August 19, 2022

Dear colleagues,

This summer has given me a great opportunity to get to know many of the dedicated staff in Yale College. As the students arrive on campus for the start of the academic year, I know that you are all, like me, anticipating an exciting year—and perhaps, also like me, scrambling to prepare for the new semester. This is a particularly exciting year, as we are launching the “flipped” orientation called Camp Yale and we can resume gatherings, events, and campus visits with relatively few restrictions. We are also joined by a talented group of new colleagues who have taken up important roles in Yale College over the summer.

At this time of the year, I like to remind myself of the words of the Yale College mission statement, which states that one aim of the education we provide is “the cultivation of citizens with a rich awareness of our heritage to lead and serve in every sphere of human activity.” This is a noble venture, and in welcoming our new colleagues I would like to quote one of my favorite poems about the life of the administrator, which is attributed to the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu:

It is not that I lack the desire to live beside rivers and among hills,
Hearing the wind scatter leaves, watching the rain breed fish;
But the thought of disproportion in public affairs
Offends my sense of rhythm, and disposes me
To expend the passion that normally takes form in song and painting,
On matters of administrative interest.
 
Knowing that all things have their intrinsic nature
I imitate the whale
That perpetually aspires to change the currents of the sea.
Torn by contradictory thoughts, I drink deep.
 

So please accept this message as praise for all of you who have chosen to expend your passion on the important matters of administrative interest that allow Yale College to function. I look forward to meeting all of you during the course of the academic year. And as, like the whale, we plunge into a new semester, I particularly ask you to reach out and welcome our new colleagues. Here are brief biographies for them, and for colleagues with new roles.

Sincerely,
Pericles


Arielle Baskin-Sommers

Acting Head of Silliman College 

Arielle Baskin-Sommers, associate professor of psychology and psychiatry, is serving as acting head of Silliman College. Professor Baskin-Sommers is a longstanding Silliman faculty fellow and college adviser. She is a licensed clinical psychologist whose work focuses on identifying and specifying the cognitive, emotional, and environmental mechanisms that contribute to antisocial behavior.

 

Nareen Barwari

Student Affairs Fellow, Office of Student Affairs 

Nareen Barwari graduated from Yale College in 2022 with a B.A. in Political Science and was a part of Ezra Stiles College. As an undergraduate, she served as Chief Aide of Ezra Stiles, a Senior Interviewer and Yale & You Ambassador for the Admissions Office, as well as a Public Health Educator. Nareen now works as a Student Affairs Fellow and feels very passionate about positive culture change and working towards innovative, upstream solutions to problems she sees around her.

 

Griffin Berlin

Student Affairs Associate, Office of Gender and Campus Culture and the Alcohol and Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiative 

Griffin Berlin is continuing his work in the Office of Gender and Campus Culture and the Alcohol and Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiative in a new role as a Student Affairs Associate. Griffin graduated from Yale College in 2021 with a degree in Comparative Literature. At Yale, he worked as a Communication and Consent Educator (CCE) in OGCC and helped direct the preorientation program FOCUS.

 

Timeica E. Bethel

Director of the Afro-American Cultural Center and Assistant Dean in Yale College 

Timeica E. Bethel, Yale College class of 2011, is the new Director of the Afro-American Cultural Center – the House – and Assistant Dean in Yale College. For much of the last three years, Mrs. Bethel has been a Program Director at LINK Unlimited Scholars, an education nonprofit for Black middle and high school students in the Chicagoland area. She began in her new role on August 8, 2022.

 

Maria Lavandier Bouffard

Operations Manager, Benjamin Franklin College 

Maria Bouffard re-joined Yale in March as the Operations Manager at Benjamin Franklin College. Maria transitioned to Operations after enjoying a 25-year career in Emergency Management and disaster relief including, 10 years as the Emergency Manager at Yale and 15 at the American Red Cross.

 

Sierra Bowman

Senior Administrative Assistant 2, Davenport College Deans Office 

Sierra Bowman is the new Senior Administrative Assistant in the Davenport College Dean’s Office after serving two years as the Assistant Registrar at Yale’s School of Management. Sierra holds a BA in relational communication from Western Connecticut State University.

 

Kristin Butler

Operations Manager, Saybrook College 

Kristin Butler joined Saybrook College on August 1 as its new Operations Manager. Kristin started at Yale in 2011 and comes to Yale College from Hospitality; her previous position was in Berkeley as a Guest Experience Manager. Kristin is thrilled to be part of the Saybrook Community.

 

Jill Carrera

Associate Director Fellowships & Funding 

Jill Carrera is moving on Monday from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to CIPE, as the next Associate Director of Fellowships of Funding. Jill will be responsible for the program management of the ISA and for advising on and running the application processes for several national fellowship competitions including Fulbright and Truman.

 

Skylar Cobbett

Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admissions 

Skylar Cobbett graduated from Yale in May with a BA in Classics. Skylar served as Co-President of the Yale College QuestBridge Scholars Network, worked as a Student Affairs Office Assistant in the Yale College Dean’s Office, and conducted research with the Yale Babylonian Collection.

 

Ya Hsien Cheng

Assistant Director, Employer Relations (temporary)  

Ya Hsien Cheng (she/her/hers) has joined OCS in the temporary role of Assistant Director, Employer Relations, while Kelly McSergi is on leave from early August to mid-December. Ya Hsien recently relocated from Istanbul, Turkey to New Haven. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science & International Relations at İstanbul Şehir University.

 

Danielle de Haerne

Student Affairs Fellow, Office of Student Affairs 

Danielle de Haerne graduated from Yale College in 2022 with a B.A. in Psychology, with a separate focus in English and Creative Writing, and she was in Pauli Murray College. She joins the Office of Gender and Campus Culture and the Alcohol and Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiative as a Student Affairs Fellow. As a Yale College student, she performed valuable work for the First Year Scholars community, the Chaplain’s Office, Yale Summer Session, Yale College Arts, and the Yale Dramatic Association.

 

Emily DiBenigno

Human Resources Generalist 

Emily DiBenigno joined Yale as an HR Generalist in October 2020 and previously supported Hospitality, YMA Clinical Operations and Internal Medicine. She currently supports Yale College, The Graduate School: Postdoctoral Office and FAS Dean’s Office and Student Services: University Registrar, University Financial Aid and Student Employment.

 

Eilaf Elmileik

Assistant Director of Student Affairs, and Interim Director of the Office of Gender and Culture and Alcohol and Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiative 

Eilaf Elmileik has re-joined the Office of Gender and Culture and Alcohol and Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiative as Interim Director. Eilaf was previously a Student Affairs Fellow in OGCC and AODHRI. She looks forward to supporting these offices alongside her regular supervision of undergraduate student organizations. Eilaf graduated from Yale College in 2018 with a B.A. in Sociology.

 

Rachel Fine

Photo by Luke Fontana

Schwarzman Center Executive Director 

Rachel Fine is the new Executive Director of Yale Schwarzman Center (YSC) and will take up her leadership of YSC in October 2022. Rachel is currently the Executive Director and CEO of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. She is also a concert pianist. She is a former arts management fellow at the Kennedy Center, and she has also been a lecturer in arts administration at Claremont Graduate University and the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, where she also served on the board for four years

 

Jackie Folmar

Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admissions  

Jacquelyn (Jackie) Folmar graduated from Yale this past December with a BS in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Jackie worked as a Research Assistant with the Yale Microbial Sciences Institute, served as an Advising Fellow with Matriculate, and was Director of Splash at Yale: an education nonprofit serving middle and high school students.

 

Andrew Forsyth

Chief of Staff, Yale College Dean's Office 

Andrew Forsyth is the new chief of staff in Yale College. Previously strategic advisor (2019–22) and assistant secretary for student life (2017–19) in the Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life, he will serve as a strategic planning coordinator, senior adviser to the dean, and liaison with offices across the College and the University.

 

Maria del Mar Galindo

Dean of Branford College 

Maria del Mar Galindo in the new dean of Branford College, returning to the Branford dean's office after serving as Branford's, and then Silliman's, acting dean. She has held previous positions at the Beinecke, at the Yale Writing Center, and with the Academic Strategies Program in the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning.

 

Haley Cohen Gilliland

Director Yale Journalism Initiative Program Manager 

Haley Cohen Gilliland DC’11 is the new director of the Yale Journalism Initiative. A former history major and journalism scholar at Yale, Haley worked as a reporter and correspondent for The Economist magazine—including assignments in Argentina, Uruguay, and London—before focusing on narrative journalism as an independent journalist. She begins on September 6.

 

Anjelica Gonzalez

Head of Davenport College 

Anjelica Gonzalez, associate professor of biomedical engineering and faculty director of Tsai CITY, is the new head of Davenport College. Professor Gonzalez joined Yale in 2007 and is a pioneering scientist in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. She studies the development of materials that mimic human organs and how medical interventions can reverse tissue damage.

 

Tasha Hawthorne

Dean of Pierson College 

Tasha Hawthorne is the new dean of Pierson College. She brings nearly a decade of experience teaching and advising and has held faculty and administrative positions at Berea College, Northwestern, Cornell and, most recently, in Yale College's Office of Student Affairs, where she served as Interim Assistant Dean. Her research explores the intersection of gender, sexuality, genre, race, and politics in Black fiction.

 

Lisa Kwesell

Service Assistant, Benjamin Franklin College 

Lisa Kwesell joined the Benjamin Franklin College team as Service Assistant in May. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she has worked at Yale since 2005. She began her tenure working for the Davenport Head of College and 15 years at Jonathan Edwards College.

 

Duygu Mathews

Service Assistant 2, Davenport College 

Duygu Mathews is the new Service Assistant in Davenport College. She is new to the Yale community and hails from Turkey. Before coming to Yale, she worked as an au pair, then managed a restaurant for many years. She joined the Davenport community and began in her new role on August 8, 2022.

 

Reese McLeod

Senior Administrative Assistant 2, Trumbull Head of Trumbull College 

Reese McLeod is the new Senior Administrative Assistant in Trumbull's Head of College Office. Reese comes to Yale College after serving as Senior Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at YNNH’s department of internal medicine. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and a Master of Science degree from Albertus Magnus and is pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in leadership for organizations at University of Dayton. She serves as co-chair of the Yale African American Affinity Group and is advocacy co-chair of a working women’s network.

 

Denise Morales

Assistant Director, Native American Cultural Center 

Denise Morales is the new Assistant Director of the Native American Cultural Center. She is Tohono O'odham and Mexican born and raised in Long Beach, California. She is a first-generation transfer student who received both Bachelor’s in History and Masters in American Indian Studies from UCLA. Her previous professional experience includes outreach and recruitment to tribal communities and organizations in the Los Angeles and Southern California area. Most recently, she has had the honor of working with the Native community at the University of Arizona.

 

Paul North

Head of Jonathan Edwards College 

Paul North, professor of Germanic languages and literatures, is the new head of Jonathan Edwards College. Professor North is a renowned educator and scholar in European literature and philosophy, and he serves in leadership roles in many areas at Yale, including in the Executive Committee of the Humanities Program and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Senate.

 

Catherine Panter-Brick

Chair of the Council of Heads of College 

Catherine Panter-Brick is the new Chair of the Council of Heads of College. She takes on this role in addition to her current one of head of Morse College, where she has served with distinction for the past seven years. She is a leading medical anthropologist who works in the context of humanitarian crises, leading research initiatives to develop strong, equitable partnerships across academic, community, and policy networks.

 

Jamie Perry

Senior Administrative Assistant 2, Grace Hopper Deans Office 

Jamie Perry is the new Senior Administrative Assistant in the Hopper Dean's office. With a B.A. in Performing Arts Management from the University of Hartford, she has broad experience with managing complex data systems, training multiple parties across campus regarding important policy regulations, and supporting the diverse needs of Yale's constituents.

 

Moira Poe

Senior Associate Director of Strategic Priorities, Undergraduate Admissions 

Moira Poe returns to Yale as the inaugural Senior Associate Director of Strategic Priorities. After serving for eight years as the Undergraduate Admissions Office’s Director of Multicultural Recruitment and Director of Transfer Admissions, she was Vanderbilt University’s Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions. Her new role aligns well with her extensive experience with Yale’s transfer, Eli Whitney, and multicultural recruitment efforts, as well as her ability to strengthen internal and external partnerships.

 

Thomas Santa Maria

Interim Dean of Silliman College 

Thomas Santa Maria is the interim dean of Silliman College. Tom brings years of experience teaching, mentoring, and coaching university students. He has also mentored and worked with students outside of the classroom and residential communities as a track and field coach and, more recently, in the Office of Career Strategy here at Yale. He will be completing his Yale Ph.D. in Renaissance Studies and History.

 

Joelle Siracuse

Head of College Senior Administrative Assistant 

Joelle Siracuse is the new Senior Administrative Assistant in the Office of the Head of Benjamin Franklin College. She has been supporting Yale students and faculty since 1998 working for professional schools, humanities, and the residential colleges at Silliman College. She is excited to rejoin the residential colleges as part of the Franklinite team, and to support the undergraduate student community.

 

Anh Tiet

Senior Administrative Assistant, Timothy Dwight College 

Anh Tiet joined the Timothy Dwight community last semester as Senior Administrative Assistant to the Dean. He worked previously at the Yale School of Medicine in the Department of Neuroscience. When he is not on campus, he is exploring state parks, trying different restaurants and food, and hanging out with his partner, daughter, and French Bulldog, Bruiser. He is ecstatic and honored to be part of the TD family.

 

Nicole Wade

Senior Administrative Assistant, Yale College Dean's Office 

Nicole Wade joined the Yale College Dean's Office last semester as Senior Administrative Assistant. Nicole supported the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences since 2015, and she previously provided high-level support to the directors at the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. In her new role, Nicole will be assisting with all aspects of supporting the Yale College Dean’s Office and will continue to be located at Warner House.