iEARN-USA names Melissa Rowker Director of Global Education

Jun 13, 2023 | News, News and Updates

Melissa Rowker joined iEARN-USA in the Spring of 2023 as the Director of Global Education. As an education leader with over a decade of experience playing critical roles in developing school-based programming in the United States and internationally, Melissa is excited to work with iEARN-USA to engage teachers and students in meaningful experiences that bring the world into their classrooms. Melissa has managed education departments for national Americorps programs working with the largest school districts in the country to develop transformational partnerships.

Most recently, Melissa led a network of educational practitioners developing alternative high school models in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, and the U.K. Melissa earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Florida and an M.Ed. in Educational Policy and Management from Harvard University. Melissa lives in central Florida with her son, Will, and their cat, Willa Kitty.

More Stories

Global Educational Synergies: Moldova’s iEARN Conference Connects 250 Educators for Transformative Learning

On September 28, Moldova saw an unprecedented convergence of 250 educators at the Ion Creangă State University in Chișinău for the iEARN-Moldova Global Education Conference. Organized by the iEARN-Moldova network in collaboration with the General Directorate for...

My Journey with iEARN Storytelling for Social Change: Empowering Algerian Students through Global Exchange

Mrs. Hafsa Hadj Boulenouar Algerian Ministry of National Education My name is Hafsa Hadj Boulenouar, a secondary school English language teacher from Algeria, and this is my story of participating in the iEARN Storytelling for Social Change program. I first came...

An Uplifting Exchange Year

An Uplifting Exchange Year was a story from a Bangladeshi student, Wassy Tahsan (YES 2023-2024), who was placed in Minnetrista, Minnesota during his exchange year. It was literally an uplifting year for Wassy considering he learned about being a pilot, among other...

Global Village on the Move Grant: She Shapes Tomorrow

Global Village on the Move Grant: She Shapes Tomorrow was a story from Surinamese YES Alum, Julencia Slamet (YES 2016-2017). In 2023, she participated in the Global Villages on the Move program in Istanbul which inspired her to apply for a grant from YES for her own...

Discovering Myself through Theater

Discovering Myself through Theater was a story about Arfa Haq (YES 2023-2024) from Pakistan who was placed in Mound City, KS during her exchange year. During her exchange year, she participated in her school's play as a first time actor! Click here to read her very...

iEARN-USA Introductory Webinar

Are you interested in globalizing your classroom, school or district, but not sure where or how to start? Join iEARN-USA for a live webinar on Thursday, June 20th from 1pm-2pm EDT/12pm-1pm CDT to learn about our global education programming and how iEARN-USA can work...

Storytelling for Social Change: Meet our Country Coordinators

Meet the Country Coordinators and program manager for our program that is supported by the Stevens Initiative and the U.S. State Department Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.

Compañeros de Clase Globales: Meet our Partners in Mexico

iEARN-USA has a new partnering country for Compañeros de Clase Globales, meet the new Country Coordinator and Program Facilitator!

iEARN-USA Adds Three To It’s Growing Organization

iEARN-USA has recently added three fantastic individuals to its staff as it continues to grow and support study abroad and virtual project educational opportunities in the United States. We are excited to have added Shannon Pedersen as Program Manager and Kate Tankel and Program Coordinator supporting the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program administration in partnership with the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). We have hired Lindsay Myers as Program Coordinator to support the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) also in partnership with the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.