Meet Our Staff
Lee Frankel
Director of Programs
Email: Lee(at)academicstudies.com
Lee Frankel is the Director of Programs for ASA and oversees both the Boston office and all sites that ASA offers. Lee grew up in New York City and Amherst, Massachusetts and has long been exposed to study abroad. At the age of 6 he spent the summer in Mexico with his mother, who was finishing her PhD and wanted to learn Spanish. Since then he has spent time living, traveling, and learning about the cultures in over 20 countries. While at Ithaca College as an undergraduate, Lee spent a semester in Salamanca, Spain where he decided that studying abroad was the single most important part of his college experience. When he returned, he began recruiting other students to go abroad and managed to turn it into a career. Lee's favorite part of his job is watching each student grow and mature in such a short time while abroad. In between his constant travel to Europe, Australia, and South America, Lee plays drums in a band in Boston and boogie boards wherever there are waves. Lee and his wife Jessica are the parents of Zachary and Amelia, both of whom travelled abroad before they could walk!.
Lee is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, serves as the Consular Liaison to the Consulate of Spain in Boston, and has been designated as a Warden for the U.S. Department of State's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).
Chelsea Kaloupek
Assistant Director
Email: Chelsea(at)academicstudies.com
Chelsea is the Assistant Director for ASA and works in our Boston office. She handles enrollment and pre-departure processing for all ASA students. She grew up in Nebraska but moved to the East Coast to attend college. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where she majored in Spanish. Chelsea spent her junior year abroad, living and studying in Madrid at the Universidad Complutense, where she learned Spanish language and culture first-hand. While living in Spain, she traveled the country extensively and took full advantage of the cultural offerings in Madrid, such as the art museums, theatre productions, film festivals, and live music. While studying at Mount Holyoke, Chelsea was involved in two Spanish play productions, for which she served as the Assistant Director and as an actor. She especially enjoyed playing Doña Inés in a cutting of the famous Don Juan Tenorio. Chelsea is the main point of contact for ASA students, as she guides them through the application and pre-departure processes. She feels that it is extremely rewarding to get to know the students and to be a part of their study abroad experience. She frequently stays in contact with students after they have completed their study abroad. While residing in Roslindale, Massachusetts, Chelsea enjoys music, dancing, Red Sox baseball, seeing foreign films, and practicing Spanish whenever she can.
Mary Meadows
Assistant Director - University and Alumni Relations
Email: Mary(at)academicstudies.com
After earning her M.S. in Higher Education Administration at Florida State, Mary went to Germany for a year. She interned in the International Programs Office in Karlsruhe and taught in-company Business English. Besides traveling, she enjoys creative writing and photography. Her professional interest is in student development theory as related to international experiences. She has also worked in recruitment and career services and can tell you how studying and interning abroad will boost your resume ahead of others at job search time. (Ja, Si, Jo, Da, Oui!) Mary grew up in a military family, which she claims has fueled her desire to travel the world and explore new cultures. She tries to add a new country every year to her passport! Mary says, "Venturing out on my own to new places has been the best challenge I ever gave myself." As the Programs Advisor for ASA in the Southeast her area includes Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Caitlin Phillips
Programs Manager
Email: Caitlin(at)academicstudies.com
Caitlin Phillips is the Programs Manager at the ASA Boston office. Caitlin was born and raised in Geneva, New York and graduated from Siena College with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Health Studies. While at Siena, Caitlin spent a semester in Granada, Spain. During her semester abroad she explored much of Spain and Europe and was amazed at how travel opened her eyes to so many different cultures and ideas. She decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Intercultural Relations at Lesley University. During her 2 years of graduate study, Caitlin co-lead short term study abroad programs to Mexico, researched Capoeira in Brazil, and interned with ASA in Argentina. Working in study abroad means that Caitlin gets to help students experience the world through a different lens, which is why she loves her job. In her spare time she enjoys travel, live music, sports, dog sitting and visiting the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York.
Laura Beth Mours
Manager of Customized Programs
Email: Laurabeth(at)academicstudies.com
Laura Beth Mours is the Manager of Customized Programs and works in our Boston office. Laura Beth is originally from Pittsburgh, PA. Her first adventure abroad was a high school class trip to France and she’s been in love with travel and culture ever since. She was a French major at Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA and spent the spring semester of her junior year studying abroad in Grenoble, a city in the French Alps. After receiving her BA, she returned to France to teach English to primary school children in a small town that prides itself on being the godmother of America, St. Dié des Vosges – the home of the cartographer to officially name the new world after Amerigo Vespucci. She worked for six years in the field of international purchasing before deciding to go back to school, and recently graduated from Lesley University with her Masters in Intercultural Relations. Studying and living abroad has been the shaping force in her life and she is excited to be working at ASA. In her free time she enjoys seeing French films, learning Italian, and exploring the Boston area.
Rudy Rodriguez
Programs Advisor
Email: Rudy(at)academicstudies.com
Rudy Rodriguez was born and raised in a small Texas city on the border of Mexico. She moved to Alabama to pursue a degree in journalism from the University of Alabama and studied abroad in London during her junior year. While abroad, Rudy worked as an editor for the Regent College newspaper and fell In love with the city of London and world travel in general. She has a strong passion for study abroad and enjoys talking with students and faculty about how going abroad can enhance their college experience. In her free time, Rudy enjoys traveling across the US visiting the many friends she met while on her ASA program.
Vickie Hyman
Programs Advisor
Email: Vickie (at) academicstudies.com
With a background in Communications and Business from Northeastern University, Vickie is our newest addition to ASA. Originally from Northern New Jersey, Vickie moved to Boston four years ago and has been a Red Sox fan ever since! She's currently working with ASA as a Programs Advisor and advises students on all of our programs. Having completed a five month semester abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina through ASA she was able to see first hand just how much students can learn and grow through other cultures. With ASA, she hopes to grant students the opportunity to step outside of their comfort level and try new things. Her overall goal is to promote a lifestyle of open-mindedness.
Gabriela Gamper
Buenos Aires Site Director
Email: Gabriela(at)academicstudies.com
Gabriela has lived in Buenos Aires her whole life and loves showing students her city and culture. She received her degree in Tourism and when she isn't helping ASA students, she is giving private tours of the city that she loves. Gabriela has traveled throughout South America and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and English fluently. Her favorite part of the job is seeing what life is like in the U.S. without actually being there. She says that meeting students from other countries helps her learn about their culture.
Richard Browning
Barcelona Site Director for UB and UAB
Email: Richard(at)academicstudies.com
Richard was born and raised in the U.S. and completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Oregon State University and his Ph.D at Tulane University. He was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Provincia del Tungurahua, Ecuador where he facilitated classes on agricultural methods, marketing, bookkeeping, mathematics, and worked with farmers on an individual basis. He then began his career first as a Professor of Spanish, then as Associate Director at the International Programs division of the University of Oregon. In 2006 Richard moved to Barcelona with his wife Elena, who is from Barcelona, and the rest, as they say, is history. Richard loves showing his students the city that he now calls home and helping them adjust to the Spanish way of life.
Paco Frisuelos
Madrid Site Director
Email: Paco(at)academicstudies.com
Paco Frisuelos was born in the Spanish territories in the Sahara. He moved to Sevilla at the age of three, which is where he ultimately grew up. He earned his undergraduate degree in Art History at the Universidad de Sevilla and soon after came to the United States to study Communications at McDaniel College in Maryland. Paco is currently completing two PhD programs in Art History and Film Studies at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He has worked as a professor for several American universities and for several study abroad programs, teaching Art History and Spanish culture courses. He has extensive experience working with study abroad students as their Resident Director, and he takes great pride in being able to make the students' time in Madrid enjoyable. In his spare time, Paco enjoys music, film, languages, photography, art, traveling, reading, and going to the theater. He is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Italian. Paco believes that studying abroad is the best experience any student can have, because it is always challenging, rewarding, and fun to learn a new language and culture, while exposing oneself to exciting places and new situations. Moreover, Paco knows that studying abroad is a great opportunity to meet lifelong friends. Past ASA students have said that Paco's vast knowledge of art history, Spanish history and culture has helped them to continue to learn, even outside of the classroom, and has allowed them to gain even more from their time in Madrid.
Ana González Expósito
Salamanca Site Director
Email: Ana(at)academicstudies.com
Ana grew up in Salamanca and her family has hosted study abroad students since she was young, so she has a lifetime of experience in study abroad! In addition, Ana worked for the Colby College program in Salamanca before coming to ASA in 2004, so she has a wealth of experience. She has studied in England in Worthing and Lancaster, as well as in Canada. She also received her degree in Business Administration from the Universidad de Salamanca. Ana loves languages and in addition to speaking Spanish and English, she is also learning French and Japanese. An enthusiastic and energentic person, Ana is a great asset to our Salamanca program. Ana and her husband Alvaro welcomed a beautiful baby girl in 2009.
Elisa Guidera
Sevilla Site Director
Email: Elisa(at)academicstudies.com
Elisa is bilingual and bicultural as she was born in the United States and raised in both the U.S. and Spain. At the University of Seville she earned a Masters degree in Fine Arts (MFA) and completed the Fine Arts PhD courses. Born into a family of Study Abroad professionals, at an early age Elisa came in touch with American students in Spain and made a career of over 20 years in Study Abroad as a teacher and administrator. She has taught Spanish Language, Culture and Art History at Universities and study abroad programs in Seville and in the U.S. As a Resident Director she has experience in Spain and Cuba. She has travelled in America, Europe, Africa and Asia. She enjoys dance, sports, music and art. One of her passions is to show people Spain, a country which she deeply loves and to guide students to understand and admire new people and cultures different from their own.
María Alejandra Flores
Viña del Mar Site Director
Email: Alejandra(at)academicstudies.com
María Alejandra was born in Chile but left the country together with her family when she was 12 years old. She lived in Brussels for five years and it was there that she had her first multicultural experience and learned the French language. When she came back to Chile, she studied English as a Foreign Language and Education at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. She loves languages and learning about different cultures. In addition, she has a special interest in historical, social, linguistics, and artistic issues. In her spare time, Alejandra loves traveling, practicing outdoor activities, watching movies, sharing with friends, dancing, listening to music, going to concerts and reading. She invites all students to visit Chile and learn about the Chilean cultural diversity and its heritage.
Olwyn Mannix
Dublin Site Director
Email: Olwyn(at)academicstudies.com
Olwyn is a walking encyclopaedia when it comes to information related to both Dublin and Ireland. Having run her own company, Over The Top Tours, for the past 17 years, she always has great recommendations for things to do in Dublin and places to go in Ireland. She has an honours degree in History and Politics from University College Dublin (UCD) and a diploma in Law Studies from the Dublin Institute of Technology. Olwyn is married and has a daughter. She loves reading, travelling, sailing, culture, theatre, cinema and music.
Pilar Murguia
Rome Site Director
Email: Pilar(at)academicstudies.com
Pilar Murguia has worked with study abroad students for the past eight years, so she knows what students want to see and do in Rome and Italy. She earned her bachelor’s degree from John Cabot University and a master’s degree from AICE Bocconi, Pilar was born in Sucre, Bolivia, but now considers Rome her home. Her South American heritage and the opportunity to travel globally have allowed Pilar to understand the needs of the students studying abroad. She enjoys cooking, reading, snowboarding and showing students her favorite city in the world!
Emily Nunes
London Site Director
Email: Emily(at)academicstudies.com
It’s not every day that a young American pulls up her roots and moves half way across the world, but you should expect nothing less from the adventurous Emily Nunes. Emily's knowledge of both London and England will leave you wondering if her American accent is fake and if she has, in fact, lived in England her whole life. If there's something you fancy to do in London, just ask Emily and she will tell you where to go, how to get there, and who the right person to talk to is. Oh, and make sure to ask Emily what it's like to have a famous sister!
Emily continues to live by Mark Twain’s quote “Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
