Meet Your Advisor

Mr. Gouttierre is widely regarded as one of the leading experts on Afghanistan and U.S.-Afghan relations in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to assuming his present position in 1974, Mr. Gouttierre lived and worked for nearly 10 years in Afghanistan, serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, a Fulbright fellow, Executive Director of the Fulbright Foundation, and Head Coach of the Afghan National Basketball Team. He was also seconded by the U.S. State Department to serve as Senior Political Affairs Officer on the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission to Afghanistan in 1996 and 1997. Mr. Gouttierre speaks, reads, and writes Dari, Farsi, and Tajikistani Persian. His publications include numerous articles about Afghanistan society, culture, and politics. He co-authored the two-volume language textbook Dari for Foreigners and a bibliography of Persian works in English. He also writes original Dari poetry and serves as an internationally recognized authority on Central Asia’s cultures and conflicts, appearing in news articles and broadcasts worldwide.

Mr. Gouttierre also has decades of experience with the languages and cultures of other Central Asian countries, and he has long been involved in an ongoing dialogue about U.S.-Russia relations. In his role as Dean of International Studies & Programs, he has travelled widely and worked with students and faculty from all over the world.

In addition to his leadership duties, Mr. Gouttierre continues to teach courses in international relations, and he personally advises many INST majors.

Ms. Stone has been advising INST majors at UNO since 1989. She also serves as the office administrator for the Center for Afghanistan Studies, the Bethsaida Biblical Archaeology project, and other global initiatives at UNO. Prior to her student advising role, she was a vocational trainer and counselor for migrant farmworkers in the Omaha area. She was born and raised in Omaha.

During her time at UNO, she has helped publish the Afghanistan Studies Journal, organize the annual Global Studies Conference, and administer two international civic groups, the Omaha World Affairs Council and the American Friends of Afghanistan. The university recognized her as Employee of the Year in 1999. Following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, she was the key point of contact for the news media and general public as the Center for Afghanistan Studies responded to an enormous surge in interest about all things Afghan.

Ms. Stone holds a bachelor's degree in International Studies from UNO with a concentration in International Business. As a student, she was a member of Sigma Iota Rho, the International Studies honors society, and Sigma Delta Pi, the national Spanish language honor society. Ms. Stone attributes her interest in international affairs to her first Spanish class in eighth grade. Today, she's fluent in Spanish and enjoys trading greetings with international visitors in many languages.