STAFF AND ADVISORS
Annette Burris
Director, International Student & Scholar Services
Annette is the new Director of International Student and Scholar Services at Georgia State University. She has over 21 years of experience in the field of international education, working with international students and scholars, as well as numerous aspects of international education administration. Prior to joining GSU, Annette served as the Director of International Services at Louisiana State University and A&M College and contributed her leadership and talents in a variety of capacities to ISSS teams at Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Annette holds a B.A. in Spanish and French from Saint Louis University and an M.Ed. in Adult and Higher Education Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar and spending time with family and friends. Ask her about her cats!
Lukas Green
Assistant Director of Scholar Services (H-1B, TN, Permanent Residency Specialist)
Lukas joins the ISSS as the Assistant Director of Scholar Services. Earning his B.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from Kent State University, Lukas has always had a passion for working with the international community. During his undergraduate studies, Lukas had the opportunity to earn his TOFEL license in Dresden, Germany teaching English for specific purposes. With nearly 6 years of higher education and immigration experience, Lukas is excited to assist our growing international faculty and scholar population. When not in office Lukas enjoys being outside either on a run, bike ride, or hike.
VACANT
Assistant Director of International Student & Scholar Services
VACANT
Assistant Director of Incoming Student Services
Plamen Mavrov
Senior International Student Advisor
Plamen is glad to be on the ISSS team in the role of Senior Advisor. Plamen previously served as a visa officer in Europe and South Asia, where he observed the significance of international education and exchange programs in U.S. foreign relations. Plamen holds a B.A. in International Affairs from Kennesaw State University and an M.S. in International Affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Plamen is a lifelong soccer fan and closely follows the English Premier League.
Kelsey Dabrowski
International Student Advisor
Kelsey is an Atlanta native who is excited to support the international students here at Georgia State. She received her BA in Foreign Languages at the University of Georgia, where she also minored in TESOL. Kelsey began her own journey in international education abroad as an international student in Beijing, and she later worked in Toulouse, France and Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan. Kelsey finds joy in going down Wikipedia rabbit holes and making Spotify playlists (300+ and counting).
Brittani Pipes
International Student Advisor
Brittani Pipes has had an interest in International Education ever since she began her time as an undergraduate student at Murray State University in Murray, KY where she received her BA in Broadcast Journalism and Spanish. Her love for languages and cultures grew as she became a Graduate student at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN where she had the opportunity to teach international students English language writing skills. Brittani has had the opportunity to travel to Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Kigoma, Tanzania. Overall, she has a passion for different cultures, languages, and learning about anything that involves International Education. Brittani is excited to join the GSU ISSS team, after being with Kennesaw State University for a little over 2 years. She looks forward to helping students from all over the world come to the United States to study. In her free time, Brittani enjoys going to the movies, traveling, and spending time with family.
Tucker Hardin
International Student Advisor
Originally from Kennesaw, a suburb outside of Atlanta, he is a native of Georgia. Tucker earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish and Speech Communications from Georgia State University where he focused on the experiences of Latinos in the US higher education system. He comes with experience managing incoming cultural exchanges. In his free time, he enjoys finding new restaurants and creating ceramics and pottery.
Hayden Hollingsworth
Customer Services Specialist III
Hayden, whose parents hail from Latin America & The Caribbean, is a graduate of The City University of New York's Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn- a school with a strong international presence. He's a DDI Certified Facilitator who excels in creating safe spaces for learning exchanges and communication, and as the latest member of Georgia State University's International Students & Scholar Services team, he's looking forward to supporting the international community. Hayden loves photography and creative writing but most of all he's an avid reader, who reads everything from Marvel & DC Comics to biographies, rom-coms and historical fiction.
Veronique Barnes
Associate Director
Fun Fact: Veronique was born on the 37 square-mile French and Dutch Caribbean island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten and was an F-1 student.
Veronique has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Stetson University and a Master of Science degree in Counselor Education from Florida International University. Veronique has over 20 years of experience as an international educator. She is passionate about helping students from around the world to attain their academic and personal goals and to have a positive experience in the United States. Veronique lived in Aruba for two years and has traveled to Europe, South America and throughout the Caribbean. She treasures time with her family and enjoys traveling, especially to warm and sunny places.
Deborah Livingston
Senior International Student Advisor
Fun Fact: Deborah is a Georgia native! She was born and raised in Gwinnett County, which is part of the metropolitan Atlanta area.
Deborah joined Perimeter College in 2002. Previously, she worked at Gwinnett Technical College in Admissions, the Registrar’s Office and eventually in Information Technology. Deborah assisted with building the online registration system that is still in use at Gwinnett Technical College. Deborah has attended several colleges including Georgia State and the former Georgia Perimeter College. She loves spending time with her four children, relaxing outside, hiking and reading.
Tacoma Robinson
International Student Advisor
Fun Fact: Tacoma’s brother was an artist. In his memory, her art collecting hobby helps to support other artists.
Tacoma has worked for Perimeter College since November 2007 and has over thirteen years of immigration advisement experience. She loves working with International Students and assisting them to achieve their educational dreams in the United States. Tacoma is a Floridian but has lived in Georgia for thirty years. She enjoys domestic and international travel and spending quality time with her family.
Elizabeth Williams
Graduate Administrative Assistant - Incoming Students
Fun Fact: I eat Chinese food every day. It’s the best!
Elizabeth is currently pursuing her master's in social work. Elizabeth has worked closely with Immigration and International Education systems and plans to further practice in that line of work. She is enthusiastic about traveling and has been to 31 countries so far, Italy has the number spot in her heart. She is also considering doing a PhD for the fun of it. For fun she binge watches K-Drama and fantasize about countries she hasn’t visited.
Durga Malgireddy
Graduate Administrative Assistant - Incoming Students
Fun Fact: She's a true ice cream enthusiast who happily indulges in it no matter what time it is!
Durga graduated from university in India in 2022 and moved to Atlanta to pursue a Master's in Information Systems at Georgia State University. When she's not hitting the books, you can find her partaking in her favorite pastime: binge watching TV series accompanied by her go-to snack.
Lusako Mwenechanya
Graduate Administrative Assistant - Incoming Students
Fun Fact: Lusako once ran a quarter-marathon just to catch the second half of a crucial soccer match.
Lusako is a pursuing a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology. He is from the warm heart of Africa, Malawi, which is located in the southeast of Africa. He came to the United States in August 2023. He has over 12 years of work experience in government and international organizations as a medical laboratory supervisor, quality assurance advisor, COVID-19 response coordinator, and HIV testing services technical lead. Lusako likes hiking, playing and watching soccer, and traveling to learn about other cultures. He likes to prepare Jollof rice and speaks basic Arabic.