Vice Provosts
The Office of the Provost directs the development and implementation of University academic plans and policies, and supervises the work of faculties, departments, institutes, and research centers principally through the work of the offices of these vice provosts.
Vina joined the Office of the Provost in September 2021, and is currently the Assistant Provost for Faculty Advancement. She is responsible for faculty development programming and initiatives, development and analysis of the faculty diversity data dashboard, and management of special events and communications.
Prior to this role, Vina was the chief of staff at the Social Science Research Council where she spearheaded the Inequality Initiative, a series of programs and projects that bring innovative social science analysis to bear on our understanding of the roots and consequences of unequal participation in political, economic, and social systems across the globe; organized workshops to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion; and fostered a pipeline internship program for historically underrepresented students.
She has over a decade of experience working in higher education. At Columbia, she was the executive director for decanal affairs in the Division of Social Science in Arts and Sciences and worked on gender equity programs through the Women Creating Change initiative at the Center for the Study of Social Difference; the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality; and the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law.
She is an advisory board member of the Collaborative to Advance Equity through Research on women and girls of color at Columbia and the NSF funded project PROGRESS or Peer Review Objectives and Guidelines for Equity and Representation in the Social Sciences at SSRC. She holds master’s degrees in public administration from Columbia and in gender, sexuality, and cultural studies from the University of Manchester.
Susan Boynton has been Director of The University Seminars since January 2023.
She joined the Columbia Department of Music in 2000. Her research and teaching interests include liturgy and music in medieval Western monasticism; manuscript studies; troubadour song; music in the Iberian peninsula; music and childhood, and the history of education; intersections of music with the visual arts; and the history of religion. She has written two books and coedited five volumes, and is currently completing a manuscript on the reception and historiography of the Mozarabic rite in early modern Europe.
Boynton is coeditor (with Diane J. Reilly) of the medieval art history journal Gesta (University of Chicago Press) until the end of 2024. Her articles have appeared in Journal of the American Musicological Society, Speculum, Viator, Traditio, and in other journals and edited volumes representing several different humanities disciplines. Boynton’s research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Academy in Rome, the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), and Trinity College Dublin’s Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute.
In 2020, Boynton was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques, an honor awarded by the Prime Minister of France on the recommendation of the Minister of Education. Boynton is also a recipient of Columbia’s Distinguished Faculty Award.
Steve Blomgren joined the Office of the Provost in January 2023 as the Senior Director of Business Development and Corporate Partnerships in the Columbia Online team. In his role, he leads business development, product development, and project execution, and establishes partnerships between Columbia’s schools and industry. Previously, he served in senior custom program management and business development roles at Columbia Business School. Steve engaged with corporate clients globally in developing leading-edge executive education/professional development programs around leadership, strategy, innovation and other key business disciplines, in collaboration with Columbia Business School faculty.
Prior to Columbia, Steve served in business development/account management roles at Blackrock, Mercer Consulting, and Euromoney Institutional Investor. Steve began his career in government, where he served as an aide/speechwriter to two members of Congress in Washington, DC.
Steve earned a master's degree from Columbia Business School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland – College Park.
Dr. Somerville has spent thirty years as an educator within New York City and Philadelphia public schools, beginning as a Special Education Teacher, then serving as Assistant Principal, Principal, and now Assistant Superintendent. Her background includes degrees from Spelman College (B.A.), Temple University (M.Ed.), and University of Pennsylvania (Ed.D.). Her experiences as a learner, teacher, and leader made clear the importance of connecting learning to life experience, of ensuring students understand deep connections across subjects, and of making student reflection and voice central to their learning. She brought these beliefs to bear in her school and district-level leadership roles, and they laid the groundwork for partnerships she forged with the University of Pennsylvania, Teachers College, and others to support learning and instruction in her schools.
During her tenure as Assistant Superintendent, three of her schools were named National Blue Ribbon Schools for High Achievement and for Closing the Achievement Gap, an acknowledgment, in the words of the U.S. Department of Education, of “striving for and achieving exemplary achievement.” Sonya facilitated this remarkable distinction—accomplished via the close partnership and dedication of all stakeholders—through deliberate cultivation of an increasingly positive teaching and learning environment and a focus on working cooperatively with district leadership, university partners, businesses, and the community to close achievement and opportunity gaps.
She was recognized as the Assistant Superintendent with the highest consistent student gains in ELA, math, and science for six out of the past seven school years. These assessments look not just at academic content areas but also at aspects of the whole child and community such as the well-being of students, parents and caregivers, teachers, and administrators. Whether as a teacher, principal, or district-level leader, Sonya has been dedicated to considering the needs of each individual child. As one of her references shared, she “is motivated to create the learning environments that every single student deserves, and she is unapologetic about her drive to create such spaces.”
Her dedication to the whole child and the cultivation of community are evidenced also in her commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the classroom. Dr. Somerville served as a lead and co-developer for a collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania to develop simulations of culturally relevant situations that leaders commonly face as a way to further develop these competencies in her principals. To address disparities across many aspects of school life, Sonya launched a project involving targeted readings to help leaders and teachers think about how to dismantle inequitable practices.
Shu-Yi Hsu joined the Columbia Online team in January 2023 as Senior Instructional Designer. In her role, Shu-Yi manages the design and development of a portfolio of asynchronous and synchronous online, hybrid, and in-person courses offered across a variety of disciplines from Schools at Columbia.
Prior to joining the Office of the Provost, Shu-Yi worked as an Associate Director at Columbia Video Network, the online division of Columbia Engineering and as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Teachers College. At Columbia Engineering, Shu-Yi specialized in planning, designing, documenting, and testing massive open online learning courses (MOOCs) on engineering topics. She also has experience developing training courses for a major airline and luxury brands such as LVMH. Shu-Yi's research interests include self-regulated learning, learning analytics, online learning, and instructional design. Shu-Yi received her doctoral degree in the Instructional Technology and Media program from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2021.
Sheanine Allen, EdD, joined the Office of the Provost in November 2018 as Assistant Director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and was promoted to Senior Associate Director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in January 2020. She is responsible for ensuring compliance with the University's policies, and federal, state, and local laws regarding equal opportunity, affirmative action, and non-discrimination. This includes assisting in the preparation of the University's Affirmative Action Plans, facilitating data collection for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs audits, and adhering to the Affirmative Action Policies and Procedures as they pertain to the recruitment and promotion of faculty and staff of the University. She also manages the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the Recruitment of Academic Personnel System (RAPS). In collaboration with CUHR, Sheanine also monitors the University's employment and compensation systems to evaluate their impact on women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Before joining the Office of the Provost, Sheanine was the Alumni Relations Coordinator for the Columbia University School of Professional Studies, an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Curriculum and Instruction at a local university, and a Project Coordinator for the DOE grant-funded initiative College Access for All.
Sheanine received her BA in English and Religion from Wake Forest University and MA in English from North Carolina Central University. She was a doctoral research fellow in the Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership at St. John’s University School of Education where she completed her EdD in Instructional Leadership.
Sarah Carswell is the Executive Assistant at the CTL. She provides daily coordination for the Executive Director and oversees programmatic and administrative support for the Center.
Sarah received her B.A. in English and Philosophy from the University of Michigan and her M.S.S.W. from the University of Texas at Austin. At UT, she specialized in macro practice social work, achieving a Nonprofit Studies Portfolio from the UT RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Studies. Sarah has worked for several nonprofits in various roles from policy researcher to community organizer. She joined the CTL after working as an Operations Manager in a Brooklyn middle school.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys reading everything from political theory to science fiction, practicing martial arts, playing fetch with her dog Shae, and eating new and delicious vegan food around New York City.
Sarah joined the Office of the Provost in 2010, and currently serves as Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives in the Office of the Senior Vice Provost.
Prior to holding this role, Sarah was a founding member of the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Planning (now Faculty Advancement), where she helped to build faculty diversity programs across the institution. Earlier in her career, she worked in the Office of the Dean, at the Mailman School of Public Health, and as a management consultant.
She holds an MBA and MPH from Columbia, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago.
Samantha oversees the Student Advising team at the Riverside Drive location for the Morningside campus. She also serves as the main point of contact for academic departments.
The advising team assists our large population of international students in matters relating to their immigration-related needs, providing advisory and documentation services and information on a host of issues, including but not limited to, visas, employment, enrollment, travel, and tax-filing obligations.
The team provides information sessions at orientation programs and offers employment-related workshops throughout the academic year.
Rebecca Balkin joined the Office of Work/Life in 2009. As the Associate Director for the Office, Rebecca performs a variety of duties and is responsible for financial management and event and program support. She also manages the Breastfeeding Support Program and Backup Care Program. Before coming to Columbia, Rebecca spent three years working in the Department of Economics at Harvard University. Rebecca is an active member of the College and University Work Family Association (CUWFA), currently serving as Vice President.
Rebecca earned her M.S. in Non-Profit Management from Columbia University's School of Professional Studies and has a B.A. in Sociology from Tufts University. She also recently moved back to the suburbs of New Jersey with her husband and toddler age son, after living in Manhattan and Brooklyn for nine years. She is happily adjusting to life outside of the city by spending time gardening, hiking, and making many trips to the nearby zoo.
Rainah is the Associate Director for Global Academic Partnerships, joining the Office of the Senior Vice Provost in 2024. Prior to this role, Rainah worked at Columbia World Projects as part of the team that managed the Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University. Since 2019, she worked with over 80 Obama Scholars from 59 countries across six cohort years. Prior to joining Columbia, she worked at Trinity Wall Street where she managed justice, advocacy, and outreach initiatives.
Rainah is currently pursuing her MPA at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, and she holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from Vassar College.
Nancy Johnson oversees the Office of Management and Budget which is responsible for the development of the operating and capital budget for the University.
Monica Wiles (she/her) joined the Office of the Provost as Associate Director of Operations for Columbia Online in March 2023. She began her career at the University in 2021 as the Program Coordinator for the SIPA Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) program where she advised students on degree planning, launched networking initiatives, and planned social events. Additionally, Monica was the lead Program Manager for two high profile custom programs for The Picker Center for Executive Education: FDNY Officers Management Institute (FOMI) and Police Management Institute (PMI). There, she oversaw and directed all aspects of program operations, facilitated end-to-end logistics for program faculty and staff, including session planning and delivery. She led participant and client communication, program evaluations, and ensured the highest level of quality in overall program execution.
Prior to joining Columbia, she worked with Philadelphia public schools leading an early-literacy initiative for youth in after-school networks. There she created original content, trained group leaders, and worked with site directors to enhance their programs with a growth mindset of continuous quality improvement through deliberate planning, organization, and team building. Collaboratively, she brought a creative and innovative approach to education, encouraging all to think outside the box and bring an interdisciplinary perspective to structured activities. She is excited to join the Office of the Provost and contribute her knowledge of program development and passion for experiential and creative multi-disciplinary learning.
As Executive Director of Finance and Budget, Michelle is responsible for financial accounting, analysis and reporting functions, and budget preparation. She also oversees training and support of personnel to ensure unit-wide compliance on all financial and issues; budget preparation and submission, and project management accounting.
Prior to joining the Office of the Provost, Michelle was Associate Director of Finance and Administration at the School of Professional Studies, where she managed all the day-to-day financial and human resources operations.
Mel Romero (he/they) joined the Office of the Provost in January 2024 as the Director of Operations. Mel works closely with EOAA, Gender-Based Misconduct Office, Title IX Coordinator and Protection of Minors ensuring seamless operations and support for the Vice Provost in various projects. Prior to this current role, he served at Columbia University’s Center for Student Success and Intervention(CSSI) as the Associate Director of Operations where he created, streamlined, and deployed innovative strategies to ensure proper and efficient processes to support students, built relationships across the university to ensure adequate resources including maintaining critical day-to-day data analytics, developing websites, and analyzing metrics.
Prior to Columbia University he served in various roles in Housing and Residential Life at Florida Atlantic University, the University of Vermont, and Cornell University with a strong emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and equity practices throughout his career.
They received their masters in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University and Bachelors in Public Administration from the University of Central Florida.
Maura Connelly is Associate Director in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.
In this role, Maura is primarily responsible for investigating allegations of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct reported against staff, faculty, and third-party affiliates of Columbia University.
Maura is a graduate of Rutgers University and Rutgers School of Law - Newark. After graduation from law school, Maura held two clerkships with judges in the New Jersey Appellate Division and United States District Court. Maura has spent the past 5 years as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Jersey City, where she handled a variety of different legal matters, including civil rights cases. She has appeared in the New Jersey Supreme Court, Appellate Division, and state and federal trial courts.
Maura lives in Jersey City with her husband and dog. In her free time, Maura enjoys hiking, running, going to the beach, and fostering rescue dogs from a local animal shelter.
Mark Phillipson leads the Graduate Student Programs and Services team at the CTL, designing and producing pedagogical and professional development programs and resources for graduate students, postdocs, and other instructors at Columbia. He oversees a range of institutes, workshops, fellowships, consultations, learning communities, and other teaching programs in the CTL, and cultivates a range of partnerships across campus in support of high quality instructional practices.
Before joining the CTL, Mark served as Director of the GSAS Teaching Center at Columbia where he launched initiatives such as the Lead Teaching Fellows program, the Teaching Observation Fellows program, and the Innovative Teaching Summer Institute—all of which continue within the CTL. Mark has also partnered with faculty, librarians, and media archivists to develop projects engaging students with digital collections in innovative ways—such as Sacred Gotham, Mapping the African American Past, the Virtual Forest Initiative, and Mediathread.
Mark also teaches in the Core Curriculum and in Columbia’s English Department, where he has led seminars in British Romanticism—such as Multimedia Blake, Byron and the Byronic, the Romantic Sublime and others. Before working at Columbia, he was an assistant professor of English at Bowdoin College; his early models of class wikis attracted coverage from EDUCAUSE and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Mark holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, an MLIS from Simmons College, and a B.A. in English from Columbia College.
Maria serves as the Director of Compliance at ISSO.
The Compliance Team are responsible for the issuance of student visa documents, totaling more than 5000 just for incoming students for summer and fall term.
Working with the advising team, the compliance team helps students to maintain their status by following the regulations that govern their stay. They are also responsible for university compliance with federal regulations.
Marcia Roesch joined the Office of Work/Life in July 2015. As the Director of the School and Child Care Search Service, Marcia develops and leads the long-term vision and strategy for programs and services offered to the Columbia parent community as they identify and apply to preschool and K-12 schools for their children. Marcia guides families who are searching for elementary, middle, and high schools by consulting individually with parents as well as presenting workshops.
Before joining Columbia University’s Office of Work/Life, Marcia spent many years in independent school admissions. She began her career as a Director of Admissions for grades nursery through high school, first at Trevor Day School and most recently at Bank Street School for Children.
She has been an active member of the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY), serves on the board of Early Steps, and is an Associate Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). Marcia earned a bachelor’s degree in History and Education from Case Western Reserve University and a master’s degree in Educational Psychology/Learning Disabilities from Teachers College.
She grew up in the suburbs of New York, but has lived most of her adult life in New York City. Marcia raised a daughter and a son in the city and now feels lucky to have two grandsons who are living here as well. She loves New York and enjoys early morning walks in Central Park on the weekends with her husband.
Madeline Schlesinger joined the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in September 2022 as an Associate Director. Madeline is primarily responsible for investigating allegations of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct reported against staff, faculty, and third-party affiliates of Columbia University.
Prior to joining the Office of the Provost, Madeline clerked for a judge in Austin, Texas. Following her clerkship, Madeline worked for the State Bar of Texas as an investigator and assistant disciplinary counsel for ethical misconduct cases. Madeline's experience also includes working as a litigator at a private law firm and working as a staff attorney for a district court in Travis County, Texas.
Madeline received her bachelor's degree in History and Plan II Honors from the University of Texas at Austin and her Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law. As a law student, Madeline served as an editor of the Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rightsand interned for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Third Court of Appeals.
Lucy Drotning joined the Office of the Provost in 1998 as Senior Research Analyst. In her current role as Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness, she develops and leads processes that provide support and information to senior leadership for planning and evaluation in areas such as accreditation, policy and program development, resource allocation and strategic planning. She also explores questions of institutional relevance and provides evidence of institutional effectiveness to senior leadership, as well as bolstering the analytic capacity of the Provost’s Office.
Lucy received her bachelor's degree from McGill University and doctoral degree in Political Science from the University of Rochester.
Linda Mischel Eisner is Executive Director of Labor and Employee Relations in the Office of the Senior Vice Provost and Columbia University Human Resources. Linda manages relationships with the graduate student and postdoc/ARS unions, advances initiatives to ensure the strength and quality of relations with unionized academic employees, and provides guidance to the University, schools and departments on labor and employee relations issues, dispute resolution, and bargaining agreement interpretation. Linda joined Columbia in 2014, and as the Director of Special Projects in the Office of the Senior Executive Vice President, she was a member of both of the University's committees bargaining first contracts for the graduate student and postdoc/ARS unions. Her prior experience includes work as a career law clerk to the Honorable Raymond J. Dearie of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, a tax associate at Davis Polk and Wardwell, and a quantitative analyst at Salomon Brothers, Inc. Linda holds a law degree from Yale Law School and a bachelor's degree summa cum laude in Computer Science from Columbia College. She was named valedictorian of Columbia College's first coeducational class.
Laura Kirschstein,Vice Provost for the Office of Institutional Equity, is responsible for management of the University's policies and procedures on discrimination, harassment, and sexual assault.
Laura Nicholas serves as Communications and Outreach Manager for the Center for Teaching and Learning. In this role, her aim is to creatively and effectively communicate the Center’s philosophy, programs, and services to Columbia University and beyond. She manages a range of communications channels and projects to engage the Columbia teaching community in the CTL’s offerings.
Prior to joining the CTL, Laura served as Communications Manager for Project ALS, a nonprofit in New York. She also previously held various marketing and communications roles at other organizations. Laura graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, CT with a B.A. in American Studies and a minor in Hispanic Studies. She is currently pursuing an M.S. in Strategic Communication at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies.
In her free time, Laura enjoys reading, playing piano, and exploring restaurants and museums in New York.
Kristin Carnahan joined the Office of the Provost in August 2013. As Program Manager, she provides administrative and programmatic support throughout the Office of Work/Life and contributes to a variety of Work/Life communications efforts, including management of the School and Child Care Search Service’s Pre-K and Kindergarten NYC Newsletter and RE-NYC, the Housing Information & Referral Service’s monthly housing newsletter.
Prior to joining the Work/Life team, Kristin maintained a private acupuncture practice and coordinated communications for a Manhattan wellness center. Previously she served as Associate Director of Communications & Public Affairs at the College Board, focusing on the SAT.
Kristin earned her bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and her master's degree in Acupuncture from the Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences.
With over a decade of classroom experience, and Lead Teacher in the Infant Room at Tompkins Hall since September 2022, she earned a Dual Master’s degree in Early Childhood General and Special Education from Bank Street College and is expected to earn her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College this year.
Kathy directs the office that provides documentation services for, and advisement to, the international community of students, faculty and scholars on the Columbia University Medical Campus (CUIMC).
Karen Fife joined the Office of the Provost in April 2016 as Director of the Metro New York & Southern Connecticut Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (MNYSC HERC). She is responsible for maintaining and expanding the MNYSC HERC and providing significant project leadership to the more than 30 member institutions of the regional HERC.
The MNYSC HERC is one of 19 region affiliates of HERC, a non-profit coalition of colleges, universities, hospitals, research labs, government agencies, and related non- and for-profit organizations, committed to diversifying the pipeline of faculty, staff, and executives in academia. HERC supports our member institutions in recruiting and retaining outstanding and diverse employees. Our regional consortium of colleges and universities work together to facilitate up-to-date information resources, technologies, and a professional network to help each other with recruitment and retention issues. Of particular interest to HERC is creating tools for dual-career spouses and partners and diversifying faculty and staff applicant pools of member institutions. HERC maintains one of the only regionally based higher education job site in the Metro New York Southern Connecticut area and offers members access to HERConnect, our virtual member portal, which houses HERC’s webinars and toolkits and discussion platforms.Before joining MNYSC HERC/EOAA in the Office of the Provost, Ms. Fife worked for over 20 years in corporate human resources in strategic staffing, compensation and budget planning, and performance and talent management.
Jewelnel Davis is the University Chaplain, Associate Provost, and Director of the Kraft Global Fellows Program at Columbia University. Additionally, Chaplain Davis served as Director of the Earl Hall Center from July 1996 through January 2019. As the Director of the Earl Hall Center, she reestablished the Office of the University Chaplain after a nearly 30-year hiatus.
She developed the Religious Life Advisors Program, oversaw the Kraft Family Multifaith and Intercultural co-sponsorship Fund programs, and Office of the University Chaplain co-sponsorship programs. Chaplain Davis developed with students the Common Meal, Chaplain’s Tea, initiated Music at St. Paul’s, Arts at Earl Sacred Music Programs, and redesigned the University Baccalaureate ceremony. Chaplain Davis had oversight of Earl Hall and St. Paul Chapels building operations and administration and of Community Impact, and the Student Governing Board (SGB) during her tenure as Director of the Earl Hall Center.
As the University Chaplain, she works collaboratively with both University and Religious Life, to foster learning spaces for political, ethical, religious, spiritual dialogue and raising intercultural awareness. With Columbia’s faculty, deans, administrative teams and students, Davis helps address issues of campus life in a diverse community of various religious backgrounds, beliefs, cultures, identities, and values.
The Office of the University Chaplain designs and sponsors a variety of programs on matters of justice, faith, and spirituality. The Kraft Global Fellowship program is an initiative directed by the Office of the University Chaplain with the goal to invite students of diverse backgrounds to travel to one of the Columbia Global Centers (CGC) to study and conduct research that focuses on intercultural and interfaith dialogue.
Chaplain Davis offers individual, couples, family and group pastoral care and counseling to faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Chaplain Davis’ focus is to serve the greater Columbia Community with passion and excellence
Jessica Cochran serves as Assistant Director, Finance and Operations, of the Alliance Program.
Jessica’s prior experience in these areas includes her service as Assistant to the Music Director of the Houston Symphony, where her administrative operations and event management skills supported both the day-to-day needs of the Director as well as the pre-arrival, logistical, and creative needs of an ongoing slate of world-renown guest artists. Prior to that, as Deputy Cultural Attaché to the Consulate General of France in Houston, Jessica oversaw the Education and French Language Department and chaired the production of the French Cultures Festival.
She has a Master's Degree in Social and Political Sciences, and Economics from Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence. As a student, she spent a year abroad in Bremen, Germany, interning at the Institut Français (French Cultural Institute). The first US city she lived in was New Orleans, where she interned at the French Consulate, working in University Cooperation. She's currently working on obtaining her Master's in Public Administration at Columbia.
Jazmin Taylorjoined the Office of the Provost in September 2015 as the Director of Investigations and Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Faculty and Staff Concerns in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action. She leads the investigative team that facilitates informal resolutions and conducts formal investigations into allegations of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct made against faculty, staff, and third-party affiliates of the University.
Before joining the Office of the Provost, Jazmin served as the Interim Director of the Office of Equity and Diversity Services at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she led campus compliance efforts with respect to equal opportunity and affirmative action. In this role, Jazmin served as the campus Title IX Coordinator and Affirmative Action Officer. She was responsible for investigating discrimination and sexual misconduct complaints, conducting training, maintaining the annual affirmative action plan, and assisting with recruitment and retention efforts designed to achieve diversity in faculty and staff.
Jazmin received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Spelman College and her Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Jane is the Associate Director for Faculty and Scholar Services. She leads the Scholar Advising Team, located in the Nash Building, that serves the Morningside and Manhattanville campus schools. They work with academic departments in bringing international faculty and researchers to the university and overseeing their stay.
The scholar team is responsible for the university's compliance with the J-1 Exchange Visitor program for researchers, professors and student interns, and files nonimmigrant petitions with USCIS (Citizenship and Immigration and Services) for other visa types used by our academic community.
They provide orientation programs for J-1 scholars and workshops and one-on-one training for department staff members with whom they work.
Eugenia Lean, Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures, has been Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs since July 1, 2022.
As Vice Provost, she leads the development and implementation of the University’s policies governing the appointment of its academic officers, manages the tenure review system, and authorizes leaves on behalf of the President. In addition, she oversee sthe Office of Faculty Retirement and serves as a resource for deans, chairs, the University Senate and other offices, as well as individual faculty.
Emmanuel Kattan is Director of the Alliance Program. He was previously Director of the British Council in New York, where he oversaw academic collaboration programs. He created partnerships with the Henry Luce Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation to launch initiatives connecting higher education institutions across the Atlantic. Before joining the British Council, Emmanuel was Senior Adviser at the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, where he managed strategic communications and engagement with academic communities. He also held senior positions at the Commonwealth Secretariat and at the Quebec Delegation in London, where he was in charge of academic relations programs. A native of Montreal, Emmanuel studied politics at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar and earned a PhD from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. He is the author of four books: an essay on the politics of memory and three novels.
David A. Freedberg is Director of the Italian Academy and the Pierre Matisse Professor of the History of Art.
He is best known for his work on psychological responses to art, and particularly for his studies on iconoclasm and censorship (see, inter alia, Iconoclasts and their Motives, 1984, and The Power of Images: Studies in the History and Theory of Response, 1989).
His more traditional art historical writing centered on the fields of Dutch and Flemish art. In recent years he has turned his attention to seventeenth century Roman art and to the paintings of Nicolas Poussin. He has been involved in several exhibitions of contemporary art (eg. Joseph Kosuth: "The Play of the Unmentionable" (1992)). Following a series of important discoveries in Windsor Castle, the Institut de France and the archives of the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, he co-authored a number of catalogs of the natural history drawings in the Royal Collections and turned his attention to the intersection of art and science in the age of Galileo. His chief publication in this area is The Eye of the Lynx: Galileo, his Friends, and the Beginnings of Modern Natural History (2002).
Although Freedberg continues to teach in the fields of Dutch, Flemish, French, and Italian art of the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries, as well as in historiographical and theoretical areas, his research now concentrates on the relations between art, history, and neuroscience. He is currently engaged in writing two books: 1) Dance, the Body and Emotion; 2) Art and the Brain, with particular reference to emotion and movement. He continues to hope that he will be able to return to his longstanding project on the cultural history of the architecture and dance of the Pueblo peoples.
Freedberg leads the campaign to save Liberty Hall in Machiasport, Maine, a major historical building overlooking the site of the first sea battle of the American Revolution.
Professor Freedberg is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Accademia Nazionale di Agricoltura and the Istituto Veneto.
More information can be found on his CV or at his department webpage.
Senior Associate Provost for Academic Programs, Associate Dean for Doctoral Education in Public Health, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Public Health, and Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health
Cristopher Torres joined the Office of the Provost in January 2024 as Assistant Director, Human Resources. He is responsible for the day-to-day HR functions of the Office of the Provost. Before joining the Office of the Provost, Cristopher served as an HR Generalist at Westchester Jewish Community Services, the largest mental health provider in Westchester County. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in HR Management & Business Law from CUNY – Lehman College and is expected to graduate from West Texas A&M with an Master’s in Business Administration in May 2024.
As Senior Associate Provost for Administration and Planning, Carrie Marlin’s portfolio includes key areas of academic management—faculty housing, K–12 schooling priorities, domestic and international emergency response, space planning, and policy development. She oversees Tompkins Hall Nursery and Childcare Center, guides The School at Columbia University, and directs initiatives for Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science, and Engineering. In partnership with the Office of International Risk Management, she develops and manages international travel policies and protocols. Carrie is also the primary liaison to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to these responsibilities, at the Provost’s request, Carrie has served in interim roles as Executive Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and Director of the Office of Work/Life.
Prior to joining the Office of the Provost in 2015, she worked in education and public service in New York City and Washington, D.C., as Senior Director of Strategy and Policy at the New York City Department of Education, Chief of Staff in the New York State Assembly, an English and Journalism teacher in District of Columbia Public Schools, and as a senior advisor on local and national political campaigns.
Carrie received her BA in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, her MA in Education from Trinity Washington University, and her MPA from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.
Caroline Stern joined the Office of the Provost in 2007 as Executive Assistant to the Provost. She is responsible for supporting the University Provost, as well as other members of the senior team of the Office of the Provost.
Before joining Columbia, Ms. Stern held roles in executive support for the director of the Bard Graduate Center, the executive director of the Jewish Community Services Association and the director of a fine arts consulting business. Ms. Stern received her bachelor's degree in Art History from Barnard College, a master's of Library Service from Columbia University, and a master's of Education from Mercy College.
Ben Canning-Pereira’s primary role is to assist Ellen Cohen in maintaining all communications-related materials for the ISSO. His responsibilities include maintaining this website, as well as managing email marketing, user testing, and online communications. His job is to put the “user” first — this means the international community who come to Columbia to study, teach and conduct research — and the university members who admit, appoint, employ, teach and work with them!
Angela Garcia is Assistant Director of Operations in the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement. Previously, she was Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President for University Life and Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement.
In this role, Angela manages the calendar and supports the daily work of Dennis Mitchell, Senior Advisor to the President for Inclusion and Belonging and Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement in addition to operational and programmatic support for Faculty Advancement.
Angela arrived at Columbia University in September 2015, joining the Office of the Provost as Administrative Coordinator for the Vice Provosts for Academic Programs and Faculty Diversity and Inclusion (now Faculty Advancement).
Prior to Columbia, Angela worked at Herbert H. Lehman College in the City University of New York (CUNY) for eleven years. She held the position of Office Manager for Lehman’s Teaching and Learning Commons from 2010 to 2015 and earned a CUNY Managers Certificate during this time. Her service included coordination of two Title V grant-funded initiatives, with direct supervision of a program created to support the transition and retention of transfer students.
Angela graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Herbert H. Lehman College in 2005. She aspires to continue her studies in organizational psychology.
Andys Brito, who joined the Office of the Provost in January 2023, is Director of Human Resources. In her role, Andys manages the day-to-day HR functions for the Office of the Provost, covering a broad range of human resources policies and procedures. She also provides guidance and advice to the affiliated reporting units of the Office of the Provost.
Andys came to Office of the Provost with more than 10 years of experience in a range of HR functions. Immediately before joining the office, she was the Senior Human Resources and Faculty Affairs Generalist at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at CUIMC.
Andrew Permaul joined the Office of the Provost in June 2022 as an Administrative Manager. He supports both Academic Programs and the newly created department Fourth Purpose and Strategic Impact. As an Administrative Manager, his current responsibilities include project management, event planning, and website development, as well as finance and budget tracking. He also helps to coordinate the review process for the Liebmann Fellowship and the new Cross-Disciplinary RFP.
Before joining the Office of the Provost, Andrew was an Office Manger at an out-patient mental health facility focused on CBT. He supported the overall operations and financial well-being of the practice, while being heavily involved in optimizing company culture.
Andrew received his bachelors of science in Psychology from The City College of New York.
Andra Turner joined the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action as a Training and Education Associate in December 2021.
In this position, Andra plays a key role in EOAA’s prevention efforts by managing communications regarding the work of the EOAA Office for a variety of audiences. She works with the Director of Training and Education to manage EOAA educational programs, compliance reporting, and resolutions to routine data inquiries. In collaboration with the Operations Manager, she is responsible for the daily operations of the office. Prior to joining the Columbia community, Andra worked at a mathematics and personal finance education non-profit in downtown Manhattan serving high school students and educators around the country as part of a fellowship program through Princeton University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Politics.
Amy Rabinowitz joined the Office of the Provost in September 2017 as an Associate Provost and the Director of the Office of Work/Life. She oversees all Work/Life programs and experienced specialists who foster the well-being of the Columbia community and its people in their pursuit of meaningful and productive academic, personal and work lives. The Office of Work/Life offers an array of services to support faculty recruitment, current faculty, and the Columbia community including the School and Child Care Search Service, Housing Information and Referral Service, Well-Being program, Faculty Spouse/Partner Dual Career Service, Back-up Child and Adult Care and Breastfeeding Support Program.
Before joining the Office of the Provost, Amy had over 25 years of Work/Life program design, management and research experience, most recently serving as the Manager of Work/Life and Recognition at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City where she conceived, designed and implemented quality-of –life programs and policies. She is a leader in her field, having served on the Work/Life Advisory Board of WorldatWork, a global nonprofit human resources association and frequently speaking at national Work/Life conferences. She previously worked in foundations as a grantmaker concentrating on women’s, children’s and NYC issues.
Amy received her bachelor's degree in psychology focusing on child development from Wesleyan University and her doctoral degree in education from Teachers College, specializing in family policy. A lifelong New Yorker, she is the mother of a teenage daughter being educated in the NYC public schools.
Amanda Irvin (she/her) serves as Executive Director of the CTL. In this role, she provides the academic vision and strategic leadership for the CTL, advancing the culture of teaching on Columbia’s campuses. She works closely with the Senior Vice Provost, Columbia’s schools and colleges, and faculty leaders to determine priorities for the CTL and develop new initiatives and programs.
Amanda has been with the Columbia CTL since 2016, most recently having served as Senior Director of Faculty Programs and Services. In her roles, she has managed the development and implementation of numerous programs to support pedagogical innovation, purposeful use of educational technology, and learner-centered teaching for faculty and instructors across Columbia.
Recognized as a national expert in educational development, and specializing in inclusive teaching, collaborative learning, and active learning, Amanda has led the production of many resources and programs to support inclusive and anti-racist teaching at Columbia. She has contributed a range of articles in teaching and learning publications, joining with other CTL colleagues to lead conversations on topics such as disembroiling HOT moments in the classroom, supporting department chairs in centering inclusive teaching, and designing online and in-person learning to be more inclusive. She often works with other institutions to join national and international conversations about teaching through change—supporting faculty and centering learning as the world, institutions, and technological advancements change around us. She also serves as an Associate Editor for College Teaching, and volunteers her time on the faculty for the Institute for New Educational Developers, where she engages and mentors a new generation of Center for Teaching and Learning professionals.
Prior to joining the Columbia CTL, Amanda served as Assistant Director of Faculty Development of the Koehler Center for Teaching Excellence at Texas Christian University where she was also an affiliate faculty member in the Department of English. Amanda holds a Ph.D. in English and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies from Texas Christian University, an M.A. in English from Radford University, and a B.A. in English from the University of Central Florida. In addition to being a certified Team-Based Learning Collaborative expert consultant-trainer, she is also trained in Bystander Intervention to prevent sexual assault on college campuses as well as Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper training to prevent student self-harm.
Amanda is a first-generation college graduate and member of the LGBTQ+ community. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys reading, writing, practicing yoga, and cooking.
Abdibasid Ali has been an Administrative Coordinator at Alliance Program since May 2017.
In his role, Abdibasid provides administrative support to the Alliance Program, executing and managing a variety of operational responsibilities, and liaises with the partner institutions within the Alliance Program.
Abdibasid received his bachelor's degree in Statistics from Columbia University.