Stephen Feinson
Director, Policy and Strategic Partnerships
Office of the Vice President for Global Engagement Feinson’s work focuses on science, technology and social outcomes.
Prior to joining ASU, he was associate director of the New Israel Fund in New York City, working on outreach and development for projects in the areas of civil society, democracy and human rights. He also served as deputy director of Columbia University’s Center for Science, Policy and Outcomes and as a program manager at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He holds a master’s in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brandeis University. | Karl Theisen
Associate Director for Business Planning
Policy and Strategic Partnerships
Office of the Vice President for Global Engagement Theisen is responsible for defining and managing the mechanisms necessary for enabling the university’s global engagement initiatives, currently with a focus on developing and implementing the Global Engagement Entrepreneurial Model, a system used to streamline and catalyze the university’s approach, planning and execution of academic-lead global engagement projects.
He brings 14 years of industry experience to academia. Before joining ASU, he spent 10 years in Asia where in 2002 he became a member in the development of a new university in Vietnam, Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, which grew to more than 4,000 students in five years. Theisen established the Center for Work, Careers and Lifelong Learning to oversee the university’s student academic and career advisement services; work integrated learning support and job placements, alumni relations and industry outreach activities. Theisen also held a senior consulting position for KPMG’s Southeast Asia region and a national business development role in the United States for a technology distribution subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.
He has a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology and a master’s degree in business administration and was founder and co-chair for an industry committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam. |
Mengying Li
China Partnerships Manager
Policy and Strategic Partnerships Office.jpg) Li oversees ASU’s partnerships with Chinese institutions. She manages and coordinates strategic projects and initiatives with China, including the university’s strategic partnership with Sichuan University. Previously, she worked at the Office of the President, developing and coordinating ASU’s China initiative.
She holds a master’s degree in education from ASU and dual bachelor's degrees in English and economics from Tianjin University, China. Li currently is pursuing a doctorate in higher education at ASU. A native of China, she is fluent in both Mandarin Chinese and English. | Silvia Araceli Vega Najera
Research Associate, ASU-CONACYT Fellowships
Policy and Strategic Partnerships Office
Vega coordinates the ASU-CONACYT (Mexico’s National Science and Technolo gy Council) partnership and supports other partnership activities in within the Strategic Partnerships Office. She has a bachelor’s degree in organizational psychology and master’s degrees in administration-human resources and organizational development. Before coming to ASU, she worked for Tecnológico de Monterrey for 19 years as head student advisor for organizational psychology and department head for behavioral sciences and human resources. She served as director of human resources and academic development for 14 years, leading a team of 70 people. She also teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses in human resources and business, in both classroom and distance education settings. Vega also is a consultant in job analysis for several large firms and is pursuing a doctorate in education leadership and policy studies at ASU. |
