Meet the Team

An accomplished scholar and internationally respected leader in global education, Mabokela joins URochester from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she served as associate chancellor and vice provost for global affairs and strategies and professor of higher education in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership. Her distinguished career spans leadership roles in international education, equity and inclusion, and global partnership development across academic and governmental sectors.

As vice provost for global engagement, Mabokela serves as the University’s senior international officer, providing strategic leadership for the Office for Global Engagement. She oversees the Center for Education Abroad and the International Services Office, and leads efforts to expand international partnerships, enhance global education pathways, support international students and scholars, and elevates URochester’s global reputation in alignment with the University’s strategic plan, Boundless Possibility.

Mabokela will also hold a faculty appointment at the Warner School of Education and Human Development.

Born in South Africa, Mabokela has studied and worked on six continents and brings a rich multicultural perspective to her work. She holds a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has served as a visiting scholar and consultant at institutions across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Her research examines equity in global higher education systems, institutional transformation, and the experiences of marginalized populations in international contexts.

Ravi Shankar currently serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives. From November 1, 2024 until September 30, 2025, Ravi Shankar served as the Interim Vice Provost for Global Engagement (VPOGE) at the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, responsible for leading the university’s global strategy in partnership development to amplify and strengthen research partnerships, faculty exchange, global learning, student mobility and support for international students. Before his appointment as the VPOGE, he served as the Assistant Vice Provost for International Services and Support at the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.

He has been in the international education field for thirty years having worked in variety of institutions- from small schools, community college to large research institutions. Before coming to the University of Rochester, he served as the Director of the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at Northwestern University, where he was part of the senior team leading strategic global initiatives.

He has served in many leadership positions with NAFSA: Association of International Educators, including as the President and Chair of the Board of NAFSA from January 2019- December 2020. He is currently serving on the Public Policy Committee of the Association of International Education Administration (AIEA).