Tracie Frese
Executive Director
What drives a person’s curiosity towards places of the world? For Tracie it was her parents’ old movies of the Taj Mahal and pictures of Europe. It was the arrival of National Geographic in the mailbox each month.
Directing UI gives Tracie the chance to channel that childhood wonder and help the community engage in cultures and opportunities they may not otherwise experience. Previously the Director of the Columbia World Affairs Council, Tracie brings nonprofit leadership as well as a drive to advocate for global awareness in the Upstate. Married to Chris Frese, Tracie has 3 sons: Thomas, Harry, and Cole. Born in Ohio, raised in Alaska and South Carolina, and having lived in Malaysia, she believes that “The most interesting people in the world are interested in the world around them.”
Christine Hofbauer
Office and Program Manager
Christine started with UI as an English Conversation Facilitator and volunteering with the silent auction and other events. As the Office and Program Manager, Christine supports the language program, special events, relocation needs, and the Women’s Club. Christine previously worked as a consultant with Ernst & Young, which led her to a project at Greenville Health System and subsequently a new home in Greenville, SC (with her German husband and three children). Prior to settling in Greenville, she and her family lived in Germany for 4 years and traveled extensively throughout Asia, Europe, Australia, and Mexico.
Caren Senter
UI Month Program Manager
Caren Senter recently joined UI as Program Manager of Upstate International Month. She holds a B.A. from Amherst College, and both an M.A. (Philosophy) and a J.D. from Duke University. After practicing law for over 10 years in Connecticut and raising her two children in Pennsylvania, Caren moved to Greenville in 2014 and was thrilled by the cultural diversity she discovered here. An avid tennis player and cyclist, she enjoys hiking, working out, and walking her English springer spaniel. Growing up in New York, traveling extensively throughout Europe, and spending most of her life in the Northeast, Caren is excited to call the Upstate home.
Anita Tam
Chairman of the Board
Dr. Anita Tam has been teaching Psychology at Greenville Technical College since 2012. Outside of the classroom, Anita is a member of the Faculty Senate and is a Faculty Advisor for Greenville Tech’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. Originally from northern Virginia, Anita moved to Greenville in 2008 to earn her doctorate at Clemson University in International Family & Community Studies. While working on her Ph.D. in 2009, Anita also served as the Executive Director of the Center for Community Services in Simpsonville, collaborating with the South Carolina Farm Bureau and founding the national award-winning community garden known as the Synergy Garden. Both her academic research and community work revolve around empowering citizens in a global era.