Dear CSEAS Community,
I am pleased to announce that Jonathan A. Valdez has joined CSEAS as the Academic Program Specialist.
Jonathan received both a BA and MA from San Diego State University in 2010 and 2013, respectively, and has been actively involved in Philippine, Thai, Cambodian, and Asian-American studies since his undergraduate years. Since then, he has gained a wide variety of experience in the non-profit and academic sectors, most recently at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawai'i, where he coordinated events and membership.
Jonathan will be drawing from his interests in the region and is familiar with Filipino and Khmer. For the next month, he will be working remotely while he relocates to Ann Arbor and will be training with the Asia Centers intensively to become familiar with the Michigan Difference.
I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of Jessica Hill Riggs, who departed the center for another position in the college. Her long history with the center as an alum, LEO lecturer, and academic program specialist and her dedication to the region is appreciated. We are certain she will have an indelible impact on the Digital Studies Institute, where she is program manager of the DISCO (Digital Inquiry, Speculation, Critique, and Optimism) Network.
I wish to thank everyone for their patience over the past few months. I would also like to acknowledge Hieu Phung, Do-Hee Morsman, Raquel Buckley, and Moniek van Rheenen for their incredible efforts to develop CSEAS programming during this time. Please continue to reach out to the center at cseas@umich.edu; we would love to hear from you.
Laura Rozek, MA, MS, PhD
Director, Center for Southeast Asian Studies
Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, Global Public Health, and Nutrition
