Emma Swift
Director, Office of International Education
BIO
Emma Swift is the Director of the Office of International Education, where she provides strategic leadership for education abroad, international student services, international scholar and employee services, and faculty-led program development. In partnership with a talented team, she advances the university’s international engagement through expertise in regulatory compliance, program design, partnership development, risk management, and assessment. She assumed this role in 2022 after more than a decade in the office in other leadership positions, primarily supporting international students and scholars.
Emma has lived, studied, and worked abroad throughout her life, including six years in Germany as a child, undergraduate study abroad in Spain, and a year teaching and conducting research at Trường Đại học Quy Nhơn in south-central Vietnam as a Fulbright Fellow. She speaks German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Vietnamese, in declining order of proficiency. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she also spent several years advising international students and scholars.
Over nearly 20 years in international education, Emma has held numerous leadership roles within professional organizations in the field. Her service includes positions with NAFSA: Association of International Educators, including Dean for the Assessment and Evaluation curriculum, Chair of the Spring Immigration Workshop coordinated by the Governmental Regulatory Affairs Committee (GRAC), Vermont State Representative, and leader of a regional mentorship program. She has presented and published widely, taught undergraduate- and graduate-level coursework, and is frequently engaged to support facilitated learning, staff training, and systems development for organizations navigating growth and change in global education.
In her free time, Emma enjoys refinishing furniture, tending her garden, cycling when the weather permits, and working to move Portuguese up her proficiency list.
Bio
Emma Swift is the Director of the Office of International Education, where she provides strategic leadership for education abroad, international student services, international scholar and employee services, and faculty-led program development. In partnership with a talented team, she advances the university’s international engagement through expertise in regulatory compliance, program design, partnership development, risk management, and assessment. She assumed this role in 2022 after more than a decade in the office in other leadership positions, primarily supporting international students and scholars.
Emma has lived, studied, and worked abroad throughout her life, including six years in Germany as a child, undergraduate study abroad in Spain, and a year teaching and conducting research at Trường Đại học Quy Nhơn in south-central Vietnam as a Fulbright Fellow. She speaks German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Vietnamese, in declining order of proficiency. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she also spent several years advising international students and scholars.
Over nearly 20 years in international education, Emma has held numerous leadership roles within professional organizations in the field. Her service includes positions with NAFSA: Association of International Educators, including Dean for the Assessment and Evaluation curriculum, Chair of the Spring Immigration Workshop coordinated by the Governmental Regulatory Affairs Committee (GRAC), Vermont State Representative, and leader of a regional mentorship program. She has presented and published widely, taught undergraduate- and graduate-level coursework, and is frequently engaged to support facilitated learning, staff training, and systems development for organizations navigating growth and change in global education.
In her free time, Emma enjoys refinishing furniture, tending her garden, cycling when the weather permits, and working to move Portuguese up her proficiency list.