People
DR. PAMELA LOTHSPEICH
Director of the Carolina Asia Center
Professor in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
ploth@email.unc.edu
919.843.0130
FedEx Global Education Center, Rm. 3105
DR. KEVIN W. FOGG
Associate Director of the Carolina Asia Center
kfogg@email.unc.edu
919.843.9065
FedEx Global Education Center, Rm. 3107
Dr. Fogg came to UNC from Oxford, where he taught for eight years in the Faculty of History, Brasenose College, and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. He did his undergraduate degree at a well-known university in the Triangle that has a different shade of blue, and he completed his master’s and doctoral studies at Yale. He is a historian of Southeast Asia, specializing in Islamic societies and post-colonial Indonesia. In addition to a smattering of articles and book chapters, his first monograph, Indonesia’s Islamic Revolution, was published by Cambridge University Press, and he co-translated into English a collection of short stories by Indonesian author A.A. Navis that has been published by Lontar. More information about Dr. Fogg’s academic work is available on his website.
As part of his work with the Carolina Asia Center, Dr. Fogg has taken on leadership roles in the Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies and on the Council of Conferences of the Association for Asian Studies. He also serves as the diversity liaison and FLAS coordinator for the Carolina Asia Center.
When not engaged in academic work or Carolina Asia Center business, Kevin watches college basketball and misses good Minangkabau food.
KATHRYN ULRICH
Business Manager for the Carolina Asia Center and Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies
kathryn.ulrich@unc.edu
919.843.0129
FedEx Global Education Center, Rm. 3106
DORI BRADY
Program Director, Phillips Ambassadors Program
dori.brady@unc.edu
919.843.7522
FedEx Global Education Center, Rm. 3116
Prior to working with the Phillips Ambassadors Program, Dori was the Study Abroad Advisor for Asia and domestic programs and social media coordinator in the UNC Study Abroad Office. She came to UNC after a career teaching in public elementary schools in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Wake County, North Carolina. Dori has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Denison University where she spent semesters abroad in England and Indonesia, and a Master’s degree in Education with a concentration in International Education, from George Mason University. Outside of work, she enjoys time with family and outdoor adventures.
DR. BECKY BUTLER
Assistant Director for Southeast Asia Initiatives
becky.butler@unc.edu
919.445.1271
FedEx Global Education Center, Rm. 4119
Dr. Butler is trained as a theoretical linguist, with a focus on the phonetics and phonology of mainland Southeast Asian languages. More recently, her research has focused on facilitating oral histories among North Carolina’s Southeast Asian diaspora communities. She holds degrees from Cornell University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Virginia.
Outside of her academic pursuits, she enjoys planting flowers and listening to Dolly Parton.
ELEANOR MURRAY
Program Associate for the Carolina Asia Center
elemurr@live.unc.edu
919.843.9203
FedEx Global Education Center, Rm. 3112
Ms. Murray graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2022 with dual degrees in Global Studies and American Studies. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Anne Scaff Award for her dedication to increasing international awareness at Carolina and beyond. During her undergraduate career, she served as a Phillips Ambassador while studying abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.
Outside of work, Ms. Murray is a passionate volunteer with Refugee Community Partnership and plays pickleball.
GABRIELLE NEAL
Visiting Scholars Assistant for the Carolina Asia Center and Program on Chinese Cities
Advisory Committee
The advisory committee is made up of faculty and senior leadership from across UNC who provide advice and guidance on the Carolina Asia Center’s programs. Appointments are for renewable three year terms.
Pamela Lothspeich, Professor, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and Director, Carolina Asia Center (ex officio)
Currently appointed through June 2025:
Chris Nelson, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology
Morgan Pitelka, Professor and Chair, Department of Asian Studies
Afroz Taj, Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies
Michael Tsin, Associate Professor, Department of History
Robin Visser, Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies
Currently appointed through June 2026:
Angel Hsu, Associate Professor, Public Policy
Jason Kinnear, Dean, Study Abroad Office
Christian Lentz, Associate Professor, Department of Geography
Yan Song, Professor and Chair, Department of City and Regional Planning and Director, Program on Chinese Cities
Claudia Yaghoobi, Associate Professor, Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Director, Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies
Currently appointed through June 2027:
Barbara Ambros, Professor, Department of Religious Studies
Michelle T. King, Associate Professor, Department of History
Julia Kruse, Director of STAR, Global Business Center, Kenan-Flagler Business School
Sean Y. Sylvia, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health
Meenu Tewari, Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning
Associated Faculty