Our Team

Portia Williams is the Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Global Affairs, and Assistant Professor (Coterminous) in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University.  As Vice Provost, Dr. Williams supports the establishment and realization of college-wide academic goals focused on curriculum alignment, new program development, non-credit programming, accreditation and academic affairs compliance. She also serves as the College’s chief international officer, guiding policy and practice for institutional collaboration and partnerships, as well as federal compliance and support for more that 1,500 international students and scholars. Previously, Dr. Williams served as the College’s Associate Provost for International Affairs, 

With more than 25 years of experience in educational programming and administration, both domestically and abroad, Dr. Williams has directed, advised, or collaborated on policy and program initiatives 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, she has held faculty appointments at Georgetown University, American University, George Washington University, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and the University of Shkodra in Albania.

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

Alexandra (Sasha) Gribovskaya has served as director of the Office of Accreditation and Assessment at Teachers College, Columbia University since 2005. She oversees two college-wide accreditations—by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) and by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). She also works with TC academic programs on their professional accreditations. During her tenure, she has served on multiple peer review teams and presented at professional forums. She received a Master of Education degree from Teachers College in 1996 and a Doctor of Education degree in 1999.

Dr. Angela Jeon-Huh joins Teachers College, Columbia University, as the Director of the International Students and Scholars Office. She is passionate about enhancing global engagement and international students' academic and cultural success at TC. 

Before joining TC, Dr. Jeon-Huh served as the Assistant Dean for Honors and Scholars Programs at Southern Methodist University, where she was primarily responsible for the operations, strategy, recruitment, retention, and academic success of SMU's central honors and scholars (President's Full-Tuition Scholarship program) housed within the office of the Provost while serving as faculty for the honors and scholars courses. Prior to moving to Dallas, Dr. Jeon-Huh served as the Director of Global Programs at the Pennsylvania State University. In this role, she oversaw the operations and services of the Office of Global Programs. These services and programs encompass international agreements, study abroad programs, international students' compliance policies, faculty-embedded programs, and curriculum development.

Dr. Jeon-Huh also has extensive experience in student affairs. She served for five years as Drexel University's Assistant Dean of Students (serving approximately 26,000 students) and Director of International Students and Scholars Services (serving around 5,000 students, faculty, and staff). In this role, she managed student crisis cases and student conduct appeals and supported the development of academic success strategic planning for all undergraduate students. She also served as the Principal Designated School Officer and Responsible Officer for Drexel University, upholding and being responsible for compliance of international students and scholars.  In addition to Dr. Jeon-Huh's practitioner experiences in the field of International Education, Dr. Jeon-Huh is an adjunct Professor at Penn State University, teaching undergraduate students courses related to Global Studies.  

Dr. Jeon-Huh is an active member and presenter for the Association of International Educators, NAFSA, Academic Impression, AI, and The Global Community for Academic Advising, NACADA. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Politics and a Master's degree in Leadership Development at Pennsylvania State University and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management at Drexel University. Her dissertation focused on undergraduate international student onboarding, specifically ways to improve the cultural and academic adjustment period.

Katherine (Katie) Ledwell is the Director of Academic Affairs Compliance at Teachers College, Columbia University. In this role, she manages compliance for TC’s academic programs, ensuring adherence to institutional policies as well as the requirements of state and federal agencies. Prior to this role, she worked at Teachers College for many years, first as an instructor in the Curriculum and Teaching Department from 2012-2018, and then as an Associate Director in TC’s Office of Teacher Education from 2018-2025. She holds a BA in Anthropology from Barnard College, a MS in Childhood Education from Fordham University, and a MA in Education Policy from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Diana Maul is the Executive Director for Academic Affairs Compliance.  She has worked in that position since June 2014.  Prior to her current role, she was the Registrar of the College.  She has worked at College in the Registrar’s Office from September 1973 – December 1985 and then rejoined the College in November 1996.

Amine Mechaal is a multi-faceted international education professional with a passion for bridging cultures and fostering international collaborations. As the Director of Global Engagement at Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), Amine is responsible for overseeing the College’s international initiatives and engagement with international partners (governments, donors, and organizations). 

Prior to working at TC, Amine worked as Customized and Faculty-led Program Manager at IES Abroad. He developed and implemented over  120  programs in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America for 65 U.S. universities and colleges in the northeast region. Amine also was an Assistant Director for Academics and Customized Programing at IES Abroad Rabat, where he oversaw the academic governance and operations of the center, led the center’s strategic planning, and supervised the implementation of faculty-led programs. 

Amine served as Director and Managing Partner of House of Words Institute, an educational institute specialized in customized language programming for Moroccan and international adult students between 2014 and 2017. Amine’s expertise in international education has been recognized through a Fulbright grant he received in 2017 to teach Arabic and study at the City University of New York. He also received a number of awards including the Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Minnesota’s CARLA Institute, Study Abroad Impact Award from IES Abroad Rabat, and the Social Enterprise Award from the World Bank and the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 

He holds a vocational bachelor’s degree in Teaching from Mohammed V University in Rabat. At the graduate level, Amine studied International Relations and Andragogy at the City University of New York and Translation and Simultaneous Conference Interpreting at the King Fahd School of Translation in Tangier. As a professional interpreter, Amine was contracted by the United Nations offices in Morocco and New York, foreign embassies, the Moroccan Parliament, and other international governmental and non-governmental organizations. He is currently studying for another Master’s degree in International Education Development at Teachers College.

Amine Mechaal’s areas of interest include study abroad, experiential learning, teaching, curriculum design, micro credentialing, international job market trends and accessibility, comparative and international education, internationalization of higher education, international governance organizations, international education CSOs, education policy, translation and conference interpreting, international affairs, and parallel diplomacy.

Blessing Nuga oversees division operations, academic programming analytics and special projects for Dr. Portia Williams, the Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Global Affairs. She holds a BS in clinical psychology and BA in Japanese from Tufts University; a post-baccalaureate in medical sciences from Columbia University; and an MA in clinical psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. An avid reader and filmgoer, in her spare time, she writes and edits for TV/film.

Samaya Mansour is a Ph.D. student in International and Comparative Education at Teachers College, where she also serves as a Doctoral Research Fellow for the Office of Academic Planning. Prior to her current role, she was involved in multiple large scale education development projects, including policy and reform, teacher training and well-being, and youth development in the MENA region. Samaya holds a B.A. in Education and a post-graduate diploma in Educational Leadership from the American University of Beirut, as well as a MPhil in Educational Leadership and School Improvement from the University of Cambridge. Her current research interests center on the exploration of how refugees reclaim their agency and citizenship in the context of migration and forced displacement.