With guidance from the Vice Provost for Academic Planning & Senior International Officer, GEO serves as a global affairs support to the Chancellor and Provost's Office, Cabinet, and other executive leadership.
Ashley Prather Spinelli, Director, Global Engagement Office
Ashley provides strategic advising and support to UC Berkeley senior leadership, faculty, staff and current and prospective partner institutions on international visits and academic collaborations, and supports the GEO team. Prior to joining UC Berkeley in 2018, she held program development and partnership management with a study abroad organization, managed Fulbright research exchanges with the Institute of International Education (IIE), and worked with various non-profits in New York City. Ashley has supported international partnerships, research exchanges, and study abroad programs globally. She holds an M.A. in International Educational Development from Columbia University and a B.A. in Global Studies and Italian Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is certified in Teaching English as a Second Language. She enjoys collaborating with faculty, staff, and senior administration to strengthen Berkeley's international ecosystem and operations. Ashley is originally from Minnesota.
Contact Ashley for: visits with heads of state and foreign governments, UCOP and campus international activities policies and complex international activities, the International Activities Coordination Group (IACG), international networks (IARU, APRU, etc)
Alice Chia-Hua Tsai, Global Engagement Specialist
alice.tsai@berkeley.edu
Alice joined the Global Engagement Office in 2019 after serving as Program Manager of the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI), a central hub of global research and education at Berkeley designed to promote research collaboration and graduate student education. Prior to UC Berkeley, Alice worked extensively in higher education administration and admissions as well as in the private sector, promoting language learning and international exchange initiatives. Alice holds an M.S. in Global Studies and International Affairs from Northeastern University in the US as well as an M.S. in International Marketing from Sheffield-Hallam University in the UK.
Contact Alice for: international agreements and partnerships, MOU requests, senior leadership briefings, Berkeley International Group
Chris Reed, Global Engagement Coordinator
c.reed@berkeley.edu; geo@berkeley.edu
Chris started as the Global Engagement Coordinator in 2022, where he is excited to continue his long-term commitment to supporting research and transnational ties in the field of higher education. He previously worked for the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, a funding agency affiliated with the government of Japan which has an office in downtown Berkeley. Before that he worked for the Asahi Shimbun of Japan, a daily newspaper, where he covered tech and business. He has also spent time working as a Japanese to English translator. He holds an M.A. in Political Science from Waseda University, and a B.A. in Japanese Studies from UC Davis.
Contact Chris for: general inquiries, delegation requests