Our Staff
Andie Beer
Assistant Director
ambeer@cougarnet.uh.edu
(713) 743-4706
Andie serves as the Assistant Director of the Learning Abroad Office. She helps develop and lead the office's strategic goals and planning, and oversees faculty-led program development and support, university and provider partnerships, risk and emergency management, assessment, reporting, and budgeting.
Andie joined the team in July of 2022. She has an M.Ed. in Student Development and Leadership, where she focused her studies on education abroad curriculum and development. Andie’s Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, as well as her study abroad to Greece and London, sparked her love for international education and cultural studies. She is currently working on her PhD at UH in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies with a focus on International Education. Within her PhD program, Andie is studying curriculum in study abroad and domestic course work for global competency development. Furthermore, she has an interest in international education policy and student success through global perspectives. When not working or in school, she enjoys traveling, hiking, watching Dallas Star’s hockey, and playing with her two dogs, Indy, and Moody.
Allison Carruthers
Learning Abroad Advisor
acarruth@central.uh.edu
(713) 743-7271
Allison advises for Incoming and Outgoing Reciprocal Exchanges (REEPs). Citas disponibles en inglés o español.
Allison Carruthers joined the Learning Abroad team in July 2021. Allison has a Master of Science in Education in Higher Education and Student Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with minors in Spanish and Business Administration from Baylor University. As an undergraduate student she spent a semester abroad in Seville, Spain at Universidad Pablo de Olavide. She is fluent in Spanish and prior to joining Learning Abroad she spent two years living and working in international education in Puerto Rico. In addition, she has also travelled in Western Europe, the Caribbean, Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, and Morocco. In her free time, Allison enjoys baking, reading, and planning her next local or global adventure!
Malcolm Jamal Sr.
Learning Abroad Advisor
mjamal3@central.uh.edu
713-743-5184
Malcolm advises for students in the colleges of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Arts, Education, Honors, Exploratory Studies, Public Affairs, and Languages.
Malcolm joined the Learning Abroad team in July 2022. Prior to this role, Malcolm served as an advisor at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Malcolm earned his Master of Arts in Post-Secondary Education and Bachelor of Arts in Business Management at the University of Northern Iowa. After a transformational study abroad experience in Kenya as a Business student, Malcolm changed career fields and has dedicated over ten years of professional work and research in international travel. Malcolm has worked with thousands of students who have benefited personally and professionally from learning while abroad, and he is passionate about assisting students in making the most of the learning abroad experience. In addition to Kenya, Malcolm has traveled to Canada and various countries throughout Western Europe and Western Africa. His research builds off the work of W.E.B. DuBois, Richard Wright, and Toni Morrison to identify ways to develop intellectually while traveling. In his free time, Malcolm enjoys spending time with his family; he is an avid chess player and loves basketball, baseball, American football, and soccer (football).
Tiffany Duong
Student Assistant
ttduong14@uh.edu
Tiffany joined the Learning Abroad team in April 2022. She is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minoring in Medicine & Society as part of the Honors College. During her junior year, she spent a semester abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Her experience abroad inspired her to become more involved in the learning abroad process for others, and continues to influence her academic, professional, and personal choices today. After graduation, she intends to pursue her Master’s in Social Work and become a licensed clinical social worker, providing therapy for underserved, marginalized populations in the Houston area. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys reading, cooking, practicing archery, and eating hot pot with friends and family.
Lexi Denbow
Graduate Assistant
avdenbow@cougarnet.uh.edu
Lexi joined the Learning Abroad Team in September of 2022. She is pursuing a double master's in social work and Public Policy and moved to Houston in June 2022 to do so. After graduation, she hopes to work with human rights groups fighting to change policy here in Texas. Lexi has a bachelor's in social work, with minors in sociology, honors, and missions. When studying in her undergraduate, she studied abroad in Ávila, Spain for a semester. While in Spain, she was able to visit 7 other countries outside of Spain, with Austria being her favorite. Studying abroad opened her eyes to just how big the world was, an d just how much this experience can change your world view. In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family and friends, and walking her dog Xephyra.
Theresa Ramirez
Passport Facility Manager
(713) 743-4687
Theresa manages the UH Passport Acceptance Facility, Passport for Coogs (PP4C), in the Learning Abroad Office.
Theresa joined the team in October 2022. Prior to this role, she directed the University Honors Program at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Theresa earned her M.Ed in Higher Education Administration and her BA in Psychology with a minor in Religious Studies from UTEP. Theresa’s love for travel has taken her to numerous states across the U.S. and to several countries. Among her international travels, Theresa has visited the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Austria, Germany, Italy, Israel, Ireland, Spain, Morocco and Canada. In her free time, Theresa enjoys reading, binge watching true crime documentaries and series on her favorite streaming networks, spending time with family, and planning her future travel adventures.