ACADEMICS

Program Staff

Matthew Kwasiborski
European Institutes Director
Matthew Kwasiborski joined The Fund for American Studies in February of 2005. He has directed The American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) since 2005, and in 2009 began directing the International Institute for Political and Economic Studies (IIPES). In these positions Matt works with over 210 students and staff representing more than 45 countries every summer.  In addition, Matt serves as the VP and Treasurer of the Board of Advisors for the Center of International Media Ethics (CIME), which was co-founded by two EJI 2008 alumni. Matt is a native Philadelphian. He earned a bachelor's degree in history at Loyola University in New Orleans, La. and a master's degree in executive leadership from the Thierry Graduate School of Leadership in Belgium. Prior to his position at TFAS, Matt taught English as a second language (ESL) and served as a tutor in Hungary where he wrote and directed the play, A Dawn of a New Era. He was an administrator for a summer in Switzerland program located at the Leysin American School in Switzerland where he served international high school students. In addition, Matt previously taught world religions, Christian vocations, morality, computers and served as a basketball coach for Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans, La. From 2001 to 2004, he served as director of the Loyola University Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America program in New Orleans and worked directly for the president of Loyola University. In 2004, Matt was honored with a nomination for the Leon J. Obermayer Award, which is given to an outstanding alumnus of the School District of Philadelphia.

Pavel Hrbek-AIPES 2006
AIPES Program Manager
Pavel is a graduating student at Institute of Economic Studies at Charles University in Prague. He participated in an Erasmus Exchange program in Spain at Universidade de Vigo in 2006/2007. He is a Vice-President of the Czech TFAS Alumni Club, and an AIPES 2006 and Capital Semester Fall 2008 alumnus. In 2008 he worked in Prague as a coordinator of international programs at the Center for Public Policy and in Washington D.C. as a research assistant at the Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation. He spent the 2010 fall semester at the University of Richmond, Virginia. He works for UniCredit CAIB in corporate finance advisory as an analyst. Currently he is completing his master’s thesis about tax evasion in the Czech Republic.

Lenka Hlavacova-AIPES 2010
AIPES Program Assistant
Lenka Hlavacova is a full-time student of Politics and International Relations at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. She spent spring semester 2011 as an exchange student at IDC Herzliya in Israel where she was broadening her knowledge about the region and preparing her BA thesis on US veto in UN SC on behalf of Israel. She graduated from both Bilingual French High School in Slovakia in 2008 and Valders High School in Wisconsin, USA in 2006. At her faculty, she is a co-founder and current vice-president of the Political Science Club, its representative to Charles University Student Union and she held a seat in the Faculty's senate in 2010-2011 representing students of her institute. Last but not least, she is AIPES 2010 alumna, therefor she knows very well how much change can AIPES bring to your life and is very enthusiastic to see how people get inspired through this program.

Brigit Moore
TFAS Programs Assistant
Brigit Moore is the International Programs Assistant. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Moore graduated from Northwestern University in 2007 with her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Studies. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, with a concentration in Peacebuilding and Development, from American University.

During college, she volunteered with her local Habitat for Humanity Chapter and indulged her love for travel by spending a semester at the Universidad de Sevilla in Seville, Spain. She is fluent in Spanish and has spent time traveling to other locations around the globe such as South America, Europe, and Africa.

Teaching Assistants 2011

Mari Matjus -Politics- AIPES 2008
Oxford University/University of Tartu
Mari Matjus is a graduating Master’s student in law at University of Tartu, Estonia, and a young professional in a top law firm in the Baltics. She will continue her law studies at University of Oxford in fall and is planning to take up a PhD in Tartu as well. She holds a BA cum laude in law from Tartu, minoring in political science. Mari focuses on competition law and her research results have been published in the leading international journal European Competition Law Review. She regularly lectures on topics related to competition and corporate law. This year her team won the prestigious Estonian Moot Court Competition held in the Supreme Court of Estonia and last year she successfully represented Estonia at Telders International Moot Court Competition at the UN Peace Palace in the Hague. Mari has been a Vice President of European Youth Parliament in Estonia and has participated in the sessions of the European Youth Parliament in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Latvia, Finland, Sweden and Norway. Her educational background is international: in addition to being AIPES student in 2008 (she was one of two AIPES graduation student speakers chosen by AIPES administration), she has taken part in the educational projects of the University of Salzburg, Austria, and the University of Konstanz, Germany. In her free time she likes to practice Ashtanga yoga.

Devin Shippey -Economics
Clemson University
Devin Shippey is currently a PhD candidate at Clemson University. He holds an Masters in Economics, an MBA and a B.S. in Economics ( Clemson University). Devin owns and operates two small businesses in South Carolina and has been self-employed since 2000. At Clemson, Devin is the head teaching assistant for the principles of both microeconomics and macroeconomics. His academic interests include Entrepreneurship, Public Choice, and Behavioral Economics. In his spare time Devin enjoys reading and exercise.

Sherry Jensen-Economics
Clemson University
Sherry Jensen is currently a PhD candidate at Clemson University. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Economics at Centre College in 2005, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Since then she has worked for both a financial institution and a major automotive manufacturer. She was awarded a Master of Arts in Economics at Clemson in 2009 and has taught both principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics for the university. Her research interests include Labor Economics and Industrial Organization, along with Applied Econometrics. Clemson has awarded Sherry both the Wiliiam S. Dillingham Annual Research Prize and the Marian L. Harris Endowed Fellowship. In her free time, Sherry enjoys fitness activities and travel.