Staff Directory

Office of the Dean

Office of the Dean
109 Low Library, MC 4306
535 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
[email protected]
(212) 854-2861

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Carlos J. Alonso

Dean
Vice President for Graduate Education
[email protected]
(212) 854-2861

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Andrea Solomon

Vice Dean
Dean of Academic Affairs
[email protected]
(212) 854-8856

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Chief of Staff
  • Oversight of management and operations for the Graduate School
  • Supervision of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Academic Access and Engagement, Communications, Alumni Relations, Administrative Operations
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Daniella LaBella

Senior Director of Finance Operations and Budget Management
[email protected]
(212) 854-6726

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Senior Business Officer for GSAS
  • Oversees the GSAS finance office, including daily financial operations, budget management, and financial analysis
  • Collaborates with deans, staff, and other university partners to ensure the financial health of the school
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Deya Luna

Director of Operations
[email protected]
(212) 854-2865

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Manages daily operations within the Office of the Dean
  • Provides executive support for the Dean and Vice Dean
  • Manages GSAS workflow and directs HR, IT, and administrative operations 
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Rosemary Almanzar

Associate Director of Finance Operations and Budget Management
[email protected]
(212) 854-6726

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Manages daily financial operations for GSAS
  • Supports the management of the school’s annual budget, reporting, forecast, and modeling
  • Develops initiatives to streamline and improve the efficiency of financial management and quarterly closing processes

Student Affairs

Student Affairs
107 Low Library, MC 4304
535 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
[email protected]
(212) 854-8903

Richard Slusarczyk
Richard Slusarczyk

Senior Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs
[email protected]
(212) 854-8428

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Supervision of academic and student affairs staff
  • Student advisement on GSAS policies, procedures, and opportunities
  • Primary liaison for Public Safety, CPS, ISSO, and Global Travel
  • Review of proposals for international agreements; course proposals
Gennet Black
Gennet Black

Senior Assistant Dean of Academic Programs
[email protected]
(212) 854-6727

Areas of Responsibility

  • Point person for internal fellowships and the Fulbright fellowship
  • Coordinates the Ivy Plus Exchange program
  • Manages the Teaching Scholars program
  • Assists in reviewing TA assignments
Emma Johnson
Emma Johnson

Senior Assistant Dean of Student Life & Well-Being
[email protected]
212-854-2854 

Areas of Responsibility

  • Urgent student issues and concerns
  • Leaves of absence, withdrawals, and reinstatements
  • Parental accommodations
  • Primary liaison to Disability Services, and Columbia Residential
  • Student misconduct and academic integrity
Sophia Cheng
Sophia Cheng

Assistant Director of Student Affairs: Academic Records
[email protected]
(212) 854-5972

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Registration and enrollment concerns
  • Reporting on academic progress and milestones
  • Library access for MA students
  • Compliance communications
  • Point person for the IUDC program for GSAS

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Lucia Espineira

Student Affairs Officer: Student Life and Well-Being
[email protected]
(212) 853-4891

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Advising ASGC and other student groups
  • Support with disability accommodations
  • Library carrel assignments
  • Managing compliance with University-wide trainings
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Lesley Turton

Dissertation Office Manager
[email protected] 

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Management of the Dissertation Office: committees, defenses, and deposits
  • Dissertation Progress Reports and registration holds
  • Convocation eligibility and PhD conferrals
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Walker Clermont

Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
(212) 853-4820

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Supports the Office of Student Affairs and the Dissertation Office
  • Provides front desk coverage and responds to inquiries to the Offices of Student Affairs
  • Assists in day-to-day administrative operations: general office supplies, equipment, maintenance, mail

Academic Access and Engagement

Academic Access and Engagement
107 Low Library, MC 4304
535 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
[email protected]

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Celina Chatman Nelson

Sr. Associate Dean for Professional Development and Academic Access 
[email protected]
(212) 851-9851

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Develops policies and activities to enhance access and engagement efforts and the Graduate School’s professional development initiatives
  • Oversees the Offices of Academic Access and Engagement, Graduate Career Development (Compass), and the GSAS Writing Studio
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Afiya Wilson

Assistant Dean 
[email protected]
(212) 854-2866

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Coordinates all aspects of the GSAS Summer Research Program
  • Manages OAAE recruitment activities and student programming
  • Plans, manages, and staffs OAAE events
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Barbara Nesmith

Program Assistant
[email protected]
(212) 854-8903

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Provides programming support for the Offices of Academic Access and Engagement (OAAE), Graduate Career Development (Compass), and the GSAS Writing Studio
  • Assists with planning and on-site staffing for events, including career fairs and graduate school fairs
  • As primary staff for front desk reception and operations in 107 Low Library, responds to in-person and telephone inquiries about GSAS

Graduate Career Development

Graduate Career Development
106 Low Library, MC 4304
535 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027

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Rachel Bernard

Director of Graduate Career Development
[email protected]
212-854-8395

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Oversees professional development initiatives of the Graduate School 
  • Creates events and services to further PhD and MA student career exploration and development
  • Manages staff in the Office of Graduate Career Development
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Francesca Fanelli

Associate Director of Graduate Career Development - Advising and Programming
[email protected]

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Works alongside the Director to support the professional and career development of PhD and MA students
  • Coordinates current professional development initiatives of the Graduate School and develops partnerships with internal and external offices 
  • Oversees events and services to further PhD and MA student career exploration and development
  • Assists in hiring and managing the center’s staff, trains and supervises graduate students 
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Nicole DeLeon

Assistant Director of Employer Engagement
[email protected]
Phone: 212-853-4043

Areas of Responsibility

  • Primary point of contact for employers
  • Responsible for organizing employer information sessions and career fairs
  • Manages GSAS job and internship database in Symplicity

Writing Studio

Writing Studio
319M Lehman Library, International Affairs Building
420 W 118th St #328
New York, NY 10027

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Lauren Sperandio Phelps

Director of GSAS Writing Studio
[email protected] 
212-853-4395

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Oversees all activities of the GSAS Writing Studio, a space dedicated to supporting Arts and Sciences doctoral students in the process of writing the dissertation
  • Designs and facilitates writing support programming, including workshops, events, writing groups, and peer consultations.
  • Hires, trains, and mentors staff of graduate peer writing consultants.
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Anna Waller

Assistant Director of GSAS Writing Studio
[email protected]

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Supports all activities of the GSAS Writing Studio, a space dedicated to supporting Arts and Sciences doctoral students in the process of writing the dissertation
  • Coordinates events, workshops, and consultations
  • Administers policies and manages the space

Financial Aid

Financial Aid
107 Low Memorial Library, MC 4304
535 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
[email protected]
(212) 854-3808

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Kate Jenkins

Senior Director of Financial Aid and Admissions
[email protected]
(212) 853-4338

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Oversees Financial Aid and Admissions offices
  • Collaborates with administrators in the School of International and Public Affairs, the Graduate School of Architecture and the various institutes affiliated with the Graduate School.
  • Advises students on financing options and debt management; performs needs analyses and award determinations for federal Title IV and private loan programs for PhD students.
  • Administrative oversight for FISAP
  • Coordination of NYSED Report
Tom Tarduogno
Tom Tarduogno

Director of Financial Aid
[email protected]
(212) 854-3809

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Financial Aid liaison with Natural Sciences departments (see list of departments here)
  • Coordinating official for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
  • Advises students on financing options and debt management; performs needs analyses and award determinations for federal Title IV and private loan programs
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Sandra Peters

Senior Associate Director of Financial Aid
[email protected]
(212) 854-6725

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Advises students on financing options and debt management; performs needs analyses and award determinations for federal Title IV and private loan programs
  • Administrative oversight of Title IV and private student loan programs, and the Summer Tuition Fellowship
  • Financial Aid liaison to Social Science and Humanities departments (see list of departments here)
  • Coordinating official for the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship Program
Alina Matthews
Alina Matthews

Financial Aid and Admissions Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
(212) 853-5120

Areas of Responsibility:

  • General administrative support to the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Admissions
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Tim Barnum

Senior Associate Director of Financial Aid
[email protected]

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Financial Aid liaison to Social Science and Humanities Departments (see list of departments here)
  • Advises students on financing options and debt management; performs needs analyses and award determinations for federal Title IV and private loan programs for PhD students.

     

Admissions

Admissions
107 Low Library, MC 4303
535 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
[email protected]
(212) 854-6729

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Coral Mercedes

Acting Director of Admissions Operations
[email protected]
(212) 854-6729

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Supervision of the Office of Admissions
  • Admissions data reporting
  • Communications to prospective and admitted students
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Anna Marie Tallman

Graduate Admissions Manager
[email protected]
(212) 851-9919

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Graduate admission support to faculty, department administrators, and applicants
  • Application software maintenance and support
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Marisa Phillip

Admissions Officer
[email protected]
(212) 854-6729

Areas of Responsibility:

  • General administrative support to the Office of Admissions and Office of Financial Aid

Communications

Communications
107 Low Library, MC 4306
535 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
[email protected]

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Jessica Vitkus

Senior Manager of Communications Operations
[email protected]
(212) 853-4444

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Write and edit website, publications, blog, advertising campaigns, print materials, email communications, and social media channels.
  • Receive media inquiries.
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Yasmin Majeed

Manager of Communications Operations
[email protected]
(212) 854-2889

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Production and design for all GSAS communications
  • Management of mailings and newsletters
  • Maintenance of the GSAS website and other digital channels

Alumni Relations and Development

Alumni Relations
109 Low Library, MC 4306
535 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
[email protected]

Development
Columbia Alumni Center
622 West 113th Street, MC 4525
New York, NY 10025

 

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Erin Z. Hussein

Director of Alumni Relations and Development
(212) 854-6728
[email protected]

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Oversees alumni engagement and annual fund marketing initiatives of the Graduate School 
  • Creates events and services that enhance alumni engagement with GSAS
  • Coordinates volunteer leaders, including the Board of the GSAS Alumni Association
  • Manages staff in the Office of Alumni Relations and Development
  • Produces GSAS Convocations

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Elizabeth Thompson

GSAS Leadership Gift Officer
(212) 851-7855
[email protected]

 

Information Technology

Information Technology
107 Low Library
535 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
[email protected]

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Amirreza Barin

Director of Information Technology and Data Analytics
[email protected]
(212) 854-0504

Areas of Responsibility:

  • Oversight of IT functions for the administrative units of the Graduate School
  • Data Reporting and Analytics