SPIA Advisory Board

Members of the SPIA Advisory Board are accomplished professionals from the public, private, and non-profit sectors with a wide range of international expertise and experiences. They provide advice to SPIA’s faculty and staff on issues regarding the program’s strategic direction, its mutual responsibility to the people of Maine, and its relationship with the international community.

Mr. Daniel Churchill, Co-Chair
Former Vice President Finance of Avis Europe PLC; Washington, DC
UMaine Class of ’63

Ambassador Pamela A. White (Ret.), Co-Chair
Former U.S. Ambassador to Haiti and The Gambia; Orr’s Island, ME
UMaine Class of ’71

Dr. Michael Beevers
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Dickinson College; Carlisle, PA

Ambassador William M. Bellamy (Ret.)
Senior Adviser for Africa at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya; Washington, DC

Ambassador Anne Hall
Former U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania
UMaine Class of ’81

Hannah Hudson
Director of Policy at the Maine Primary Care Association
UMaine Global Policy ’14

Admiral Gregory G. Johnson, USN (Ret.)
Fmr. Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Commander in Chief Allied Forces, Southern Europe; Harpswell, ME
UMaine Class of ’68

Samuel Keller
Program Associate, International Republican Institute
UMaine Global Policy ’23

Ms. Liz McMullan
Hulls Cove, ME

Dr. Kimberley R. Miner
Scientist I NASA Jet Propulsion Lab

Mr. Wade Merritt
President and State Director of International Trade, Maine International Trade Center; Portland, ME
UMaine Class of ’96

Mr. Nicholas Neily
Workforce Development Specialist, Eastern Maine Development Corporation; Old Town, ME
UMaine Global Policy ’25

Ex Officio:

Dr. Kody Varahramyan, Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School

Dr. Emily A. Haddad, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

CAPT James D. Settele, USN (Ret.), SPIA Director

Dr. Daniel H. Sandweiss, Libra Professor of Anthropology and Climate Studies
Member, U.S. National Academy of Sciences

Mr. Kenneth M. Hillas, Jr., Adjunct Professor of International Affairs

Mr. Ruben Torres
Communications and Policy Lead, Maine Immigrant Rights’ Coalition; Portland, ME
UMaine Global Policy ’21