About Us
The Global Training Initiative (GTI) launched at NC State University several years ago to enhance international partnerships among NC State students and faculty, businesses in North Carolina, and people around the world through numerous short-term international programs.
Our Staff (see bios below)
| Name | Position | |
| Michael Bustle | Director | gti@ncsu.edu |
| David McNeill | Associate Director | david_mcneill@ncsu.edu |
| Shiqin Xu | Training Programs Coordinator | shiqin_xu@ncsu.edu |
| Ilin Misaras | Training Programs Coordinator | ilin_misaras@ncsu.edu |
| Tasha Gray | Office Manager | gti@ncsu.edu |
| Kristine Sloan | Teaching Assistant | lksloan@ncsu.edu |
| Morgan Twist | Teaching Assistant | matwist@ncsu.edu |
| Kiano Manavi | Program Assistant | rmanavi@ncsu.edu |
| Michael Bustle Director Email:gti@ncsu.edu Phone: 919-513-0105 |
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Michael Bustle is the Associate Vice Provost for International Affairs at NC State University. He is also Director of the Office of International Services (OIS) and the NC Global Training Initiative (GTI). He has worked in various capacities with international students, scholars, and international programs at several U.S. institutions (Vanderbilt University, UNC Chapel Hill, etc.) for more than twenty years. He currently leads a team of ten professional advisors, program specialists, and support staff at NC State to ensure that international students and scholars are successful in their academic and research programs – as well as their transitional acculturation - at the University. Following his graduation from the University of Florida with a degree in anthropological linguistics, he spent several years teaching English in Japan. He has visited more than 20 countries in the last 25 years and spent two summers as a young man working in the Amazon. When not engaged in administrative duties, Michael enjoys teaching in the classroom (particularly about U.S. Culture), assisting international students and scholars with problems or questions, being involved with cross-cultural programs, and both learning about and sharing people's stories.
| David McNeill Associate Director Email:david_mcneill@ncsu.edu Phone: 919-513-0105 |
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David McNeill is the Associate Director of GTI and works as the principal instructor, program developer, advisor, and coordinator of all GTI programs. He has worked in the university setting for nearly 20 years largely with student leadership development and international student programs. He holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville with a minor in Middle Eastern affairs. His master's is in Biblical Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary with an emphasis in the use of logic and reason in the interpretation of Biblical texts in both their original language and English. He worked and lived in Turkey for three years as the director of Carquest automotive parts company's liaison office. He has trained hundreds of students and staff in the areas of leadership development, inter-cultural communication and small group dynamics. He has also developed and implemented two international summer study abroad programs consisting of students living in the homes of Turkish families and Tunisian families and engaging the culture. He has managed large budgets and hired and supervised numerous teams of staff in the non-profit sector. Of all his roles in GTI, the one he enjoys the most is his interactions with international students from cultures around the world.
| Shiqin Xu Training Programs Coordinator Email:shiqin_xu@ncsu.edu Phone: 919-513-0105 |
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Shiqin Xu joined the GTI in December 2010. She came to NC State University after working as a program director of Communities In Schools of Orange County. During her time there, Shiqin was the lead coordinator in designing a multiyear education program funded by the US Department of Education. Shiqin also has several years of experience working as an international division specialist for the Trademark Office of China, focusing on international trademark protection and management of trademark-related training programs. Shiqin holds a Master's of Public Administration (M.P.A.) from NC State University and a Bachelor's degree from China University of Political Science and Law.
| Ilin Misaras Training Programs Coordinator Email: ilin_misaras@ncsu.edu Phone: 919-515-0118 |
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Ilin Misaras joined the GTI in July 2010, first as a teaching assistant and now as a Training Programs Coordinator. She received her Master's of International Studies (MIS) from NC State where she specialized in international communications. Before coming to NC State, Ilin worked as an award-winning journalist for news organizations throughout the U.S. including CNN International, Bloomberg News, the local NBC affiliate in Alaska, and North Carolina's statewide 24-hour cable news station: News 14 Carolina. Ilin graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Journalism where she received the Don R. Mellett Prize for broadcast journalism. She and her husband are proud to call North Carolina their home now.
| Tasha Gray Office Manager Email: gti@ncsu.edu Phone: 919-513-0105 |
Photo coming soon! |
Tasha Gray joined the GTI in March 2012 as the Office Manager where she handles all accounting and HR functions as well as provides logistical support for the various training programs. Before joining the GTI, Tasha worked in Human Resources assisting Visiting Scholars and Foreign National Employees with the visa application process and employment procedures. She also spent time working in study abroad at Campbell University assisting in the development of internal and external study abroad programs. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tasha holds a Bachelor's Degree in US History.
| Kristine Sloan Teaching Assistant Email: lksloan@ncsu.edu Phone: 919-513-0105 |
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Kristine Sloan is a TA for the Global Training Initiative. She assists in the coordination of programs and events for international students, as well as the development and delivery of GTI courses. Kristine has worked with several international NGO's, focusing on youth development programs, external relations, economic development, immigration, and agriculture. Before coming to the GTI, she spent time in India coordinating the development of educational programs within a grassroots ecological and social foundation. She is a Masters of International Studies candidate at NC State University, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in both Economics and International Studies from NC State.
Morgan Twist |
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Morgan Twist is a TA for the Global Training Initiative where she leads the GTI 401 course. She is studying to get a Master's of International Studies degree, focusing on social development and migration. She recently returned from a US State Department Internship in Paris, France where she worked in the Consular Office. Prior to beginning her graduate studies, Morgan spent two years in Barcelona, Spain training Spanish business and university employees in technical and work-related English language proceedings (business meetings, presentations, interviews, etc.). She also served one year as a Team Leader in AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, managing projects ranging from adult education and food allocation in California, to rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast region. Prior to AmeriCorps, she taught ESL for one year in South Korea where she also earned her blue belt in Hapkido. Morgan received her Bachelor's degree of Psychology with a minor in Business Administration from East Carolina University.
For more information about GTI and the programs that are offered, check out our PowerPoint presentation.