Dr. Sara E. Dumont
Director

Sara grew up mostly in Connecticut but also spent several formative years in the U.K. Her first "real study abroad experience" was in France when she was 15. It mainly taught her how poorly run some study abroad programs can be. But she persevered and subsequently had very successful study abroad experiences while she was an undergraduate at Yale. She then lived for a decade in the U.K. while completing her doctorate at the University of Oxford. Sara had several career changes before finally landing in the field of international education administration in 1989. She has been the Director of American University's AU Abroad Office since December 2003.

Mr. Mark Hayes
Associate Director

Email: hayes@american.edu

After his first study abroad trip to Ecuador and Peru at the age of 15, Mark caught the travel bug. While in college at Amherst, he studied in St. Petersburg, Russia, and then followed up with a semester in Sydney, Australia while getting his MBA at Duke. For 7 years, he lived all over Europe (London, Cyprus, Prague, Moscow and Munich) working first for Intel Corporation and then a large IT distribution company. He landed back on American shores in the summer of 2004, and immediately joined the AU Abroad team. Mark is responsible for the Abroad at AU program.  He also advises students interested in studying in Russia and Central Asia.

Mrs. Alison Nagy
Incoming Study Abroad Advisor (Asia, Europe, Oceania)

Email: nagy@american.edu
+1-202-885-1329

Alison loves observing people and different cultures. Her first international experience was during her own study abroad in Krakow, Poland. She quickly realized the addictive nature of travel and was eager to return to Europe after graduation. She spent the better part of four years living and working in England and Hungary, as well as a brief stint in Morocco. Alison finds herself at home in the AU Abroad ~ Abroad at AU Office as an advisor for international students attending AU for a semester or year, and working on marketing initiatives for the office. Alison has a BA in sociology and an MA in Communication.

Ms. Sarah Beumer Harlow
Incoming Study Abroad Advisor (Africa, the Americas, Middle East, Turkey)

Email: harlow@american.edu
Phone: +1-202-885-1373

After two summer abroad trips to Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica while still in high school, Sarah discovered her love of travel and culture. She continued her interest in international studies at American University by spending a semester in Argentina and earning a BA in International Studies and Spanish language and Latin American Studies. While still in college, Sarah also completed a number of internships in the field of international education. Sarah also has an MA in International Training and Education.

Mrs. Awilda Marquez
Director of Fiscal Operations

After managing the Financial Operations of a family-owned construction company in Puerto Rico, Awilda returns to American University where she previously worked as the Coordinator of Business Management 16 years ago. As a former study abroad student in Washington, DC, Awilda appreciates how such an experience can be life-changing for any student. Awilda earned her BBA in Accounting from George Washington University and her MIS from American University. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and China. She is thrilled to be part of the AU Abroad and Abroad at AU team of professionals and to have the opportunity to foster international relations.