Global Envoy Program.

Originally from Algeria, Ilias Aboubker, DMSB’14 earned a graduate degree in business administration from Northeastern. Ilias taught himself software development after graduating and worked in various sectors of the tech industry, including real estate, music streaming, face-to-face meetings, and workforce automation. In his role as a Global Envoy for Northeastern, he hopes to provide support and mentorship to help graduates thrive in the North African ecosystem.

Martin Castro, DMSB’00 is from Argentina and is the owner of SurVines, a company that helps family-owned and operated wineries from South America develop their market strategy to effectively approach the US Market. In his role as an Envoy for Northeastern, he draws on his global experience as an entrepreneur and executive in the wine business to help current and prospective students navigate the intricacies of today’s modern working environment.

Born and raised in the Boston area, Maura Donohue, COE’87 currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, and has a special connection and pride in all that Northeastern can offer. The Envoy program is a way for Maura to bring her Northeastern experience full circle so that others will have access to the amazing community that welcomed her to Huntington Ave.

Texas-born and raised, Olivia Dwan, DSMB ’15, moved to Sydney, Australia to keep expanding her knowledge regarding corporate and digital events. Olivia wants to provide support to students and alumni through Envoy as well as provide mentorship to anyone considering living abroad.

Ji Lin, DMSB’16 is an Experienced Senior Consultant for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Belgium. The classes he took in business and finance through the D’Amore-McKim School of Business taught him the basics that stull help him at his job today. In addition, the Co-Op program gave him his first practical experience in the business world in working for MFS and State Street in Boston. Ji joined the Envoy team to support the development of alumni programs in Belgium and to help current and prospective students, as well as alumni and faculty members living and traveling to his country. His skills, knowledge and network from his consulting experiences gives him an edge in supporting NU alumni programs!

Nicole Stivaletta Contini, SSH’04 is originally from Massachusetts and has resided in Southern Brazil for the past 13 years. In her role as a Global Envoy, she benefits from expertise in Higher Education as the director of international relations at the University of Western Santa Catarina. She believes that an international student’s success reflects the reception and support they receive, and Northeastern’s Envoy program is an opportunity to put that belief into action.

Kenyan-born and Congolese-raised, Binja Basimike, BHS’ 12, MPH’ 14, currently runs her own venture capital and marketing agency in Kinshasa, DRC where she now resides after having lived in Boston for the last 12 years. Binja has always served the Northeastern community on various boards and as a mentor. She joined the Envoy program to continue being a resource to the incoming international students as well as a conduit for anyone with an interest in investing in the African continent. 

Nathan Hulley, DMSB’14, originally from Massachusetts, resides in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo where he works with student entrepreneurs and startups. To date, Nathan has connected with many inspiring Northeastern alumni, and hopes to work together to promote stronger ties between the school’s community and other universities in DRC through the Envoy program.

Catherine Schlict-Bang, DMSB’80 graduated among the first class of International Business majors at Northeastern. Her career switch from international banking to tourism was made possible by earning project management certifications and a diploma course at her local university. Catherine became the first certified culinary guide in Denmark, and built her company, Culinary Guides of Copenhagen around this concept. For Catherine, joining the Envoy program is a way to express continued support of Northeastern’s co-op program.

Originally from Denmark, Inger spent her 3 years of university at Northeastern University’s campus in London where she graduated in 2024. Throughout her studies, Inger engaged heavily with the student community and spent her time involving herself where she could make an impact. At Northeastern, Inger studied English Literature with Psychology and enjoyed diving into the depths of Victorian Literature and exploring the wide Shakespearean footprints in London. Now, she has continued her studies at Copenhagen Business School where she is pursuing International Business and working at PwC Denmark on the side.

After moving from Boston to New York and then finally to Copenhagen, Daniel Tewfik, Khoury’12 has always relied on the Northeastern University network to make friends, find jobs, and network. Daniel is excited to provide local insight, make new connections, and be a friendly face to the Nordics through the Envoy program.

Omar Rizk, DMSB’21 works as a contributor to multiple DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) in the Web3 space, a new kind of decentralized internet built on the blockchain. He believes that empowerment and participation are fundamental components of Web3, and he recognizes that these same values were built into his education at Northeastern. Omar’s goal as an Envoy is to serve as a resource for the community, continuing the culture of kindness and togetherness he learned from his fellow huskies.

Frank Green’s journey is a testament to education, global engagement, and entrepreneurship. Graduating magna cum laude from Northeastern in 1992, he excelled in European history and earned recognition from Phi Alpha Theta and The Golden Key National Honor Society. Post-graduation, Frank founded a recruitment agency in 1997, marking the beginning of a series of profitable ventures. Currently serving as president of ExecuSource, a national recruitment corporation, he continues to showcase his business acumen.

Marie Schulte-Bockum, CSSH ’17, lives in Munich, Germany, where she works as a sports journalist, mostly covering soccer. Her first job after graduating from college was actually as an International Student Assistant (ISA) for Northeastern’s N.U.in program, where she took a cohort of 101 first-year Huskies to Rome, Italy for study abroad. Marie is a proud Husky alum who enjoys cooking, reading, running and traveling in her spare time.

David “Femi” Lamptey is a Double Husky , earning his B.S. in Computer Engineering and his M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Currently a software engineer at Comsys Ghana Limited in Accra, he has leveraged his Northeastern education, including a co-op at Schneider Electric as a software design engineer, to excel in his career. Femi is passionate about creating opportunities for Northeastern students to engage meaningfully with their peers in Ghana and across Africa. He plans to use the Global Envoy position to foster meaningful engagement and establish opportunities for engineering and computer science students in Ghana and across Africa.

Moses Sebom, CPS’14 is a Construction and Events Organization Project Manager in Accra, Ghana. Moses attributes his confidence in undertaking Projects from his Master’s Degree in Project Management at Northeastern. He also attributes all of the experiences and successes that he’s had in his professional life to the knowledge and skills he gained from his time at Northeastern. Serving as an Envoy is his way of giving back to NU as he loves to meet and connect with people.

Stephen Ohemeng, L’17 currently manages a private senior high school in Kumasi, Ghana. Throughout his time at Northeastern, specifically in his co-op, he was able to create a wide network for himself that prepared him greatly for his career. Being an Envoy allows him to share his experience at Northeastern with others who may be interested in attending.

Trevor Mahoney, E’02 originally relocated to Ireland to take a process engineering role. Though he only planned to stay for two years, Trevor became a process team lead and remained with the company for 10 years before taking another job in Cork, Ireland. Today, Trevor provides consulting services in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries through a different firm. Through the Envoy program, Trevor hopes to help students secure the incredible international co-op experience that he had.

Galia Daube Fishman, PhD’21 is an Israeli Doctor of Physical Therapy. She graduated from the Northeastern University Physical Therapy Doctoral program in late 2020. In her role as a Global Envoy for Northeastern, she hopes to inspire, support, and mentor others in their educational journey.

Farah Shaer, DMSB ’24, was born in Amman, Jordan, and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to pursue her academic career. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and Psychology with a concentration in Brand Management from Northeastern University. During her time at Northeastern, she completed a co-op at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she served as a Social Media Manager and Gene Analyst.
As a Global Envoy, Farah leverages her experience as an international student and her passion for running to provide support and mentorship to current Northeastern students. She helps them balance academic excellence with athletic goals, understanding the unique challenges they may face in a new environment. Farah is also committed to staying involved with Northeastern as an alum through the program, driven by her dedication to giving back to the community that supported her and helping future students navigate their academic and athletic journeys.

Ali Bilbeisi, E’80 is a proud Husky parent. Between his memorable time at Northeastern, professional experience since graduating, and having his youngest son enrolled as a student, Ali’s desire to give back to Husky national is the only natural thing to do.

India-born and Tokyo-bred, Yuvika R. Jain, DMSB’20 is currently working in the gem and jewelry trade business, following a legacy of more than 3 generations. Remembering her experience at Northeastern as the most important catalyst of growth in her life, she strives to give back to the community by being a part of the Envoy Program.

Kiette Tucker, DMSB’08 is a senior leader at One Acre Fund, a non-profit, social enterprise that offers a wide variety of agricultural inputs, trees, and household products on credit to East African smallholder farmers. Kiette deeply values the experience she had at Northeastern, especially in her co-op where she built her confidence and network to find a job after graduation. For Kiette, joining the Envoy program is the best way for her to stay connected with her alma mater.

Paulina M. Sierra, CSH’99 earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Political Science with a minor in International Relations from Northeastern. In her role as a Global Envoy, she draws on her experience as an international student to provide support and mentorship to current students, with a deep understanding of the unique challenges they may face in their new environment.

After moving from Boston to New York, and most recently Seattle, Jessica Pogranyi, DMSB’13 has always focused on building a network with fellow business professionals. She is currently undertaking the entrepreneurial journey in Mexico City- learning the language, the ins and outs of doing business there, and building a network. She is eager to help others through their journeys in Mexico.

Miguel Albarran, DMSB’13 is a Mexican national who relocated back to Mexico in 2020. He spent the last decade living in Boston, New York, and Seattle. Currently an entrepreneur in Mexico City, he is excited to provide local insight, make new connections, and be a friendly face to others passing through or living in Mexico City.

Joining the Envoy program was a logical transition for Anissa Peters, AMD’15. After moving back to Morocco Anissa wished to maintain a connection with Northeastern and give back to a community that opened many doors for her. Anissa is proud to guide future students to attend or apply to Northeastern by sharing her first-hand experience.

Samuel, CSSH’17 runs a development company called Atenu Developments that focuses on the construction of affordable housing, industrial warehouses, educational and health infrastructure in Namibia and Zambia. Samuel also has a background in construction, and founded FundRoof, a digital platform digitizing housing demand ant the loan origination process for home buyers. While at Northeastern, Samuel was introduced to a large network of international students as he completed two of his three Co-Ops abroad. He joins the Envoy program to open up and share the beauty of his home country of Namibia  to students and alumni who are traveling or looking for work or Co-Ops with his company.

Nikhit Nanjungud, originally from India, was primarily raised in Geneva, Switzerland. He graduated from Northeastern University in 2016 with a degree in Business Administration and then returned to Geneva to work. For five years, he worked in Private Banking before pursuing an MBA in Madrid, Spain. In September 2023, he relocated to Amsterdam, where he is currently employed in the renewable energy and environmental commodities sector. In his free time, Nikhit enjoys exploring the various events Amsterdam has to offer and spending time with friends. He also has a passion for playing tennis and football and enjoys skiing during the winter months.

Kalpana Bhandari, AMD’20 is from Nepal and earned her master’s degree in Sustainable Urban Environments design. Building on the challenges she faced as an international student, Kalpana aspires to network with fellow alumni and support current and future prospective students as they embark on a beautiful and overwhelming journey at Northeastern.

Reuben Houghton, DMSB’22 is a recent graduate of Northeastern, currently working for an organic waste company diverting recyclable waste from landfills in the central North Island of New Zealand. In addition to managing his studies, Reuben was also a member of the Varsity Crew team at Northeastern, helping to bring them to the top 6 teams in the nation during his time in the top boat. Since returning to New Zealand, Reuben plans to advocate and represent NU from a Global setting as an Envoy, helping to network with individuals that share the same level of dedication to the university.

Originally from Nigeria, Betty Akoh, L’20 understands the unique challenges that international students face when immersed in their new environment. Betty volunteered to serve as a resource through the Envoy program to provide support to prospective and current international students and strengthen their experiences.

Kehinde Bello, CPS’19 currently works in Quincy, MA as an Operations Business Project Manager in the Biotech and Pharmaceutical industry. His time at Northeastern exposed him to the world of project management and gave him an in-depth understanding of all facets of a typical project, which he still uses to this day. The Envoy program is an opportunity for Kehinde to give back to the community that allowed him to excel in his current work.

A true third culture kid, Jenny is of Korean and Chinese heritage, was raised in the Philippines, and received her higher education in the United States. Currently, Jenny is the Head of Marketing and Business Strategy in a family-owned F&B business. She holds a degree in Marketing from Northeastern University (DMSB ’19) and a Master of Management in Hospitality from Boston University (MMH ’20). As a proud alumna of NEU, she is honored to be part of the Global Envoy Program, where she aims to foster cross-cultural connections and support the next generation of global leaders.

Rehan Shoukat, DMSB’91 is the President of Fund Marketing International, a commodity research and trade house based in Pakistan. There he helps provide supply chain members in each industry with essential information about physical commodities, such as cotton and sugar. Attending Northeastern was one of the best decisions of his life, and Rehan wants to encourage more people to attend the university and learn the skills he still uses to run his business today.

Joanna Karenzi, CSSH ‘17 works as a Program Policy Officer at the World Food Program in Rwanda. There, she works on the School Feeding Program which aims to improve literacy of children and increase use of health and dietary practices. While Joanna is proud of her career growth dating back from summer internships to a full time career now, she attributes the acceleration to the foundational skills from Northeastern. She brings valuable experiences and is honored to extend the same support she was given to other students from the Rwandan, African, or international community at large.

Deema Alayedh, Khoury’18 is an experienced cybersecurity professional with five years’ experience coming from various background in computer science and cybersecurity, mathematics and music. Originally from Khobar, Saudi Arabia and working in Aramco as a board member in Saudi Aramco Employees Association. Deema joins the global Envoy program to share more about her home country, Saudi Arabia, to students, alumni and community and welcome them to the country and the MENA region, as well as share support and mentorship to them.

A native of West Africa, Diarra Ndione, DMSB’00 is the owner of a Real Estate agency and also runs a dried fruit factory in Senegal. Diarra joined the Envoy program to be a resource for fellow students from Africa and welcome any visitors from Northeastern to her country.

Michael Matamela CSH’92 is a Deputy Director for Human Resource Development and Training of the Department of Health in Limpopo Province of the Republic of South Africa. There, he runs the challenging task of coordinating a myriad of training programs for over 30,000 employees. Because of his experiences at Northeastern and other prestigious universities, he excelled beyond the difficulties of rural life to become a successful and well-known mentor in his community. Becoming an Envoy and representing Northeastern is a priceless honor for him, and it’s something that he’s been doing on his own for years.

Rebecca Huot, DMSB’11 is an experienced logistics professional, spending the last 10 years with industry leader, Kuehne Nagel where she lived and worked in New York, Singapore, Zurich, and now Switzerland. Envoy enables Rebecca to stay connected to the University and support the enriching global experiences that she cherished during her time at Northeastern.

Naimah Bukenya, L’15 works as a Senior Legal Officer at Platform for Labor Action in her home country, Uganda. There, Naimah provides strategic leadership for programs intended to achieve economic and social justice through community education and policy advocacy. As a Global Envoy for Northeastern, she brings a wealth of experience as an international student and practicing human rights attorney to provide support and mentorship to current students, with a deep understanding of the challenges they may face.

Ana Gvalia, DMSB’16, originally from the Republic of Georgia, has just graduated from Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge with a master’s degree in finance and has moved back to Georgia in pursuit of corporate and entrepreneurial opportunities. Prior to her masters, upon graduating from Northeastern University, Ana has worked for London Stock Exchange listed investment holding company, most recently as a Senior Vice President. Northeastern University’s focus on practical experiences, international student base and ample opportunities for personal and professional development has positioned Ana to quickly rise through the corporate ranks. Ana is a proud Husky alum who wants to share her emerging market, women in leadership and international experiences.

Giang Than, DMSB’17 joins the Envoy program to help students live their college years to the fullest. A proud Vietnamese living in Ho Chi Minh city, she hopes to create a fun and welcoming space where students from Vietnam and other countries can come to connect, create memories together, and develop resilience to navigate different environments in the future.