Staff

Portia Williams is the Associate Provost for International Affairs and an Assistant Professor (Coterminous) in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. As the College's chief international officer, Dr. Williams guides policy and practice for institutional partnerships and collaborations, oversees the Office of International Students and Scholars, serves as the Campus Administrator for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and facilitates a range of programming initiatives involving faculty, students, and international stakeholders. Dr. Williams was the founding Director of the Office of International Affairs in 2008, and has led the continued expansion of the College's internationalization efforts.

With more than 25 years of experience in education and development, Dr. Williams has directed, advised, or collaborated on policy and program endeavors in North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, East and Southern Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States. Additionally, as an ESL professional, Dr. Williams has held faculty appointments at Georgetown, American, and George Washington Universities, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and the University of Shkodra in Albania.

Dr. Williams holds a doctorate in International Educational Development and Policy Studies and an Ed.M in International Family and Community Education from Teachers College Columbia University. She also holds an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Dr. Williams is a former Spencer Research Fellow, David L. Boren Fellow, and Peace Corps Volunteer. 

Blessing is the Senior Manager of Operations & Administration for the Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS). She has a BS in clinical psychology and a BA in Japanese from Tufts University. She also has a Post Baccalaureate in pre-medical Sciences from Columbia University and an MA in clinical psychology from Teachers College. She is an avid reader and filmgoer. To schedule a 1-on-1, please click here.

Katrina is a Doctoral Research Fellow for OIA and a Ph.D. student in the International & Comparative Education Program at Teachers College. Before joining the TC community, she developed academic enrichment programs for youth in Rwanda and has worked with the private sector, nonprofits, and multi-stakeholder partnerships to improve educational outcomes for the marginalized. She is interested in the role of multi-national corporations in funding and supporting global education, particularly within education public-private partnerships. She has a B.A. in international relations from Brown University and an M.A. in international educational development from Teachers College.

Originally from Singapore, Bing is a doctoral student in Philosophy and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Before commencing her Ph.D. studies, she taught Biology, English, and Service-Learning in a high school in Singapore. She also spent two years at the Ministry of Education where she designed and facilitated professional development workshops for educators and school leaders, and led curriculum and policy projects. Her research interests include the areas of ethics, feminist studies, teacher education, higher education, and global citizenship education. She has a BA in Biochemistry from Cambridge University (UK), a MA in Philosophy and Education from TC, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PDGE) from the National Institute of Education in Singapore. She can speak Mandarin, English, Japanese and (almost) French.

The Office of International Affairs (OIA) seeks a Grant Researcher (work study) to support the work of international engagement at Teachers College. The primary responsibility of the Grant Researcher is to oversee and maintain an accurate and comprehensive grant database for TC faculty and students engaged in international work. This includes researching available and relevant funding opportunities; maintaining a calendar of submission deadlines and overseeing a larger grant database for OIA records. In addition, the Grant Researcher may be asked to support the preparation of literature reviews and presentations on topics related to issues in international education. The Grant Researcher may also be asked to assist with organizing OIA meetings and events, such as visits from international delegations. This position is remote with the possibility of some in-person hours (only as needed) in Spring and Summer 2022.

If you're interested, please visit the TC Careers page to apply. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and interviews will begin thereafter. Questions? Please email us at internationalaffairs@tc.columbia.edu.