Meet Our Team
Our staff are committed to supporting youth to become the global thinkers and leaders our world needs for meaningful and lasting social change.

Brian Paintsil
Senior Full-Stack Engineer
Ghana
Brian builds and maintains Global Nomads Group's technology infrastructure and educational applications. A lifelong computer enthusiast and veteran of the hospitality and ecommerce industries, he now works to ensure reliable access to software solutions for educators and youth participants around the world.

Christine Goussous
Director of Global Partnerships
Jordan
Christine began her career with Global Nomads Group as a community associate. She spent time as a partnerships manager at Humanitas Technologies, where she worked on a youth-facing, community improvement mobile app. She then rejoined Global Nomads Group in 2019 and now leads the organization’s recruitment and partnerships initiatives.

Cindy Macedo
Program Manager
Mexico
Cindy brings a passion for language instruction and cultural exchange to Global Nomads Group, where she connects schools, educators, and learners in the United States and Mexico. Originally trained as a social studies teacher, she holds English teaching certificates from Hunter College and Cambridge English.

Courtney Welsh
Chief Executive Officer
United States
Courtney is a seasoned leader in the public and nonprofit sectors. She was a founding member and Chief Operating Officer of the NYC Leadership Academy, and has consulted for organizations such as the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative and the Aspen Institute. Courtney holds a M.Ed. from Harvard University and an executive level certificate from Columbia Graduate School of Business.

Elizabeth Knowles
Chief Operating Officer
United States
Elizabeth has been with Global Nomads Group since joining as a Programs Consultant in 2014, having previously worked in educational and nonprofit organizations in India, China, Thailand, and Colombia. She brings this international and multicultural experience to her work leading operations, finance, and HR initiatives.

Janelle Cooper
Digital Marketing Coordinator
United States
Janelle is a longtime global nomad, having lived in eight different countries and worked as an English-language teacher in Haiti, Italy, Senegal, and South Korea. Janelle applies her unique experience navigating linguistic and cultural differences to her professional work in international marketing and communications.

Katie Cox, Ph.D.
Program Manager, Content Creation Lab
United States
Katie joined Global Nomads Group’s Content Creation Lab with fifteen years of experience in research, teaching, and curriculum development in higher education, non-profit, and community settings. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Irvine, where her work focused on the use of community-led science in environmental justice advocacy.

Martha Doherty
Program Coordinator
United Kingdom
Martha hosts online events and works with youths and educators worldwide. A native of Budapest, she is a graduate of the French Lycée and the University of Manchester and is an avid student of Arabic language and culture. Before joining Global Nomads Group, Martha worked in the south of France as a singer and entertainer and as a language tutor.

Mays Owaynat
Program Coordinator
Jordan
Mays oversees operations and implementation of Global Nomads Group’s online events and courses. Her varied experience has included teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, developing children’s educational and cultural programs, and working in public relations and as an interpreter. She now brings this interpersonal, intercultural approach to a global audience.

Nicole Goggin
Senior Director of Programs
United States
Nicole began her career as an intern with the Global Nomads Group curriculum development team and has been integral in building, operating, and implementing new programs for over a decade. Nicole works across departments on strategy, communication, and intercultural facilitation and is committed to bring varied perspectives to the discussion table.

Nour Shtayyeh
Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator
Jordan
Nour joined Global Nomads Group as a Partnerships Coordinator, where she reaches out to prospective program participants and conducts research on recruitment strategies and new market entries. She previously worked as a researcher and writer in the humanitarian field and currently tries to combine her training as a cultural anthropologist to ensure an inclusive and intercultural approach to recruitment processes.

Sandra Stein, Ph.D.
Chief of Programs & Learning
United States
Sandra is a passionate educator, writer, scholar, and justice advocate who leads staff and youth in the design, delivery, and assessment of Global Nomads Group’s unique programs. She is the author of two books on education policy and practice, and her writing has appeared in leading periodicals. She has a doctorate in Education from Stanford University.

Tenzing Sherpa
Operations Coordinator
United States
Tenzing moved from the Tibetan-Nepali region of India to New York when she was 11 years old. Overcoming the many cultural, linguistic, and academic challenges instilled her with a distinct sense of empathy and patience. She brings this to both her professional work in operations, and to her volunteer work assisting other members of the Sherpa community.