Prior to joining RISD, Gwen was the Assistant Director of the International Program department at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, where she oversaw global research initiatives and projects, which included exchange programs, publications, and seminars.

Gwen holds an MA in Art History from The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and a BA in the History of Art and Architecture and Italian from Trinity College, Dublin. She is a PhD candidate at the Graduate Center, CUNY focusing on museums and globalism. Gwen has served on the International Committee for the College Art Association (CAA), International Council of Art 21, and is a member of AICAD’s Connectivity and Internationalization Committee.

She teaches courses that address global art history, and she actively chairs and presents on the topic at international conferences. Between 2010 and 2012, Gwen co-chaired a series of CAA conference panels on the historiography of global art histories; she is currently co-authoring a publication on the topic (Wiley Blackwell, 2019).

She received her Master in Mass Communication and New Media in Bologna, Italy and during her career she built a solid international experience working through Europe, USA and Middle East, playing within multiple fields, from Advertisement to Architecture, to Higher Education and Journalism.

She served first as Project Manager of Partnership and Collaboration and then as Director of Entrepreneurship and Career at Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) leading private design university in Italy. She managed projects and collaborations with Prada, Versace, Gucci, Ikea, Ferrari, McLaren, LG, Vogue, dealing with many others international brands and contributed in creating links between Industries and Academia.

During her last appointment in Qatar, Middle East, she helped a global renown Italian Architecture studio, Stefano Boeri Architects, to affirm its positioning within the Gulf Region. She also consulted for the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Qatar for business matching event related to design field.

Valeria is directing all RISD programs, courses and activities happening off-campus. She's in charge to ensure the best international teaching and learning experiences for RISD Faculty and students.

Gillian holds an MA in International Education from SIT Graduate Institute and a BA in Anthropology and Nonviolence & Peace Studies from University of Rhode Island (URI).

Prior to joining RISD, Gillian lived in Fiji and Switzerland, and worked in support of the Department of State J-1 Work & Travel Program at the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) in Portland, Maine. Gillian also served on the board of Luethi-Peterson Camps (LPC, Inc.), an international children’s summer camp for international understanding. She has worked in secondary and post-secondary education, as an educator and administrator, since 2010.

• Advocating for RISD’s global engagement among faculty and students.
• Maintaining a clear view of the School’s academic global engagements.
• Reviewing and making recommendations about new academic programs and partnerships primarily focused on global engagement.
• Recommending ways to strengthen and create greater access to RISD global learning opportunities for both students and faculty.

In Academic Year 2019-2020, the Committee members included:

• Ayako Takase, Assistant Professor, Industrial Design (co-chair)
• Alejandro Borsani, Assistant Professor, Experimental and Foundation Studies
• Tiago Campos, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture
• Avishek Ganguly, Assistant Professor, Literary Arts + Studies
• Sean Nesselrode Moncada, Assistant Professor, Theory + History of Art + Design
• Daniel Peltz, Professor, Film/Animation/Video
• Gwen Farrelly, Director of RISD Global (co-chair, ex-officio)
• Valeria Albani, Associate Director, Off-Campus Global Learning (ex-officio)

• David Frazer, Professor, Painting (co-chair)
• Markus Berger, Associate Professor, Interior Architecture
  
• Namita Vijay Dharia, Assistant Professor, History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences
• Ramon Rivera-Moret, Assistant Professor, Film/Animation/Video
  
• Gwen Strahle, Assistant Professor, Foundation Studies
• Gwen Farrelly, Director of RISD Global (ex-officio & co-chair)
• Valeria Albani, Associate Director, Off-campus Global Learning, RISD Global (ex-officio)
• Ezio Genovesi, Director, European Honors Program (ex-officio)