Meredith Hyde

The Syracuse University London Program Director is Dr Meredith Hyde. She holds a BA from Yale University and a M.Phil and D.Phil from Oxford University. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts in 2007. Her research concentrates on metacognition and American undergraduates abroad and she has published and presented on a range of related topics at NAFSA, CIEE and BUTEX. She is a Peer Reviewer for the Forum for International Education, a 2008 Practitioner in Residence at the School for International Training, and the proud recipient of the 2008 Syracuse University Woman of Influence Award. She supports the Habs, misses the Routemaster, and believes she and her husband will have succeeded as parents if their twin boys require fewer than a hundred stitches by the time they reach eighteen.


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Max Okore

Business Manager Max Okore joined Syracuse's London Program in 2001 as Business Manager with direct responsibility for finance and facilities at the Centre. He was born in Ghana but has lived in London since 1960. He studied Politics and European history at Coleg Harlech in Wales and has had a varied working career in retail, and in housing, predominately with the single homeless. For 10 years he owned a successful Media monitoring business. Max Okore has 3 children and lives in south London. A lifelong Chelsea supporter, his main leisure interests are football, literature and travel.

Melissa Willby

Melissa Willby is the London Program’s Internship and Service Learning Coordinator, and she directs the Center’s Writing Across the Curriculum efforts. Melissa Willby has a Ph.D. from Sussex University and an M.A. in American Literature from North Carolina State University. Her B.A. in English Literature was awarded by the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, Melissa’s hometown. She has had considerable teaching experience in overseas American universities, but most particularly with Richmond, the American International University in London, where she began the student Writing Services Centre and coordinated the International Internship program. Melissa’s area of academic specialisation is in American travel writing and cultural identity, with particular reference to the works of the American travel writer, William Least Heat Moon.

Linda Harkness

Linda Harkness has a BA (Hons) in French and European Studies from the University of Sussex. She joined the Syracuse London Program in 1998 after a long career with British Airways Cabin Services where she became a Cabin Services Director. She now coordinates student services at the London Center.

Eugenia Francis

Eugenia Francis is the registrar for Syracuse’s London Program. Born in Dominica, West Indies, but a long time London resident, Eugenia has worked for Syracuse since 1986.

Vicky Hill

Vicky joined SUL as Office Manager in 2006 and she organizes staff, the office and Faraday House rentals as well as dealing with Pre-arranged Housing. She graduated from University of Birmingham in 1998 with a degree in English Language and Literature. After doing a variety of jobs from driving a wine-delivery van round Yorkshire to being PA to a corporate accountant, she escaped to Israel where she lived and worked on a Kibbutz, and then went on to teach English in Prague, Czech Republic. She has worked in International Education in London since 2003; as both Enrolments Manager at an English Language School and Admissions Officer in the University of East London’s International Office. Vicky lives in South London, plays the flute and loves to travel.

Michele Britton

Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Student Services Co-Curricular Activities Coordinator Michele Britton received her B.A. from the University of Minnesota in International Relations. Michele worked in corporate travel at Carlson Marketing Group in Minnesota and then made the much more exciting move to the world of international student travel working in travel logistics and volunteering as an orientation leader and student liaison at AFS Intercultural Programs.

She moved to London in August 2002. In addition to her SULP career, has completed a Masters degree in International Education through the School for International Training in Vermont. In her free time its a good bet she’ll be ten pin bowling. Other interests include food, cinema and of course, travelling!

Charine John

Student Services Coordinator Charine was born in London but partly educated in pre-civil war Sierra Leone, West Africa. She attended the University of Avignon, France and finished her studies at the University of North London, where she received a a first class Joint Hons BA in Educational Studies and French. She is also a qualified ESL teacher and mother to Jake. She is a human rights campaigner, and her interests include Third World and Fair Trade issues. She is a supporter of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.

Charine John has worked as a refugee camp worker, a tour guide in West Africa, a youth worker and play scheme leader, and with single, homeless people in London. She has also worked as a Research Assistant at the Institute for Studies in Education and is currently the chair of her local tenants and residents association. She loves London and is proud to be from the world’s most cosmopolitan city.

Rachel Tafesse

Rachel Tafesse finds that there is nothing quite like working in education and her position as Academic Administrator enables her to have the best of both worlds working closely with both faculty and students. Rachel administers the architectural program as well as dealing with other academic matters at SU London.

Marco Figueiredo

IT Coordinator Marco holds a B.Sc. in Computing (Software Engineering Pathway) from the University of Westminster. He has previously worked in various IT roles ranging from web and e-Learning developer to Team Leader in both the finance and education sectors.

He is bilingual (English and Portuguese) and has been a strict vegan since 2002. In his free time, Marco enjoys retro gaming, classic horror movies and music.

Lisa Wilkinson

Lisa Wilkinson is the SULP Program Assistant. She attended the University of Kansas in her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. As part of her undergraduate degree, she studied abroad in Spain and Brazil. In 2002, she completed a B.A. in Latin American Studies. After graduation she travelled extensively through the United States and worked as an Environmental Educator in California and Colorado. Then, she moved down under to Sydney, Australia. There, Lisa became an ICF certified Life Coach and established a business to help clients reach their full potential. In 2008, she relocated to London and is thrilled to be a resource for SULP students. In her free time, Lisa can be found walking in Hampstead Heath, practicing yoga, reading or working on a craft project.

Rustem Baysaloglu

Rustem Baysaloglu is the senior security officer for Syracuse University London Program. Rustem comes to the Syracuse London program from Millennium Panther Security, the company he directs, to provide SU London's security staff. His job is to maintain surveillance of the property and to ensure students? safety at the London Center. Rustem has an extensive background in security work dating from his time in the Special Forces Unit of the Cyprus army. Rustem has also worked as a Security Officer for the Middle East Broadcasting Centre and as a private body guard and close protection officer. He is a native of North Cyprus and has lived in London since 1990.

El Houcein Aarab

El Houcein Aarab has been working in Physical Maintenance and Support at Syracuse University since 1998. He became a full-time member of the SULP team in 2001, and it is Houcein's job to provide upkeep on the buildings and to work with faculty and students, making the Center's resources accessible to everyone. Houcein has also completed the necessary training as set forth by Westminster council to qualify and be registered as a Door Supervision Officer, and you may see him on security duty from time to time.

Houcein has a general interest in sports and he holds a Black Belt 1st Dan in Karate (shotokai). He is multi-lingual and speaks Arabic, English, French and some Spanish which makes communication in multi-cultural London much easier.

Boonyo Nokeokouman

Boonyo Nokeokouman is the Physical Facilities Manager of the Syracuse London Program. Boonyo came to the UK from Laos in 1983, after working for the British Embassy in Laos for 15 years. He has worked for the Syracuse London Program since August 1990. Boonyo has done countless things to keep our program running and constantly improving, across a whole span of concerns from IT to physical facilities issues.

Ahmet Karabiyikli

Ahmet Karabiyikli, SU London security officer, is a native South Londoner. As well as working the front desk for SU, Ahmet is studying for a degree in Sports Industry and Management. He is a big fan of Manchester United, which he maintains is simply the best team in the world. He also loves paintballing and leads the SU student groups in paintballing every semester.