Our Team
Renait Stephens
CEO and Publisher
As CEO, Renait oversees company marketing, partnerships and the budget. Drawing on her graphic design experience, she is the creative director and content manager for the website and the magazines.
Born in England, Renait first studied Economics at the University of London before then becoming an international student herself. She graduated with a degree in Anthropology and Visual Art from Evergreen College in Washington State.
As a former international student, two-passport holder and world traveler, Renait loves what Study in the USA ® facilitates: the sharing of cultures and the development of understanding and tolerance.
Home country: United Kingdom & USA
Languages spoken: Un peu de français!
Favorite country visited: Vietnam
Favorite food: Sushi or cheese of any kind!
Favorite American slang or idiom: What’s up?! (So confusing when I first moved to the U.S.)
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Latin American magazine
Jennifer Privette
Editor and Assistant Publisher of Study in the USA and StudyUSA.com
As the intrepid editor, content scavenger and creator, Jennifer works with clients, students and partners to produce original content for the magazines, websites, and social media. She edits all of the print editions and creates marketing. She holds a degree in journalism from Seattle University
Home country: USA
Languages spoken: Elementary German
Favorite country visited: Greece
Favorite food: Wood-fired pizza
Favorite American slang or idiom: When it rains, it pours.
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Japanese magazine
Jane Stagg
Production Manager of Study in the USA and StudyUSA.com
Jane is Study in the USA’s invaluable production and project manager who streamlines the production of advertisements and articles for the print publications and website. She manages everything from translation to coordination with printers.
Home country: England
Favorite country visited: Vietnam
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite American slang or idiom: To bury your head in the sand
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Southeast Asia magazine
Sutton Long
Art Director of Study in the USA magazines
Sutton is responsible for the beautiful and modern design of the various Study in the USA editions every year. She is is an award-winning publication designer specializing in magazine, book, and ebook design. Her deep love of magazines led her to a career as an editor and then a designer.
Home country: USA
Languages spoken: Un peu de français
Favorite country visited: Too hard! How about the countries where I really want to go — Iceland, Croatia, Tanzania, Portugal
Favorite food: Pasta with vegan Italian sausage
Favorite American slang or idiom: “Cut the mustard” (you can’t really cut mustard — it’s such a weird saying!)
Favorite Study in the USA edition: I love our pocket-sized editions: India, Boarding, and Vietnamese
Tom Gardner
Vice President of Sales
Tom supports and leads the team’s sales efforts and strategies for Study in the USA. He uses his decades of sales and sales management experience to help maximize the potential for clients and establish a culture of success. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Illinois State University.
Home country: USA
Languages spoken: Very poor French
Favorite country visited: Mexico
Favorite food: Thai
Favorite American slang or idiom: Happy-go-lucky
Favorite Study in the USA edition: European/International magazine
Trish Bruno
Director of Publications/Online
Trish works with clients to help craft their best outreach effort, connecting and engaging with students around the world. She holds a degree in psychology with a minor in business from the University of San Diego.
Home Country: USA
Languages spoken: English and very poor French
Favorite Country visited: Italy
Favorite Food: Indian
Favorite American slang or idiom: I feel you.
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Indian edition
Eve Florin
Director of Client Engagement
Eve works with clients to create visibility that is engaging and effective. Her education includes degrees with honors from Pomona College and Seattle Central Community College, along with a year at Dartmouth College. She specialized in Media Studies and Graphic Design.
Home country: USA
Languages spoken: Un poco Español, all things baby in Deutsch
Favorite country visited: Turkey
Favorite food: Cantaloupe
Favorite American slang or idiom: Rise and shine. Also, hit the hay.
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Brazilian-Portuguese magazine
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Indian edition
Wesley Costa
Director of Operations
Wesley loves traveling all over the world promoting Study in the USA magazines and websites and helping international students find quality programs in the USA. Wesley taught intensive English and administered the TOEFL and the University of Michigan’s test in his own English language center, American House - English Language Institute, in Brazil. He holds a degree in business from Universidade Católica de Goiás, Brazil.
Home country: Brazil
Languages spoken: Portuguese, English and Spanish
Favorite country visited: Every place has something different and unique, and being asked to pick your favorite country is like being asked to pick your favorite child.
Favorite food: Brazilian cheese bread
Favorite American slang or idiom: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Brazilian-Portuguese magazine
Sandra Halladay
Sales and Marketing Executive
Sandra is a matchmaker and connector, helping institutions engage with and enroll international students. She has worked in public education and nonprofit management. She holds a degree from Sussex University and was a year abroad student at UC Santa Cruz.
Home country: USA by way of the UK
Languages spoken: English with an English accent - understands French and Spanish
Favorite country visited: Hong Kong
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite American slang or idiom: "Hope is a Weapon"
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Chinese edition
Simon Hamlin
Sales and Marketing Executive
Simon works with colleges, universities and English programs across the U.S. and Canada, providing strategic guidance and solutions to connect with more international students. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA. He has extensive experience in marketing, public relations, performance art, creative and business writing, public speaking, and sales.
Home country: USA
Languages spoken: Un poco español
Favorite country visited: Italy and Denmark
Favorite food: All flavors Mexican
Favorite American slang or idiom: ‘Oh, snap!'
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Vietnamese magazine
Judd Bundy
Director of Software Development
Judd researches, designs, completes efficient implementation, and does technical support of Study in the USA software and other technical assets. He holds a Computer Science Degree from Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College.
Home country: USA
Languages spoken: English and Danish
Favorite country visited: Estonia
Favorite food: Smørrebrød
Favorite American slang or idiom: No-brainer!
Favorite Study in the USA edition: StudyUSA.com
Irene Gazali Stanfield
Graphic Designer
Irene is responsible for the design and layout of the advertisements for Study in the USA magazines and StudyUSA.com. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Tarumanagara University in Jakarta, Indonesia and AA Degree from Art Institute of Seattle.
Home country: Indonesia
Languages spoken: Indonesian, English
Favorite country visited: Japan
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite American slang or idiom: I hit the wall—when I heard it the first time, I was like “where?!"
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Vietnamese magazine
Allan Leal
Web Designer and Marketing Specialist
Allan works on the website for Study in the USA and marketing to ensure that all of our products are effective internationally. He also produces the Japanese magazine for Study in the USA, constantly monitoring language or layout nuances that need to cross the cultural divide. He holds a degree in International Business with a focus in marketing and Japanese studies from Seattle University.
Home country: Japan
Languages spoken: English and Japanese
Favorite country visited: Thailand
Favorite food: Sushi, Ramen, Hot Pot
Favorite American slang or idiom: Bae
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Japanese magazine
Luna Jiang
Marketing Manager and WeChat Specialist
As the marketing manager, Luna develops and implements search engine marketing strategies to connect international students with U.S. schools via StudyUSA.com. As the WeChat specialist, Luna works with sales team to create the customized WeChat solution for each client to reach and engage with more Chinese students. She has 10 years of marketing experience and is passionate about marketing.
Home country: China
Languages spoken: Chinese and English
Favorite country visited: London
Favorite food: Hot Pot, Peking Roasted Duck
Favorite American slang or idiom: Every cloud has a silver lining.
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Chinese magazine
Mildred Stephens
Social Media Manager
Mildred is responsible for curating and creating content on Study in the USA’s social channels. She strategizes and executes digital marketing campaigns, monitors, moderates and responds to students questions and comments; and manages social media partnerships with clients. She studied at the University of the East in Manila, Philippines.
Home country: Philippines
Languages spoken: Tagalog, English and very poor Mandarin and French
Favorite country visited: France and England
Favorite food: Filipino, Indian, Laotian food
Favorite American slang or idiom: You gotta have a dream. If you don't have a dream, how you gonna make a dream come true?
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Southeast and Northeast Asian magazines
Louann Rizor
Bookkeeper
Louann works on the crucial, but less glamorous side of Study in the USA by supporting the financial and operational aspects of the company. She has over 20 years experience in supporting the financial needs of businesses in the Seattle area.
Home country: USA
Languages spoken: I can say "Hello" and order a beer in most languages
Favorite country visited: Canada
Favorite food: Oysters
Favorite American slang or idiom: As right as rain
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Middle Eastern magazine
Lenda Bundy
Project Manager
Lena manages certain components of the StudyUSA+ project. She holds a Localization, Engineering and Project Management Certificate from University of Washington.
Home country: Sweden
Languages spoken: Swedish, Danish, English, French
Favorite country visited: USA
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite American slang or idiom: Get back on the horse
Favorite Study in the USA edition: StudyUSA.com
Wendy Tafur
Editorial Intern
Wendy writes weekly articles and blog posts to help international students in any situation, from homesickness to adopting a fish. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English/Creative Writing and Theatre from Seattle University.
Home country: Ecuador
Favorite Country visited: England
Languages spoken: Spanish, English, and poor French
Favorite food: Ceviche
Favorite American slang or Idiom: Chill
Favorite Study in the USA edition: Latin American-Spanish magazine