Staff
Mark Overmann
Executive Director
Mark Overmann joined the Alliance as Executive Director in 2022, after having served as Assistant Director and Deputy Director from 2009-2015. Mark has nearly 20 years of experience in the NGO, association, federal, and university sectors. He excels at association management, government relations, including extensive work with the U.S. Department of State and Congress, strategic communications, and organizational development.
Mark also served as a Senior Manager at Accenture Federal Services supporting global health and diplomacy programs; Vice President of External Affairs at InterExchange; Director of College Communications at Georgetown University; and Program Associate for Communications at Global Ties U.S.
Mark has a bachelor’s in English from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s in International Communication from American University’s School of International Service. He is co-author with Sherry Mueller of Working World: Careers in International Education, Exchange, and Development (Georgetown University Press, 2008, 2014). He studied abroad during college in Angers, France, and taught English in Yanji, China, along the North Korean border.
Mark is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Adrienne Jacobs
Assistant Director and Head of Advocacy and Government Relations
Adrienne Jacobs joined the Alliance as Assistant Director and Head of Advocacy and Government Relations in 2024 after nearly seven years of work on the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders at IREX. Prior to the Fellowship, Adrienne worked for two years on the Senate Budget Committee for then Ranking Member Senator Bernard Sanders. She excels at program and government relations, partnership building, and strategic planning, and is eager to use her combined experience and expertise in her role at the Alliance.
Adrienne has a bachelor’s in International Relations and Diplomacy from Schiller International University and a master’s in Peace Research and Security Policy from the University of Hamburg, both in Germany where she studied abroad.
Adrienne is originally from St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
Andrea Bodine
Senior Manager for Policy and Government Relations
Andrea Bodine joined the Alliance for International Exchange in early 2018. Prior to joining the Alliance, she was a transatlantic community analyst intern at The Streit Council for a Union of Democracies, a small international affairs think tank. She holds a Master’s degree in European Studies from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium with a focus on European foreign policy and globalization. Andrea had previously studied abroad at KU Leuven while pursuing her B.A. in Global Studies and Economics at Loyola University Maryland, where she was a Presidential Scholar.
Andrea is originally from Hagerstown, Maryland.
Gabrielle Cascio
External Affairs Manager
Gabrielle Cascio originally joined the Alliance as a Program Fellow and then Program Assistant in 2019. Prior to her return to the organization, Gabrielle was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Sliven, Bulgaria and an Internship Placement Specialist at 2U. She completed her B.A. in English and International Affairs at The George Washington University, where she participated in and helped facilitate cultural exchange programs.
Gabrielle is originally from Frenchtown, New Jersey.
Benie Kwarteng
Program Fellow
Benie Kwarteng is a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University SAIS, pursuing a master’s degree in international relations. Benie is an enthusiast of international exchanges, having studied abroad in France, Italy, and South Korea. She is a State Department Rangel Fellow and a Future U.S Diplomat.
Benie grew up in Ghana and New Jersey.