Staff & Interns
Amy Alice Chastain
Executive Director​
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Amy Alice Chastain's teaching and learning have taken her to France, China, the Middle East, and beyond. Having previously served as an Associate Professor of
Instruction in the University of Iowa’s Department of Linguistics, she is proud to use her professional experience there and abroad in her work with global exchange as the Executive Director of Global Ties Iowa. Upon discovering this organization and the International Visitor Leadership Program, Amy knew she had found her people—her community—and could continue to maintain an international connection while living and working in eastern Iowa. Because of the profound impact her time abroad had on her academic and professional development, Amy Alice's driving vision is to build diplomacy one relationship at a time. ​
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Zach Hemmen
Program Coordinator
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Zach is a graduate from the University of Iowa who majored in International Relations and Political Science with Certificates in Human Rights and Political Risk Analysis. He is now
pursuing his masters in Political Science at the University of Iowa. Currently backpacking Europe, Zach will be returning in Fall 2025 to study and work at Global Ties Iowa.
Leila Assadi
Communications Fellow
Leila Assadi is a junior at the University of Iowa majoring in Political Science and Economics with a minor in International Relations on the pre-law track. Originally
from Bettendorf, Iowa, Leila enjoys reading, thrifting, and listening to music. On campus, Leila is co-President and co-founder of Ethics Bowl and a member of the Middle Eastern and North African Student Association. She also worked as a research assistant for the Disasters, Migration, and Violence Lab in the Department of Political Science, and is currently a Peer Mentor for the Tippie Direct Admit Seminar. Leila spent the Spring 2025 semester studying at Korea University is Seoul, South Korea and, in the future, hopes to attend law school with a focus in international law.
Diana Zhang
Translation Intern
Diana Zhang is in her fourth year at the University of Iowa. She is double majoring in English and Creative Writing and Translation and will graduate this May.
Fluent in Mandarin, English, and Korean, she is passionate about exploring foreign languages and cultures and is currently teaching herself Cantonese on Duolingo. After graduating this May, Diana will advance her studies at the University of Southern California with a Master’s Degree in Communication Management. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, playing video games, and playing Mahjong with family and friends.
Abbey Welden
Executive Fellow for Development
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Abbey Welden is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa who majored in International Studies with a minor in Spanish and a certificate in Nonprofit and
Philanthropy. Born and raised in Marshalltown, Iowa, she attended a Spanish/English bilingual school where her love for learning blossomed. With being fluent in Spanish came the opportunity to study abroad in Paraguay through the Youth Ambassador’s program during her sophomore year of high school. Coupled with her experience as a member of her high school’s philanthropic organization, Abbey's career goals shortly followed. Abbey hopes to work in the international nonprofit sector with a position focused on public diplomacy and English language literacy. Abbey looks forward to gaining meaningful experience and furthering my knowledge during my time here at Global Ties Iowa!
Brenda Gao
Communications and Social Media Coordinator
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Brenda Gao is a fourth-year student at the University of Iowa from Iowa City, Iowa. She is majoring in Psychology on the Pre-Medicine track
and minoring in Japanese. On campus, Brenda is a research assistant in Dr. Grazyna Kochanska’s Child Lab and a Japanese Program Ambassador for the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. In her free time, she enjoys historical fiction, spending time with family and friends, and hanging out with her cat.
Ani Jilavyan
Translation Intern​
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Ani graduated from the University of Iowa’s MFA in Literary Translation program in 2024. She is originally from Yerevan, Armenia, and she works with Armenian and
Russian languages. Ani was one of the editors of Exchanges, an online journal of literary translation. She was also a graduate assistant at the Center for Language and Culture Learning (CLCL), where her focal project among many was Iowa Intersections, a multilingual narrative project. For Ani, translation is a way to share amazing pieces of Armenian literature with wider audiences. Ani mainly translates comedies and plans to apply to the MFA in Dramaturgy program at the University of Iowa. In her free time, she enjoys reading, singing, dancing, and watching and performing comedy.
Anna O'Connor
Program Coordinator
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Anna is a junior at the University of Iowa from Dubuque, Iowa. She is pursuing a double major in International Studies and Social Work, with a minor in Spanish. At the
University of Iowa, Anna has been involved in numerous extracurriculars on campus, namely Dance Marathon, SWSA, and the Undergraduate Student Government. In her free time, Anna enjoys spending time with her family and friends, singing, musicals, watching sports, and traveling. She also loves music, especially Harry Styles.
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Anna is currently studying abroad in Argentina during the Spring 2025 semester.