About Us

Semhar is Assistant Director of the Office of International Services and is the point person for employment visa sponsorship for international faculty and staff, including H-1B, TN, and E-3. She advises hiring units at UMB and international scholars on these visas, and serves as the backup F-1 student and J-1 scholar advisor. Semhar also maintains Sunapsis, the case management solution of OIS, to ensure compliance with relevant federal regulations. In addition, Semhar directs the Henriatta Selle Tiri scholarship, a scholarship program of the UMB School of Graduate Studies established in 2019 to create staff development opportunities for UMB affiliates internationally. Semhar manages the program in collaboration with the School of Graduate Studies and serves as the main point person for all Tiri scholars and applicants.

Previously, Semhar worked at Johns Hopkins University and American University in Washington, D.C. in similar roles and with boutique immigration law firms in the D.C. metropolitan area. Semhar obtained two LL.M. degrees from American University, one specializing in U.S. Immigration Law, and an LL.B. degree (equivalent to a U.S. JD) from the University of Asmara, where she worked as a lecturer for three years. In her spare time, Semhar helps refugees and displaced students to locate global study and postdoctoral opportunities.

Emily Markes is Assistant Director of International Services and works with visa sponsorship for international faculty and staff, including J-1, H-1B, TN, and E-3. She advises hiring units at UMB and international scholars on these visas and serves as the backup F-1 student advisor. Emily provides support to international scholars and students before and during their visa sponsorship at UMB.

Emily previously worked in similar roles at the University of Maryland, College Park and at Cornell University. Before working in higher education, Emily taught Spanish in Maryland, New York, California, and the West Indies, and was an English language instructor in Japan. She has studied in Argentina and Spain and worked at a nonprofit organization in Peru. Emily obtained a Master’s in Education from the University of Maryland, College Park and a B.A. degree in Spanish from Wellesley College.

Mio Kamijo is the International Student Advisor in the Office of International Services, where she assists new and continuing international students by advising them on federal immigration regulations and supporting them personally, academically and culturally. She also plans, coordinates and executes international student programs.

Before starting at UMB, she worked at AFS Japan and British Council planning and managing international youth exchanges, providing English learning courses and teacher training programs. She also worked as an education advisor at the Japanese Student Service Organization, providing support and advice to people looking for scholarships to go abroad.

Mio has always been interested in the research about Language and International Education. She received a master's degree in Learning, Learning Environment and Educational System at the University of Turku in Finland and a bachelor’s degree in English Linguistic at Shinshu University in Japan. She had the opportunity to study abroad in the UK, Hong Kong and Finland. In 2017, she completed her graduate certificate in Program Evaluation at Florida State University.

Carlos A. Faerron Guzmán, MD, MSc, is an Associate Professor of Global Health at the UMB School of Graduate Studies. He is also the Director of the Centro Interamericano para la Salud Global (CISG) in Costa Rica and acts as the Senior Advisor of the Planetary Health Alliance at the Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Faerron began his career as a primary care doctor in a rural area of Costa Rica, where he worked closely with migrant and indigenous populations. His work seeks to redefine the meaning of leadership in global health through innovative educational approaches.

Dr. Faerron follows a framework of equity in health and human rights as guiding principles and firmly believes in progress in health through community empowerment, action/research, and participatory education. He obtained his medical degree at the University of Costa Rica and his MSc. in International Health at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh and Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. Additional studies include Social Justice at the International Institute for Health and Development in Scotland and Social Innovation for Health from INCAE Business School. He is a Fellow of the Central American Healthcare Initiative.

Dr. Josephine (Jody) Olsen, PhD, MSW served as the 20th Director of the Peace Corps from March 2018 to January 2021. With the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Olsen made the unprecedented decision to evacuate all 7,000 Peace Corps Volunteers and brought them back safely to the United States within nine days. Dr. Olsen then led the comprehensive re-entry plan for volunteers to return to service. She also championed global women's economic empowerment, global health, and established Peace Corps in four new countries.

Dr. Olsen began her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer, serving in Tunisia from 1966-1968. She also served the agency as Acting Director (2009), Deputy Director (2002-2009), Chief of Staff (1989-1992), Regional Director (1981-1984), and Country Director (1979-1981).

Before to returning to the Peace Corps in 2018, Dr. Olsen was a Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work and Director of the University’s Center for Global Education. She helped develop and direct inter-professional global health projects for health graduate students and taught international social work, global social policy, and global health.

Dr. Olsen received a BS from the University of Utah, and a Master’s in Social Work and a PhD in Human Development from the University of Maryland.

Leslie B. Glickman, PT, PhD, is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the UM School of Medicine's Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science and a Senior Fellow in the UMB Center for Global Engagement. Over a seven-year period, she held full-time teaching, administrative, and leadership roles at the University, and now provides educational and research consultation on select community and international projects.

Dr. Glickman conducted internationally-funded research and teaching consultation in Suriname and Malawi; created and edited the first textbook on Malawi, "Malawi: Its History, Culture, Environment, Education, and Healthcare;" helped create a transitional physical therapy curriculum at the College of Medicine in Malawi; and collaborated on a publication on global health education: Felter CE, Glickman LB, Westlake K, Shipper AG, Marchese V. International global health education for Doctor of Physical Therapy students: A scoping review. Phys Ther Rev. 2021. DOI:10.1080/10833196.2021.1892282; Available: https://doi.org/10.1080/10833196.2021.1892282. She is a former U.S. Fulbright Program Scholar and continues to provide programmatic consultation to Health Volunteers Overseas.

Dr. Glickman continues to mentor students and colleagues in the U.S. and abroad and actively participates in local cultural, community, and philanthropic projects.