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International Affairs Team

Our Team

International Affairs Team

Kathryn Deans-Schaub

Acting Director of International Affairs

kathrdea@law.upenn.edu

Kathryn is a JD graduate of the Law School and was an Associate Director in the Office of Career Strategy before joining the International Affairs team. She has practiced law in several firms, primarily in the field of pharmaceutical products liability litigation, and served as Honorary Vice Consul of Austria in Philadelphia for 13 years. Proficient in French and German, Kathryn played key roles in founding the French International School of Philadelphia and the Austrian Society German School. She also holds a graduate degree in animal welfare and behavior from Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

Study Abroad: Université de Rouen, France
Languages Studied: French, German, Russian, Spanish, and Italian
Favorite Recent International Trip: Safari adventure in South Africa

Melinda Schiano di Cola

International Operations Manager

mels13@law.upenn.edu

Melinda is an international educator whose interest in the field began during her semester abroad in Rome, Italy. Prior to joining the International Affairs team, Melinda worked primarily with undergraduate study abroad students at Temple University’s campuses in both Philadelphia and Rome and has spent her career fostering international understanding through education. As a curious traveler, Melinda values the importance of cultural exchange and understanding through traveling to new and unfamiliar places. She holds a BA in Political Science and Italian from Temple University.

Study Abroad: Temple University Rome, Italy
Languages Studied: Italian and Spanish
Favorite Recent International Trip: Island boat tour of Ischia, Italy

Sherry Wert

International Communications Associate

slwert@law.upenn.edu

Sherry is a longtime scholarly editor and writer who also worked and volunteered in K–12 education before joining the International Affairs team. She has made several trips in recent years to China, where her older two children have lived and worked. In 1999, Sherry helped to establish an annual exchange that is still going strong between a Philadelphia-area youth ice hockey club and a similar club in Helsinki, Finland, where she now travels frequently. She holds a BA in Classics from Princeton University, and an MS in Education from St. Joseph’s University.

Study Abroad: Poros, Greece
Languages Studied: Latin, Greek, French, and Italian
Favorite Recent International Trip: Golf trip to Northern Ireland

Penn Carey Law International Affairs Partners

Eric Feldman 

Deputy Dean for International Programs
Professor Feldman holds the Heimbold Chair in International Law and serves as the faculty liaison to the Office of International Affairs.

Amanda Aronoff 

Cross-Disciplinary Programs Director
Amanda advises on cross-disciplinary opportunities at Penn Carey Law, including joint degrees and certificates.

Kim Benenhaley

Director of Alumni Engagement
Kim oversees community-building for the Law School’s global network of JD and LLM alumni, including alumni clubs around the world.

Susan Gualtier

Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Librarian (Biddle Library)
Susan manages the Law School’s foreign and international law reference services, oversees collection development, and teaches a seminar on foreign and international legal research.

Dimitri Islam

Director for Student and Community Engagement (Student Affairs)
Dimitri provides leadership and guidance for all student groups, journals, and moot courts.

Elise Luce Kraemer

Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs 
Elise focuses on recruiting, admissions, and student services for foreign-trained LLMs, and provides support for the SJD and Visiting Scholars and Researchers program.

Rachel Mayover

Administrative Director for Curricular Affairs
Rachel is the central point person for the Penn Carey Law externship program.

Caroline Ruhle

Director for LLM Counseling and International Sector Careers (Office of Career Strategy) 
Caroline is the point of contact for programs such as the summer GJF and GLPF fellowships and the postgraduate fellowship at the ICJ, as well as for LLM and international career advising.

Beth Shapiro

Administrative Director of the Gittis Center for Clinical Legal Studies (Clinic)
Beth manages the operations of the Law School’s nine teaching clinics, including the Transnational Legal Clinic. 

Emily Sutcliffe

Assistant Dean, Toll Public Interest Center (TPIC)
Emily supports the Law School’s international pro bono efforts through TPIC’s pro bono program and close work with student groups.