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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Leila Assadi
Communications Coordinator
Leila 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.
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Brenda Gao
Communications Fellow
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Brenda graduated from the University of Iowa where she received a BS in Psychology and a minor in Japanese. Brenda recently returned from the Critical Language Scholarship
(CLS) Program in Okayama, Japan. She is now working as a Behavioral Health Consultant at University of Iowa Health Care and volunteering at the International Women's Club of Iowa City. In her free time, she enjoys historical fiction, spending time with family and friends, and hanging out with her cat.
Jade Carter
High School Intern
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She will be attending Iowa State University in the fall.
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 minors in Spanish and Political Science. At the
University of Iowa, Anna has been involved in numerous extracurriculars on campus, namely Dance Marathon, the Social Work Student Association, and Homecoming at the University of Iowa. In her free time, Anna enjoys spending time with her family and friends, singing, reading, musicals, watching sports, and traveling. She also loves music, especially Harry Styles. Anna loves everything that has to do with respectfully learning about other cultures. Last spring, she was lucky enough to have the opportunity to study abroad in Argentina.​
Peyton Pangburn
Program and Development Fellow​
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Peyton previously served as the Development Intern at Global Ties Iowa. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 2024 with a BA International
Relations, minor in Russian and Eastern European studies, earning highest distinction and honors in the major. She is a recipient of the 2023 Greg Bielawski Best Paper Award, a delegate at the 2022 Student Conference on U.S. Affairs hosted by the U.S. Military Academy, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society. In 2023, she studied abroad at the University of Edinburgh and completed an Immersive Russian Language Program at Yerevan State University in Armenia. This June, Peyton completed her time as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Moldova. She also interns at Bradley & Riley PC in Cedar Rapids and is pursuing law school. In her free time, Peyton enjoys playing cards, cooking, and reading.
Zach Hemmen
Operations Support​
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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.
María José Blanco Arias
IYLEP Program Intern​
​María José is from Bogotá, Colombia, and a sophomore at the University of Iowa majoring in International Studies (Human Rights and Public Service track), International
Relations (International Business and Economics track), French (Arabic Studies track), as well as doing an Arabic Minor, on the pre-law track and in the Honors Program.
At the university, María José is deeply involved on campus in extracurriculars as Programming Director of Hawk The Vote, At-Large Senator in the Undergraduate Student Government, and former President of the Hall Association Working for Catlett.
In her free time, she listens to all kind of music, enjoys having movie nights with family and friends, and playing volleyball.