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Kathy Foley-Giorgio
Associate Dean
Director of International Student and Scholar Services
Kaye-Lani Laughna
Program Coordinator
Olivia Whitman
International Student and Scholar Advisor
Mary Cairns
Administrative Coordinator
Associate Dean
Director of International Student and Scholar Services
802-443-5858
isss@middlebury.edu
Kathy arrived at Middlebury in August 1997. She earned her degrees from Dartmouth College (A.B. in English) and Stanford University (M.A. in Education). While at Stanford, her academic focus was international education and higher education. Kathy has worked in higher education since 1992, after pursuing her first career in advertising.
Kathy's areas of professional interest include cross-cultural and intercultural learning, team building, and diversity issues. Kathy leads the International Student and Scholar Services team, which includes an Advisor, the Program Coordinator, and an Administrative Coordinator.
Through individual appointments, advising sessions, programs and services, Kathy and her staff assist international students and scholars with their transition to campus, and help them make the most of their experiences at Middlebury College.
Kathy is the College's Principle Designated School Official (PDSO) in the U.S. government's Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). She serves as a resource to the Middlebury College community regarding international student and scholar issues and immigration regulations. She is an active member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
As an Associate Dean, Kathy assists the Dean for Institutional Diversity with division-wide responsibilities and special projects. In her time at Middlebury, Kathy has handled a variety of responsibilities including directing a college-wide diversity initiative, serving as a commons dean before the decentralized Commons were established, handling judicial issues, and participating in College-wide programs and events such as Orientation and Commencement.
Kathy is married to Michael Giorgio and has two sons. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, outdoor sports, photography and travel.
Kaye-Lani LaughnaProgram Coordinator
802-443-5288
isss@middlebury.edu
Kaye-Lani Laughna joined Middlebury College in August of 2007. She earned degrees from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA (M.A. in Intercultural Relations with an emphasis in Student Advising) and The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (B.A. in Communication Processes and Public Relations). Kaye-Lani’s coursework at Lesley University took her to Santiago, Chile where she worked as a graduate intern with Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS). Kaye-Lani helped place undergraduate students in various internship sites in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. She also worked with the Medical School and Study Abroad program students. Kaye-Lani’s past international education experiences include promoting Youth for Understanding (YFU) study abroad opportunities for high school students, planning the Boston Area Study Abroad Re-entry Conference and mentoring high school and graduate international students.
Kaye-Lani’s interest in international education began early with family travels to Europe to support the USA Deaf Swim Team in many Deaf World Games in which her father was the head coach. Kaye-Lani has studied abroad in Holland, Guatemala, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Australia.
In her role as Program Coordinator, Kaye-Lani prepares essential documents for incoming international undergraduate students. She helps keep students in legal student status by advising them on their visa status and employment authorizations. Kaye-Lani oversees the Friends of International Students (FIS) host program and International Student Orientation. She also serves as the staff adviser to the International Students' Organization (ISO).
Kaye-Lani is originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and enjoys a variety of sports including swimming, skiing, hiking and snowshoeing. She is member of Middlebury’s master swim team, the Middlebury Muffintops.
Olivia Whitman
International Student
and Scholar Advisor
802-443-5858
isss@middlebury.edu
Olivia joined the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) team in September 2008. Her relationship with Middlebury initially began in 1997 in the undergraduate program, where she earned a B.A. in International Studies. She has since been enrolled as a student in Middlebury’s German School and the Kathryn Wasserman Davis School of Russian. She also has attended the Graduate School of Languages and Educational Linguistics (GSLEL) at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS).
Prior to joining ISSS at Middlebury, Olivia was the Assistant Director of International Student Services at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. In addition to her Middlebury degree, Olivia completed the Magisterexamen in International Education from the Institute of International Education at Stockholm University in Sweden, and while working at Fairleigh Dickinson University, she earned an M.A. in Multilingual Education.
As International Student and Scholar Advisor, Olivia assists the College’s faculty, staff, and students in navigating immigration regulations and international student and scholar issues. She advises the community on processes and regulations pursuant to maintaining F-1 student and J-1 exchange visitor non-immigrant statuses. She also processes TN and H-1B visa petitions and extensions. Olivia is also involved with events and programs for our international population.
Olivia serves as point person and resource for the summer programs, including our 10 Language Schools, Bread Loaf School of English, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference regarding immigration regulations and supporting international faculty and staff. She also provides visa support for international faculty and staff involved in our academic year program. Olivia is available to meet with students, scholars, staff and faculty to discuss their non-immigrant status and related benefits as well as future plans, adjustment to the U.S. and to Middlebury, and she is authorized to endorse I-20s and DS-2019s for travel.
Olivia is delighted to be a part of the Carr Hall Center and has a strong interest in social justice and identity issues in education and the arts. She has enjoyed international study, volunteer and teaching opportunities in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Germany, Mozambique, and Sweden. Olivia looks forward to welcoming students, staff and faculty to Middlebury’s global community.
Mary Cairns
Administrative Coordinator
802-443-5858
isss@middlebury.edu
Mary Cairns joined Middlebury College in August of 2008. Having grown up in New York City, Mary attended Middlebury College as an undergraduate. A member of the class of 1994, Mary majored in American Literature and earned her Vermont State teaching license in Elementary Education. She later earned a M.A. Degree from Columbia University, Teachers College in New York City in 1996. Mary’s work experience has primarily been in teaching at the elementary level in Special Education.
Mary and her family moved from the Boston area to Shoreham in February 2004. She and her husband have three children and are actively involved in the Middlebury and Shoreham communities. As a family, they enjoy camping and the outdoors and are active participants in college events, children’s sports teams and Shoreham’s School Board.
In her role as Administrative Coordinator for International Student & Scholar Services and the Carr Hall Center, Mary is responsible for day-to-day operations in these areas. She can provide answers to basic questions and is the liaison between Middlebury College students, faculty and staff and the appropriate departmental staff within ISSS. She will be involved with various programs run by ISSS, in addition to the launching of the new Carr Hall Center.