People
Dr. Martin A. A. Schoonen, Interim Dean
Dr. Schoonen, a member of the Stony Brook University faculty since 1989, was named Interim Dean in August 2006. Schoonen is Professor of Geochemistry in the Department of Geosciences at Stony Brook and also holds an adjunct appointment at Penn State's Astrobiology Research Center and was Assistant Director of the Long Island Ground Water Research Unit at Stony Brook from 1994 to 2002.
Dr. Schoonen holds degrees from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and earned his doctorate from Penn State. A specialist in the reactivity of minerals, he has more than 90 publications to his name and is co-Editor in Chief of Geochemical Transactions, a leading journal in the field. Schoonen has conducted extensive studies of the groundwater of Long Island, and contribute to the development of the Central Pine Barrens Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
As Associate Vice President for Research, a position Schoonen held from 2001 to 2006, he fostered the growth of cross disciplinary teams and launched a number of new research initiatives. Under his direction, Stony Brook won a multi-million award to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq, establishing environmental health and science resources at three universities in that country.
Michael McHale, Assistant Dean
Mr. McHale assumed the position of Assistant Dean in January, 2007. Prior to his present appointment, he was Deputy Director of Enrollment & Retention Management at Stony Brook University from 1998 to 2006.
He has taught first-year transition courses at Stony Brook and served in several other administrative capacities at SBU since 1977. He co-edited "The Answer Book", an award-winning Counselor Manual for New York State High School Guidance Counselors in 1980.
Mr. McHale attended Pennsylvania State University and the University of Bridgeport, where he completed his undergraduate degree in Sociology and Psychology as well as numerous graduate courses.
John J. Noonan, Dean of Admissions
Following a nationwide search, John Noonan was hired as the Dean of Admissions in February, 2007.
Prior to his appointment at Stony Brook Southampton, Mr. Noonan held various key administrative positions at a number of private institutions. These positions included Director of Admissions, Dean of Admissions, and Vice President and Executive Dean of Enrollment Management.
Mr. Noonan has been involved in admissions for more than 35 years and has spoken and written extensively on admissions and enrollment issues. Mr. Noonan holds a Bachelor's degree in English from Iona College and a Master's degree in Corporate and Political Communications from Fairfield University.
Rohan Howell, Assistant Director of Admissions
Rohan Howell was appointed Assistant Director of Admissions at Stony Brook Southampton in February, 2007.
Prior to his appointment at Stony Brook Southampton, Mr. Howell was the Assistant Director of Enrollment Services for Admissions and Recruitment at Dowling College where he was employed for six years. He was also the Assistant Coach of the Dowling women's basketball team for seven seasons.
Mr. Howell has extensive experience in the recruitment and advisement of new and transfer students. He holds membership in a number of regional and national professional organizations. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Airway Science Management and an MBA and post-Master's certificate in Total Quality Management from Dowling College.
Anamaria Cobo de Paci, Dean of Students
Ms. Cobo de Paci became Dean of Students in July 2007 and will develop programs centered on Stony Brook Southampton's curriculum of sustainability. She holds a master's degree in Student Personnel Administration and Counseling from New York University and a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts and Business Administration from Saint John's University.
Ms. Cobo de Paci has served as an administrator at Swarthmore College, Columbia University, New York University, University of Alaska Anchorage and City University of New York Baruch College. Additionally, she has had a distinguished career of 16 years in higher education as an administrator, counselor, leadership trainer, researcher and consultant.
Prior to her position as Dean of Students at Stony Brook Southampton, she served as Director for the Center for Hispanic Excellence, Vice Provost/Student Intervention Service Team Member and Student Conduct Advisor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Susan Ulrich, Associate Director of the Academic, Career and Internship Office
Ms. Ulrich has more than two decades of experience in both public education (K-12) and private higher education. She was most recently the Associate Director of the Career Center and Cooperative Education at Southampton College of Long Island University, where she counseled students and coordinated all aspects of marketing the cooperative education program. Prior to that, Ms. Ulrich served as the Associate Director of Admissions for LIU-Southampton, where she was responsible for the recruitment, interviewing and counseling of prospective applicants.
An East End resident for over 20 years, Ms. Ulrich has earned graduate degrees in School Counseling and Educational Administration and Leadership. As Associate Director of the Academic, Career and Internship Office, Ms. Ulrich will help students succeed in their undergraduate programs through proper advisement and counseling, aiding them in obtaining relevant experiential education opportunities which result in their achievement of either their dream job or goal of graduate school.
Sherrille Shabazz, Coordinator of Residential Life
Sherrille Shabazz received a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts with a double major in Public Relations and English Writing Arts, and a Master's degree in English Literature from the State University of New York at Oswego.
While working on her Master's degree, Sherrille was an Assistant Hall Director for two years at SUNY Oswego. She later became a Residence Hall Director at Stony Brook University for two years.
Diane Redo, Coordinator of Campus Recreation and Student Activities
Diane Redo received her Bachelor's of Business Administration-Marketing from Dowling College. From there she joined the Dowling community as Coordinator of Residence Life and Student Activities while completing her MBA in Management. Prior to her appointment at Stony Brook Southampton, Redo was the Associate Director of Student Leadership and Activities at Hofstra University where she served as the advisor to multiple clubs and managed Hofstra’s Spirit Support program.
Ms. Redo has more than seven years experience in Student Activities and Student Government. While at St. Joseph's College, she worked in conjunction with the Campus Activities Board to raise more than $10,000 for the Grace Peshkur Foundation Inc. While at Hofstra University, she was named Faculty Advisor of the year in 2006 by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and became an honorary member of Delta Chi Delta Sorority. As a student at Dowling College, Redo was the Student Government President from 1998-2000 and also served as the Lieutenant Governor for Circle K International's Suffolk Division. Currently she is on the Dowling College Alumni Council.
Megan Williams, Conferences and Events Specialist
Megan Williams previously spent the past 2 1/2 years at Stony Brook University as the Facilities Scheduler for the Student Activities Center and Stony Brook Union, which manages 11,000 events per year for University Departments and External Organizations. She has a B.S. in Business Management with a concentration in Marketing from Boston University and a Certificate in Meeting and Event Planning from San Francisco State University. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Human Resource Management at Stony Brook. At Stony Brook, she was directly involved with staging Earthstock, the Cal Ripken Baseball Coaching clinic, the Alice Walker Provost Lecture, the Celebrity Chef demo, Admissions open houses and the Pediatric Oncology Rising Stars Talent Show.
Robert Reeves is the director of the Writers Conference and of the MFA Program in Writing and Literature at Stony Brook Southampton.
Mr. Reeves is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, both published by Crown, as well as short fiction, essays, and literary criticism. Kirkus Review hailed Doubting Thomas as "a zesty, classy original," and Patricia Holt of the San Francisco Chronicle called Peeping Thomas "funny, disturbing, and brilliant."
Reeves, an associate professor in the English Department at Stony Brook University, has also taught writing at Harvard and Princeton.
Roger Rosenblatt, a Distinguished Professor in the English Department at Stony Brook University, teaches in the Writing Program at Stony Brook Southampton. A journalist, author, playwright, and teacher, he was the Edward R. Murrow Visiting Professor of the Practice of the Press and Public Policy at Harvard University and held the Parsons Family Chair at the Southampton Graduate Campus of Long Island University. His essays for The NewsHour on PBS have won a Peabody and an Emmy award. His essays for Time magazine have won two George Polk Awards, awards from the American Bar Association, the Overseas Press Club, and others.
A Fulbright scholar with five honorary doctorates, Rosenblatt has a Ph.D. from Harvard, where he taught writing and modern literature from 1968-73 and was, at age 29, the youngest House Master in Harvard's history. He is the author of ten books that have been published in 13 languages, including a collection of his writings, The Man in the Water, Coming Apart: A Memoir of the Harvard Wars of 1969, and the national bestseller, Rules for Aging. His Children of War (1983) won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Prize. His first novel, Lapham Rising, was published February, 2006.
Amy Borella, Admissions Counselor
Before coming to Stony Brook in October 2007, Amy Borella was an Admissions Representative for Briarcliffe College and Dowling College, where she worked with companies to bring the MBA and BBA programs to their locations. She earned a BA in History from Stony Brook University and an MBA in General Management from Dowling College. She is also an adjunct faculty member for Briarcliffe College, teaching Business courses both in-classroom and online.
Darren Johnson, Media Relations Manager
Johnson will be responsible for developing media relations strategies for the campus and promoting the academic achievements of its faculty, researchers, and students, as well as news on the creation of academic programs and construction projects. Johnson previously worked at Southampton College as Director of Public Relations and was most recently the Director of Communications at Touro Law Center, where he led the effort to reposition the law school and a new campus. A former journalist and winner of a New York Press Association Writer of the Year Award, Johnson has a M.F.A in Writing from Southampton College and lives in Riverhead with his wife and daughter.