Director of Global Professional Programs
Academic Director for the Mandela Washington Fellowship
Global Affairs
(530) 752-5678
kbeardsley@ucdavis.edu

Karen Beardsley received her Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Davis. Since 2014 she has served as Director of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program at UC Davis, and as the Director of Global Professional Programs for Global Affairs since 2016. 

Her research includes modeling environmental impacts of land use policies in California and integrating wildlife conservation and land use planning practices in Kenya. Karen is a Geographer and GIS expert who earned her master's degree in Geography from UC Santa Barbara and completed her Ph.D. in Geography at UC Davis. She was a Fulbright scholar in Bhutan (2015‐2016), a study abroad faculty leader in 2018, and a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Kenya in the late 1980’s. Dr. Beardsley has over ten years of experience leading dozens of international programs.

As Academic Director of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Karen Beardsley will plan, implement, and oversee the academic content and monitor Fellow participation in all program activities. Dr. Beardsley will work closely with faculty, guest speakers and community organizations to ensure the coherence of all aspects of academic and cultural programming.

Associate Director of Global Professional Programs
Administrative Director of the Mandela Washington Fellowship 
Global Affairs
(530) 754-9403
jknorene@ucdavis.edu

Ms. Konsella-Norene currently serves as the Assistant Director of Global Professional Programs in Global Affairs at the University of California, Davis. Her responsibilities include managing the Fulbright Scholar Program, providing program oversight for mid-career professional internships, administering the Global Affairs Seed Grant programs, organizing faculty funding workshops, and researching and publicizing international funding opportunities for faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students.

As Administrative Director for the Mandela Washington Fellowship Program, Ms. Konsella-Norene oversees fellow support services, including supervision of the program participants, budgetary, logistical, and other administrative components. Ms. Konsella-Norene holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Education at Monterey and a B.A. in Human Development from UC Davis.

Associate Program Coordinator, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, Global Professional Programs
Fellowship Coordinator, Mandela Washington Fellowship
Global Affairs
sjohn@ucdavis.edu

Sasha Ferreira currently serves as the Associate Program Coordinator for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. Ms. Ferreira joined the Humphrey Program in 2002, serving as the first point of contact for fellows responsible for coordinating logistical, administrative, and programmatic components of the program. She brings a wealth of program knowledge and experience to the team. Ms. Ferreira has worked with around 20 cohorts, which speaks to the level of expertise, institutional knowledge, adaptability and problem-solving skills she has developed. Her role with the Humphrey Program ensures both continuity and ingenuity in the successful implementation of program components on the UC Davis campus.

Ms. Ferreira's experience and expertise with the Humphrey Program is an asset to her involvement with the Mandela Washington Fellowship, where she will provide administrative and logistical support this summer.

Director of Fiscal Sponsorship, Social Good Fund
Leadership Manager of the Mandela Washington Fellowship​​​​
oliverhack@gmail.com

Mr. Hack has been working in the nonprofit and public sectors for the past 15 years; beginning with direct service and growing into leadership and executive roles. With a background in education, community development, the arts, and affordable housing, affecting positive social change has been a common thread throughout all of his work.

In his role as Leadership Manager, Mr. Hack supports the elements of the Fellowship related to the Common Leadership Curriculum (CLC). He also plays a lead role with the Ignite Talks as well as the Public Speaking Fellowship Foundation Session.

Events Manager
Global Affairs
(530) 752-9304
avbataska@ucdavis.edu

Adrianne Bataska serves as the Events Manager for Global Affairs. She has been an event planner with UC Davis for many years, previously coordinating events at the UC Davis Conference Center, and she has private sector event planning experience as well. Ms. Bataska has also helped develop event management expertise across campus, presenting at Staff Development & Professional Services classes in the campus Event Planners Exchange Series. She provides administrative and logistical support for the Mandela Washington Fellowship as part of the Institute leadership team.

Graduate Student
International Agricultural Development (IAD)
slnacosta@ucdavis.edu

Saraí is a second-generation Panamanian looking to work in the field of International Development and focuses on the alleviation of food deserts around the globe. While Saraí was born in California, much of her childhood was spent with her family in rural Concepción, a small village in northern Panamá. Witnessing the unique forms of widespread inequality in both her home countries, she aspires to make a difference and work towards tenable solutions for these problems. She has worked in many different sectors throughout her educational trajectory and has currently decided to work in the field of international extension and outreach with a focus on agriculture. Overall, she uses a social science approach to inform development intervention. Her current research project focuses on migration factors out of Central America. Through a critical development lens she asses what policies, events, and interventions have led to hunger, violence, and social instability in this region that have ultimately led to mass migration. She hopes to work for a non-profit after she graduates which focuses on agricultural education and food access. One day she will obtain a Ph.D. and open her own organization, which will reset the standards for agricultural and community cooperatives throughout the world, but for now, she teaches, mentors and grows vegetables.

Student Assistant
Global Affairs
gcontreras@ucdavis.edu

Giovani Contreras currently serves as the Global Affairs Events and Programming Student Assistant at the University of California, Davis. He has worked as an administrative and events planning assistant for two years as well as the president of the Student Ambassador club for a previous campus. Giovani is a psychology and Spanish major with an interest in mental health counseling. He will be assisting the Mandela Washington Fellowship team.

Student Assistant
Global Affairs
mlandsberg@ucdavis.edu

Madeline Landsberg currently serves as a Global Affairs Events and Programming Student Assistant at the University of California, Davis. She has previously worked as an ambassador for an international program in Southern California. Madeline is studying women, gender and sexuality studies and minoring in sociology. She is currently doing undergraduate research with a focus on transnational feminism with hopes to specialize in this field in the future. Madeline will be providing logistical support for the Mandela Washington Fellowship team.