Our Staff

Eric Garfunkel is the vice president for global affairs at Rutgers. He is responsible for the university’s internationalization efforts, including study abroad and global education, crosscultural and global programming, development and support of international relations and partnerships, and services for visiting students and scholars. He is also a distinguished professor of chemistry and physics.   

During his 30 years at Rutgers, Garfunkel played a leading role in the formation of the multidisciplinary Laboratory for Surface Modification and later the Institute for Advanced Materials, Devices and Nanotechnology — interdisciplinary centers that focus on atomic scale design and manipulation of materials and devices. He also served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.  His recent research has focused on the synthesis and characterization of materials that can be used for alternative energy (solar and battery) and nanoelectronics. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Semiconductor Research Corporation.  

Garfunkel has held visiting professorships in Germany, China, Italy, and France. He is currently deeply involved in developing global partnerships and research collaborations with African universities, and he has helped lead the international activities of the Materials Research Society for over a decade.   

Garfunkel earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Berkeley in 1983 and his bachelor’s from Haverford College in 1978. Before coming to Rutgers, he was a postdoctoral fellow at University of Paris-Sud in Orsay, France, and at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. 

Languages: Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Japanese

Languages: English, Yoruba, Arabic

Kathryn Rosko joined Rutgers Global in 2019. She reports to the Vice President for Global Affairs and serves on the Global leadership team. Kathryn is responsible for the creation and implementation of a comprehensive strategic plan for integrated marketing and communications within Rutgers Global, and drives the content creation and strategy for all marketing and communications, including but not limited to website content, social media, digital and print marketing projects, graphic design, branding, video production, and storytelling. In addition, Kathryn heads up the unit’s Data Assessment Group and is the project lead on the unit’s implementation of the Salesforce CRM, as well as a new website launch. Prior to Rutgers Global, Kathryn served as the Director of Marketing & Communications at Princeton Day School (PDS), an independent, coeducational school serving students from PreK-12. Before PDS, she served in a variety of publicity and marketing roles at publishing houses including Princeton University Press, Bantam, and Wiley. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Florida State University, and her master's degree in Digital Marketing from Rutgers Business School.

Lauren Meregalli Ferrer is the Director within Rutgers Global—Study Abroad. In this role, Lauren oversees daily operation of the office, manages study abroad policies and process, supports program development, and leads an advising team in promoting study abroad opportunities. She also works closely with Rutgers faculty to design and deliver a growing portfolio of short-term programs. 

For the past 12 years, Lauren has worked in various roles in higher education — advising undeclared students, administering service-learning programs, and creating opportunities to engage in global learning and study abroad.

Lauren Winogron works in Rutgers Global–Study Abroad as the Assistant Director for semester programs, managing a portfolio of exchange, faculty-led, and provider programs. She traveled abroad for the first time as an undergraduate and has since visited countries across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. She studied abroad in Bangalore, India. Lauren received her bachelor's degree in communication arts (focusing on media studies & intercultural communication) from Ramapo College of New Jersey, and her master's degree in higher education administration (focusing on international education and student development) from Drexel University.

Patty Welsh is an adviser for students exploring studying abroad. She graduated from Shippensburg University with a bachelor's degree in communication/public relations and a master's degree in counseling education from Rider University. Though she never studied abroad, she has traveled to Australia and Italy and enjoyed all the cultural elements that each had to offer. 

Catherine Charlton is the Resident Director in the UK and Ireland. She has been affiliated with Rutgers since 1986 when she completed her Masters in Public Health. For more than 10 years, Catherine worked on campus as an Assistant Dean at Rutgers College and then Dean of Students at Mason Gross, and currently works with Rutgers Undergraduate Admissions recruiting future Scarlet Knights from across Western Europe. In her career she also worked for NYU and Juilliard in student affairs. Catherine has lived in England since 2007 with her English husband, their two dogs and several chickens and is actively involved in her community working to protect the natural landscape where she lives. She also works hard to get Americans living outside of the USA to vote from abroad.   

If you are a student with a question or a problem while studying abroad, please alert your resident director first, as she is best situated to help you while you are abroad.

Contact Information:

Catherine Charlton
Resident Director, UK and Ireland
Crockern Farm
Dartmoor, Devon
PL20 6SW
UK
Tel: (011 44)  (0)7714 625 674
E-mail: catherine.b.charlton@gmail.com
 

Greg Costalas is the Assistant Director of Global Programs at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.  During the school year, he focuses much of his time providing programming and events for the entire Rutgers community, not just the international students enrolled at the university. Greg has been an adviser for international sponsored students and scholars and, since 2014, has served as the Administrative Director for the Mandela Washington Fellowship program (Leadership in Civic Engagement Institute) which takes place every summer at the university.  
 
Greg received a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from Rutgers and worked for several exchange visitor programs in the United States and abroad prior to coming back to the "banks of the Old Raritan." He lived in Australia for a short period of time and enjoys traveling around the globe to help him gain a better understanding of the world’s many cultures and people. 

Languages: Bengali, Hindi

Languages: Jaluo, Swahili

Maya Sarno is thrilled to join Rutgers Global as the Assistant Director of International Student Services. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, she has always had an interest in different cultures. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Butler University in Indiana and studied abroad in Spain. After spending years at different higher education institutions in Texas and Ohio, Sarno eventually moved to New Jersey in order to attend graduate school at Montclair State University, where she ultimately completed her master’s degree in Counseling with a concentration in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Prior to joining the team at Rutgers Global, Sarno had the privilege of advising F-1 and J-1 international students and scholars at Rutgers University – Newark. 

Languages: Spanish
 

Carissa McCarthy joined Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services in 2006. She grew up on Long Island, New York, and has always enjoyed learning about different cultures. She received her bachelor's in graphic design communications from Philadelphia University. During her undergraduate studies, she studied abroad in Florence, Italy, for a semester and decided to pursue a career in international education when she returned. She later received her master's degree in intercultural communications from the University of Pennsylvania. McCarthy has also conducted English conversation groups at the International House in Philadelphia.

She is a student adviser for F-1 and J-1 short-term nondegree students.

Languages: French, Darija/Moroccan

Languages: Spanish

Andrew Bautista is an International Student Advisor at the ISSS. He came to the United States from the Philippines to accompany his parents when his father was attending graduate school. He eventually received a degree in Political Science from Rowan University. While there, he was heavily involved in the international student community, serving in student leadership positions while working at the university’s International Center. These roles inspired him to pursue a career in the field of International Education. Prior to joining the team at Rutgers Global, Andrew advised international students at Rutgers Newark and at the University of Vermont.
 
Languages: Filipino
 

Yang You grew up in China and came to the U.S. in 2013 for her Master’s Degree. Her personal experience as an international student inspired her to work in the field of international student support and provide services to help individual students succeed while studying and living in the U.S.
 
Prior to joining Rutgers Global, Yang worked as a language teacher, ESL coordinator, and an international student coordinator/DSO. She is thrilled to bring her personal and professional experiences in international student services to the Rutgers community. 
 
Yang received her Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. 
 
Languages: Mandarin Chinese
 

Lamar Nero is a Rutgers graduate (B.A. Psychology, Ed.M. Counseling Psychology) with a passion for global and multicultural awareness and a desire to serve students and underrepresented populations. He has recently joined the Rutgers Global-International Students and Scholars team and is looking forward to serving students as well as obtaining insight into the experiences of students from diverse backgrounds. Lamar has studied and traveled to Brazil, Puerto Rico, Germany, and the Dominican Republic.

Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

Chelsea Jeffries has always taken an interest in international affairs and learning about other cultures. Her experiences studying abroad in Costa Rica and teaching English in China inspired her to find more opportunities for travel. Prior to joining Rutgers Global, Chelsea worked with an emergency services company where she assisted expatriates navigate health care systems around the world. She has also worked as an administrative coordinator and DSO for F-1 students.  

Languages: Spanish
 

Eirinn Jones joined the Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services in November of 2006. Born and raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Jones attended Rutgers and graduated with a bachelor's in anthropology. Prior to joining the staff, she managed the Busch Campus Center Convenience Store, and also worked for several years as customer service manager and accounting clerk at the Rutgers University Bookstore.

Languages: French

Caroline Foga was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and came to the United States in 1990. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Thomas Edison State College. She worked at Middlesex County College prior to joining Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services in December 2008; one of her jobs at Middlesex County College was in international student admissions. Foga is also a licensed real estate agent and a member of the National Association of Realtors.

Languages: Spanish

Carol Long joined Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services in February 2004 in a data entry support position and is currently a part-time front desk coordinator/client assistant. During her many years of employment at Rutgers, Long has worked in the central administration as secretarial assistant for the executive assistant to the president for community affairs and for the associate vice president for computer and information services.

Gina Antonatos joined Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services in September 2016. As a child of immigrant parents, she has a solid foundation and love for cross-cultural and international affairs. Prior to her coming aboard at Rutgers, she developed a strong background in customer relations and most recently was employed as a substitute teacher and school secretary for a local public school system. Gina is a graduate of Rutgers with a bachelor's in communications.

Languages: Greek, Russian

Lauren attended Pennsylvania State University, where she studied International Relations with a focus in Middle Eastern Studies. Studying abroad through a high school summer program in France and then at the American University in Cairo inspired her passion for intercultural experiences. Prior to joining Rutgers, she spent 10 years at a non-profit exchange organization where she advised on J-1 secondary school programs. She's thrilled to bring this experience and commitment to international education to RU Global.

Languages: Portuguese

Anu Gupta joined Rutgers in March 2017 as the assistant dean of the newly established Rutgers Global–International Academic Support. Her prior experience at Rutgers as a director of development and her vast international experience has prepared her to launch universitywide collaborative initiatives to offer the much needed academic support to the ever growing population of international students. Her work experience includes 22 years of leadership positions at International and national aid organizations such as United Nations and Sesame Workshop, designing and implementing programs for poverty alleviation, health and nutrition, economic empowerment and humanitarian aid. Gupta has lived and worked in over 10 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. She has a master's degree from Cornell University School of Agriculture. She is committed to using her extensive experience to continue to make a real impact in the lives of people at home and around the world.

Kim Pernice has been with Rutgers Global since 2012. Currently, she works primarily with faculty and administrators across the university who are interested in developing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with international institutions. She also coordinates visits for delegations from both partner and potential partner institutions, and helps to organize visits for outgoing delegations from Rutgers. Pernice oversees the Rutgers Peace Corps Recruitment Office, and works closely with the Peace Corps recruiter to raise awareness of the Peace Corps at the university.

Pernice holds a master’s of arts in sustainable development from the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute and conducted her thesis fieldwork in Sri Lanka following the 2004 tsunami. She has also worked in South Sudan with a USAID-funded civil society building program, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia from 1998–2001.

Pablo graduated from Indiana University with a BA in psychology. As a student, he worked in the clinical research department at Riley Hospital for Children and served as a translator for a medical team in Italy that served homeless and refugee populations. After graduating, Pablo served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kingdom of Eswatini, where he focused on HIV/AIDS prevention projects and promoted life skills and gender equity among youth in his community. He then went to the University of Notre Dame and earned a Masters in Global Affairs, focusing on sustainable development and international education policy. 

Pablo is currently a Clinical Psychology PsyD student at Rutgers as well as the Peace Corps Campus Recruiter. As the recruiter, he raises awareness about the organization and serves as a resource for students interested in applying. He also collaborates with various departments and career centers to participate in career fairs, panels, and class/group discussions about the organization. He brings a multicultural perspective that stems from his experience living in Colombia, the United States, Brazil, Italy, and Eswatini. Pablo is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, and is conversant in French and siSwati.