Dan Xayaphanh (he/him/him) is a first-generation student from Iowa with roots from Thailand and Laos. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Marketing and Advertising from Iowa State University and a Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.  

Dan serves as the founding and current Director of Cultural & Inclusive Experiential Learning Opportunities (CIELO), formerly Global Experiential Learning (GEL) at the University of Arizona (UA). He has worked at the UA for a total of 17 years. Prior to his current position he served as the Director of the Asian Pacific American Student Affairs (APASA) Center for seven years, outreaching to diverse students and engaging them in cultural and justice-oriented programming. In his UA tenure, Dan has worked across campus to make globalized experiential learning affordable and accessible to historically marginalized populations such as low-income, first generation, and students of color, which aligns with our university’s mission to continuously improve how we educate and innovate. Dan’s passion, commitment, and innovation aimed at ensuring international education is inclusive, equitable, and accessible to UA students has become a unique signature experience at our university and has been recognized through the National NASPA Award for Innovation and Research.