Staff
The MIAGE Staff and Faculty are available to help with all things related to MIAGE! Our office is located on the north end of the 3rd floor of the Gardner Commons Building on the University of Utah Campus.
*Due to current restrictions regarding COVID-19, our on-campus office is currently closed. Department staff are still available via email*
MIAGE Administrative Team
Stephen Bannister, PhD
MIAGE Director
Gabriella Blanchard
Program Manager
Victoria Medina, MA
Director of Accounting and Finance
Michael Benson
Graduate Assistant
260 South Central Campus Driver
Gardner Commons|3050
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
Telephone: 801-585-7834
Email: miage@utah.edu
DIRECTIONS
Stephen Bannister, Ph.D.
Professor Bannister, after a career in international consulting and management, completed
his Ph.D. in Economics in 2015 and was appointed as a lecturer and researcher in the
Department of Economics at the University of Utah. Professor Bannister's primary research
interest is in E3 (Energy, Economics, and Environment). Additionally, Professor Bannister
has appointments as the Director of the Master of Science in International Affairs
and Global Enterprise (MIAGE) program and as Associate Director for Macroeconomic
research and policy in the Economic Evaluation Unit in the Department of Economics.
Contact: steve.bannister@econ.utah.edu
STEPHEN BANNISTER FACULTY PAGEGabriella Blanchard
MIAGE, MPP PROGRAM MANAGER
- Special Circumstances and petitions
- Graduation planning
- Certificates & academic advising
- Alumni connection & networking
Gabriella is the Program Manager for the Master of Science in International Affairs and Global Enterprise and the Master of Public Policy. She has worked at the University of Utah since 2011. Before coming to work in the Programs of Public Affairs, she worked in the LGBT Resource Center and Office for Inclusive Excellence on campus, but she is happy to help connect you with any office or resource at the U. If you run into any difficulties, Ella is always eager to help problem solve. If you want someone to help celebrate one of your recent successes, she's excited to share in your joy as well.
Ella is an alum of the University of Utah, but before moving here to go to school, she lived and worked in California, Texas, Washington state, Nebraska, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Seoul, Ephraim, and Payson. Feel free to tell her some stories. She loves getting to know new people and learning new things.
Contact: g.blanchard@utah.edu
Michael Benson
MIAGE GRADUATE ASSISTANT
- Prospective and current MIAGE students
- Program Planning
Michael was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Accra, Ghana. He recently graduated from BYU with a major in Sociology, and minors in International Development and Film in April of 2022. He's previously worked as a mentor for starting and running nonprofits. Michael was a Humanitarian Experience Trip Leader and has taken youth to Florida, Hawaii, and Ghana to do service projects. He's also worked with Syrian and Afghani Refugees in Greece at Moria Refugee Camp.
Michael is a huge film nerd and will talk your ear off about movies. Ask him about his top 30 movie list, he has it memorized. He loves playing pickleball, watching European soccer, and more than anything: traveling. Michael has been to 23 countries in the past 5 years, and his favorite city in the world is London. His biggest passion in life is his love for people, and he really enjoys talking. With anyone. About pretty much anything. Come get to know him and let him answer all your questions about MIAGE.
Contact:michael.benson@utah.edu
Interested in shadowing Michael for a day? Email him to set up a time to join him in his classes, and get a better idea of what being a MIAGE student is all about! Here is his Fall 2022 class schedule:
| LAW 7789 | W 1:30-3:30pm | Core |
| ECON 6080 | MW 11:50am-1:10pm | Elective |
Victoria Medina, MA
Accounting and Finance Manager
Victoria Medina is the Accounting and Finance Manager for the three graduate programs housed in the Programs of Public Affairs; Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Policy, and Master of International Affairs and Global Enterprise.
Since 2015, Victoria has overseen the finances and human resource operations for all three programs. Prior to joining the Programs of Public Affairs, Victoria spent eight years managing the Tanner Human Rights Center finances and working on their annual forum, as well, she worked in the Social and Behavioral Science college office.
Before moving to Salt Lake and working at the University of Utah, Victoria taught in Southern California, mainly in Los Angeles inner city schools. She also spent summers traveling to China to teach English.
Victoria has a Master of Arts degree in Teaching English as a Second Language and in Rhetoric and Composition, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Education, both from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. She also has certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Cal Poly Pomona, and a Grant Writing Certificate from the University of Tennessee.
Contact: victoria.medina@utah.edu| 801-213-1048