International Faculty Exchange: Connecting Classrooms and Culture with Lindsay Amiel and Ellen Lansink

In this episode, we sit down with Lindsay Amiel, Economics instructor at Madison College, and Ellen Lansink-Top, visiting faculty member from Aventus in the Netherlands. Through a faculty exchange program, they share their experiences across cultures, comparing classrooms, exploring educational systems, and reflecting on what connects students and teachers around the world. Whether you’re passionate about global education, cross-cultural collaboration, or new perspectives on teaching, this conversation offers a meaningful look at how educators learn from one another across borders.
Lindsay Amiel is an economics instructor and program director for the University Transfer Economics and Business Pre-Major at Madison College, where she’s been teaching since 2014. A Wisconsin native from Monroe—the self-proclaimed cheese capital of the U.S.—she earned her undergraduate degree from UW–Madison in Economics and International Studies. She went on to complete a Master’s in Secondary Education at the University of Pennsylvania and later earned a Master’s in Agricultural and Applied Economics from UW–Madison, focusing on regional economics and community development. Lindsay is passionate about community development and creating equitable, sustainable economic systems. She enjoys helping students think critically about the kind of world they want to live in, and how economic structures and institutions can be designed in support of those visions. At Madison College, she also works closely with students exploring pathways in economics, business, and public policy—guiding them as they reach their academic goals and prepare to transfer to four-year colleges and universities.

Ellen Lansink-Top is a teacher from Lochem in the eastern Netherlands, where she lives with her husband, Marco, and their two sons. She has been an educator for 22 years, beginning her career in primary education for eight years before transitioning to secondary education as a math teacher, a role she held for nearly 15 years. For the past three years, Ellen has taught at Aventus, a Regional Training Centre (ROC) serving the Stedendriehoek area including Apeldoorn, Deventer, and Zutphen. Aventus offers secondary vocational education (MBO), adult education, and upper secondary general adult education (VAVO). At Aventus, Ellen has many roles: she teaches math/calculation, coaches all math teachers in the Economics, Trade, and Creative Industries sector, participates in the national Learning Network for Mathematics, supports student guidance at the Zutphen location, and oversees educational quality for the Fashion, Interior Design, and Spatial Design programs.For more information on the Faculty & Staff Exchange Program see the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs website.