Lauder Administration

Dr. Regina Abrami is Chang Sun Term Professor and Faculty Director of the Global Program at the Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies. In addition, she is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Senior Fellow of Management at the Wharton School, and Director of the Perry World House’s Graduate Associates Program. Prior to joining the Lauder Institute, she was on the faculty of Harvard Business School where she taught in the MBA, Doctoral, and Executive Education Programs, with a focus on the context of global business, including government-business relations, international and comparative political economy, the origins and global impact of Chinese business, and China’s economic relations with the world.  Her expertise in these areas is combined with a continued passion for curricular design, experiential education, and the practice of strategic foresight and leadership development.

Dr. Abrami is an award-winning teacher and author of Can China Lead? Reaching the Limits of Power and Growth. Her research has appeared in Comparative Politics, Journal of East Asian Studies, Harvard Business Review, and the Oxford Handbook of Asian Business Systems, in addition to media outlets. She serves as an editorial review board member of the Asian Business and Management Journal and advisor to the Management & Business Review. Her research has been supported through various grants and fellowships, including the American Council of Learned Societies, Ford Foundation, Fulbright, Hellman Faculty Fellows Program, the Institute of World Politics, and the Social Science Research Council.  Other honors include the Aspen Institute’s “Ideas Worth Teaching Award” for her course on strategic foresight for future worlds and the HBS Greenhill Award for distinguished service.

Dr. Eileen Doherty-Sil is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science and Faculty Director of the Core & Africa general Program at the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies. At the Lauder Institute, she is part of the leadership team focusing on interdisciplinary curricular development in support of the University’s joint-degree MBA-MA program in International Studies. Prior to joining Lauder, she was the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in the University of Pennsylvania’s Political Science Department. Dr. Doherty-Sil brings to Lauder over twenty years of experience in executive education with the Doctor of Business Administration program at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management, where she has taught courses in Conflict & Cooperation in the Global Arena as well as Theory & Practice of Collective Action.

Dr. Doherty-Sil’s research focuses on international human rights law, especially the role of business & human rights in international relations. She has written and taught extensively on these issues; her current book project focuses on the global governance of business & human rights. Dr. Doherty-Sil earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was an IGCC Ford Foundation Fellow in Multilateral Cooperation. She is the recipient of multiple teaching awards.

Dr. María del Milagro Lozada Cerna, or Mili for short, is Director of the Lauder Spanish Program and Faculty Head of the Lauder Language and Culture Programs.  She is responsible for overseeing the curriculum of the two-year language programs and summer immersions for approximately ten languages and four regional programs.  Mili also developed and runs the Lauder Intercultural Venture (LIV) program, including overseeing faculty members from different disciplines and academic institutions.  As a member of the Lauder Spanish faculty, she is passionate about helping students master languages and understand complex social contexts and cultural diversity.

At the Lauder Institute since 2011, Mili previously taught classes in Spanish language and Hispanic literature and culture at various institutions, including Temple University, the University of Canterbury (New Zealand), and the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests lie primarily in language acquisition and intercultural development, experiential learning, and Latin American detective fiction, narrative, film studies, and cultural studies.

Mili earned a Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies from Temple University, an M.A. in Communication Sciences from Universidad Católica de Santa María (Perú), and a Marketing Certification from Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Latin American Studies Association (LASA).

As the Director of Admissions Marketing & Financial Aid, Michael plans and executes strategic marketing and communications for Lauder Admissions. In this role, Michael organizes recruitment events and works to maximize candidate yield. Michael also oversees the Institute’s financial aid and awards.

Prior to joining Lauder, Michael served as the Director of Graduate Admissions & Enrollment at the University of Delaware. He was a key liaison for faculty graduate directors in his support of more than 250 graduate programs and over 65 departments. His roles and responsibilities included establishing and communicating the University of Delaware’s graduate admissions policy.

Michael has traveled extensively to foreign countries to recruit the highest caliber students for leading graduate programs. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration (with majors in Marketing and Management Information Systems) and an MBA in International Business from the University of Delaware.

Haimanti provides guidance on pedagogy and offers administrative support to the 12 Language and Culture programs at the Lauder Institute. This includes the two-year academic year courses and summer courses (campus and immersion). Additionally, she assists with Lauder Intercultural Ventures (LIVs), helping faculty and staff plan and implement these immersive course components. At Penn, she has been teaching Bengali since 1995 and has also taught Hindi and English as a Second Language. As a recipient of federal grants, such as the multi-year International Research and Studies grant, the STARTALK grant, and in collaborative projects for the Department of Education, she developed and supervised language projects and programs in Bengali and Hindi.  At Penn, she received the School of Arts and Sciences Staff Incentive Award.

Prior to joining Lauder, she worked at one of Penn’s National Resource Centers, the South Asia Center. She is an ACTFL ILR certified tester-rater in Bengali and has been a mentor for OPI-testers. She received an M. Phil. (ABD) in English Literature from Delhi University (India) and subsequently completed her graduate work, followed by a PA certification in Elementary Education, at Penn’s Graduate School of Education.

For more than 30 years, Marcy has been overseeing admissions, alumni relations and the coordination of special events for the Lauder Institute. Born and raised in the Philadelphia suburbs, Marcy earned her B.A. in English from Mills College and her Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kim is the Career Advisor for the Lauder Program’s students and is based out of New York City. She regularly meets with and guides students in regard to their career and internship plans acting as an additional resource to Wharton’s career management office.

Stephanie McWhite is based in Philadelphia and has many years of non-profit and higher education experience, including as a former Coordinator for Admissions & Student Affairs at Lauder, as Events Manager for Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), and as Associate Director for the Executive MBA program at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.  Stephanie works with admissions on diversity recruitment including hosting events and nurturing applicants throughout the admissions cycle on a part-time basis.

As Senior Associate Director for Lauder External Affairs, Carolyn engages Lauder Institute constituents in meaningful relationships and secures philanthropic commitments to ensure Lauder’s distinction as a leader in global business education. Prior to joining the Lauder Institute, she served as the Associate Director of Development for Penn’s Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid and Penn First Plus. Carolyn holds a B.A. from Cornell University.

As the Travel Manager at the Lauder Institute, Jen Mintzer oversees the arrangements and logistics for all curricular and extracurricular student travel to international destinations (Lauder Intercultural Ventures, Culture Quest and Summer Immersions). Jen has extensive experience in teaching, the management of study abroad programs, oversight of international travel and tours, and intercultural communication. One of the more memorable travel experiences she has had was serving as a professor on Semester at Sea where she got to travel around the world on a ship for three and a half months visiting the Caribbean, South America, Africa and Asia with Archbishop Desmond Tutu on board during the entire voyage.

In addition to teaching on Semester at Sea, she has taught at Temple University, Drexel University, Arcadia University, Pine Manor College, Ursinus College and Neumann University where she led classes in media history, communication theory and practice, and film/video production.  Classes she has taught relating to international topics include “Intercultural Communication,” “Cinema and National Identity” and “Mass Media Systems Around the World.”

Jen completed her Ph.D. coursework in Mass Media and Communication at Temple University and holds an M.F.A. in Film and Electronic Media from American University and a B.A. in English and Communication Arts with a minor in German from Ursinus College.

Since she began at Lauder in 2022, she has served as a staff leader on LIVs to Switzerland, Thailand, Ghana and Mongolia.

As Assistant Director for International Studies, Anna oversees aspects of the Africa General, Global, and Core programs, supporting faculty affairs, expense reimbursement, Canvas sites, and immersion travel.  Previously, she managed a fellowship program at University of Pennsylvania’s Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. Anna is originally from Massachusetts, and holds a B.A. in Politics, Ethics, and Aesthetics from Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

Katie joined the Lauder Institute in 2014. As Program Coordinator, her responsibilities include: supporting faculty, staff, and students with any administrative needs that may arise; scheduling and proctoring the students’ Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPIs); and scheduling and maintaining the Lauder Institute’s database of classrooms and academic courses. Katie was born and raised in Philadelphia, and earned her B.S. in Interior Design from Philadelphia University. Prior to joining the Lauder Institute, she was the Administrative Assistant and Production Manager for both Eventricity and The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants.

Jaycee Scanlon (she/her/hers) is the Program Manager for Strategic Initiatives and Global Program at the Lauder Institute.

Jaycee graduated with bachelor’s degrees in communications and English from Salisbury University in 2020. She continued her education at the University of Delaware (UD), obtaining a master’s degree in political science and international relations in May 2022.

At UD, Jaycee supported students in and out of the classroom as a teaching and graduate assistant. She facilitated Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) programs in women’s leadership and U.S. foreign policy with international undergraduate and post-doctoral participants. In 2022 and 2023, Jaycee led the implementation of the SUSI Madeleine K. Albright Young Women Leaders Program, enabling the leadership development of young women from sub-Saharan Africa. She further cultivated strategic communication skills through internships and fellowships at Scott Circle Communications, the City of Salisbury, the Oxford Club, and the Energy Futures Initiative.

Prior to Lauder, Jaycee served as the DC Program Manager for the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College. In this role, she connected aspiring leaders with public policy professionals through experiential learning programs and events in Washington, DC.

Since he came to Lauder in 2004, Ed has been responsible for managing the financial and budgetary affairs of the Institute. Prior to joining Lauder, he was the Business and Communications Manager for the Wharton Financial Institutions Center and Program Manager for the Wharton International Forum, an executive education program held in various countries around the world for heads of global companies. He holds a B.A. in Modern Languages from the University of Pennsylvania.

As Executive Assistant and Communications Manager, Lauren supports the Lauder Institute’s Director, Co-Director, and Managing Director, and manages the Institute’s website, social media channels, and communications. Prior to joining Lauder, Lauren worked at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago and then as Executive Assistant to the Dean of University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences. A native of Australia, Lauren earned her B.A. in Film and Anthropology at the Australian National University and attended Penn as an international exchange student.

Sydney Wilson-Roberts is the Lauder Institute’s Event Manager overseeing the arrangements and logistics of a 12-month portfolio of events for the Lauder Program. Sydney is a proud Philadelphia native. After matriculating through the Philadelphia School District, she received her BA in Strategic, Legal & Management Communications from Howard University. Before joining the Lauder Institute in 2022, she was an Event Sales Manager with the Schulson Collective and a Programs & Events Specialist at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.