Project Scientist, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources
Academic Director for the Mandela Washington Fellowship
phartsough@ucdavis.edu

Dr. Hartsough is a faculty member in the Land, Air, and Water Resources Department at UC Davis. As a hydrologist, Dr. Hartsough has been involved in many projects centered on the water-energy nexus. He has research experience in geothermal energy and has worked on the solar and energy storage technologies in the private sector. He is currently working on a project partnering with the local utility and the California Energy Commission on the efficacy of hydropower in a changing climate.

Dr. Hartsough served as the Director of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program at UC Davis and has worked on research projects with international scientists on six continents. Dr. Hartsough enjoys teaching and the challenge of working with diverse groups of people on a broad range of science and policy issues. As Academic Director for the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Dr. Hartsough will lead a team working together to coordinate the fellowship at UC Davis. 

Assistant Director of Global Professional Programs
Administrative Director of the Mandela Washington Fellowship Program
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.

Director of Global Professional Programs
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 for two years has been the Director of Global Professional Programs for Global Affairs. 

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 complete 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.

Ph.D. Student, Energy Graduate Group
nsbowden@ucdavis.edu

Mr. Bowden is a Ph.D. student at UC Davis Energy Graduate Group with focus on the economics of electric power systems. Prior to entering UC Davis, Mr. Bowden was a Lecturer in the Economics Department and Research Associate with the Institute for Regulatory Policy at Illinois State University. From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Bowden was an economic analyst with the Illinois Commerce Commission where he focused on the market rules and operations of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and PJM Regional Transmission Operator.  Mr. Bowden has been the involved in electric industry education since 2006 and has specialized in the digitization of utility price data for application development and research through grants from the Department of Energy and the Sloan Foundation. 

During his tenure at the Illinois Commerce Commission, Mr. Bowden participated in several USAID projects with the Kosovo Energy Regulatory Office and the Energy Regulators Regional Association in Tbilisi, Georgia and Budapest, Hungary.  Currently, Mr. Bowden is working with UC Davis Mandela Washington Fellow Janvier Kabananiye and Rwandan solar developer, Great Lakes Power, to develop solar system projects and a solar industry workforce development program in Rwanda.  Support for this Rwanda Solar Initiative has come from the UC Davis Blum Center and USAID.  

Mr. Bowden has published academic research in the field of electricity and natural gas in Energy Economics, Journal of Policy Modeling, The Electricity Journal and Energy Sources as well as a regular column for the trade publication Natural Gas and Electricity.

Executive Director, Policy Institute for Energy, the Environment, and the Economy 
dokbrown@ucdavis.edu

Mr. Brown is Executive Director of the Policy Institute for Energy, the Environment, and the Economy at the University of California, Davis. In this role, he builds strong connections between the research and policy communities at the local, state, and national levels with a focus on clean energy and sustainable transportation. Prior to joining UC Davis in June 2017, he spent nine years in Washington, DC, working for the Department of Energy and as Assistant Director for Clean Energy and Transportation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under the Obama Administration.

Ph.D Student, Geography
ynchoueiri@ucdavis.edu.

Ms. Choueiri is a Ph.D. student in the Geography Program at UC Davis. She is interested in researching urban residential water systems and in understanding the relationships between formal and informal water infrastructures, in Lebanon. Following her master’s degree in Urban Environmental Management with a minor in Land-Use and Planning from Wageningen University (the Netherlands), Ms. Choueiri worked in the business and the academic domains, as an environmental consultant, landscape designer, researcher, and lecturer.

Ms. Choueiri worked on projects focused on landscaping, land-use planning, environmental architecture and sustainable development; along with their related research on: urban biodiversity, biomimicry, ecosystems and their services, habitat, native fauna/flora, and bio-inspired interventions. In academia, she assisted in the development and delivery of landscape design courses and studios to undergraduate students at the American University of Beirut and UC Davis.

Associate Program Coordinator, Hubert H. Humphrey Program, Global Affairs
sjohn@ucdavis.edu

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 17 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 successful implementation of program components on the UC Davis campus. She will provide administrative and logistical support for the Mandela Washington Fellowship this summer.

Director of Project Development, Social Good Fund
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.

International Programs Coordinator, Services for International Students and Scholars, Global Affairs
eikasakov@ucdavis.edu

Ms. Kasakov is an International Programs Coordinator with Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) within Global Affairs. While she provides support for programs that welcome and help new international students and scholars succeed socially and professionally while at UC Davis, her main responsibilities include supporting the Global Engagement Living Learning Community student dorm and planning the SISS International Student Orientation. Another key SISS program that Ms. Kasakov manages is the Global Ambassador Mentorship Program, a yearlong internship that trains current undergraduate students in intercultural leadership and community building, as well as how to be mentors for new international students in order to help them have a successful transition to life at UC Davis. 

Ms. Kasakov was a student assistant for the Mandela Washington Fellowship in 2016 and 2017, and is excited about returning to help with the fellowship as a staff member! Ms. Kasakov holds a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from UC Davis.

Student Assistant, Global Affairs
globalaffairsstudent@ucdavis.edu

Ms. Conner joined the Global Affairs team as an assistant in Spring of 2017. Her responsibilities are focused on our Global Professional Programs and event planning. As an assistant for this summer’s institute on Public Management, she will be supporting the directors in administration, event management, and supervision of fellow activities.

The past two summers, Lulu loved spending time with the fellows and helping them to acclimate to the fun-loving Davis lifestyle. She has also had the privilege of traveling extensively throughout Ghana and Southern Africa (mainly Namibia, where her sister lives); this provided a unique connection with many of our participant’s last year. Ms. Conner graduated in March of 2019 with a B.S. in International Agricultural Development, with an emphasis on environmental issues. Aside from her studies and Global Affairs duties, most of her time is spent as the director of Camp Kesem at UC Davis, a non-profit dedicated to supporting children and their families throughout a parent’s cancer.

Student Assistant, Global Affairs
globalaffairsstudent@ucdavis.edu

Ms. Russell has been a part of the Global Affairs team since winter of 2018. As a student assistant her responsibilities are focused on Global Professional Programs and event planning. This year will be her first time working with the fellows and she is looking forward to being a part of the team that helps welcome them to the community of Davis. During her time abroad studying in Spain in the fall of 2018, Ms. Russell had the opportunity to explore parts of northern Africa, but is excited to learn more about the region and fellows themselves. She is currently a third-year pursuing a double major in international relations and history, as well as a minor in human rights. Beyond her work at the Global Affairs office, Ms. Russell is a campus news writer at the student-run newspaper The California Aggie and enjoys being involved in telling the different stories of UC Davis community members.