). After being an Art History professor in UNIPEC in Burgos (Spain) he worked as Web Manager and Community Manager until he began to collaborate for several years as a tour guide with CEA Madrid where, eventually, he became Student Services Coordinator. He loves arts, history, opera and classical music and also running and outdoor sports.
Kevin Whalen
INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR
A native of New York City, Kevin has been residing in and in love with Seville for over 15 years. Having completed a Master's Degree in Marketing and Management and held positions in Consulting and Sales at several Spanish and International firms in Seville, Kevin is a seasoned professional well-prepared to support CEA students in the internship program there.
He first joined CEA as faculty for our courses in Entrepreneurship and the Internship Seminar and has since transitioned to take over Seville's International Internship Coordination as of January 2020. In this role, Kevin will serve students with unique, hands-on, international experience, overseeing the placement process and developing host companies in diverse fields, as well as committing to our student's professional development.
He will also continue to teach CEA’s Internship Seminar and the Entrepreneurship courses.
In his spare time Kevin serves as the President and Head Coach of a local Roller Blade Hockey Club, The Sevilla Dragons.
Michaela Yisrael
ACADEMIC & INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR
As CEA Seville’s Academic and Internship Coordinator, Michaela manages partner institution matriculation processes for all study programs and oversees student and faculty academic success. She guides students through the different stages of their study abroad experience and also ensures our international internship students have a fulfilling professional experience.
Originally from New York City, Michaela has resided in Spain since 2011. She holds a master’s degree in education from El Instituto Franklin at La Universidad de Alcala de Henares in Madrid and a bachelor’s degree in political science from The City University of New York (CUNY) at Baruch College. During her undergraduate studies, she studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain, and developed a fondness for the country. Michaela has held positions in education program development and international student recruitment at various Spanish and International firms.
Michaela enjoys gastronomy, folklore, music, and travel. She is looking forward to sharing her love of culture and traveling with her son Malik who was born in January of 2022. She also likes spending time with family and helping develop their security firm.
