Carrie Grogan Abbott
Director of New Student and Family Programs
Christine Ashby
Professor of Inclusive Special Education and Disability Studies
Nadine Austin
Budget Analyst, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost
Sarah Azria
Director of Benefits Strategy
Urvashi Bhattacharya
Director for Strategic Initiatives and Project Management for the Division of Business, Finance and Administrative Services
Lynn Brann
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies and the Department of Exercise Science
Mansi Brat
Clinical Therapist and Group Therapy Coordinator
Julia Carboni
Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration and International Affairs
Heather Coleman
Associate Professor of Biology
Melinda Dermody
Interim Associate Dean for Academic Success at Syracuse University Libraries
Amanda Eubanks Winkler
Professor of Music History and Cultures, and Chair of the Department of Art and Music Histories
Heidi Hehnly
Director of the Blatt Imaging Center, Associate Professor of Biology, Focus Group Leader for BioInspired
Alicia Madden
Director of Finance and Administration for the School of Information Studies
Katherine McDonald
Professor of Public Health and the Associate Dean of Research in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
Pam Mulligan
Executive Director, Alumni Engagement – New York City
Shikha Nangia
Associate Professor and Director of the Bioengineering Graduate Program in the Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Department
Jane Read
Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment; Director of the Maxwell School’s Environment, Sustainability and Policy Integrated Learning Major
Carol Ruffin
Director, Office of Academic and Career Advising in the College of Visual and Performing Arts
Stephanie Salanger
Director of Communications at the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families and Office of Veteran and Military Affairs
Yutaka Sho
Associate Professor of Architecture
Saba Siddiki
Associate Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs and a Senior Research Associate in the Center for Policy Research
Danielle Smith
Professor of African American Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Director of the Renée Crown University Honors Program
Emily Stokes-Rees
Director of the School of Design and the Iris Magidson Endowed Professor of Design Leadership
Erika Turner
Assistant Director of the Science, Tech, and Entry Program (STEP)
Robin Wade
Executive Director, Digital
Cohort Bios
Carrie Grogan Abbot
Carrie Grogan Abbott is a director of New Student and Family Programs. In this role, Carrie directs the work of University units associated with welcoming, orienting and supporting first-year and transfer students from entry into the University and throughout their first year. Carrie has over 20 years’ experience in higher education, with a focus in new student orientation, first-year experience, student transition, and large-scale operational logistics. During her tenure at Syracuse University, Carrie has also served roles in Study Abroad, Student Activities, Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, and Facilities Management. Originally from Bedford, NH, Carrie holds a master’s degree in higher education from Syracuse University, a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Ithaca College, and in July will receive a certificate in change management from Cornell University.
Christine Ashby
Christine Ashby, Ph.D. is Professor of Inclusive Special Education and Disability Studies at Syracuse University. She teaches across all levels of the program from undergraduate to doctoral, and coordinates the undergraduate Inclusive Elementary and Special Education Program and the Childhood Education Masters’ Program. She is also the Director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion, a disability-related research center that works to develop and implement initiatives promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of school and society—both locally and globally.
Professor Ashby's teaching and research focus on inclusive education broadly, with specific emphasis on supports for students with labels of autism and other developmental disabilities, communicative diversity, disability studies, and inclusive teacher preparation. Her work seeks to disrupt dominant notions of disability as deficiency and underscores the importance of considering the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities and creating contexts for competence in inclusive schools and communities. She has been awarded over 19 million dollars in external funding to support work related to improving outcomes for students with disabilities at all levels, communication and academic access, and teacher and scholar development. Ashby’s work has been published in journals including the Disability and Society, Intellectual and Developmental Disability, International Journal of Inclusive Education, Equity and Excellence in Education, and Teacher Education and Special Education. Her co-edited book, Enacting Change from Within: Disability Studies Meets Teaching and Teacher Education explores how disability studies can inform the practical work of teachers. She is also the co-editor of Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning.