Dr. Chris’s work is rooted in intercultural learning, equity-centered strategy, and transformational design. As a leader, she has advised presidents, C-suite executives, and international teams on advancing inclusive practice through strategic planning, curriculum design, and organizational development. She is widely recognized for her ability to lead complex initiatives that align vision, values, and community impact.

She currently serves as an Inclusion and Innovation Consultant with Be Equitable, and as Lead Intercultural Content Contributor at CultureVision, a national health equity platform. Her past roles include Director of Partnership Development and Inclusive Programming at Barcelona SAE, where she pioneered the nationally recognized TODOS strategy and increased institutional partnerships by 70%.

Dr. Chris has spoken at over 50 national and international conferences, served on working groups for NAFSA, The Forum on Education Abroad, and CANIE, and is an ongoing contributor to global leadership initiatives. Her recent publications include:

• Building Cultures: Preparing International Staff for Understanding Diverse Identities of U.S. Students, by Christina Thompson and Ebony Ellis. In Convergence of Litigation, Policy, and Standards: Building the Informed Practitioner in Education Abroad Risk Management, edited by Julie Pollard and Kim S. Priebe. Section: “Shifting Sand: Evolution of Understanding Risk,” pp. 227–247. Copyright 2024.

• Foundations of Inclusive Global Education: Exploring Global Equity in Action, by Ebony Ellis and Christina “Chris” Thompson. In The Changing Landscape of Education Abroad, CEA CAPA Education Abroad, Occasional Publication No. 11, pp. 102–112. Featured in the section “Through Other Lenses.” Copyright 2024.

• A Family Guide to Study Abroad / Guía para familias sobre estudios en el extranjero, Institute of International Education & AIFS Foundation – Contributor & Peer Reviewer. October 2024

• “Walking the Walk: The Implications of Performative Allyship Toward Our LGBTQIA Colleagues,” Thought Leadership Series, Diversity Abroad. Co-authored with Kory Saunders and Kyle Keith. October 2019

• “On-Site Interventions: Intercultural Training to Address Health, Safety, and Security Concerns of Diverse Students Abroad,” The Global Impact Exchange, Diversity Abroad. Co-authored with Rich Kurtzman. July 2019

• Contributing Chapter, “GO Long or GO Short but GO: Study Away as Curricular Requirement,” in Putting the Local in Global Education: Models for Transformative Learning Through Domestic Off-Campus Programs, edited by Scott Manning and Christina Dinges. May 2014

Her work has been nationally and internationally recognized with honors from NAFSA, GoAbroad, and The PIEoneer Awards for innovation, inclusive leadership, and systemic change in global education.

Dr. Chris holds a Master’s in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Global Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is completing her EdD in Organizational Leadership and Innovation at Marymount University. Her dissertation, To Disrupt or Not Disrupt? Redefining Equitable International Education through Respectful Disruptive Leadership, explores how human-first leadership can transform exclusionary practices in global systems.

At her core, Dr. Chris is a builder of bold ideas and inclusive communities—leading with empathy, disrupting with purpose, and always centering the shared humanity at the heart of global learning.