SIT names two to senior-level posts

Announcement Date: July 24, 2023   |   School for International Training

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont—SIT President Sophia Howlett has announced the addition of two new senior-level executives who bring a broad range of experience to global undergraduate and graduate programming at School for International Training.

Howlett has named Andrea Bordeau as dean of Student Health, Safety, and Well-being, and Jennifer Lee as associate vice president for Enrollment Services.

“These women bring a wealth of relevant experience and knowledge to SIT at a time when their respective fields are of particular interest and concern to students, parents, and our institutional partners across the country and around the world,” said Howlett.

Bordeau has a decade of leadership experience in international student mobility and risk management. She is former president of Pulse: International Safety and Security Professionals in Higher Education and was recently elected to the steering committee of the Overseas Security Advisory Council.

She joins SIT from Vanderbilt University, where she was director of Global Safety and Security, providing emergency response for faculty and students overseas and overseeing all faculty-led programs. Prior to Vanderbilt, she was at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in a similar role.

Bordeau attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, and co-lead their program in Jamaica for several years. From there she went on to the University of Edinburgh for an MSc in African Studies with a focus on international development. Bordeau continued her graduate studies at Tel Aviv University with an MA in Middle East History and Security Studies. While based in the Middle East, she was a research fellow at the American University of Iraq, Sulimaniyah, and worked as a security analyst focused on Syria.

“As international and global education continues to recover from the pandemic, Andrea’s background will be invaluable in ensuring our students’ safety and security,” said Howlett.

Jennifer Lee joined SIT in May as associate vice president for Enrollment Services. She brings nine years of experience at City University of New York (CUNY) School of Professional Studies, where she was associate dean of Enrollment and Student Services—a role that covered financial aid, admissions, academic advisement, and study abroad. Prior to that position, she was director of College Admissions and Access at CUNY’s Guttman Community College, which she helped to set up as a member of The New Community College Initiative. 

Lee has a BA in psychology from SUNY Oneonta, and an MSW from New York University.

“Jennifer brings a critical lens to SIT and years of incredible experience in both applied graduate and undergraduate studies at a time when, like colleges and universities across the country, we are confronting a new environment for international education and the potential upcoming challenges of the demographic cliff,” said Howlett. "Jennifer will be providing leadership particularly as we develop our enrollment in graduate studies over the coming years."