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Meet the Staff

Mr. J. Scott Van Der Meid
Assistant Dean of Academic Services and Director of Study Abroad

 Scott has directed the study abroad program at Brandeis University since 1999.  Prior to his time at Brandeis he worked for several years in Boston University's Office of International Programs.  Scott received his B.A. in History and German Literature with a concentration in Asia in the Modern World from Allegheny College and his M.A. in Intercultural Relations from Lesley University.  He studied in West Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall and Germany's eventual unification. Scott also studied and worked for several years in Tokyo, Japan. He has been to over 45 countries on every continent except Antarctica. Professionally Scott has served on several national advisory boards in the field of international education including Arcadia University's National Advisory Board, IFSA-Butler's Executive Council of the National Advisory Council and SIT Study Abroad's Partnership Council. He is past Co-Chair of the NAFSA Rainbow Special Interest Group and served as a founding member of the Forum on Education Abroad's Advisory Council. Other national committee involvement included NAFSA's Committee on Underrepresentation in Education Abroad, the SECUSSA Data Collection Working Group, the CIEE Nomination's Committee, the IES Membership Committee, the Forum on Education Abroad's Data Committee and Forum on Education Abroad's Ethics Working Group. He currently serves on the IES Institutional Membership Committee and is a member of the Advisory Board for the NAFSA Rainbow SIG.

Ms. Courtney de Vries
Associate Director of Study Abroad

Courtney, at Brandeis since 2010, originally hails from Midwest City, Oklahoma, and had her first experience abroad at the age of eighteen when she was selected to participate in the People to People International Student Ambassador trip to Northern Europe. From there Courtney attended Rose State Community College and earned her Associate degree in Liberal Studies in 1997. She then went on to the University of Oklahoma to pursue her Bachelor of Arts in International and Area Studies with a focus on Europe. While at OU, Courtney went on three separate study abroad programs: one year at the Universiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands, a summer program to Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Mexico, and a semester program at the Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. Courtney’s love for experiencing education and life abroad continued with her attending the Universiteit van Amsterdam, where she obtained her Master of Arts in European Studies in 2005. Courtney’s work experience is a direct reflection of those previous experiences abroad and reflects time as a Study Abroad Assistant at the University of Oklahoma, a Senior Travel Coordinator with STA Travel, a Placement Manager with EF Foundation for Foreign Study, and most recently, Associate Director of International Programs at Rice University.

Ms. Allyson W. Goose
Study Abroad Advisor

Allyson started her work in the Office of Study Abroad in June 2008, bringing with her extensive experience in international and experiential education. Prior to coming to Brandeis she served as an advisor and resident coordinator at Dynamy, a gap year and college-access program in Worcester, Massachusetts. There she delivered leadership development programs, organized community service projects and counseled students on job skills. In addition, she has taught English in Unoke, Japan and Cuenca, Ecuador. She holds a Master's degree in Teaching from Brown University and a B.A. in Anthropology from Grinnell College. As a student, she studied abroad in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Netherlands. Allyson is responsible for advising first years and sophomores, coordinating summer study abroad and managing tuition payments.

Ms. Alyssa Grinberg
Justice Brandeis Semester, Program Manager

Alyssa joined the Brandeis community in the fall of 2009, when she was hired to launch the new Justice Brandeis Semester (JBS) and the Brandeis in The Hague Program. She collaborates with various departments, faculty and staff so that students can realize their potential through these academic and experiential learning opportunities.  Her career in education began in 1999 at City Year, a program that inspired the creation of Americorps.  As an undergraduate and after receiving her BA from Occidental College, Alyssa worked extensively in experiential education.  She has taught in special education settings and after-school programs and most recently served as the director of admissions and university relations at a non-profit international educational institution. In her personal life and at work, Alyssa is passionate about environmental sustainability and social justice.  Outside of the office, Alyssa enjoys sailing, rock climbing, camping, dancing and listening to live music.

Ms. Andrea McIsacc
Department Coordinator

Andrea joined the Brandeis community in the summer of 2011. She has a BA in International Relations and after having such good undergraduate and study abroad experiences, she became interested in working in higher education and taking Masters courses in Higher Education. She is excited to be working in Academic Services and Study Abroad and seeing where students want to go next. Andrea has studied abroad in Ecuador and Argentina, and has traveled to Peru, Ireland, Italy, and even Cuba. In Andrea’s free time, she enjoys thinking about the next country she can visit, listening to and exploring new music, and loves to dance.

Ms. Lynn Debilzen
Study Abroad Graduate Assistant

Lynn joined the Study Abroad team in September 2011 as the Graduate Student Assistant. She is currently studying for her MBA in Nonprofit Management at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Lynn is originally from Wisconsin, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During her undergraduate career, Lynn spent a semester in Galway, Ireland, and two summers in Antigua, Guatemala – both places were instrumental in inspiring her love of travel. Lynn comes to us with an M.A. in Intercultural Youth and Family Development from The University of Montana, where she completed the Peace Corps Master’s International program in the Philippines (RPCV, 2008-2010). Prior to arriving at Brandeis, Lynn recently lived for six months in Zurich, Switzerland.

Student Workers:

Jeremy Fineberg, '12; Rabat, Morocco

Jake Laband, '12; Beijing & Kunming, China