Meet OGA’s new Director of Global Engagement, Chrishon Blackwell

Chrishon Blackwell will lead key initiatives for the Office of Global Affairs focused on building community and broadening what it means to be global.

Chrishon Blackwell

The Office of Global Affairs (OGA) welcomes Chrishon Blackwell, as our new Director of Global Engagement. Chrishon joins OGA at an important point in its history as it reimagines and reframes global engagement at UW. As Director of Global Engagement, Chrishon Blackwell manages new and existing international initiatives that support research, teaching, and global engagement among students, faculty, and staff.

Chrishon joins OGA from George Washington University (GW), where she oversaw summer at-large initiatives that supported the university’s broader strategic priorities of enhancing student success, retention, diversity, and internationalization.

Q: What background and perspective do you bring to this new role?
I have 20 years of professional experience working with international populations, 14 of which are in higher education administration. I am TESL/FL certified, hold two undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Business Management, a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, and am currently pursuing a doctorate in Human and Organizational Learning in the Executive Leadership Program at GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

My professional experience includes international recruitment, teaching and curriculum design, operations, and program management. I think the variety of academic and professional experiences that I have will bring unique and creative ways of approaching global engagement.

Global Engagement Task Force Recommendations

Five key recommendations guide OGA forward, shaping our vision for global engagement at the UW.

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Q: What excites you about serving as our first Director of Global Engagement?
I am excited to leverage my professional background and academic experiences to cultivate relationships across culturally diverse backgrounds and create partnerships across local, national, and global spaces.

Over the past year, OGA’s Global Engagement Task Force met with 100+ stakeholders across our campuses and schools, and reimagined the role we could play in facilitating global engagement for the UW. As our new Director, I am thrilled to bring this vision to life, expanding our programming to support faculty and students of all different backgrounds.

*Chrishon along the river in Kowloon, Hong Kong*

Q: How does your research inform and connect to the work you plan to do as Director of Global Engagement?
I have spent the past several years exploring the connections between cultural competency, comprehensive internationalization, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Throughout my career, my work has often required close collaboration with faculty and the offices that support academic success and retention such as the registrar, student affairs, multicultural services, international students and scholars, health and wellness, and career services. As such, I recognize and appreciate the importance of each of these offices working together to support a diverse, equitable, and inclusive institution.

Q: How do your own experiences align with the mission and work of the Office of Global Affairs?
The Office of Global Affairs vision aligns with my personal and professional goal to create opportunities and spaces that support global research, teaching, and community engagement. I think that there are so many ways to contribute to student success through global engagement efforts whether that is through supporting campus-based initiatives aimed at increasing access and retention, facilitating cultural competency development among faculty, staff, and students, and/or promoting cross-border activities that advance pedagogy and research.

Advisers share tips for Fulbright applicants

Natalia Dyba, Director of University of Washington Bothell’s Office of Global Initiatives offers tips and guidance for Fulbright applicants.

Study abroad safety: tips from experienced students and staff

UW Global Travel Security Manager Nicholas Hill and study abroad returnees offer important advice for students planning to study abroad to maximize health and safety. To learn more about resources available to the UW community, visit UW Global Travelers.

We the people: Race & equity at the UW

The Race & Equity Initiative builds on the University of Washington’s longstanding commitment to inclusion and social justice. The Initiative centers on creating an inclusive experience for students, faculty and staff, addresses institutional bias and racism, and engages our communities to help us work through our shared challenges for a world of good.

UW Nursing alumna makes an impact on floating hospital

Nurse Emily Dunham left her job at the Harborview Medical Center to volunteer with Mercy Ships, a global charity which operates hospital ships in developing nations. Dunham worked off the coast of Africa for nine weeks, assisting with life-changing procedures including cleft palate repair, cataract removal and obstetric fistula repair.

Burke Museum exchange connects Washington and Filipino communities

Burke Museum project manager Lace Thornberg (MA, 2010) developed a program connecting tribal community members from Washington with residents of a remote island in the Philippines. Washington and Filipino community members made transcontinental visits for cultural exchange and are now building unique museum exhibits based on their experiences.

‘Support global health workers’, urges alumna in TEDx talk

At last month’s TEDxUofW event, UW alumna Julia Robinson spoke candidly about the importance of human resources in solving global health challenges like AIDS. New technologies are getting a lot of buzz, she told the crowd, but supporting health workers is the best way to solve health challenges globally.

“I think technology is amazing, but I also believe… that technology needs people to implement it. We need to put that same level of effort into supporting health workers.”

Julia is Deputy Director of Côte d’Ivoire Programs and Director of Advocacy Programs at Health Alliance International, a center of the UW Department of Global Health. She earned Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Washington.

Watch Julia Robinson’s TEDx talk…

UW named top produced of Fulbright scholars

The Institute for International Education recently named UW a top producer of Fulbright scholars. The efforts of UW staff and faculty members are key to the scholars’ success, both on-campus and abroad.

In late September, 51 UW faculty and staff members volunteered to serve as Fulbright campus interviewers, providing feedback to 58 UW seniors and graduate students who applied to the Fulbright US student program for next year. The Institute for International Education recently named UW a top producer of Fulbright Scholars.

“The campus selection process demonstrates the wide-ranging resources and research interests available at UW,” say Robin Chang, Marilyn Gray, and Natalia Dyba, UW’s Fulbright advisers. It is just one of many ways that UW contributes to the success of Fulbrighters, abroad and on campus.

“I don’t think there’s another university that would so readily accept a business faculty member in the College of Engineering,” reflects Dr. Yan Cimon, the 2012 – 2013 Fulbright Visiting Chair in Innovation at the UW College of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “I benefited greatly from my amazing colleagues and research group at UW… they were instrumental in making my Fulbright year a success.” Dr. Cimon is Associate Professor of Strategy at Université Laval in Quebec, Canada and Deputy Director of CIRRELT, the Interuniversity Research Center on Logistics, Transportation and Enterprise Networks.

While at UW, Dr. Cimon investigated the integration of international value chains through a multi-disciplinary research project. He also collaborated extensively with UW Scholars, including Dr. Anne Goodchild of the College of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “The cross-fertilization of ideas between visiting Fulbright and UW scholars enriches the level of academic scholarship and discourse at the university and makes UW very globally relevant,” he says.

Sam Lim, a UW alumnus and Fulbright US Student Program Fellow to Germany, emphasizes the importance of his UW education in preparing him for his Fulbright fellowship. “My research experiences, particularly the ethnographic research I did with Dr. Taso Lagos during a study abroad program in Greece, allowed me to go on my Fulbright to Germany feeling quite comfortable with my research goals. Another critical aspect of my Fulbright prep work was simply the access I had to UW faculty mentors who helped me shape my research approach.”

As a Fulbright Fellow in Germany, Sam served as an enthusiastic ambassador. “I have great pride in being an American and a UW alumnus. I always seemed to find an opportunity to inform [fellow Fulbrighters and friends in Berlin] that the UW would be a great place for them to further their career. One ended up coming to UW for a summer research opportunity.” Currently completing his Master of Arts in Education Policy at Columbia University’s Teachers College, Sam continued his ambassadorial work when he was selected in 2012 as a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador to assist with Fulbright’s national outreach efforts.

For visiting Fulbrighters and those abroad, UW is an ideal place to prepare for international scholarship and make strong connections with fellow innovators.