Kenneth DiSaia, President

With 30 years of experience in higher education and an MBA in International Business, Ken directed the recruitment system for Johnson & Wales University — one of the largest hospitality and business-focused non-profit universities in the United States. Over the course of his tenure, annual new student enrollment grew to nearly 5,000, representing 50 states and 90+ countries.

Ken’s tireless approach to international student recruitment resulted in Johnson & Wales consistent ranking of top 100 universities in overall international student enrollment, and 10th for universities at the master’s degree level.

Ken’s direct responsibilities included oversight of a $20 million operating budget; collaboration with academics, student services, athletics and alumni on pre-enrollment advising programs; and strategic planning with focuses on enrollment, discounting, net revenue and surplus planning. Leading a department of more than 150 staff members, he ensured continuity of messaging and adherence to accreditation and regulatory affairs. He also served as an executive leader in the implementation and opening of three additional, regional campuses across the country, ensuring overall enrollment objectives were achieved in new markets.

Jeffrey Greenip, Executive Vice President of Operations

Jeff holds a master’s degree in Computer Education, and has worked at the highest levels of enrollment management at two private, non-profit, multi-campus institutions. His responsibilities included development of local marketing and recruitment plans, creation of visitation programs, and formation of decision, protocol and scholarship guides.

Jeff worked to ensure targeted enrollment was achieved while maintaining financial aid and discounting budgets. He has supervised teams of admissions staffs for more than 25 years, delivering on enrollment objectives both domestically and internationally. Jeff also has experience launching CRM solutions that allow for targeted communication throughout the enrollment funnel process. His international recruitment experience centers on the Caribbean and Latin America.

Pawan Bista, Vice President of South Asia and Southeast Asia Development

In 2006, Pawan founded Bradford Education Consultancy (BEC), a professional consultancy firm in Nepal servicing undergraduate and graduate students. BEC also operates offices in the U.S. and Australia to assist Nepalese students in furthering their studies in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Through Pawan’s leadership and development, BEC has partnered with more than 150 institutions to meet their enrollment objectives.

As CEO of Bradford Education Consultancy, Pawan leads a team of 22 in developing strategic recruitment plans and has extensive experience in developing digital and social media initiatives. Pawan is a self-made entrepreneur and a visionary who excels in developing markets abroad. Pawan is well-engaged with the educational community and is also an active participant in ICEF, NAFSA and ECAN.

Lahsen Bizragane, Vice President of Middle East and North Africa Development

As the founder of Global-Exchange, Mr. Bizragane brings 12+ years of experience to the international higher education arena. He holds an MBA in Global Business Leadership and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Global Studies and International Affairs.

Mr. Bizragane has broad experience in all aspects of international admissions, academic advising, enrollment and recruitment within the Middle East and North Africa markets. Mr. Bizragane will provide support and service and develop EAG network in the Middle East and North Africa.

Kevin Wang, Vice President of China Development

Kevin leads the development of EAG’s educational agencies in China. Kevin has spent his entire career in higher education, founding his first international education and business consulting firm in 1992. He has collaborated with many schools and business organizations worldwide including partnerships in Switzerland, Canada, and the United States.

Kevin’s other roles include President of American Chinese Business & Culture Exchange Services, Principle of RI Star Chinese School and Board Member of RI Chinese-American Association. He is also the President of Yuanjun Consulting in Shanghai and will continue leading Yuanjun Consulting while heading up EAG’s efforts in China.

Ankita Adhikary, Vice President of India Development

Ms. Adhikary’s primary role will be leading the development of the educational agency network within India as well as strengthening our college partners’ market positions within India. Ms. Adhikary comes to EAG with professional experience in providing business consultative services with expertise in long-term strategic planning and business development management.

Ms. Adhikary is founder of PlanTree Ventures, a multi service consulting firm that provides a full range of services including; research, consulting, technical assistance and training solutions within the private business, government and higher education industries. She holds a B.A. degree in Geography and M.sc in Geomatics and Space Application.

Peggy Lin, Country Manager for Taiwan

As Country Manager of Taiwan, Ms. Lin leads recruitment efforts, develops the educational agency network, and strengthens our college partners’ market positions within Taiwan. Ms. Lin has ten years of experience in the international education field.

She has traveled throughout Taiwan, the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia, advising numerous students who wish to study overseas. She also works with marketing and promotion of schools.

Ms. Lin strives to provide the highest standard service to both students and schools. Ms. Lin will work directly with EAG’s co-founders on the servicing of all educational consultants in Taiwan.

Andres Artunduaga, Country Manager for Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico

Andres’ primary role will be leading the development of the educational agency networks within the Latin American market with a focus on Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Argentina. He has a decade of experience recruiting international students and specializes in recruiting student athletes for U.S. colleges.

In 2015, he co-founded Education Abroad Latin America (EALA), an international recruitment company that operates in North and South America and the Caribbean. Andres is a former international student and holds an MBA in marketing. In addition to his work with EAG, he will continue leading EALA.

Michal Wigal, Country Manager for Caribbean, Central and South American

Mick comes from a higher education family with an international recruiter father, a professor mother, and a VP of Enrollment aunt but it wasn’t until five years ago that he began his own path in higher ed.  After a diverse career background, Mick began working in university admissions and international recruiting.  He began his career in higher education with a small domestic territory outside Detroit before expanding to include Puerto Rico.  After meeting his wife, he moved to Dominican Republic where he recruited international students for EAG and organized university recruiting tours for Autopista Americas.

Mick is passionate about working with students and helping them pursue their goal of a university education in the U.S. He loves to see students grow through their university experiences.  Mick has a B.A. in Economics & Anthropology from Centre College and an M.A. in Anthropology from University of South Carolina.

Vivek Basnet, International Recruiter, University of Bridgeport, Asia

As an international recruiter for the University of Bridgeport, Vivek’s responsibilities includes developing and strengthening the market position of UB in over 22 Asian countries and to connect with students looking to pursue their college education in the U.S. His personal collegiate experience as an international student in the US and Canada along with his agency experience at Bradford Education in Nepal has fueled his desire to help international students pursue their educational goals.

Prior to his experience with Bradford Education and EAG, Vivek was an instructor preparing students for the language proficiency and quantitative component standardized such as IELTS, PTE, SAT and the GRE.

Nitish Bajpai, International Recruiter, University of Bridgeport, Asia

Nitish will be responsible for developing and strengthening University of Bridgeport’s presence in India; his focus is on creating connections with educational institutions and consultants while increasing UB’s visibility in market. Nitish holds a B.S. degree in Finance from Delhi University and has more than 10 years of professional experience in Finance & Client Relationship Management.

During his professional experience as a Business Analyst, he provided end-to-end support and solutions in integration and mergers. He also was responsible for the development of business strategic plans and recruitment analysis.

Vishal Muthyala, International Recruiter, University of Bridgeport, Asia

Vishal joins the EAG team with more than eight years of experience in the Higher Education field. His experience working for both colleges and international agencies has provided him with a full understanding of the student life cycle from application through enrollment. A graduate of Northumbria University in the UK with a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Vishal finds his analytical and communication skills to be a great asset in helping him bridge the gap between himself and prospective students.

His personal experience as an international student is what trigged his desire to counsel students through the many challenges students undertake to fulfill their dream to study abroad. Vishal is responsible for developing and strengthening the University of Bridgeport’s presence in India.

Manuel Tavares, Global Outreach Specialist

Manny has nearly three decades of leading-edge experience in the field of international recruitment and training – at small, liberal arts colleges to Ivy League universities. Manny and his team have created an unparalleled global network of relationships with international education professionals, third-party educational consultants and government agencies.

He also has a proven track record in building highly effective international marketing plans. Through his vision and exceptional relationship-building skills, Manny was able to recruit more than 2,000 international students for a regional university – placing the school among the top rankings for international student enrollment. Manny holds degrees from Southern Connecticut State University and Harvard University.

Patricia VanWormer, Admissions Marketing Specialist

Pat holds a degree in Communications from Rhode Island College and has over 25 years of national and international experience in the fields of marketing, advertising, customer service and event management for both the OEM and higher education industries.

Pat has worked for multi-national corporations including AIM Solder, NEPTCO and most recently for a large private, non-profit university. Pat spearheaded the creation of marketing and recruitment plans aimed at generating enrollments from across the country and from around the world. She’s been responsible for creating well-balanced, multi-channel communication plans for each stage of the admissions funnel. Pat’s communications work has received numerous national marketing awards.

Gary Steel, Digital Marketing Manager

Gary is a Google Adwords Certified and Google Analytics Individual Qualification Certified Digital Marketing Manager, specializing in search engine optimization, social media management, pay per click, online video, and end-to-end online marketing strategies.

He’s successfully shaped, launched, managed and executed promotional strategies for a wide range of industries including higher education for institutions such as Clemson University, Hofstra University, Johnson & Wales University, Quinnipiac University, University of Georgia and University of Texas to name a few.

Gary is also lecturer for the Master of Science in Business Analysis program at Catholic University of America covering best practices in digital marketing, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, content creation, social media, and Google Analytics.

Jeanne Blanchette, National Recruitment Specialist

Jeanne co-managed a national recruitment network that generated more than 100,000 leads annually. She also managed a student search program targeting close to one million SAT and ACT test takers.

Working with recruiters in diverse geographic locations, she identified visibility goals, established analytics for progress monitoring, developed web-based training programs and measured product knowledge with competency evaluations. Jeanne has also managed the operating budget for four university campus admissions offices and acted as a liaison with the university system’s finance office. Jeanne holds a BSBA degree in Marketing from Bryant University.