Meet Our Staff

If you need assistance, please contact our main office phone number at (402) 472 – 0324, email us at isso@unl.edu, or visit our office located at 130 Louise Pound Hall during consulting hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Karen Cagley, Director

Karen’s role is to manage the ISSO to effectively provide support and services to international students, scholars and UNL departments and colleges by providing information to international students and scholars to help them maintain their immigration status and by assisting university departments with immigration related matters in order to hire and retain international faculty and staff. Her expertise includes advising regarding immigration classifications that relate to international students and scholars (F-1, J-1, and H-1B). Karen is the lead staff member for developing policies and procedures, maintaining the universities compliance with federal regulations related to immigration and coordination of data management. Prior to joining UNL in 1999, Karen was an International Student and Scholar Advisor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). Karen has been active in the field of international education and has served on the NAFSA: Association of International Educators Region II team as Community Section Representative and as Region II Chair, has been a member of the NAFSA Trainer Corps, has served on the Local Arrangement Team for Regional Conference and has presented on various topics at regional and national conferences.Karen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Wartburg College and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She has traveled to Canada, Mexico, France, England, Hong Kong, China, Philippines and Japan.

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Karen Cagley

Angela Bryan, Associate Director, International Student Support

Natalia Meyer, Assistant Director, Faculty and Staff Services

Natalia plays a lead role at the ISSO to ensure that international faculty and staff are sufficiently supported so that they can thrive and succeed at UNL. Natalia provides university departments with immigration-related matters to hire and retain international faculty, researchers, and staff. Natalia's expertise includes advising regarding immigration classifications that relate to international faculty, staff, and scholars (J-1, E-3, O-1, and H-1B). Natalia is the lead specialist for non-traditional student programs such as Non-Degree Exchange Visitors (J-1). Prior to joining UNL in 2015, she worked as an Admissions Specialist for the Graduate College at Oklahoma State University. Natalia holds a B.A. degree in Psychology from Iowa State University and an M.A. degree in Higher Education Administration from UNL.

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Natalia Meyer

Connor Willingham, International Student and Scholar Specialist

Connor advises international students and scholars to help them maintain their immigration status and assists university departments with immigration-related matters. He is also the lead staff member managing sponsored student and undergraduate student intern matters. Prior to joining UNL in 2022, Connor was a coordinator with the Office of Global Engagement at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and an international student advisor with the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Professionally, Connor has served as the Nebraska State Representative to NAFSA Region II, as well as participated in the NAFSA Academy of International Educators. Connor holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is pursuing a Master’s degree in International Education Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Connor has traveled to Canada, China, Cuba, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea.

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CJ Lefferts, International Student and Scholar Specialist 

CJ’s primary role at the ISSO is to assist F-1 and J-1 international students with their immigration-related needs, including (but not limited to) advising on requirements to maintain status and processing requests for documentation. She is also a Lincoln native and excited to share her love of the Cornhusker state with UNL’s international student population. Prior to joining UNL in 2022, CJ worked as an international student advisor for the Office of Global Services at New York University. CJ holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese from Vassar College and a Master of Arts degree in International Education from New York University. She has traveled to Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Iceland, England, France, Italy, China, and spent two years living in Japan.

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Anh Le, International Student Success Navigator

Dr. Anh Le is an International Student Success Navigator in the ISSO student support team. Her role includes professional development workshops and DEI initiatives for international students and scholars. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Higher Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2014. Dr. Le is passionate about helping college students, especially underserved and marginalized students, succeed in college and find their best self. Throughout her career, she has worked with students in various capacities as an instructor, advisor, coach, and mentor. Prior to accepting her current position in 2016, she has worked in various offices on campus, including Career Services, Multicultural Affairs, and Trio Programs. She has also served as advisor for the Asian Student Union and the Vietnamese Student Association.

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Graduate Student Staff 

Jun Yi Goh, M.A. in History 

Venn Jemkur, Ph.D in Material Culture and Textile Studies