Erika Ryser, MBA, M.Ed.

Experience

• 

  Harvard Education Group

  Jun 2001 - Sept 2001

  Consultant

  Taught school district administrators in Northern Ghana how to improve record keeping and data analysis for improved policy-making.

• 

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  Dec 2001 - Jul 2011

  • Led all college activities for international study and exchange. • Generated efficiency in data analysis, course approvals, and application process.• Administered donor scholarships. • Ran day-to-day operation for office of 21 staff, in English and Spanish, for over 1,200 learners per year, participating in over 250 programs in nearly 50 countries.• Managed training, evaluation, and hiring. • Directed advising, orientation, marketing, and recruitment functions. • Advised learners on intercultural communication, career exploration, and academic planning related to studying abroad. • Directed implementation of and training for application management software; influenced eight university departments to adopt software.

  • Director of Education Abroad, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

    Oct 2010 - Jul 2011

  • Associate Director of Study Abroad

    Jun 2004 - Oct 2010

  • Study Abroad Advisor

    Dec 2001 - Jun 2004
• 

  The Institute for Study Abroad

  Jul 2011 - Apr 2020

  Creation of Department • Selected to create and lead new department. • Transformed department from concept to high-performing, 5-member team on three continents. • Wrote roadmap for establishing new department in line with organization’s strategic plan. • Performed needs analyses for staff training and policy improvements.• Designed and delivered training for 150 staff, in-person and remotely. Policy and Procedure • Developed and implemented health, safety, and wellness policies and standard operating procedures for 150 staff, 300 partner universities, and 2,000 learners/year.• Pioneered initiative to strengthen emergency communications, increasing learner participation from 40% to 100%, and reducing timeframe of response by half. Emergency Response • Oversaw risk management and emergency response for 2,000 learners in 20 countries. • Orchestrated response to COVID-19, including evacuation of approx. 800 learners from around the world.• Spearheaded response to an average of 3 weekly individual learner emergencies. Show less Strategy• Developed strategy for expansion in Latin America and Europe in alignment with organization’s vision. Program Development• Conducted analysis of 5,000 courses and stakeholder feedback to develop market-driven curriculum. • Continually innovated for managing evolving curriculum and program design. Program in Argentina was first of its kind, drawing a new market segment to South America.Program Operations• Oversaw operations for 13 sites with over 45 staff in 11 countries, serving 1,300 learners/year. Recruited and onboarded 9 remote and local staff. Performed recruiting, interviewing, reference checking, hiring, onboarding, mentoring, succession planning, and organizational development. • Wrote roadmaps with country-specific milestones for 10 international sites related to product launches, exceptional service delivery, and educational and profit goals. • Created feedback loop from international sites to inform organizational strategy.• Spearheaded creation of individual and team goals, leading to three-year plans for each team member to support the strategic plan.• Reorganized learner handbooks, saving over 90 staff hours annually; served as project manager and liaison between 5 departments. Focused on standardizing information, improving tone to engage learners, and improving inclusivity in terms of language and support provided. • Monitored trends among competitors in market, identified opportunities, and reported on risks. • Orchestrated new, on-line international staff handbook and onboarding process.• Coordinated 2 office moves abroad.Financial Management• Oversaw annual budgets in 10 currencies.• Created business plans that forecast margin based on organizational and market data.• Operated with limited resources while delivering high quality promise to learners. Show less • Oversaw operations for 10 sites with over 35 staff in 8 countries, serving 300 learners/year. Recruited and onboarded 6 remote staff. • Developed 2 new programs, expanding organization's reach into 2 new countries, and introducing the first semester-length program with fair-trade curriculum in the world.• Re-designed approach to marketing a cohort of programs by clarifying value-add, increasing participation by 30%.• Created virtual opportunities for peer-to-peer mentoring, which improved overall team performance. Show less • Oversaw operations for 8 sites with over 25 staff in 7 countries, serving 250 learners/year. Recruited and onboarded 3 remote staff. • Developed 1 new program, expanding organization's reach into a new country. Program in Cuba required specialized legal knowledge and became fastest-growing in the organization within 3 business cycles with nearly 400% growth; became largest Cuba program in the market.• Pioneered the first host family program in Havana, Cuba, requiring nuanced negotiations with community leaders and institutions, which gained commitments from 6 new institutional partners.• Negotiated and nurtured partnerships with 17 institutions abroad and over 20 in the U.S., growing program enrollment and increasing diversity of customers.• Introduced metrics and process for reviewing programs; process was adopted by the whole organization and performed by external stakeholders to validate findings. Show less

  • Assistant Vice President of Risk Management and Wellness

    Sept 2019 - Apr 2020

  • Assistant Vice President of Program Management

    Sept 2015 - Sept 2019

  • Executive Director of Programs in Latin America and Spain

    Nov 2014 - Sept 2015

  • Program Operations (Director/Exec Director of Latin Am. and Spain Programs)

    Jul 2011 - Nov 2014
• 

  Brightlane Learning

  Feb 2022 - May 2022

  Development Intern

  • Contacted nearly 400 prospective donors, securing 85 in-kind gifts for an above-industry-average conversion rate of 22%.• Wrote first Intern Manual to codify standard operating procedures and create future efficiencies.

• 

  Kiwanis International

  Sept 2022 - Feb 2024

  Education and Training Specialist

  • Develop in-house e-learning courses for Youth Programs department.• Manage LMS activity for 93 e-learning courses and nearly 8,000 learners on two platforms.

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  The Cooperative Center for Study Abroad

  Jan 2024 - now

  Executive Director