Our Team

Valerie Hausman is Associate Vice Provost for Duke Kunshan University (DKU) and Duke University Programming and Strategy. Reporting to the University Provost, she leads the Duke Office of DKU Relations. The office serves as the central point of coordination between Duke and DKU in China.  Valerie provides strategic leadership and oversight of the administration of the partnership, including student and faculty exchange, academic programs, research collaboration, governance, financial and legal frameworks.

In her previous role at Duke (2012-2018), Valerie served as the Associate Dean for Global Executive Education at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. In her role, she managed Fuqua’s portfolio of Executive Education programs and led a long-term strategic partnership with Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan. From 2008-2011, Valerie coordinated Fuqua’s global strategy, working closely with teams in the UK, Russia, India, China and Dubai to enable Fuqua to develop a meaningful presence in each of these regions.  From 2005-2008, she served as Associate Director, Health Sector Management (HSM) at Fuqua, where she managed all aspects of the HSM Executive MBA programs.

Valerie’s experience prior to joining Duke University includes positions at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, Deloitte Consulting, Goldman Sachs and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Valerie is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Porto Business School in Portugal.  She graduated with a BA in Economics with a concentration in International Relations from Cornell University and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

As the Director, Student Programs and Services, Irina leads the Student Engagement team to develop, implement and evaluate comprehensive programming, support, and communications for visiting DKU students at Duke, and partners across campus on the provision of services for students. She works on all academic, co-curricular and student life facets of the DKU@Duke program, as well as developing and supporting additional Duke-DKU programs. Irina serves as an academic advisor to visiting students, a co-advisor to Duke-DKU student groups including an ambassador program and orientation leader program, and has been a college advisor to Duke students since 2013. As Program Manager in the office between 2016-2019, Irina oversaw planning and execution of student and faculty programs and events, administered the work of the China Faculty Council, and managed communications for the office.

Previously, Irina served for six years as an Assistant Director for Programs at DukeEngage, where she worked on planning and administration of civic engagement opportunities for Duke students in the U.S. and abroad. She managed a portfolio of 20 faculty and provider-led programs, and directed independent projects designed by students. Irina has also worked in the administration of global health programs, high school exchange, as well as in marketing and communications.

Irina holds a Master's in International Education from the School for International Training and undergraduate degrees in Chinese and Romanian from the University of Bucharest. She studied at Sun Yan-sen University in Guangzhou, China, for two years as an undergraduate student.

Janet Challacombe is the Senior Administrative Assistant in the Duke Office of DKU Relations, where she directly supports Associate Vice Provost Valerie Hausman and provides general administrative assistance to the office. Her responsibilities encompass project management for various initiatives, meeting and visitor coordination, program support, and document management.

With extensive experience in scientific meeting coordination, event planning, and office administration, Janet has built a strong background in facilitating collaboration and efficiency. Before joining the Duke Office of DKU Relations, she served as the Assistant Director of Meetings and Events at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute within Duke University’s School of Medicine. In this role, she organized scientific advisory board meetings, bringing together experts from across the U.S. and internationally. These meetings fostered dynamic discussions, creating a productive environment for advancing scientific discovery and strengthening collaboration.

Janet holds an associate degree from SUNY Cobleskill in Cobleskill, NY.

Meiren Chen is the Senior Program Coordinator for Academic Support for the Duke Office of DKU Relations. She serves as academic advisor to DKU students at Duke, works on student programming, and supports evaluation and assessment efforts. Meiren has more than a decade of work experience in higher education, international partnership and program management, articulation and dual degree program development, academic advising, cross-cultural engagement, as well as international recruitment and admissions. Before joining Duke in August 2022, she worked at the University of Northern Colorado, where she managed international partnerships, and worked at other universities in the U.S. and China prior to that position. Meiren holds a bachelor's degree in English from Communication University of China and a master's degree in Cross-Cultural and International Education from Bowling Green State University.

Shih-Hang Chou is the program coordinator for the Duke Office of DKU Relations. She provides general administrative support to the office and is responsible for document management, logistics support and website development. Before joining the Duke Office of DKU Relations, Shih-Hang worked for the Duke Graduate School Admissions Office where she served as the point person for Duke Kunshan University graduate programs, including fielding inquiries about the application process, processing applications, verifying recommendations for admissions and managing the matriculation process for the incoming class. Shih-Hang has a B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literature and an M.A. in Literature from National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan and a M.A. in Liberal Studies with specialization in East Asian Studies from Duke University.

Tracy Clouse is the Director of Finance and Administration for the Duke Office of DKU Relations. She directs the financial relationships and activities between Duke and DKU. Tracy’s 30-year career in finance has covered all aspects of fiscal management including system design, development, implementation and training, project management and financial reporting. Born and raised abroad, Tracy feels fortunate to have a career that keeps her connected to the world. She received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Mary Washington. 

Nazli Turkan-Sevik is the financial analyst for the Duke Office of DKU Relations. She is responsible for supporting the business and accounting functions of the unit, including reviewing DKU expenses and reconciling DKU fund codes, preparing invoices for DKU, monitoring cash balances in support corporation bank accounts and maintaining all financial records. Nazli started at Duke in July 2012 as an accounting specialist with the Office of Area Studies and International Studies and moved to the Office of the Provost in 2013 to support the growing DKU effort. Before moving to the US, Nazli worked for the University of Maryland, University College, European Headquarters in Germany as an accountant with responsibility for student accounts, bank accounts, payroll and cash management. Nazli has a Bachelor of Science in Economics and an MBA from Cukurova University in Turkey. 

Kelsey White is the Senior Program Coordinator for Student Life for the Duke Office of DKU Relations. She focuses on student services including coordinating orientation, activities, and events during the term. Kelsey serves as an advisor to the student groups of KSOPs (Kushan Student Orientation Peers). Kelsey has many years of experience working in education, event planning, and program management. Before joining the Office of DKU Relations in March 2023, she worked as the Event and Communications Coordinator for the Romance Studies Department at Duke and as a coordinator for the Duke TIP Summer Studies Program.  Kelsey holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Government from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ting (Joy) Yang is the Administrative Coordinator for the Duke Office of DKU Relations. She oversees and manages the overall enrollment process for DKU students studying at Duke, directs and manages all immigration activities for DODR, and supports communications activities for DODR. Before relocating to the US, she was the Human Resources Mobility Manager at DKU where she led a small team responsible for immigration and relocation for faculty and staff from other countries to Kunshan, China. She has extensive experience in recruiting and hiring, US and China immigration law, and has worked with a diverse international population. Joy has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Yangtze University in China.

Liguo Zhang is Academic Dean for DKU undergraduate students when they are at Duke. Liguo assists DKU students as they navigate the course selection and registration process before they come to Duke for study abroad and before they return to DKU after their study at Duke. When DKU students are at Duke, Liguo provides support and advice about Duke University academic policies and requirements and helps with academic difficulties and other issues such as academic planning, course withdrawals, and leaves of absence as needed. Liguo also assists faculty and senior academic leadership at Duke and DKU in further developing undergraduate curriculum and the hiring of faculty for the undergraduate program at DKU. Between 2017- 2019, he was the Director of Global Academic Programs Development in the office with primary responsibilities including DKU course development, DKU undergraduate curriculum development, and faculty planning. Previously, Liguo was the Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at DKU. In that role, he worked along with the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs on matters related to undergraduate and graduate programs, faculty affairs, and research administration. Liguo had worked at Duke for about six years before joining DKU in 2015, first as a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, and later as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. Liguo earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Nankai University in China.