Staff Profiles

Bill Anthony, Director 

A former Williston Academy exchange student at Theodor Heuss Gymnasium in Heilbronn, Germany, Bill is a graduate of Colby College (BA) and The Johns Hopkins University (MA, PhD). As Lecturer in Northwestern's Department of German from 1986-1997, Bill taught courses on German language and literature and co-produced documentary classroom videos in Germany and Switzerland.  He was named the Charles Deering McCormick University Distinguished Lecturer in 1995, Northwestern's highest teaching award.  The founding director of Northwestern's Study Abroad Office in 1997, he takes great pleasure in being part of this small team of dedicated study abroad professionals.  Bill has served a leadership role on the Standards Committee of the Forum Council on Education Abroad since its formation in 2002.  He was elected to two terms on the Forum Council and he has played a seminal role in the development of a Code of Ethics for the study abroad field.

Alicia Stanley, Associate Director

Alicia graduated with a M.A./M.S. in International Public Service Management from DePaul University and a B.A. in French from Rice University, and spent several years studying and working in France.  Prior to joining Northwestern in 2008, she worked in Chicago for DePaul’s Study Abroad Program, IES Abroad, and the French Technology Press Office.  Alicia oversees academic policies and procedures, chairs the Study Abroad Advisory Committee, manages the office's budget, and coordinates the team's efforts to ensure smooth day-to-day operations.  In addition, she advises students who are interested in studying abroad in Cameroon, China, Czech Republic, Ghana, Japan, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Russia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam, and manages requests from those seeking to apply to unaffiliated programs.  Alicia is currently a member of Northwestern's Campus Coalition on Alcohol and Other Drugs, IES Abroad's Academic Council, IFSA-Butler's National Advisors Council Executive Committee, and AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers).

Julie Friend, Associate Director for International Safety and Security

Julie comes to NU from Michigan State University, where her scholarship and advocacy related to emergency planning/response contributed to the development of standards in the field. Her policy development guidelines for operating study abroad programs in countries with U.S. Department of State Travel Warnings serve as a national benchmark. Julie will chair Northwestern’s Risk Assessment Committee for undergraduate study abroad, monitor international developments, and serve as the first-responder to all crises abroad on a 24-7 basis.  In addition, she chairs the Education Abroad Knowledge Community’s Subcommittee on Health and Safety for NAFSA: The Association of International Educators and is one of three higher education representatives appointed to the U.S. Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council Executive Board. Julie has traveled in over twenty-five countries and lived in both France and Zambia. She is an avid hiker, backpacker, tennis player and horseback rider. Julie received her BS in Speech Communication from Syracuse University and her JD and MA in English from Michigan State, and she is a licensed attorney in the state of Michigan.

Robin Leephaibul, Assistant Director

Robin received her M.A. in International Education from the School for International Training in Vermont and her B.S. in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining Northwestern in 2006, Robin worked in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for International Education, taught English in Japan, and studied abroad at the University of Queensland in Australia. Robin now oversees Northwestern's summer study abroad programs, and advises students interested in the Consortium for Advanced Studies in Barcelona program and programs in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Robin is a native of Oak Park and now resides in Forest Park with her husband.

Michelle Gere, Study Abroad Adviser & Coordinator of Campus Outreach

Michelle completed her B.A. in Languages and Philosophy at the University of Alaska and advises students who are interested in studying abroad in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Denmark, Egypt, Jordan, India, Oman, Mexico, Peru, Spain and Turkey. She also collaborates with several units in the Division of Student Affairs to improve study abroad resources and programming for Northwestern students, including Counseling and Psychological Services, the LGBT Resource Center, Multicultural Student Affairs and Services for Students with Disabilities. Michelle is a member of Northwestern's LGBTQA Campus Advisory Network, the Campus Coalition on Sexual Violence and the Women's Center Advisory Board. Her work in the field of education abroad includes chairing the Forum on Education Abroad Advising Working Group as well as serving on the Forum's Outcomes Assessment and Research Committee. She lives in Chicago with her husband, a doctoral candidate in the Bienen School of Music.

Francesca Miroballi, Study Abroad Adviser

Francesca received her B.A. in French and Communications from Elmhurst College and spent part of her undergraduate studies in Nantes, France and Italy (Florence and Milan).  Before joining Northwestern, Francesca worked for the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES Abroad).  She advises for programs in the following countries: Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Emily Heppard, Department Assistant

Emily graduated from Bradley University with a B.A. in Religious Studies and Art History, and studied abroad in Vienna, Austria and Dublin, Ireland while a student there. Emily manages the front office, the office's expenses and study abroad tuition, and the study abroad student database system, and supervises the office's student workers. She also coordinates the Study Abroad Fair and Pre-Departure Orientations, and oversees the application, registration, and credit transfer processes. Emily has worked at Northwestern since 2008, in both Human Resources and the Office for Research. She is also a student in the School of Continuing Studies, where she has completed certificate programs in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Organizations and Museum Studies.

Mike Frechette, Senior Assistant Director of Study Abroad Financial Services

Mike completed the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities at The University of Chicago with a concentration in twentieth century American literature.  He received his B.S. in English Education from Boston University and spent a year after college teaching high school English.  For the past six years, Mike has worked as a financial aid administrator, the last four at Northwestern.  As Senior Assistant Director in the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid at 1801 Hinman Avenue, Mike is a member of both the Study Abroad and Financial Aid teams.  He oversees study abroad financial aid and billing and counsels students and families on the financial considerations of going abroad.  Mike has traveled to Canada and England and makes regular trips to Japan to visit family.

Madison Berry

Madison is a School of Communications freshman who plans on double majoring in radio/television/film and psychology. Having long fostered a love of all things British, she hopes to study abroad and one day live in England, Scotland, or Wales. In her spare time, Madison enjoys watching movies and television shows, horseback riding and working with NU student-run film and theatre endeavors.

Thu Dang

Thu is a Florida native and currently a sophomore in Weinberg. She is planning on double majoring in economics and international studies. Thu wants to study abroad in either Vietnam or Australia because she loved visiting Vietnam when she was younger with her family and she has always wanted to go to Australia. When she is not working at the Study Abroad office or doing schoolwork, she enjoys swimming, practicing yoga, and playing the piano.

Caroline Dzeba

Caroline is a senior in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. She grew up traveling to Europe for summers and studied abroad at Sciences Po in Paris during her junior year. She enjoys the challenge of discovering new places through travel, and her objective is to visit all 7 continents before her passport expires in 2017… 3 down 4 to go! When she’s not traveling she loves tennis, yoga, and classical opera and ballet.   

Kevin Murphy

Kevin is a freshman in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Kevin is planning on majoring in Economics. He is a Saint Paul, Minnesota native, but grew up living overseas, in India for two years and in Hong Kong for seven. This is where he began his passion for travel, which has led his desire to Study Abroad while at Northwestern University. Outside of working at the Study Abroad Office and attending classes, Kevin is a huge Minnesota Twins fan, and enjoys playing soccer and listening to music.

Steve Yanni

A member of the Class of 2013 in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Steve is a Sociology and Spanish double major. He proudly joined the Study Abroad Office team in October 2009 as a work-study aide with an interest in studying abroad himself in the future and enjoys helping his fellow classmates with the study abroad application process. Steve is a Philadelphia-area native and avid Yankees fan. Outside of the classroom and the office, he enjoys singing and playing bass guitar and is a member of Northwestern's Mock Trial Team.