Deanna Behring has been appointed director of international programs in the college. She will provide leadership and administration for the college’s international programs in research, teaching, and extension. She will help develop, plan, coordinate, and manage international programs in conjunction with faculty, staff, and administrators. She also will identify and help develop new opportunities for students and faculty, and serve as liaison with federal and international agencies, regional development banks, and private foundations funding research in the areas of agriculture, natural resources and environment, and rural and community development. Behring also will encourage the internationalization of the college’s curriculum and extension programs.

“We are extremely pleased that Deanna Behring is bringing her extensive experience and expertise to bear on developing international dimensions for many aspects of our college,” says Dean Robert Steele. “She is a valuable asset to our leadership team and to our mission.”

Behring served as assistant director for international affairs in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 1994 to 2000, managing a team that provided scientific and technological policy advice and analysis for the president, the vice president, and the president’s science adviser. She oversaw policy development for cooperation with key countries, including China, Russia, Egypt, Ukraine, and South Africa in support of the vice president. She also coordinated implementation of international science and technology policy and budget requests across 22 government agencies, headed delegations of senior government officials to international meetings, and negotiated international agreements.

Behring served as senior economic analyst for international trade and finance in the Central Intelligence Agency from 1988 to 1994. From 1992 to 1993, she was deputy chief of the DCI Balkans Task Force Economic Group for the CIA. She was senior project assistant for Management Sciences for Health from 1987 to 1988.

Behring graduated from Albion College in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in economics, French, and public policy, and earned a master’s degree in international economic development from Ohio University in 1986. She earned a certificate in French from Alliance Francaise in 1984 and a certificate in Chinese language from Feng Chua University in 1986.

Her awards and honors include the Gerald Ford Institute Scholarship, Phi Beta Kappa, and three exceptional performance awards from the CIA.