Professional Staff
Jeanne d’Arc Gomis
Director
(949) 824-8658
jagomis@uci.edu
Jeanne d’Arc is UCI Director of Study Abroad. She brings over 20 years of experience working with partner universities and creating linkages for student mobility. She has held leadership positions at various institutions in the U.S. and abroad. She has served as Director of Africa and the Middle East at ISEP and previously the Study Abroad Director at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.
Jeanne d’Arc started her career in International Education in Senegal, West Africa, serving as Assistant Director at the West African Research Center, and managing short and long-term study abroad programs. The life-changing stories of international students in the programs and their engagement with the locals solidified her desire to serve more in the field to further global exchange and understanding. She is passionate about sharing culture through food.
Jeanne d’Arc is fluent in six languages, including French, English, Spanish, Wolof (a language of Senegal), Creole, and Mandjack (other languages spoken in Senegal, Guinee Bissau, and the Gambia).
Mark Beirn
Global Risk Manager
(949) 824-6343
mbeirn@uci.edu
Mark Beirn serves as the Global Risk Manager on the UC Irvine Study Abroad Center team. Mark has worked in international education for over 25 years, having worked with USDE Title VI programs, Fulbright, Education Abroad & International Exchange, DEI and community engagement in St. Louis, Berlin, New Orleans, and now Orange County.
Jen Brantley
Operations and Enrollment Analyst
(949) 824-6343
brantlej@uci.edu
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Catherine Jonas
Enrollment and Operations Coordinator
(949) 824-6343
jonasc@uci.edu
Catherine Jonas has been passionate about international travel since she was in high school and was able to go on a school sponsored trip around Europe for the summer. Her time abroad unlocked a love of experiencing other cultures and seeing how people live all over the world. While an undergrad at UCI earning her B.A. in Theater Arts, she spent a semester studying in the United Kingdom. Since graduation she has traveled to over 20 countries across six continents including Antarctica. She hopes she can help inspire others to take the first step in finding a lifetime of exploration.
Bonnie Hooes
Lead Outbound Study Abroad Advisor
(949) 824-6343
bchooes@uci.edu
Advises for Europe, the Americas, and Multi-Country programs
Bonnie Hooes is a seasoned advisor, counselor, speaker, administrator, and educator. She received her Bachelors’ degree at UC Irvine in Psychology & Social Behavior and her Masters’ degree in Counseling, Marriage & Family Therapy from California State University of Long Beach. She studied abroad in Florence, Italy and has extensive educational and travel experiences around the globe, in particular in Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, Italy, Spain, France, and Japan. She is also a California Certified Mediator. With over 20 years of experience in the field of international education, she has an unwavering passion for the value gained from being exposed to cultural differences. As a first-generation American who lacked confidence in her Spanish language skills as a young adult, she finds it especially rewarding to work with UCI’s super diverse student population. She finds it very fulfilling to work at her alma mater and give back to UCI all that she gained! She finds it especially fulfilling to work with UCI students who work hard to discover and forge paths almost entirely on their own.
Chrissy Schmid
Outbound Study Abroad Advisor
(949) 824-6343
schmidca@uci.edu
Advises for Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and Virtual programs
Chrissy Schmid has over 14 years of student services and student affairs experience at the University of California, and is passionate about international education and cultural exchange. Her international travel experience started when she was just a baby, living with her family in Scotland for a year and a half. Since then, she has visited 31 countries across 5 continents. Her dream is to visit all 7 continents in her lifetime. She received her bachelor’s degree in “International Security and Conflict Resolution” from San Diego State University, and her master’s degree in “Organizational Leadership” from Concordia University Irvine. She holds certificates in Business Administration and Personal Financial Planning from UCI Division of Continuing Education and is a California Certified Mediator. During her undergraduate program, she studied abroad on the Gold Coast of Australia, and finds it especially thrilling to help students embark upon their own life changing adventures! She enjoys serving students from diverse cultures and backgrounds, trying new cuisines, and exploring new places and traditions.
Alma Reynal Quintanilla
Inbound and Custom Program Advisor
(949) 824-6343
areynalq@uci.edu
Originally from Mexico, Alma has professionally developed in the field of international education for more than 7 years, assisting a diverse faculty and student population to become future leaders through comprehensive international academic experiences. She has a bachelor’s degree in “International Relations” and master’s degree in “Management Organizations”
She’s passionate about building bridges through study abroad programs because she’s a strong believer that education changes lives. Back in her home country, she worked for private and public universities. Her former job at Universidad Tecnologica de Puebla made her realize the importance of promoting international education as a tool for empowering first-generation and underrepresented students to become future leaders.
Alma is fluent in Spanish and English.