Kaoru Watanabe Phillips

Kaoru is the Assistant Director of the Office of International Programs. She serves as a Designated School Official (DSO) for USM, advises and assists international and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students. She also advises study abroad students and is USM’s advisor for Fulbright, Boren, and Gilman scholarships.

She loves working with students and is the Staff Advisor for the student organization, USM Students Without Borders.

Kaoru first came to USM as an international student and has been a staff member here since 1990. She joined the Office of International Programs in 2009. Kaoru is a native of Chiba, Japan.