Where R.A. Now‪?‬ Tom Ellett

In this the finale broadcast, Tom interviews three stalwarts of the NYU Residential Life and Housing Services team, Executive Directors Kate Baier, Neil Hanrahan and former Director of Residence Life (and now Director of Student Conduct & Community Standards, Craig Jolley.  But like all good finales their is a twist!  The podcast is stolen from the host.  What comes next...  take a listen.  A humbling moment.  Thank you NYU for the memories!

Chris Stipeck serves as the Director for Residential Staff & Programs in NYU Residential Life and Housing Services. Prior to this, he served in seven different roles that include hall positions in Hayden (Lipton), Carlyle Court, and 3rd North, and centrally as an Assistant Director for the Leased Properties then FYRE areas, and is in the first year of his current role. Chris also works on a research team for the Assessment of Collegiate Residential Environments and Outcomes (ACREO) – a national assessment to better understand the influence that living on-campus has on academic, social intellectual outcomes for students. He has presented and published research on topics related to developing intentionally inclusive communities (first-generation student support, Project Pay Attention), residential staff management (entry-level residential life staff burnout, mid-level management) and residential outcomes (the first-year experience, served as a faculty member for the ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute). Chris received a B.A. in History from Rutgers University-New Brunswick and then an M.A. and Ed.D in Higher Education Administration at NYU.

Therese Grande’s career in higher education spans over fifteen years at both public and private institutions and includes cross-functional experience in student affairs, curriculum and instruction, and institutional planning.  During her time at New York University, she served as a member of the Residential Peer Board, an RA in Third North and President of RA Council, a graduate assistant for Academic Initiatives in Residence Life, the ACDE/RHAD at Carlyle Court, and the Program Administrator for the FFIR, Explorations, and Residential College programs.  In her current role as the Student Life Coordinator at Golden West College (a community college in Huntington Beach, CA), she trains and advises student leaders, facilitates campus-wide programming, and helps foster an environment where students can meaningfully engage with peers, faculty, staff, and administration outside the classroom.  Therese is passionate about leveraging educational policy, institutional governance, and organizational structures to improve access and educational outcomes for students who have traditionally been underserved or marginalized by systemic inequities and has been recognized by the California Community Colleges Classified Senate and the American Association for Women in Community Colleges for her leadership in these areas.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from New York University, a master’s degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from California State University Long Beach, and is an alumni of the California Education Policy Fellowship program.

Andrew Schulte is a consumer technology leader, serving as Chief of Staff to the CEOs of both a Fortune 500 company and private company unicorn. Since 2007, Andrew has helped executives launch new products, build engaging company cultures, attract and retain top talent, communicate internally and externally, define corporate and product strategies, and establish critical processes and operations.

Today, Andrew serves as the Chief of Staff to the Chief Marketing Officer of Google.

Prior to his current role with Google, Andrew worked for real estate startup Opendoor, where he served as Chief of Staff to CEO Eric Wu during a period of rapid expansion and growth. During his time at Opendoor, Andrew was focused on driving structure, process, internal communications, and coaching and development for the leadership team. Throughout Andrew’s contributions at Opendoor, headcount tripled to nearly 2,000 employees across more than 20 geographic markets, and the enterprise value doubled to $3.8B within his first year.

Prior to Opendoor, Andrew joined Yahoo in 2012 as Chief of Staff to CEO Marissa Mayer. Throughout his 5 years at Yahoo, Andrew focused on bringing energy and growth to one of the web's pioneering brands. Reporting to Marissa, Andrew hired and mentored a "SWOT team" focused on corporate strategy, executive communications, company goals and operations and employee engagement initiatives. He worked closely with product and functional executives to develop and communicate yearly strategic plans, ultimately achieving substantial product simplification, 650MM+ monthly active mobile users, more than $2B in GAAP revenue, and Yahoo’s lowest operating cost structure in more than a decade.

Andrew effectively started his career at Google in 2007, where he worked across a number of roles, including advertising sales, executive communications, and product marketing. During his 5 years at Google, he helped drive the communications and marketing plans for numerous search launches, keynotes, digital campaigns, and highly visible events reaching all employees and more than 5 million users.

Andrew graduated Cum Laude from New York University's Stern School of Business, with a double major in marketing and management, and a minor in Journalism. Andrew resides in San Francisco with his husband Todd, and their labradoodle, Edgar. On the weekends you can find Andrew creating artwork with computer circuits, teaching himself piano, or hiking and biking north of the city.

Since 2011, Cameron Myler has been a member of the faculty at New York University's Tisch Institute for Global Sports, where her teaching and research is focused on legal and governance issues in Olympic and international sport. Cameron teaches students in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. After retiring from Olympic competition, Cameron attended Boston College Law School. She practiced law for a decade in New York City, first at Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy and then at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. Cameron represented Olympic athletes, sports organizations and executives in regulatory, eligibility, anti-doping and ethics matters. Cameron was a member of the U.S. National Luge Team for 14 years, won the National Championships seven times, was named U.S. Female Luge Athlete of the Year nine times, and had the good fortune of representing the United States at four Olympic Games. In 1994, Cameron was elected by her teammates to carry the American flag at the Opening Ceremonies, which was both humbling and exciting. During her tenure on the National Team, she also won 11 World Cup medals.

Trace Jordan is the Faculty Fellow-in-Residence in Senior House at West 13th Street. He is a Clinical Professor and Director of the Foundations of Science Inquiry program in the College Core Curriculum. In addition to offering science courses in the Core Curriculum, he teaches a CAS First-Year Seminar entitled “What is College For?” He is a three-time recipient of the Golden Dozen Teaching Award from CAS and received an FAS Teaching Innovation Award in 2020.  Trace earned a BSc in Applied Physics and an MSc in Laser Physics from the University of Essex (UK), an MA in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in Chemistry from Princeton University. He is a first-generation college student and a founding member of the Proud to be First initiative in CAS.  Trace plays the drums and enjoys performing at residence hall open mic nights!

Michael Sean Funk is a proud alumnus of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, where he received his M.A. from the Department of Administration, Leadership, and Technology. In 2012, he received his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Social Justice Education program. His dissertation, Making Something of It, explores The Untold Stories of Promising Black Males at a Predominately White Institution of Higher Education. He currently serves as coordinator of the M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Program where he teaches courses including Diversity in Higher Education, Leadership in Higher Education, Foundations of Higher Education, Internship Seminar, and Undergraduate Advising. University-wide, Dr. Funk resides as a Faculty Fellow in Residence at the first-year residence hall, Founders. Michael is also a Steinhardt Knowledge Partner that works with faculty to support efforts toward creating inclusive classroom settings. Additionally, he contributes as an Alternative-Senator for the Continuing Faculty Senate Council (C-FSC). Some of Dr. Funk’s noteworthy accomplishments and most proud moments include: receiving the Star Award in 2017 from NYU's Graduate Student Organization; selection into the inaugural cohort of the NASPA 2016, Emerging Faculty Leader Academy; recipient of the Senior Bertha Reynolds Fellowship at Smith College School for Social Work; Distinguished Teaching Award in 2011 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and induction into his High School Hall of Fame for his work surrounding issues of social justice.

Jeff Benjamin has been Billboard's K-Pop Columnist since 2013 and a leading authority and expert on international-pop music in the American media for years. The 2012 New York University graduate has written about K-pop for a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, GQ, ABC News, MTV, Forbes, NPR, Apple Music, and more. A double major in music and journalism from the College of Arts and Science, his expertise in international music trends has led him to commentator roles on CNN, Good Morning America, E! News, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, BBC and other major international outlets. In 2019, he joined the KBS World variety show 'We K-Pop,' reaching more than 100 million viewers in 120 countries weekly with his segments filmed in his home of New York City, leading ArirangTV to declare him "just as famous as any other K-pop star among K-pop fans." The New York Times has called Jeff "the leading American authority on K-pop,” while CNN said he is "the perfect person to talk about K-pop."

Daniel Spector is a theater teacher, director, and acting coach.  He is a Distinguished Teacher Tisch, where is also director of The Classical Studio.  He is a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and is an alumnus of the Broadway Theatre Project. He has served as a consultant to PBS on matters Shakespearean, moderated Artist Talks at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, led workshops and spoken at numerous conferences around the world, and produced many readings of new plays. A frequent collaborator in the classroom, he has taught with Alec Baldwin, Louis Scheeder, and Tim Carroll.

Lynne Haney is a Professor of Sociology and Director of the Law and Society program. She also serves as Faculty Director of Curricular Innovation and Diversity in CAS. She has been at NYU for 22 years, coming here straight out of graduate school at UC Berkeley. She teaches courses in Research Methods, Sex and Gender, and Law/Punishment--and has directed the Presidential Scholars Prague group for over 14 years. Her research has taken her into the welfare and prison systems in both the United States and Eastern Europe. She has published four books and co-edited three book collections. She is currently finishing a new book on the intersection of mass incarceration and child support enforcement--and how it shapes men’s lives as fathers.

Jim Calder is the Head of Movement at Tisch Graduate Acting Department, winner of the David Payne Carter Excellence in Teaching Award - Tisch School of the Arts. Artistic Director of La Pietra Summer Theatre Festival – Florence, Italy, Directed works in New York City at Lincoln Center Institute, Pearl Theatre, Classic Stage Company, with workshop presentations at The Public, New York Theater Workshop and HERE. Jim has been a movement consultant on Pericles at Berkeley Rep, (Director Mark Wing-Davey), Passion Play by Sarah Ruhl (Director Mark Wing-Davey) and Therese Raquin staring Keira Knightley, (director Evan Cabnet) on Broadway. Jim has performed at The Old Globe, P.S. 122, and through out Europe with Treato De La Grappe. He was the lead actor and creative consultant in PBS’s Noddy & Friends TV. Jim trained at Ecole Jacques and performed under the direction of Jacques LeCoq in numerous TV specials in France.

Joan Harmon is a visual artist and art professor at CUNY.