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.

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

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

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

H.E. Prof. Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi
Director General of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR); Abu Dhabi, UAE

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

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


Ms. Liz McMullan
Hulls Cove, ME

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

Ms. Ali Tobey
Local Government Consultant, BerryDunn; Portland, ME
UMaine Global Policy ’22

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

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

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

Ms. Lorraine Kouao
PhD Student in International Education Development at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
UMaine Global Policy ’21