Katey Palumbo, director of international programs, was elected president of the Massachusetts Council for International Education (MaCIE) for 2021-2022. As president-elect, Palumbo will serve on the executive board of the 29-member public higher education institution group, which advocates and promotes international programs in the commonwealth. She will work on collaboration, information sharing, and bi-annual conferences, which are now virtual due to the global pandemic. MaCIE has 100 members statewide.
According to their website, MaCIE was founded in 1991 and is an “association that links Massachusetts public institutions of higher education in a common commitment to promote international education among our diverse constituencies.” According to Palumbo, the next two years will be interesting for the field of international education.
“In many ways, we will be reshaping our approach to both education abroad and international student recruitment and retention. MaCIE will provide a valuable platform through which to navigate this transition,” she says.
Much of the work MaCIE is currently undertaking is in relation to the global pandemic and its restriction on travel. Planning now for the re-emergence from the pandemic is the group’s primary goal.
“The 29 state institutions are already formulating plans to create a unified proposal regarding the reopening of study abroad,” says Palumbo, who is working with others with whom she was elected. They include: Mike Romero, University of Massachusetts Amherst, vice president-elect; Patrick Nobrega, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, communications officer-elect; and Tracey Betts Sarefield, Mount Wachusett Community College, treasurer-elect.
Palumbo has worked for Worcester State in various capacities since 2002, starting as a part-time instructor in the Intensive English Language Institute. In 2008, she moved to part-time in the International Programs Office working with international students and scholars. In 2010, Palumbo became the program director.
In addition to her role with MaCIE, Palumbo holds other leadership positions, including NAFSA: Association of International Educator as the advocacy and regulatory content coordinator, co-chair for the EA Financing Education Abroad subcommittee, and a member of the NAFSA trainer corps providing training to colleagues on a number of topics including risk management in education abroad, regulatory expertise for F and J visa holders, developing and running short-term faculty led programs abroad.