US Advisory Board

Olga Baron

Olga Baron serves as the Senior International Officer and Executive Director of the Center of International Education at the University of Northern Colorado. She is passionate about promoting international mobility as a catalyst for change and values collaborations across geographical and cultural boundaries to achieve shared goals.

Prior to her current role, Olga led international programs at a public research university in Washington State and worked in non-profit and private corporate sectors. Olga’s career in international education and global operations spans 20 years and covers over 30 countries across all major world regions. Olga is a Designated School Official (DSO) for F1 visa, Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) for J1 visa, and is a certified U.S. Passport Agent.  She is a member of NAFSA, AIEA, URMIA, World Denver, World Trade Center Denver, and actively participates in various other regional and national networks aimed at promoting international education. 

Matthew Pucciarelli, Ph.D.

Matthew Pucciarelli recently joined Kramer Levin as the Associate Director of Diversity & Inclusion, where he will help advance the firm’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and public service.

From 2007-2022, Dr. Pucciarelli worked at St. John’s serving as the institution’s chief international officer. In this capacity, he oversaw the University’s sites abroad, international admission efforts, study abroad, intensive English, international student and scholar services, and international visiting student programs. In addition, he worked across the institution to advance the University’s global mission.

Prior to working at St. John’s, Dr. Pucciarelli helped manage admissions and student services for New York University's study abroad programs. He started his career as a high school English teacher and eventual chair of the English Department at Colegio Los Nogales in Bogotá, a bilingual (English-Spanish), pre-K-12 institution. Through this experience, he gained a first-hand appreciation for the challenges of adapting to and working in a new culture and language that motivated him to pursue his work in international education. 

Chunsheng Zhang, Ph.D.

Dr. Chunsheng Zhang has over 20 years of experiences as Senior International Officer (SIO) at three public universities in Minnesota, Oregon, and Alabama.  He currently serves as Senior Vice Provost for International Affairs at the University of North Alabama. In this role, he provides visionary and strategic leadership for the University’s internationalization planning and implementation. 

In addition, Dr. Zhang manages the Office of International Affairs which consists of: International Admissions, International Student Services, Education Abroad, and Academic English Program.  Dr. Zhang has established a track record for developing successful global partnerships, innovative collaboration models, and strategies for increasing international student enrollment, education abroad participation, and global learning for all initiatives.

As a veteran SIO, Dr. Zhang is a long-time member of NAFSA and AIEA.  He served on the Board of Directors for NAFSA and the Executive Committee of AIEA.  He is currently the Chair of the AIRC Certification Commission, and the Chair for Study Alabama.