On-site staff for Lyon, France

The Lyon program has an on-site Resident Director (RD) who provides comprehensive support to students throughout their study abroad experience. RDs are responsible for the academic curriculum and faculty.

The RD meets the group flight at the airport, provides an on-site orientation, takes you to your program housing, and organizes interesting field studies and optional tours.

Meet the Resident Directors

Olga Grebeshkova

Resident Director, Olga Grebeshkova, Ph.D., has been with USAC since 2017. She previously served as the Program Assistant and Internship Coordinator and has worked closely with students, staff, professors, and L’Université Catholique de Lyon (UCLy) over the years.

Born and raised in Russia, she earned her undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in sociolinguistics in Lyon, where she moved at a young age to pursue her studies. She speaks fluent French, Russian, and English.

Carla Rocavert

Resident Director, Carla Rocavert, Ph.D., is a Travel Writing professor within the USAC Lyon program. She was a research associate at Laboratoire Passages Arts & Littératures (XX-XXI) at Université Lumière Lyon 2 and a lecturer at the American University of Paris. Her work intersects media studies, literature, performance, political communication, and contemporary culture. She earned her doctorate from the University of Tasmania in 2021. Prior to her academic career, she worked in Australian theatre and film festivals and artist management.

As Resident Directors for the Lyon program, Olga and Carla are the main on-site contact for USAC students. They support students with orientation, housing, university integration, local logistics, and communication with the U.S. Central Office, while working closely with our partner university, L’Université Catholique de Lyon (UCLy), and the local community.