Margaret (Peg) Reich has served as Director of International Student and Scholar Services since 2004. She grew up in Quincy, Illinois on the Mississippi River and attended high school in a suburb of Chicago. She earned a B.A. in English from Kalamazoo College (Michigan), spent her junior year at the Université de Clermont-Ferrand (France), and completed an M.A.T. degree at Northwestern University (Illinois).

Having begun her career in education as an English teacher on the secondary level in Illinois and New Jersey, Peg then worked as an adviser to pre-health professions students at Rutgers University. She came to the University at Albany in 1980, serving as an academic adviser in the Center for Undergraduate Education. After a brief stint teaching English as a Second Language at Union College and with the Literacy Volunteers program, Peg returned to the University at Albany as Assistant to the Director in the Office of International Programs (now Study Abroad and Exchanges) from 1998-2004. In that position she worked with incoming exchange students and advised American students about study abroad opportunities in South Africa, Norway and Sweden.

Peg has traveled extensively throughout Western Europe and one summer escorted a student group to Montpellier, France. She lived in Geneva, Switzerland, for a year and has also visited China, Ghana, South Africa, Mexico and Morocco.

Peg is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and regularly attends regional and national conferences to stay current with changes governing the activities of international students and scholars in the U.S. She has a special interest in Africa and is co-chair of UAlbany’s Africa Consortium. Her other interests include music (she plays piano and cello and sings in a choral group), gardening and reading. She and her husband live in Schenectady and have one son who is a doctoral student in philosophy at Ohio State University.

Annie Heavener has been advising international students at the University at Albany since 2004. Somewhat of a career student herself, she’s earned two B.S. degrees – one in Anthropology (1996) and one in History (2002) – and a M.Ed. in Higher Education – College Student Services, all from Grand Valley State University. Annie is currently pursuing her M.A. in History (part-time) at the University at Albany.

Always the non-traditional student, Annie took a break from her undergraduate studies and spent two years as a field archaeologist in southwestern Ukraine (1992-1994). Annie jokes that this was “when I got to dig up dead bodies for a living.”

When she’s not in the ISSS office, Annie is an avid reader and can usually be found wandering the aisles at Borders and Barnes & Noble. She is also a big movie goer – and prefers the weekend matinees (they’re less expensive and usually empty). And, finally, she is helplessly, hopelessly addicted to knitting. Seriously, folks, she needs a 12-step program for the yarn obsessed. But her students don’t complain – many have walked away with hand-knit hats, scarves or socks.

Annie lives in Schenectady, NY with her dog, Lucky.

Lana Sullivan joined International Student and Scholar Services office in 2008. She earned a Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in International Journalism and Foreign Languages from the Russian People’s Friendship University in Moscow and a Master’s in International Tourism at the University of Oregon. She has years of international experience working as an interpreter with government and business representatives, and as a consultant for the US AID project in Russia. She also taught English as a Second Language both in the US and abroad. She is a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and participates in the NAFSA Academy training program.

Sharon Malison joined the Office of International Education in July 2007. In addition to her administrative responsibilities in the International Student and Scholar Services office, she is also the secretary to the Vice Provost for International Education.

Sharon has lived in Taiwan and France, and has traveled to Germany, Austria, Mexico, the Bahamas and Honduras. She enjoys gardening, knitting, reading, spending time with her family and getting to know our international students. Sharon and her husband, Bob, live in Princetown and have two sons who are attending college.

Mary Anne Smith joined the Office of International Education in 2007. She provides administrative support to both International Student & Scholar Services and Study Abroad & Exchanges.

Mary Anne holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of LaVerne in LaVerne, California. She had a long career as a telecommunications manager in California before retiring in 2002. She also worked at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California prior to re-locating to the Capital Region where she grew up.

Mary Anne loves to travel. Her travels have taken her to England, France, Mexico, the Caribbean, and many locations throughout the United States including Hawaii.

Mary Anne and her husband live in Clifton Park.

Ivory Chang, officially Chiajung Chang, joined the Office of International Student and Scholar Services in January 2007. Ivory is a graduate student from Taiwan and has earned her Master’s degree in Communication here at University at Albany.

Currently, she is a student in Accounting in the School of Business. Ivory speaks Mandarin and English and enjoys traveling and photography.