Mike Manchester: Assistant Director of Program Management, Europe

Mike is originally from Denver, Colorado.  He got his first taste of study abroad in Italy in the year 2000 via Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon where he earned a B.A. in Communications and Media Studies. He has been living in Italy since 2002 and in 2004, he was part of a team that founded Siena Italian Studies (now SIS Intercultural Study Abroad), an independent study abroad program focused on creating immersive, academic experiences for international students.  

In Siena, Mike’s main role for nearly 2 decades has been that of cultural mediator and “bridge” between the students and local community, responsible for all host families as well as the development and management of sustainable and immersive Service-Learning projects. Within study abroad, Mike also has extensive experience working with partner universities and institutions, creating special programs for visiting professors, translation, marketing, program coordination, and program development for university students as well as high school groups. He is fluent in Italian and has basic communication skills in Spanish and French.  

Mike currently lives in Bologna, Italy with his wife and two bi-lingual children. In his free time, he loves to cook, explore the outdoors, brew beer, and is always looking for new and interesting things to learn about.