Andrew Gordon

CEO & Founder of Includifi

Andrew is an award-winning social impact entrepreneur and CEO & Founder of Includifi, an inclusion management software that helps organizations achieve their belonging and success goals. Prior to Includifi he was CEO of Diversity Abroad, a global education organization he founded in 2006. He currently serves as a strategic advisor to Diversity Abroad. Andrew has 15+ years of leadership at the intersection of technology, global education, diversity & inclusion, and student success. As a thought leader with a deep passion for equitable access to opportunity, he advises college & university, non-profit, and business leaders on strategies for achieving holistic success for today’s students and employees.

A native of California, Andrew is a graduate of the University of San Francisco. He’s fluent in Spanish, proficient Portuguese and has studied, worked, and traveled in 60+ countries on 6 continents. He’s an alum of INROADS, AVID, and the Association for the International Exchange of Students in Economics and Commerce (AIESEC). Andrew enjoys meaningful travel as well as local culturally immersive experiences. A self-professed ‘foodie’, he loves learning about and indulging in the local culinary scene wherever his travels take him.

Jessica Hunter

WCAS '23

See Jessica at the Traveling While Black Panel Discussion

Jessica is Senior majoring in Economics and African American studies with a minor in Data Science. She studied abroad at King's College in London, UK. In London, she was able to build upon her studies at Northwestern and expand her academic worldview by studying Economic and Black studies courses. Not only can she speak to her London experience, but also her experience traveling to other countries such as Italy, Spain, Morocco, and France. For her, London became a home away from home and she looks forward to returning!

Ryan Rounds

Senior Program Manager, Global Learning Office

See Ryan at the Traveling While Black Panel Discussion

A Chicagoland native born in Chicago and raised in the south suburbs, Ryan joined the Global Learning Office in June 2022. Her interest in international education began in high school on a trip to Spain where she told a fellow classmate "You don't go to Spain to eat fries and ketchup."

Ryan received her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign. She realized that psychology, though interesting, was not her calling and went on to get her M.Ed. in International Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago. In both undergraduate and graduate school, Ryan had the opportunity to study abroad in long and short-term programs in Spain, Italy, and China. Prior to coming to Northwestern, Ryan has worked in retail, non-profit administration, distance learning design and facilitation, taught English abroad, and was most recently a Study Abroad Specialist at Western Michigan University. She has a particular interest in diversifying study abroad student participation. When she is not working, Ryan loves watching true crime documentaries, traveling, ethnic food, following her favorite YouTube content creators, thrifting, and hanging out with her frenchie, Hugo.

Norvell Watts

Program Manager, Global Learning Office

See Norvell at What's Poppin and the Traveling While Black Panel Discussion

Norvell is a program manager for GLO and is passionate about students learning more about the study abroad opportunities NU has to offer, as well as providing resources and access for navigating students' social identities while studying abroad.

Norvell joined the Global Learning Office in July of 2021. A native Chicagoan, his interest in international education was sparked during educational trips abroad as a Chicago Public School student. After years of working in university student services, Norvell assumed the role of Community Engagement Manager for an international exchange and travel nonprofit. Norvell would further his involvement in international communities by first moving to Bangkok, Thailand then to Montreal, Canada to teach English. Additionally, he worked in compliance for Greenheart International ensuring international students were treated fairly in employment across the United States. Norvell holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Roosevelt University and a master’s degree in Education Administration: Higher Education Leadership from the University at Albany SUNY. He has a particular interest in making international education more accessible and equitable. When he is not working, Norvell loves cycling, kayaking, reading, listening to podcasts, and cooking.

Aida Zeleke

SESP '23

See Aida at the Traveling While Black Panel Discussion

 Aida a senior studying Social Policy while pursuing the pre-med track. Her interest in public health and equitable access to healthcare motivated her to participate in the Public Health in Mexico program in summer 2022. She learned a lot about communicating with limited language skills, harnessing cultural similarities and open-minded curiosity about differences to develop meaningful and lasting connections with people. She also grew more confident in herself and her ability to navigate different situations, which helped her gain more from the study abroad program than she would have if she let her inhibitions hold her back. She hopes her experience can help answer some questions and encourage students to try out studying abroad! 

Gerpha Gerlin

Graduate Assistant, MSA

Gerpha will moderate the Traveling While Black Panel Discussion

Gerpha Gerlin is an anthropology and public health graduate student at Northwestern University, where she studies means of facilitating recovery from chronic mental illness and disability. Prior projects have involved considering critical and international, cross-cultural perspectives on psychiatry, particularly around conditions involving psychosis. Her current role with Multicultural Student Affairs has afforded her the opportunity to more intimately consider issues that multiple minoritized people might face, both within and beyond their immediate respective communities.

Dr. Robin Means Coleman

Vice President & Associate Provost for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer

Dr. Means Coleman will moderate the Keynote Address with Andrew Gordon

Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman is Vice President & Associate Provost for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, and the Ida B. Wells and Ferdinand Barnett Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. An award-winning scholar, Dr. Coleman’s work focuses on media studies and the cultural politics of Blackness. 

Most recently, Dr. Coleman was a Fellow in the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. She earned a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. She is a graduate of the American Council on Education Leadership Academy, the University of California-Berkeley Executive Leadership Academy, and the National Intergroup Dialogue Institute. Dr. Coleman was a Fellow in the Big 10 Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program. She was also a Fellow in the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) Standards of Professional Practice Institute.

Before coming to Northwestern University, Dr. Coleman was on the faculty at Texas A&M University, the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, and New York University. At Texas A&M University, she was the Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity. At the University of Michigan, she served as the Associate Dean of Social Sciences in the Rackham Graduate School, as well as Chair of the Department of Communication Studies.