Administrative Staff

Helena Brykarz

Manager, Center for Studies in Higher Education

Helena Brykarz is responsible for the administration of CSHE. Prior to joining CSHE, Helena worked with a range of international non-profits and foundations. By helping to provide necessary resources, such as financial and human, she facilitated efforts by organizationsto address various global concerns. She was involved with the early formation of awards programs that recognize leaders (the Goldman Environmental Prize and the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship). She created a pioneering human rights and environment initiative to foster collaboration among organizations and funders....

Shanshan Jiang

External Relations Specialist, CSHE

Shanshan Jiang serves as the External Relations Specialist at the Center for Studies in Higher Education. She holds a M.A degree in Social Sciences and Comparative Education from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a PhD degree in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Before coming to the US, Shanshan worked as a project manager in an educational investment company in China. Fluent in both Mandarin and English, she was responsible for drafting memoranda of understanding, negotiating contracts, recruiting students and teachers in dual-degree...

Samantha Rushing

Associate Director & Executive Assistant to the Board, Executive Leadership Academy

Samantha Rushing currently serves as the Associate Director and Executive Assistant to the Board of the Executive Leadership Academy, under the Center for Studies in Higher Education, at the University of California, Berkeley. She also serves as Program Administrator of Berkeley Global Executive Education under the Goldman School of Public Policy.

In 2014, Ms. Rushing moved to Berkeley so that she could pursue a higher education and become the first in her family to obtain a college degree. While studying as a single parent at Berkeley City College (BCC), Ms. Rushing served as the...