Academic Leadership
Dr. Robert Savukinas
Provost
Dr. Savukinas was born in Washington DC and grew up in a bilingual household speaking Italian and English. He attended Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on an Army ROTC Scholarship and graduated with honors in Spanish and Political Science. His undergraduate immersion experience was in Alicante, Spain, and subsequently attended graduate school to earn a Master’s Degree in Spanish from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.
Sergeant Major Shannon Lawson
Provost Senior Enlisted Leader
Sergeant Major Shannon Lawson is a native of Wytheville, Virginia. Has been married for 19 years to his lovely wife Yamile Lawson and has one daughter Sophia Lawson. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1996.
Lieutenant Colonel Jorge H. Avila
Dean of Students
Lieutenant Colonel Jorge H. Avila serves as the Dean of Students for Undergraduate Education, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, California. In this capacity he addresses all student matters and is the liaison between staff, schools, and military units.
Dr. Johnathan Gajdos
Associate Provost of Undergraduate Education
Dr. Johnathan Gajdos currently serves as the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education (UGE), overseeing resident foreign language instruction across the eight UGE schools.
Dr. Mina Lee
Associate Provost for Educational Technology
Dr. Lee was born and grew up in Busan, Korea until she moved to Seoul for a college, where she earned an M.A. and a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Yonsei University. She then moved to the United States to pursue a degree in higher education. She earned both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles and started her career at DLIFLC in the Undergraduate Education Asian II school in 2004 as a Korean instructor.
Ms. Tatjana Mitrovic
Associate Provost – Directorate for Continuing Education
Ms. Tatjana Mitrovic currently serves as Associate Provost for the Directorate of Continuing Education, overseeing diverse programs across multiple locations worldwide. Ms. Mitrovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia (former Yugoslavia). She graduated from the Philology Faculty, University of Belgrade with a bachelor’s degree in Italian language and literature. She received her master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology from California State University Monterey Bay.
Mr. Detlev Kesten
Assistant Provost for Academic Support
DLIFLC Assistant Provost of Administrative Support, Mr. Detlev Kesten, is responsible for coordinating and supporting the work of the Provost Office on a day to day basis.