Global Fellows Staff

Joan B. Burton, Ph.D., Director, Federal Fellows and Global Fellows in Washington, DC
Joan Burton is Director of the Federal Fellows Program and Founding Director of Global Fellows in Washington, D.C. at the University of Maryland. Achievements at UMD include transforming a small federal internship program serving 12 students per year into a high-powered set of learning communities serving over 150 students per year. Focusing on some of the biggest policy issues of the day, these year-long programs integrate academic and experiential learning to prepare a talented, diverse corps of students for careers related to public service and global leadership. Dr. Burton has given invited presentations at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Partnership for Public Service, and currently serves on a Pathways Implementation Team for the Office of Personnel Management. She also gave the keynote address at the Embassy of Bangladesh in D.C. for their 2015 celebration of International Mother Language Day. Related service at UMD includes sponsoring and hosting a White House Roundtable on the State of Education (2011) and cosponsoring, with the School of Public Policy, a White House Roundtable on the Economy (2012). She is also Director of the Individual Studies Program and serves on the Administrative Council for the Office of Undergraduate Studies. In 2012 and 2016, she was named a Philip Merrill Presidential Faculty Mentor, and in 2012 she was inducted into ODK. Prior to moving to Maryland, Dr. Burton was Chair and Professor of Classical Studies at Trinity University, San Antonio, where she also served as Co-founder and Director of Comparative Literature. She has also held teaching appointments at Howard University and at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Cruz. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Burton has a passion for interdisciplinary studies and empowering students. She is also a strong advocate for public service and global citizenship education.

Jay Arasan, Assistant Director
301-314-1130 | jarasan@umd.edu
Jay Arasan was a Training Manager at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Diplomatic Sales Consultant for the ONE UN New York before joining the Federal and Global Fellows Program in November of 2014. He has a Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) and a Master in Science (Information Technology), both from University Utara Malaysia (UUM). He has extensive experience working with the U.S. Pacific Command, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Department of State, and other Department of Defense agencies. He is passionate on International Affairs, Security Assistance and Security Cooperation related issues.

Naz Beyranvand, Program Manager
301-314-0261 | nbeyran@umd.edu
Naz Beyranvand is the program manager for the Federal and Global Fellows in D.C. Programs. She launched the Alumni Mentorship Program in spring 2016 in collaboration with the Alumni Board President. This mentor program paired professional, talented alumni with students in both our programs. In addition, she created the successful Ambassador Program. Before joining the Federal and Global Fellows Programs in September 2015, Naz was the project manager for the Roshan Initiative in Persian Digital Humanities, administrative coordinator for the Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland and executive assistant to the Director of Roshan for three years. She earned her Masters of Professional Studies in Persian at the University of Maryland in 2012, the same institution in which she had earned her Bachelors of Arts degree as a double major in Broadcast Journalism and Persian Studies. She is fluent in English, Persian and Spanish.

Jane Lyons, Graduate Assistant
301-314-0689| globalfellowsdc@umd.edu
Jane Lyons is a Graduate Assistant for the Federal and Global Fellows Programs. She is an alumna of the Federal Fellows Program's Energy and Environmental Policy concentration in the 2016 cohort. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy and has a strong interest in sustainable development. Jane graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2018 where she majored in Economics and minored in Sustainability Studies. Since joining the Federal Fellows Program, she has interned at the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Sustainable Communities, Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development in the Division of Neighborhood Revitalization, and Montgomery County Council. Jane is passionate about affordable housing, multi-modal transit, and economic development, and hopes to pursue a career in state or local government.

Elifnaz Caliskan, Graduate Assistant
301-314-0689| globalfellowsdc@umd.edu
Elifnaz Caliskan is a Graduate Assistant for the Federal and Global Fellows Programs. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Policy degree with specializations in International Security and Economic Policies as well as International Development Policies. She has a B.A in Government and Politics with the concentration in international relations and the minors in international development and conflict management from UMD. Her academic interest focuses on peace negotiations, conflict prevention and conflict transformation through economic development and diplomacy. She previously worked with The Hudson Institute’s Center for Political Military Analysis, The Advocacy Project, CIDCM, and Chemonics International. Elifnaz is from Izmir, Turkey, speaks 4 languages, and has lived in various cities across Turkey, Spain, Holland and the United States.

Amelia Avis, Program Assistant
301-314-0689| globalfellowsdc@umd.edu
Amelia Avis is the Program Assistant for the Federal and Global Fellows Programs. She is a senior Government and Politics major and is pursuing a Master of Public Policy (Environment and Energy) as part of the BA/MPP Program. She is a 2017 alumna of the Federal Fellows Program's Energy and Environmental Policy concentration. Amelia has interned at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Embassy of Canada's Environment Program, the U.S. Forest Service in the Chesapeake Bay Program Office, the State Department's Virtual Student Federal Service Program, and at NOAA's Office of Habitat Conservation. She is a Banneker-Key Scholar and a 2018 Udall Scholar, serves as UMD's Undergraduate Director of Sustainability, and is passionate about oceans, fisheries, climate, and all things sustainable. She also loves cats, sailing, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family in Nova Scotia.