Experience

Dane Macaskill Law, LLC
• Law Practice
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Immigration Paralegal

  • Jun 2023 - Present


Case Western Reserve University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Director, International Student Services

  • Jul 2013 - May 2023

  • Lead the administration of the F-1 student program as Principal Designated School Official (PDSO) and serve as Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) for the J-1 exchange visitor program to ensure that the university maintains compliance with all federal regulations.• Oversee the coordination of the office’s full range of services, which includes providing expert knowledge about visa options and federal compliance, developing and administering policies and procedures for advising a diverse student population and managing data in a paperless office, as well as developing, promoting, and executing programs and activities that foster social/cultural adjustment for 2500+ international students and the campus community.• Supervise 4 staff members, providing mentorship and support to establish their professional goals and assess their performance. •Collaborate and consult with a wide range of university partners- faculty, staff, and leadership across disciplines and units- when immigration implications impact university initiatives or areas of focus including, but not limited to, academic success, advocacy, crisis and care management, retention, and student engagement.• Engage the broader university community in developing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students by serving as a liaison with the Division of Student Affairs as well as academic and administrative units. Show less

• Interim Director

  • Nov 2012 - Jun 2013

  • Supervised 3 staff members and 2 student staff, focusing on the delivery of services designed to protect the visa status of approximately 1700 international students• Served as the university’s PDSO and as an ARO.• Cross-trained professional staff to increase efficiency and promote the highest level of customer service, resulting in decreased wait times by 67% for certain requests.• Managed office administrative and fiscal functions while working closely with the Director of International Affairs.• Worked with the Director for International Affairs on tasks that were paramount to promoting the office's and Center for International Affairs’ mission, such as getting additional campus sites approved for hosting international students. • Collaborated with the Director for International Affairs, University ITS, and staff on the implementation of a paperless data management system that adheres to all SEVP standards and will provide a positive user experience for students.• Specialized in advising students facing complex, sensitive issues that required extensive regulatory knowledge and understanding of academic policy. Consulted with faculty advisors, deans, employers, and attorneys, making referrals to various university resources as needed.• Generated the content for new electronic forms housed on the website, allowing students to uniformly submit immigration information, and wrote content for web pages addressing office procedures.• Implemented programs that foster social and cultural adjustment, such as annual welcome parties, with attendance of 100-300 guests, and the International Dinner, which attracted over 300 guests and required the coordination of nearly 100 volunteers.• Presented workshops each semester, focusing on policies and procedures specific to work authorization, where 40-80 students attended each session.• Created all content to establish a weekly newsletter and a strategy for distribution to all students and key partners. Show less

• Assistant Director

  • Jul 2011 - Nov 2012

  • Monitored developments in immigration policies and procedures as an ARO and a DSO and advised F-1 and J-1 students on a wide range of immigration matters as they related to personal situations and university policies working closely with the director.• Served as a liaison with all academic and administrative departments regarding immigration status (securing, extending, and changing status) and served as a point of contact for issues of compliance.• Crafted and systematically disseminated information through personal contact and staff training to ensure that over 1500 international students, their dependents, and the university community understood and complied with current federal regulations as they related to university policy.• Maintained knowledge of pertinent operations external to the university (Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and Department of Motor Vehicle) and prepared required supplemental documentation so that international students could utilize and apply for benefits and services.• Standardized internal documents to obtain information more efficiently from students’ paper files and conducted a comprehensive file check each semester by which student registration was verified electronically and all active students’ paper files were accounted for. Investigated issues of non-compliance and concluded the file check process with students being 100% in compliance to the best of my knowledge.• Developed and promoted programs independently and in collaboration with other campus and community partners to enhance the international student experience. Designed all promotional materials, managed all logistics, and prepared all workshop materials utilizing both printed materials and technology.• Represented the office and international students' interests at external meetings, advocating for the best results and outcomes as needed. Show less

• Program Coordinator and Student Advisor

  • Apr 2007 - Jun 2011

  • Served as a DSO and an ARO with an in-depth knowledge of federal regulations and the workings of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).• Counseled students, faculty, and staff on visa-related issues to maintain compliance with federal regulations, making referrals to and following up with the director as needed.• Designed and delivered original PowerPoint presentation to be used at all work authorization workshops and played a key role in planning and promoting all programs and events. • Collaborated with colleagues campus-wide to develop programs geared towards the international student population’s unique experience such as various orientations and the International Women’s Group. • Maintained the office website. Show less

• Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Coordinator

  • Dec 2006 - Mar 2007

  • Oversaw all daily data transfers between government systems (SEVIS) and university systems (Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) and fsaATLAS) to confirm that every student was in compliance with federal regulations. • Worked with all academic departments and admissions offices to obtain information about newly admitted students and processed all visa documents as needed. Developed a system that decreased the wait time for an I-20 from 10 days to 7 days.• Applied knowledge of federal regulations and university policy to advise students on issues such as visa issuance, travel and re-entry, employment, and registration requirements while serving as DSO and ARO.• Instituted a system of monthly audits in SEVIS as a safeguard against violations of status and prepared the annual Open Doors Report submitted to the Institute of International Education. Show less

• Secretary III

  • Jan 2006 - Nov 2006

  • Collaborated daily with the Director, Assistant Director, and SEVIS Coordinator while serving as the first point of contact for international students (approximately 1,020) and all other office visitors.• Performed basic duties of a DSO and an ARO by endorsing immigration documents for students planning to travel abroad.• Assisted the SEVIS Coordinator with systematic reviews of all application materials as part of generating immigration documents and initiated communication with newly admitted students when more information was needed.• Advised students about office procedures related to work authorizations, program extensions, social security number issuance, dependent visas, and driver’s licenses. • Compiled materials and resources from various university partners to create orientation folders that would aid students in their transition to university and American culture.• Maintained the office’s paper-based filing system and helped perform a thorough file check to confirm each student’s proper registration as required to maintain status. Show less