Community Colleges of the Fulbright Association

About Us

The mission of the Fulbright Association is to advocate for the Fulbright Program and promote international education. Our vision is a world where international exchange and study  is widely recognized as a force for peace.

Community Colleges Chapter of the Fulbright Association

The Community Colleges Chapter of the Fulbright Association is a nationwide virtual chapter serving Fulbright alumni and friends of international exchange who are interested in supporting community college initiatives advancement. 

Leadership

PRESIDENT

David J. Smith
davidjsmith@davidjsmithconsulting.com 

David was a Fulbright U.S. Scholar at the University of Tartu in Tartu, Estonia (2003-2004) while teaching at Harford Community College in Bel Air, MD where he was a tenured associate professor of legal studies.  He has been active in the Fulbright Association for over 20 years serving as  a consultant to the Fulbright Association, president of the National Capital Area Chapter, and now as president of the Community Colleges Chapter.  He has published three books including Peace Jobs: A Students Guide to Starting a Career Working for Peace (IAP 2016) and Peacebuilding in Community Colleges: A Teaching Resource (USIP Press 2013).  He has published in the Community College Daily, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, and The Baltimore Sun.   He has been featured in the Washington Post Magazine.   He is the president of the Forage Center for Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Education and served  as a senior program officer and manager at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He is a TEDx speaker and has been interviewed on The Today Show.  David currently teaches at the Jimmy and Rosalynn School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, and has taught at the School of International Service at American University, Goucher College, Drexel University, Towson University, Georgetown University, and Harford Community College. He has a BA in political science from American University, an MS in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University, a Grad Cert in positive psychology from the University of Missouri, and a JD from the University of Baltimore. 

VICE PRESIDENT

William F. McComas
mccomas@uark.edu | (479) 575-7525 

Bill was a Fulbright Fellow at the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Teaching and Learning, Dublin City University in Ireland in 2012. He is the inaugural holder of the Parks Family Endowed Professorship in Science Education at the University of Arkansas and recently named a Distinguished Professor.  He is interested in the intersection of philosophy of science and science instruction, enhancement of laboratory teaching, informal science learning, evolution education and science for gifted learners. McComas given more than 100 keynote speeches in the U.S. and a dozen other countries, including New Zealand, Spain, Brazil, Chile and the U.K., and writes frequently on a variety of science education topics.  He has been honored for his work in evolution education, research in biology teaching, innovations in college science teaching and mentorship.

Bill has been a member of the U.S. Student Fulbright Campus Evaluation Committee on the UofA campus for several years and always steps up to contribute to all things Fulbright.  He attended the Fulbright Association 2018 Annual Conference in Puebla, Mexico.

TREASURER

DeDe Long
dslong@uark.edu (479) 871-5088

DeDe retired in July 2019 as Emeritus Director of the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange at the University of Arkansas. She has a 35 year history at the UofA and was involved in all facets of international education.  She received a Fulbright International Administrators grant to Germany in 2006 and served as the Fulbright campus program advisor (FPA) between 1993-2019.

DeDe was elected to the Fulbright Association Board of Directors in 2018 and is the current Chair of the Board. She has been very active with the Arkansas Chapter of the Fulbright Association since it was reactivated in 2015 and has submitted multiple grants in order to identify more Fulbrighters throughout the state and create a network.  She continues to host visitors from the Fulbright global community who come to the University of Arkansas to learn more about the life of Senator Fulbright and conduct research in Mullins Library Special Collections which houses the Fulbright papers along with other archives related to international educational exchange.

BOARD MEMBER

DeDe Long
dslong@uark.edu (479) 871-5088

DeDe retired in July 2019 as Emeritus Director of the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange at the University of Arkansas. She has a 35 year history at the UofA and was involved in all facets of international education.  She received a Fulbright International Administrators grant to Germany in 2006 and served as the Fulbright campus program advisor (FPA) between 1993-2019.

DeDe was elected to the Fulbright Association Board of Directors in 2018 and is the current Chair of the Board. She has been very active with the Arkansas Chapter of the Fulbright Association since it was reactivated in 2015 and has submitted multiple grants in order to identify more Fulbrighters throughout the state and create a network.  She continues to host visitors from the Fulbright global community who come to the University of Arkansas to learn more about the life of Senator Fulbright and conduct research in Mullins Library Special Collections which houses the Fulbright papers along with other archives related to international educational exchange.