Harmony DeFazio
Director
Harmony attended the University of Oregon, where she earned her BA in German, with minors in Italian and Linguistics. As an undergraduate, she had the opportunity to study abroad in both Italy and Germany and to travel throughout Western Europe. These experiences were pivotal in shaping her personal and professional goals and she decided to continue her studies at the University of Oregon, this time pursuing a Master of Public Administration with a focus on international education. In graduate school, she returned to Germany to develop a study abroad program for US business students. After completing her studies, she worked as a Study Abroad Advisor at Central Washington University. Harmony joined SASE in May 2007, where she is currently serving as director and advising outbound students for Greece.
Direct Line: (520) 626-6039
Email: defazioh@email.arizona.edu
Renee Griggs
Associate Director & Coordinator of Student Services
Renee has been with Study Abroad and Student Exchange for many years. Specializing in semester and summer programs, Renee is the principal advisor for programs in Spain. She is also the person you'll want to see for any help with registration, posting of credits, billing questions, or financial aid.
Direct line: (520) 626-7180
Email: griggsr@email.arizona.edu
Jill Calderón
Program Director, Latin America
Jill completed her BA at Colorado State University in Creative Writing and her MA in Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona. After graduating with her undergraduate degree, she set out for Costa Rica where she worked at becoming fluent in Spanish while running her own business, Escuela Latina de Lenguas, S.A., a language school teaching English to Costa Ricans and offering service learning opportunities and Spanish language instruction to international visitors. While in Costa Rica, Jill had the opportunity to travel throughout Latin America. She came to Tucson from Costa Rica in 2000 to work at the UA and pursue her Master's degree. For nearly 5 years, she worked as a Project Director for the Office of International Affairs before transitioning to her current position of Program Director, Latin America, for the Office of Study Abroad and Student Exchange. Currently, Jill advises for all of the Latin America programs and assists the Center for Latin American Studies with international initiatives in teaching, research and study programs abroad.
Direct line: (520) 626-4931
Email: jcaldero@email.arizona.edu
Kendra Corey
Study Abroad Coordinator
Originally from western New York, Kendra attended the University of Richmond in Virginia where she earned her BA in Leadership Studies, with a minor in history. During her junior year at Richmond, she spent a semester studying Maori culture and Australian and New Zealand history at the University of Otago in New Zealand. After graduation, not quite ready for a desk job, she spent six months working and traveling around Australia. Upon her arrival back in the US, she returned to her alma mater, where she most recently worked as the marketing and public relations coordinator for the Robins School of Business.
During 2008-2010, Kendra traveled throughout Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and South America. She spent most of her time working in Alaska, Antarctica and teaching English in Chile. Kendra has an MA in Higher Education Administration from the University of Arizona and joined the SASE team in 2011. She enjoys hiking, camping and playing tennis. Kendra advises inbound and outbound students for programs in Italy and Northern Europe.
Direct line: (520) 626-3427
Email: kcorey@email.arizona.edu
Kristen Michelson
Study Abroad Coordinator
Kristen joins Study Abroad and Student Exchange from the Midwest, where she was born and raised and lived most of her life before coming to Tucson. Kristen holds a BA in French from Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH and an MA in French from the University of Minnesota. Following her studies, Kristen moved to Germany where she spent four years living in Cologne teaching English and working for a German television station while learning German. As an undergraduate, Kristen had the opportunity to study for one semester in Nantes, France, and has participated in short-term language immersion programs in Kassel, Germany and Madrid, Spain. Kristen has over twelve years experience working in the field of international education and holds a half-time position as the SASE inbound and outbound coordinator for French and German-speaking programs in Europe. In addition to her work in SASE, Kristen is pursuing a doctorate in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching and is currently teaching 4th semester French at the UA. Kristen is passionate about intercultural exchange, and believes it is a fundamental pathway to understanding, respect, and appreciation between and among all people. She is an avid cyclist, enjoys choral singing, and loves every genre of music that ever existed.
Direct line: (520) 621-9403
Email: kmichels@email.arizona.edu
Rudo Moyo
Study Abroad Coordinator
Born in Lusaka, Zambia to Zambian and Zimbabwean parents, Rudo had early exposure to a cross cultural setting. She grew up in Stockholm, Sweden and Gaborone, Botswana. In 2000, after completing her undergraduate degree in French and English at the University of Botswana, Rudo’s family migrated to the United States. She has lived and studied in the United Kingdom where she obtained her Masters in Politics of Democracy at Oxford Brookes University. Rudo’s professional career includes working in the nonprofit sector on areas such as human rights and development. She has vast experience working with young people from diverse backgrounds. She has travelled to over 30 countries across Sub-Sahara and Northern Africa, South East Asia, Western, Northern and Central Europe. She is very passionate about inter cultural learning and believes that educational exchanges that facilitate such experiences are an integral part of personal growth. Rudo’s hobbies include writing poetry and playing tennis.
Rudo advises inbound and outbound students for programs in Africa, Middle East, United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Canada and Semester at Sea.
Direct line: (520) 626-9273
Email: rmoyo@email.arizona.edu
Stella Rios
Administrative Associate
Stella has been at the University of Arizona since 1991. She joined the staff in 2001 and is responsible for managing the front office and guiding students through the application process. She has worked for the College of Humanities and Emergency Medicine at the UA. To make an appointment with any of our staff, just call Stella!
Direct line: (520) 626-9211
Email: srios@email.arizona.edu
Ken Simonds
Study Abroad Coordinator
Ken spent his youth in the South, receiving his B.S. from Georgia Tech and his M.Ed. from the University of Georgia. Born to an American father and a Japanese mother, Ken was fortunate to have a bicultural upbringing that eventually ignited a passion for all things international. This passion has led him to travel and experience as much of the world as he possibly can. His international experiences include attending high school in Thailand, teaching English in South Korea and Japan, interpreting for a professional Japanese basketball team, living in Turkey, and traveling through China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Egypt, and Spain. In his free time, Ken is an avid sports fan and tech aficionado. Ken joined the Office of Study Abroad and Student Exchange in February 2012. He is currently advising inbound and outbound students for programs in Eastern Europe and Asia.
Direct line: (520) 626-9664
Email: ksimonds@email.arizona.edu
Jessica Whitney
Administrative Assistant
Jessica is originally from the East coast but moved to Tucson with her family back in the late 80's. Her passion for multiculturalism and strong desire to travel and experience the diversity of the world has led her to the Study Abroad and Student Exchange Office. While pursuing her BA and working at the University of Arizona, Jessica loves spending quality time, doing outdoor activities such as swimming, hiking and camping, with her family.
Direct line: (520) 626-5390
Email: jkovach@email.arizona.edu
There are currently two Study Abroad Coordinator openings, open until filled.
You can find the postings under the Human Resource page: http://www.hr.arizona.edu/jobs
Please do not contact the office directly, all inquiries must be directed to Human Resources.
Thank you,
SASE Team
