Reporting to President Sian Leah Beilock and working in partnership with campuswide constituencies, González Stokas will lead strategic initiatives that cultivate a more inclusive and equitable learning environment. She will join Barnard in July 2019, as the 129-year-old college welcomes its most diverse and selective admitted class in its history. Barnard students come from nearly every state and close to 60 countries, with about half identifying as women of color, and 13% as first-generation college students.
As Barnard’s Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, González Stokas will report directly to President Beilock and be an integral part of the College’s senior leadership team. She will chair the Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and work closely with the dean of faculty diversity and development and the executive director for equity, among others, to envision and actualize programs that promote diversity, establish accountability, and support inclusivity among Barnard’s community.
González Stokas brings a wealth of experience to Barnard as a committed educator and researcher. She has worked as an administrator, faculty member, and scholar of philosophy and education, with a proven track record of being dedicated to equity and access. González Stokas currently serves as the Dean of Inclusive Excellence at Bard College in New York and oversees a variety of programs and initiatives. She was instrumental in identifying working groups to establish a clear and strategic vision for Pell-eligible and DACA students. She also supports the development and institutionalization of student-initiated projects and created the Alexander Gilson Place for interracial and intercultural dialogue. Prior to her role at Bard, she was an assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies at Guttman Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY).
González Stokas has a B.A. in philosophy and studio arts from Bard College. She earned her Ph.D in philosophy and education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her doctoral research examined the intersections of aesthetics, education, and inequality. Her professional affiliations include the American Philosophical Association, the Caribbean Studies Association, the Philosophy of Education Society, the Latin American Philosophy of Education Society, the Caribbean Philosophical Association, and the American Educational Research Association.
As JTS’s vice chancellor for communications and external affairs, Elise Dowell guides the institution’s strategic communications, oversees external relations, and serves as an ambassador for JTS to the public. Elise, who joined JTS in 2002, was named chief communications officer in 2008. She has implemented a major rebranding initiative, enhanced JTS’s digital presence, and upgraded the recruitment marketing program. The work of the communications department has been recognized as the recipient of two Emmy Awards (Eternal Light: A Historical Retrospective and And the Gates Opened: Women in the Rabbinate). Prior to her role at JTS, Elise held positions in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors, including the Environmental Defense Fund and APL Digital, an Interpublic Group agency. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BBA from Emory University.
Rev. Daniel O’Reilly is pastor of Corpus Christi parish and also the Catholic chaplain at Columbia University. Fr. O’Reilly was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx. He attended Regis High School in New York City and majored in philosophy at Princeton University before entering the seminary for the Archdiocese of New York. After earning Master’s degrees in theology and divinity from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, he was ordained a priest in 2003 and appointed parochial vicar at Resurrection Church in Rye, New York. He has served as Director of Campus Ministry for the Archdiocese of New York, Spiritual Director for the St. John Neumann Seminary College in Yonkers, and Catholic Campus Minister at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx.
Loftin Flowers is the Associate Vice President for Government Relations and leads the University’s engagement and advocacy efforts with federal, state and city government. Loftin holds a B.A. in History from Haverford College and an M.P.A. from Columbia University. Prior to his role at Columbia, Loftin worked in Washington, DC at the national offices of the Children’s Defense Fund, the Democratic National Committee, and John Kerry’s 2004 campaign for President.
Matthew Camp is a government relations expert with 15 years of experience in politics, public policy, and advocacy and is currently the Director of Government Relations for Teachers College, Columbia University, where he cultivates relationships with government officials, develops innovative education programs, and secures funding for the College. He is also completing a Ph.D. in Politics & Education at Columbia University. In the past, Camp has taught political science at Columbia University, political advocacy at Teachers College, and SAT, ESL, GED/TASC courses though organizations including New York Cares, the New York Public Library, and Columbia Community Impact. He holds a Masters of Public Policy from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware with a double major in political science and psychology. Camp currently serves on boards of Community District 9 in Manhattan and Good Shepherd Services Springboard, and he volunteers with Broadway Community Church and Team Rubicon.
Paula Mayo is the President and Executive Director of The Interchurch Center, a position she has held since 2008. Ms. Mayo has over thirty years’ experience in the non-profit sector as a senior executive professional. Ms. Mayo has held prominent positions at United Way of New York City and South Street Seaport Museum, where she served as Executive Director for the last five years of her seventeen-year tenure. She has also held positions at Lincoln Center and the 92nd Street YM-YWHA. She holds degrees from Hunter College, and certifications in fundraising and real estate and property management from New York University. Ms. Mayo is a board member of The New York Women’s Agenda and National Executive Service Core Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Salvation Army, East Harlem Citadel Corps.
A proud Harlem native, Phoebe-Sade Arnold is Director of Community Affairs for Columbia University. Phoebe’s responsibilities include project tracking, constituency outreach, and oversight of special projects and programs that relate to matters of urban planning, land use, and community affairs. Working in conjunction with the Associate Vice President of Planning and Community Affairs, Phoebe attends Community Board meetings, public and private forums, and other community oriented events on behalf of the University. Phoebe’s portfolio also includes managing the University’s portion of the West Harlem Development Corporation in-kind space process. Phoebe received her Bachelors in Political Science from the State University of New York College at Old Westbury, and her Master’s in Public Administration from Baruch College.
The Rev. Michael Livingston is the Executive Minister at the Riverside Church in Manhattan. He is the former Interfaith Worker Justice National Policy Director and served as the Director of IWJ’s Washington, D.C. office from 2012 until 2014. He served as IWJ’s voice in the halls of Congress and with coalitions advocating for national policies that advance the rights of working families. Prior to IWJ, the Rev. Livingston spent years in executive leadership in the context of deep ecumenical and interfaith engagement with the International Council of Community Churches (ICCC) and the National Council of Churches (NCC). His leadership with the National Council of Churches took him around the world on missions of peacemaking, reconciliation, interfaith dialog and prophetic engagement. The Rev. Livingston is a graduate of theological education at Princeton Theological Seminary. He began his ministry in service to two congregations, first in Los Angeles, then in New York City.
Robin Reese joined the Union Theological Seminary as its new Vice President of Communications and Marketing. Reese’s responsibilities include public relations, marketing, digital strategy, and internal communications. Reese joins Union from Emory University where she served as director of communications for the Emory Brain Health Center where she managed all communications planning and strategy, as well as media relations and crisis communications. She also worked closely with the marketing lead to build integrated plans aimed at growing volume and increasing awareness. Reese joined Emory in 2013 and initially served as part of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center team providing multimedia strategy, executive media training, and media relations.
Appointed in 1993, Virginia Connor is the longest serving female head of an ongoing school in New York City through her role as Head of School at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s. Virginia has taught every elementary grade and has been a director of lower school, a director of middle school, an admission officer, and a director of curriculum development. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Childhood Education from Wheelock College and her Master’s from Teachers College, Columbia University. Currently, she serves on the Board of Trustees of The Brearley School, the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), and the Independent School Admission Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY).
Virginia Ryan has worked in the Barnard College’s Office of the General Counsel since June 2014. Prior to that, she practiced at Fordham Law School for 6 years doing Public Finance transactions. She switched her focus to Higher Education Law and worked at Fordham University Office of the General Counsel and then at Columbia University in an administrative role. She works closely with the offices of the Dean of the College, Dean of Studies, Residential Life, Disability Services, and also on faculty matters. Virginia has lived in NYC’s Upper West Side for 24 years and has maintained a longstanding personal connection to the Morningside Heights neighborhood. Two of her children attended the Riverside Church Weekday School and one attended the Barnard College Toddler Program, and Ryan herself attended Barnard College before going on to Fordam Law School. She very much enjoys the Morningside Heights community and looks forward to the opportunity to work with the Morningside Area Alliance.