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

Jennie Konsella-Norene is the Administrative Director of the Mandela Washington Fellowship and serves as the Associate Director of Global Professional Programs in Global Affairs at UC Davis. She is responsible for several major international programs, including the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program and the Fulbright Scholar Program.

She also provides program oversight for a growing array of professional staff exchanges with international universities around the world. Jennie earned her master’s degree in Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Education at Monterey and has extensive international education and program management experience.

As Administrative Director of the Fellowship, Ms. Konsella-Norene oversees all Fellow support services, including budgetary and logistical elements, is responsible for managing all communications and reporting to IREX, and ensures Fellows’ personal well-being throughout the Institute. She also plays a lead role in securing faculty and guest speakers, organizing community service activities, planning networking opportunities and integrating site visits. She plays a key role in the Focus Project Coaching, assisting Fellows in making connections with professional contacts and mentors.

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.

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.

Assistant Director, Events
Global Affairs
(530) 752-9304
avbataska@ucdavis.edu

Adrianne Bataska serves as the assistant director, Events 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. As the assistant director, Adrianne Bataska coordinates all of the event-related activities during the Fellowship.

Events Coordinator
Global Affairs
aelking@ucdavis.edu

Alaina King serves as the Events Coordinator for Global Affairs, where she provides event planning support to staff working with study abroad, international students, and professional programs. Prior to joining the Global Affairs team in 2023, she worked for several years in the non-profit sector, first as a foreign language teacher and then transitioning into international education management. She has an extensive background in international delegations, successfully leading over 40 delegations on Department of State-funded exchange programs. Alaina holds a B.A. in International Relations & French Studies from Lewis and Clark College and is fluent in French and English. She will be providing administrative and logistical support for the Mandela Washington Fellowship this summer.

Previously, Chief Consultant, CA Assembly Utilities & Energy Committee at California State Assembly

Mary has had a career that spans decades of experience in government and legislative affairs at the statewide, national and international level. Immediately before retiring, she was the Chief Consultant to the California Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee. In that capacity, Mary analyzed legislation, provided technical assistance to legislators, staff and the public on energy and utility laws, organized informational and oversight hearings to provide a public forum for reviewing matters of significant interest. Prior to that position, Mary was the Director of State and International Affairs for the California Independent System Operator (ISO). The ISO is a non-profit public benefit corporation that oversees the operation of California's bulk electric power system, transmission lines, and electricity market generated and transmitted by its member utilities. Before the ISO, Mary was the Vice President of the California Power Exchange; Deputy Legislative Secretary to the Governor of California; and Washington D.C Representative to the Governor managing environmental, energy, agricultural and natural resource issues.

Given Mary’s breath of experience and connections across various sectors, she is an exceptional member of the UC Davis team in supporting the Mandela Washington Fellowship.

M.S. Student
grendonherrera@ucdavis.edu

Gabriela is pursuing a Masters in Ecology at the University of California, Davis. Gabriela holds a B.S. Biology from the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon in Mexico, where she earned a Bachelor Thesis with Honors with the project “Relationship between short-term stress response and cause-effect association of the Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)”. Most of her experience in science conservation and socialization projects has been in the non-governmental organization sector. She was Head of the Communication Department at Pronatura Noreste A.C. (2016-2020), a non-governmental organization that seeks the environmental conservation of the biodiversity of the Mexican northeast. Gabriela is a founding member of the College of Solidarity Biologists of the State of Nuevo León A.C. (2021). She is also a founding member of the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters (PFBW), an organization which pursues the dissemination and socialization of scientific knowledge on binational hydrological basins along the US-Mexico border to strengthen decision-making related to water management. Currently, Gabriela holds the position of Strategic Communication Manager (Feb 2020- to date) at the PFBW. She supports the Mandela Washington Fellowship as a Graduate Student Researcher, providing key input on academic content while also supporting programming with administrative support.

Ph.D. Student – Biological Systems Engineering
adien@ucdavis.edu

Alice holds a B.S. in Food and Agricultural Engineering from the University Rovira i Virgili, Spain. Following her bachelor's, she was awarded the Balsells Graduate Fellowship to complete an M.S. in Biological Systems Engineering at UC Davis. Alice is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Biological Systems Engineering. Her research focuses on designing and evaluating desiccant systems that reduce post-harvest losses and improve the quality of different crops through energy-efficient drying.

As part of the UC Davis D-Lab team, Alice assists on-campus education initiatives through teaching courses and curricula development. Furthermore, using her engineering background and focus on international agricultural development, she works with international community partners on projects related to interdisciplinary education, and global engineering challenges. Projects Alice has previously contributed to include those related to sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and off-grid power.

Student Assistant
Global Affairs

Sam is a third-year UC Davis undergraduate student studying environmental policy analysis and planning with a concentration in environmental justice. She is the cofounder and President of the Surfrider Club at UC Davis, an environmental nonprofit with the mission to promote beach equity and protect the coastline and waterways. In her free time, Sam enjoys hiking, running, and spending time near the ocean.