With guidance from the Vice Provost for Academic Planning & Senior International Officer, GEO serves as a global affairs support to the campus and senior leadership.
Questions?
For general inquires: geo@berkeley.edu, +1-510-333-9654 (cell for day-of delegations/events only)
For International MOUs, agreements, travel risk, briefings, and related international activity/policy questions: Contact Cynthia at yslai [at] berkeley.edu
For questions regarding international delegations and events: contact Chris at c.reed [at] berkeley.edu
Ashley P. Spinelli (she/her), Director, Global Engagement Office
aspinelli [at] berkeley.edu
Ashley Prather Spinelli has been with GEO since 2018 and assumed the role of director in 2022. Ashley provides strategic advising and support to UC Berkeley’s senior leadership, faculty, staff, and current and prospective partner institutions on international partnerships and academic collaborations.
Prior to joining UC Berkeley, Ashley has managed program development and institutional relations for a study abroad provider (Accent Global Learning), served as a Program Officer for Fulbright research exchanges with the Institute of International Education (IIE), and worked with various education and social impact non-profits in NYC. Ashley holds an M.A. in International Educational Development from Columbia University and a B.A. in Global Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. In her current role, Ashley enjoys providing guidance on protocol, partnerships, international agreements, compliance, and campus-wide global strategy across one of the world’s most prestigious, decentralized, complex, and truly entrepreneurial academic ecosystems.
Ying-Sing (Cynthia) Lai (she/her), Global Engagement Officer
yslai [at] berkeley.edu
Cynthia joined the GEO office in 2024. Cynthia brings more than ten years of experience in the International Education field, where she worked at University of San Francisco, International Student and Scholar Services office, where she advised international students and scholars and oversaw orientation programming. She has advocated for international students and scholars at the state and federal level and was awarded a Fulbright International Education Administration (IEA) Award to Japan. Cynthia holds an M.S. degree in Integrated Marketing Communication from Golden Gate University and a B.A. degree in Business Administration from Soochow University in Taiwan. Cynthia enjoys supporting Berkeley senior administration to advance international operations and strategy, as well as ensuring the success and sustainability of international partnerships.
Cynthia is the office point of contact for international agreements, global travel risk, policy analysis, briefings & data collection, and management of international MOUs.
Chris Reed (he/him), Global Engagement Officer - External Relations
c.reed [at] berkeley.edu
Chris joined the GEO office in 2022, and previously served as Global Engagement Coordinator from 2022-2025. Prior to UC Berkeley, he worked for the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 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. Chris has enjoyed continuing his long-term commitment to supporting research and transnational ties in the field of higher education.
Chris is the office point of contact for international protocol, delegations, and events, external-facing communications, and general inquiries. He also provides back-up executive and administrative support to the Division of Academic Planning.