Executive Director of the Buckman Center for Global Engagement
As the Executive Director of the Buckman Center for Global Engagement and senior international officer at Rhodes College, Dr. Hillis is responsible for the college’s comprehensive internationalization initiatives and all aspects of our international education. She brings over 15 years of experience to the field of international education and immigration regulatory compliance. Her mission is to lead the college into ever-deeper intercultural understanding and inclusion, supporting a culture of global citizenship for all students, faculty, and staff.
Dr. Hillis’s PhD is in Applied Linguistics from The University of Memphis, where she also earned a BA in Linguistics and MA in English as a Second Language. Her academic interests include LGBTQ+ issues, diversity, collaborative programming, and academic ethics in international education; she routinely presents at national conferences on these topics. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Rhodes, offering a two-course TEFL sequence that leads to a certification for teaching English as a foreign language and she is a member of the Phi Beta Delta honor society for international scholars.
She enjoys supporting the college through service on committees, such as the Rhodes Leadership Council, the Capital Campaign Committee, the LGBTQ+ Working Group, the Linguistics Minor Committee, and the Fulbright Scholarship Committee. Outside of Rhodes, she has served the field of international education on NAFSA’s national committee on regional affairs, as a Past Chair for NAFSA Region VII, as co-founder and inaugural co-chair of Study Tennessee, and in multiple roles within the Tennessee Association of International Educators. She serves on the board of directors of two nonprofit organizations in Memphis promoting Memphis history and literacy for all ages.
Contact Information:
Burrow Hall, Lower Level
901-843-3403
internationalprograms@rhodes.edu
