Director, International Student & Scholar Services
University of Houston
Ashley Simmons Coffey is the Director of International Student & Scholar Services at the University of Houston. As a life-long international educator, Simmons Coffey is a Trainer Corps member with NAFSA and the Director of Programs of the Delta Iota Chapter of Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. She presents extensively in the field of international education about integrating international students into their campus and surrounding community, intercultural communication, and campus cultural programming that instills global knowledge and intercultural competence in participants.
Simmons Coffey previous NAFSA experience includes serving as the Network Leader of Campus & Community Programming, Core Education Program Dean for TLS workshops, Region VI Local Arrangements Chair, Region VI Conference Planner, Region VI conference Planner Apprentice, Membership Engagement Committee member, Poster Fair organizaer for both the Campus and Community Programming and Assessment & Evaluation, and Registrar for the Indiana state meeting. Likewise, she served as Chair and Past Chair of the Study Alabama Consortium for International Education, board member for the International Society of Huntsville, and Treasurer/Registrar for the Alabama Association of International Educators. Moreover, she has published in the field of international education about how to successfully integrate international students into the fabric of the campus and the role of senior international officers at U.S. higher education institutions. Simmons Coffey earned her Graduate Certificate in International Education from the University of Kentucky, Master of Arts in International Relations from Syracuse University, and Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science with an emphasis in International Studies from Tougaloo College.
Cultivating Global Competence Through Faculty-Staff Collaboration
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
9:30 AM - 10:20 AM EDT