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Program Staff

Sonja Bhan

Director of International Programs

After earning her undergraduate degree in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from Barnard College, Sonja Bhan began her career in international education at an educational consulting firm in New York City. As an expert on the assessment of academic credentials from over 60 countries, she has led workshops and seminars on the admission and placement of international students, particularly those from India. Her professional experience also includes working with multinationals to provide educational services to expatriate families worldwide. Sonja came to Penn to pursue the International Educational Development Program at GSE, during which she focused on technical and higher education reform in South Asia. She speaks Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and Pashtu and has traveled extensively across Asia.

Shiva Vakili

Director of Special Programs; Executive Education

Shiva Vakili earned her Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and has completed coursework at Penn for a Ph.D. in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. She began teaching as a lecturer in Penn’s Department of Near Eastern languages and Civilizations in 1985, receiving the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence two consecutive years, and continued teaching Persian language and literature at Princeton University until 2003. In 2004 she began working at PennGSE International, as the Director of International Programs mainly planning and executing international research projects, conferences, trainings and cultural programs for international students and executives. Furthermore, she collaborated with domestic and international institutions to further GSE's mission. She has been working as the Director of Special Programs at GSE Executive Education for the last four years. Shiva also holds a Master’s degree from Drexel University School of Library and Information Science and has worked as a librarian in the Middle East collection of Penn’s Van Pelt-Dietrich Libraries. Shiva is fluent in English, Turkish, Azeri, and Persian, has an excellent knowledge of written Arabic, and has a basic knowledge of written French, Italian, Russian, and Uzbek.

Frank Wenger

Program Coordinator

Frank Wenger received his M.A. in Chinese Studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. He completed his B.A. at Pennsylvania State University with majors in History and East Asian Studies. Prior to joining Penn GSE, he worked for English Language Programs, also at Penn, where he gained a wealth of experience in the field of international education. He has traveled widely across Asia and spent time living, working, and studying in both China and Taiwan, including time spent at Beijing University, Nanjing University, and National Taiwan University.