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Daniel Ebert, Vice President
Daniel's first experience living abroad was as a high school senior in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Daniel received his undergraduate degree in Spanish and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and spent a year abroad in Madrid, Spain. After university, Daniel worked in international banking for some years before moving back to Madrid and eventually joining the CCI team in 1999. Since 2000, Daniel has been working for CCI in the United States, and was instrumental in moving the headquarters from a suburban location to downtown Chicago. Today, Daniel's main focus is overseeing the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program, J-1 Intern & Trainee Programs, as well as the CCI-Greenheart Travel Division for travel abroad participants. Daniel serves as the Responsible Officer on the aforementioned J-1 programs. |
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Melissa Hickok, Work Programs Administrative Relations Manager
Melissa grew up along the beautiful Aegean Sea in Izmir, Turkey, and moved to the Chicago area to pursue a dual bachelor’s degree in journalism and music performance. Melissa studied abroad in London and worked for a business travel magazine, where her writing was published internationally. After spending a little over a year working as a copy editor and page designer for a large Chicago-based newspaper, she realized that cultural exchange and public policy were her true calling. Melissa holds a Master of Science in International Public Service from DePaul University with an emphasis on public diplomacy through cultural exchange. Melissa works with overseas partner relations for both the Summer Work Travel (SWT) and Career Advancement Programs (CAP) in addition to overseeing the administrative operations of the CAP program. Melissa is a classically-trained clarinetist and has performed throughout the United States and internationally. In her spare time, you can find her devouring a good book, scrap booking, or trying to figure out where to travel to next!
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Lauren Coffaro, Career Advancement Program (CAP) Associate
Lauren is a recent graduate of Northwestern University in Performance Studies and International Studies. Her passion for intercultural exchange grew from her thirst for travel and a handful personal exchange experiences to places like Guayaquil, Cairo, Seoul, and Madrid. She developed a love for empanadas and Malbec during a semester abroad in Argentina, and continues to engage in ethnographic research on public performance and politics in Buenos Aires and throughout South America. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers, dancing at Zumba classes, and trying new restaurants around Chicago! |
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John Matthews, Work Programs Systems Manager
John grew up in the fine state of Oklahoma, where he studied art. He continued his studies at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, after which he moved to Chicago. Among other things, John coordinates development of our Online Application, Job Board, and other systems for Work Programs. Outside of the office, John's interests include drawing, as well as website design, with an emphasis on server-side scripting and database design.
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Erin Nyhan, Work Programs Services Director
Erin began her international travel with a trip to Ireland with friends in 1993. Since then, she has called Ecuador, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, and now Greece, home. Erin graduated with a Bachelor's in Education, focusing on Secondary Spanish and has applied this background to a number of jobs before settling down with CCI in 2003. Erin works mainly with the Summer Work Travel Services department, to find new and exciting placements for our participants, as well as ensuring that participants enjoy a smooth transition into and out of their summer programs. In her off time, you can find Erin trying to learn the Greek alphabet or cooking up a new recipe! |
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Monica Yates, Work and Travel Program Operations Director
Monica graduated from Loyola University Chicago with an emphasis on painting and drawing. During summer vacations and school breaks, she traveled throughout Central America and the Caribbean to learn more about their cultures. After graduating from college, she began her career working in the Public School system, as well as facilitating outreach with teenagers. She joined CCI’s summer Work Travel team in March of 2004, and now oversees the administrative side of the program. In her free time, Monica enjoys traveling, searching for her new favorite Chicago restaurant, and playing chef at home by testing out new recipes.
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Mary Frances (Muffy) Grant, Senior Business Development Manager
Muffy's love of international exchange and culture comes from an early exposure to living and studying abroad, both in high school and college. After achieving her undergraduate degree from St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, she continued to Georgetown University, from which she holds a Master's Degree with a focus on international labor migration. Along with recruiting employers for our work programs and developing CCI's Career Advancement Program (CAP), Muffy is currently researching saving small and seasonal businesses by championing immigration and legislative reform. |
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Kate Lapinski, Work and Travel Employer Services Manager
While studying at St. Mary's College, CCI's Kate Lapinski also enjoyed a year in Maynooth, Ireland, which was the beginning of her career in student exchange. After graduating with a degree in writing and literature, Kate spent a year as an AmeriCorps Volunteer in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was after this year, in 2004, that Kate joined our team. Since that time, she has juggled a number of job duties and is considered a seasoned employee! She is now doing what she does best; managing placements to ensure exemplary matches for both participants and employers. In her off time, you may very well find Kate at a Chicago White Sox game; she's a lifelong and diehard fan!
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Adra Klopfer, Work and Travel Employer Services Coordinator
Adra earned her bachelor's degree in International Studies and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. During her studies, she lived in Arequpia, Peru and Buenos Aires, Argentina, where her passion for global cultures and international travel evolved. At CCI, Adra places students with businesses across the US, and assists both parties with their cultural exchange experiences. Adra gets a kick out of dancing, going to concerts, speaking and teaching Spanish, and throwing theme parties - costumes required, of course! |
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Joseph Burns, Work and Travel Employer Services Coordinator
Joe graduated in 2010 from Grand Valley State University with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. Upon fulfillment of a dual-degree study abroad program in Hungary and in Poland, he was awarded a second bachelor’s degree in international economics from the Cracow University of Economics. Joe’s passion for cultural interchange began when he moved to Berlin, Germany in 2003, to study the German language and classical guitar. To date, the most interesting place he has ever travelled to is Chernobyl, Ukraine, where he toured the site of the famous 1986 nuclear disaster. Joe believes one of the best ways to share his experiences abroad with others is to cook traditional cuisine from the places he has visited. |
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Leslie Patt, Work and Travel Policy and Compliance Manager
Leslie first went abroad as part of a choir at age 14 to sing in the Black Forest in Germany. Just a few years later she traveled with her high school choir to England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Austria and Italy on two separate tours and participated in a student exchange in Munich, Germany. While attending college at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois for a degree in Sociology and Anthropology, Leslie traveled with a literature class to England’s Lake District and studied abroad for 3 months in Rome, Paris and London. Leslie then decided to attend the University of Kent in Canterbury, England for her MA in Anthropology, for which she did fieldwork in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She has also traveled "for fun" to Ireland, Poland and the Czech Republic. Leslie is also a diehard White Sox and Chicago Blackhawks fan! |
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Marcelle Benedicta, Work and Travel Employer Relations Specialist
Marcelle obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications/Public Relations from Marquette University and her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Loyola University Chicago. She brings together her experiences in sales, marketing, and public relations to the Work Programs department. Marcelle has done homestay programs as well as traveled across Western Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Aside from planning events for the Beta Gamma Sigma Chicagoland Alumni Chapter and attending networking events, she likes to learn Italian, try new restaurants, go karaoke, and cuddle with her black pug, Toro. |
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Elizabeth Brennan, Work and Travel Assistant
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Elizabeth's love for the mountains and the outdoors led her west to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and eventually to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. During college, she took advantage of as many study abroad programs as she could, traveling throughout Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. She then continued her education and cultural exchange experiences in Costa Rica, studying with students from around the globe. At CCI, Elizabeth recruits quality employers for the Summer Work Travel Program.
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Liz Henning, Work Programs Recruitment Assistant
Originally from Ireland, Liz graduated from Dublin City University where she studied French and Spanish translation. During her studies, she caught the travelling bug while studying in Quebec City in Canada and later, living in Spain and France, teaching English. She returned to Ireland to continue her studies at the University of Limerick, specializing in International Tourism. As a J-1 student, Liz fell in love with Chicago during her summer on the Summer Work Travel program in 2000 and subsequently moved back two years later. Liz works part time, working on research for the recruitment team and in her free time, she loves watching movies, working out and playing outside with her two little boys.
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Katherine (Kat) Kocisky, Work and Travel Administrative Coordinator
Kat attended Illinois State University and graduated with a degree in English Education and French. After teaching at a high school in southern Illinois, she got itchy feet and fled to Budapest, Hungary to teach English as a Second Language. Bitten by the travel bug, she taught English in Hungary, Spain, and France while traveling extensively. Kat joined CCI’s Administrative Team in August 2009, and is happy to help foreign students get a chance to experience life in the U.S, just as she was able to in Europe. She enjoys being outside, hiking, reading, writing, and most of all, planning her next adventure. |
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Travis Roy, Work and Travel Administrative Assistant
After graduating from Michigan State University, Travis migrated to the sunny California coast to live and work. In taking a much needed sabbatical from work in Los Angeles, he ventured off for an intended month of travel through Western Europe which eventually turned into a four and a half month expedition spanning most of the continent. Since travel being introduced to the bloodstream, he has taken subsequent trips to work and travel in Australia for a year and a half and has spent several months in New Zealand and French Polynesia. He now resides in Chicago and when not at work or traveling, Travis enjoys snowboarding, golfing, reading and live music. |
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Maria Pakhomova, Work and Travel Administrative Assistant
Maria is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. Her interest in foreign cultures started through the exploration of linguistic mysteries of the English and French languages. Maria graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2010 with a B.A. in Foreign Languages: Business Translation and Communication. Her interest in foreign affairs led her to pursue M.A. in International Relations and Comparative Politics. Maria joined CCI in the Summer of 2011, where she is happy to assist students in their journeys for cultural experiences. In her spare time she likes to explore Chicago. |
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Alexandra (Alex) Jones, Work and Travel Program Assistant
Alex began her career at CCI as a fair trade ambassador with the Greenheart Shop in July 2010 and decided to follow her passion for international education by moving to the Summer Work Travel department. Her first experience abroad was in high school when she traveled to Sicily, Italy. During her junior year at Iowa State University she studied for a semester in Thessaloniki, Greece, where she worked toward her degree in History and Political Science. Alex holds a Master's degree from Loyola University Chicago in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies where she focused on study abroad and student exchange. She has traveled throughout Europe and Central America and when she's not cheering on the Iowa State Cyclones, she's planning her next vacation abroad. |
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Catherine (Catt) Stearns, Work and Travel Program Assistant
A Colorado native with a degree in Communication from Santa Clara University, Catt Stearns recently traded in her Rocky Mountains for the flatland and skyscrapers of Chicago. She caught the travel/wanderlust bug early on in life and hasn’t been able to kick it since. Aside from her attempts at running away to Hawaii and starting a travel business out of her basement when she was six years old, Catt’s more successful endeavors abroad have entailed backpacking through Europe, studying abroad in Senegal, interning for an NGO in India and most recently, teaching English in China. When not daydreaming about her next adventure, you can find Catt enjoying life in Chicago most likely through food, music, yoga, or whatever outdoor pursuits she can seem to scrounge up. |
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Tetiana Kachmaryk, Work and Travel Program Assistant
Tetiana is originally from Ukraine. She graduated from Warsaw School of Economics in Poland with an MA in International Business. Tetiana has worked for several non-governmental organizations in Poland, Ukraine and the U.S. Her passion for improving, studying, broadening horizons and constant development brought her to Chicago. Eager to work at a non-profit organization and to create a positive impact in the world, Tetiana joined CCI in December 2011. She loves to cook, travel, watch films and keep up with social psychology trends. CCI’s mission reflects her worldview and she is very happy to be doing something she loves. |
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Gina Rossi Scheiman, Work Programs Assistant
Gina graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Fiction Writing. She worked to protect vulnerable citizens as the Director of Policy and Training at the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission from 2003 until 2009. Since then she has consulted with not for profits in the areas of development, training and public relations. She has been lucky enough to have traveled across eastern and western Europe and New Zealand, and she spent time volunteering in the Caribbean. She currently lives in sunny Florida with her husband and baby girl. |