De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement Staff

Executive Director of the De & Dave Center for Global Engagement
Senior International Officer
christina.sanchez@augie.edu
605.274.5519 

Dr. Christina Sanchez  joined the De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement in November 2025 to serve as the inaugural executive director. Sanchez received a Ph.D. in intercultural communication from the University of New Mexico. She has been a leader in higher eduction for 28 years with the past 21 years specific to the field of international education. Sanchez is actively engaged in internationalization initiatives, including receipt of three Fulbright Awards (in Germany, India and Mexico) and participation on various international organization boards, most recently with Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA). She has taught courses in education, communication, business and sociology.  

Assistant Director of International Programs
joseph.edmonson@augie.edu
605.274.4048

Joseph Edmonson has a diverse background working for international NGOs and international police organizations. These roles have often included training and education, and he has also taught French and Spanish at Washington High School in Sioux Falls. He has a strong interest in world cultures and languages. While completing his bachelor degrees in French and Spanish language and literature at the University of Missouri St. Louis, he also studied abroad in Lyon, France, and Madrid, Spain. He later earned a master's degree in African studies at the University of Copenhagen and went on to live in Africa and South America.

Assistant Director of International Admission
International Admission Counselor
liz.fossum@augie.edu
605.274.5250

Liz Fossum grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota, and recently graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Augustana University, studying communication studies, media studies and international studies. During her time as a student, she took advantage of the many study away opportunities at Augustana. Fossum spent a semester in the Eternal City of Rome as well as a month traveling Guatemala with fellow classmates. Fossum cherished being involved in the international student community on Augustana’s campus and made many lifelong friends that she plans to visit all around the world. Her love for traveling endures, as she has a passion for meeting new people and learning about different cultures. Fossum enjoys listening to live music, hiking, crocheting and any excuse to spend time outdoors.

Director of International Admission
donn.grinager@augie.edu
605.274.5540

Donn Grinager served Augustana for 26 years from 1992-2018 as director of international programs. From 2018-23, Grinager worked in the tech industry providing consulting services to major electronics manufacturers for their global regulatory compliance obligations. He returned to Augustana in October 2023 as the director of international admission with a focused role on recruiting the next cohort of young talent to the university from all over the world. Prior to joining Augustana in 1992, Donn and his wife, Kristin, lived and worked in Japan for two years teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) within the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). Grinager's first international life experience was serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and worked as a fisheries extension agent in Nanupatti, Janakpur-dam, Nepal. Grinager and his wife have two daughters, Nicole '17 and Abbie.

Director of Study Away
Senior Study Away Advisor
erin.kane@augie.edu
605.274.4046

Erin Kane earned a bachelor's degree in human development and family studies from Iowa State University in 2004. She completed a master's in school counseling from South Dakota State University in 2007. Erin studied abroad as an undergraduate in Australia and France. She oversees all study away program development for faculty and student advising for all terms. In 2012, she joined the De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement. She has held roles in international student support and study away advising. She received a 2019 IDEAS Capacity Building Grant for researching student mobility at Augustana and helped launch the first faculty led program to Kenya. Erin is a current member of the AIFS Advisory Board. Prior to her positions in higher education, she worked as an elementary school counselor.

International Student & Study Away Advisor
umaima.koch@augie.edu
605.274.5050

Umaima Koch earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and political science from South Dakota State University in 2018, and learned about effects of U.S.-Mexico foreign policy and trade on agriculture, health and (im)migration while studying abroad in Guanajuato, Mexico. Koch worked in the social justice/immigration advocacy non-profit space for three years in various roles before joining the De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement in 2021. Koch enjoys cultural/ethnic and gender studies, making poetry and supporting diversity and inclusion programs on campus.

De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement Coordinator
suzanne.miller@augie.edu
605.274.5050

Suzanne Miller joined the De & Dave Knudson Center for Global Engagement in 2024. She supports international students in their journeys and provide students with study-abroad opportunities in order to expand their global experiences. She is able to capitalize on her broad background and experiences to enhance services provided by the center. Miller holds a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the University of Denver. She worked in academic law libraries, and later with public and school libraries. She joined the U.S. Department of State developing programs and training for youth in American Information Centers in embassies, and has worked in Northern Africa, Nigeria, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine. Miller loves to travel and is a theatre addict. She has one daughter, who is her pride and joy.