Donna Lopp

Position: 
Assistant Director, Faculty-Led Education Abroad
Area: 
Education Abroad
Phone: 
828-262-2465
Bio: 

Donna Lopp serves as the Assistant Director of Education Abroad, with a focus on Faculty-Led Programs. She supports faculty leading programs abroad and students participating in those programs. 

Donna’s international experience includes studying abroad in Estonia as a first-generation college student and serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal supporting sustainable agriculture, girls’ education, and small enterprise development for women. In addition, Donna spent six months in Southeast Asia exploring by bicycle (in street clothes) and enjoying the hospitality of local hosts. She has also traveled throughout Eastern and Western Europe, Mexico, and has most recently worked in twelve African countries and in Haiti leading the education and training component of a public health research project, in collaboration with local Ministries and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Donna holds a Master’s degree in International Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has experience and passion for both the development side and the cultural exchange side of the field. Donna’s favorite part of her job is listening––listening to faculty explain their ideas for new programs and the learning outcomes they foresee for their students, listening to students discuss why they want to study abroad, and listening to study abroad alumni mentor their peers who aspire to do so. 

In her free time, she enjoys biking, hiking, live music, exploring new places, animals of all shapes, sizes, and textures, and spending time with friends and family. 


Contact me about:

  • Faculty-Led Education Abroad Programs
    • New proposal ideas
    • Website information
    • Program application
    • Procedures / logistics
      • Travel authorization
      • Registration
      • Travel advance / funding
      • Purchasing 
      • Insurance
    • Student advising for faculty-led programs
    • Faculty leader workshops