Provost's Office Associates

A   B   C  D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P    Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z

Director of Special Projects, Institutional Research

Kristen Balonek ’s responsibilities include collecting, verifying, and submitting data for federal and state reporting requirements, and providing support related to the Student Information System and the centralized Student Data Warehouse.   She also takes a lead role in the design and delivery of a variety of studies requested by the Provost.   Before joining the Provost’s Office in 2008, she worked as an Information Analyst in the Research Subjects Review Board for five years.

Kristen recently graduated from the Warner School of Education with a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration.   She enjoys traveling with her husband, taking walks with her three dogs, and learning Italian.

Phone: (585) 275-8063

Director, Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership

Since 1999, Nora Bredes has planned and directed all Anthony Center programs and events, including lecture series, the annual Susan B. Anthony Legacy Dinner, and the Stanton/Anthony Conversations during Meliora Weekend.   Along with these recurring annual events, the Anthony Center has sponsored a statewide policy summit for women elected to local office, a history conference about the life and times of Susan B. Anthony, and, in 2006, "100 Years Since Susan B.," a year-long, community-wide examination of women’s progress since Susan B. Anthony’s death in 1906.   Nora also teaches "Women in Politics" each fall.

Nora received a B.S. from Cornell University and studied Family and Community Education at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College.   Both educational programs helped her explore how inspired, competent leaders can transform communities and improve families’ lives.   She worked for ten years guiding a legal intervention to prevent operation of the Shoreham Nuclear Plant on Long Island.   In the course of this successful effort, Governor Cuomo appointed her a founding trustee of the Long Island Power Authority.   She served from 1992-1998 as a Suffolk County (LI, NY) Legislator.   Major legislative accomplishments included a countywide ban on tobacco use in public places and a $60 million Greenway fund to preserve open space, farms, and parkland.

Nora is determined to “run her age” over the week of her birthday each year – a feat that her husband reminds her will only get harder.   Nevertheless, she trains consistently in order to be ready for each additional year.   Nora also enjoys swimming, hiking, and gardening – especially when she can keep the Bushnell’s Basin deer away from her daylilies.   Nora’s volunteer work includes board membership with the Center for Youth and the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee.   She served for five years as trustee and then congregational president of Rochester’s First Unitarian Church.   Nora’s husband works for a new joint venture developing alternative fuels, especially cellulosic ethanol.   Their two older sons are off at school pursuing economics, English, and soccer, and their youngest son is a quintessential middle schooler – really good at texting.    Their Old English sheepdog and cat also keep them company.

Phone: (585) 275-9283

Assistant Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity; and President's Special Projects Researcher

Maggie Cassie joined the Provost’s Office in 2006, working with Vice Provost Lynne Davidson to implement the faculty diversity initiative.   She also works on special projects and research for the president and maintains the University’s diversity website.

Maggie has a masters degree in Sustainable International Development.   She was a Peace Corps volunteer in China from 2000-2002 and speaks Mandarin Chinese.   She loves to travel and enjoys the outdoors and hiking.   Maggie spends most of her summers on her boat on Canandaigua Lake.

Phone: (585) 275-0792

Associate Provost and Director, Office for Human Subject Protection

Gary Chadwick joined the Provost's Office in 2002.    The Office for Human Subject Protection is the University’s locus for the ethical review of all research that involves humans as subjects.   These projects vary from research on records (e.g., educational or medical) to clinical trials of new drugs and medical devices.   Gary serves on several national and international boards and committees.   Dr. Chadwick also holds a joint appointment as Professor of Clinical Community and Preventive Medicine and as Professor of Medical Humanities in the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Before joining the faculty at the University in 1996, Dr. Chadwick was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service for over 26 years.   He served in many PHS agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health.   Dr. Chadwick earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the Ohio State University, his Doctor of Pharmacy in clinical psychopharmacology from the University of Tennessee-Memphis, and his Masters in Public Health (ethics and health care administration) from the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland.

Gary is an avid wildlife photographer and has taken several nature trips to photograph animals in their natural habitats.   His favorite subjects are polar bears and Atlantic puffins.   He also enjoys photographing the many wild animals and birds in the Rochester and Western New York area.

Phone: (585) 273-4631

Administrative Assistant

Mary Ann Davis joined the Provost’s Office staff in 1996. She performs administrative duties associated with faculty development and social events to welcome and orient new faculty to Rochester. She assists with programs that support faculty making the transition to department chair or assistant dean, and helps coordinate the multidisciplinary seminars now known as the Phelps Colloquia. She supervises student employees, administers commencement awards and prizes, including honorary degrees, maintains the website for the University Intercessor, and supports the Senior Associate Provost on the Rochester Surround Care Community project, Higher Education Recruitment Consortium , and the University Council on Sustainability.

Before joining the University, Mary Ann worked as the Executive Assistant for the Regional Vice President of American Express for seven years, for the Branch Manager of Xerox Corporation, and for the Deputy Director of Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital for seven years. She attended the University of Toledo, earning a dual associate's degree with high honors, with concentrations in business and paralegal studies. In her spare time, Mary Ann enjoys reading, music, volunteering, and loves spending time with her family and her black lab, Ani.

Phone: (585) 273-4765

Assistant Provost for Institutional Research

Vini Falciano joined the Provost’s Office in 2006 and serves as the Assistant Provost for Institutional Research.   As factoid repository and data conduit, he is liaison to the Association of American Universities, peer universities, and the Consortium on Financing Higher Education.

Studying molecular biology as a College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate brought him to the River Campus in 1981, and he has worked here ever since.   As a researcher in Dermatology, he sequenced and published the University’s first full coding of a gene sequence.   After again hopping Elmwood Avenue to conduct research in Biology, he then entered academic administration in the School of Medicine and Dentistry and developed the University’s first secure, online application for graduate admission.

Considered to have a green thumb, Vini is an animal lover, usually art-starved, and completely epicurious.   He is interested in anything automotive and will take anything apart to see how it works.

Phone: (585) 275-2806

Associate Vice Provost, University Information Technology - Academic & Research

University IT - Academic & Research provides leadership and services that support the teaching and research missions of the university.   Program areas include the Center for Research Computing, the Educational Technology Center, Classroom Technology, Web Services, Executive and Desktop Support, and the University IT Center which supports faculty, staff, and students.   Prior to coming to the University of Rochester in 2005, Eric Fredericksen served as Director of Academic Technology & Media Services at Cornell University, where he helped guide the use of contemporary technologies to support research, outreach, and teaching and learning in and out of the classroom.   Before Cornell, Eric was the Assistant Provost for Advanced Learning Technology in the Office of the Provost in SUNY System Administration where he directed the nationally recognized SUNY Learning Network, winner of the Educause Award for Systemic Progress in Teaching and Learning.   Eric was also a Principal Investigator for three multi-year, multi-million dollar grants on Asynchronous Learning Networks from the Sloan Foundation. His national leadership in online education was also recently recognized by the Sloan Foundation.

Eric received his BA in Mathematics from Hobart College, his MBA from the Simon Graduate School of Business, his MS in Curriculum Development & Instructional Technology at the University at Albany, and his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the Warner School of Education.   He also teaches in the Department of Educational Leadership.

Eric’s greatest joy is spending time with his wife, Mercedes, and his two sons – Jack and Dane.   Eric is a youth coach for the CYP basketball program in Pittsford and enjoys playing basketball with colleagues in the Palestra.

Phone: (585) 273-1714

Vice Provost and Andrew H. & Janet Dayton Neilly Dean, River Campus Libraries

Susan Gibbons began working at the University in 2000 and became part of the Provost’s Office in 2008.   She oversees the activities of all libraries on the River Campus.   In addition to building extensive research collections to support the teaching, learning, and research activities of the University, the Libraries have a national reputation for designing robust technologies, services, and facilities to improve library research based on user-centered design.   The River Campus Libraries also include the University Archives and the Department of Rare Books & Special Collections.

Susan has masters degrees in Library Science and History from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts.   She is currently completing a doctorate with a focus in higher education leadership.   Most of her non-work activities center on her two young daughters, who are constant reminders of what is really important in life.   Susan enjoys traveling to anyplace warm and sunny and she is a voracious reader of non-fiction books.

Phone: (585) 275-4461

Editorial Director, University of Rochester Press

Suzanne Guiod joined the University of Rochester Press as Editorial Director in 2004, having served as publisher, Arcadia Publishing, and managing editor of the Encyclopedia of New England (Yale University Press, 2005).   The position of Editorial Director transferred to the University and the auspices of the Provost’s Office in July of 2007.   In this position, Suzanne leads and oversees the publishing program of the University of Rochester Press, working with the Press’s faculty editorial board and series editors to identify superior book projects in the disciplines of musicology and music theory, modern European and East/Central European history, African history and cultural studies, and the history of medicine.   In addition to working with editors and authors, she supervises peer review procedures; coordinates with production and marketing colleagues to ensure the success of Press publications; monitors developments in traditional and emerging publishing technologies and copyright law; and represents the University of Rochester Press at academic conferences and to the Association of American University Presses, of which it is a member.   She promotes the strategic growth of the Press and its alignment with the strengths of the University, particularly in the humanities and social sciences.

Suzanne holds an MA in English from the University of New Hampshire and is a graduate of the Scholarly Publishing Program at Arizona State University.   A native of Boston, Suzanne in her spare time is an avid cyclist and runner, and lover of the visual, performing, literary, and culinary arts, with an appetite for travel – both the actual and armchair varieties.

Phone: (585) 273-5778

Director, Memorial Art Gallery

While providing conceptual leadership for the art museum, the director helps determine and plan the overall direction and goals of the museum.   Major areas of responsibility for Grant Holcomb include fundraising, the acquisition and preservation of world art, the planning of exhibitions, and the establishment of educational programs that engage the community at large.   He has a Ph.D. in Art History and was Assistant Professor of Art History at Mount Holyoke College.   Before joining the University in 1985, Grant served as curator of the Delaware Art Museum and the San Diego Museum of Art, as assistant director of the Timken Art Museum, and participated in the J. Paul Getty Museum Management Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.

Grant has five “coast to coast” children.   Favorite activities include tennis and basketball.   He is a community volunteer at Mt. Hope Cemetery and at Genesee Country Museum and Village.    Professional associations in which he is active include the Arts and Cultural Council, the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Arts, Culture and Entertainment, and the Accreditation Committee of the Association of American Museums.   Grant is currently working on an exhibition (“Lincoln in Rochester) and two books (“They Call Me Billy Pilgrim: The Life of Edward R. Crone” and “The Gentle Poet of the Slums: The Life and Art of Jerome Myers”).

Phone: (585) 276-8902

Vice Provost and University Dean of Graduate Studies
Professor of Political Science

Bruce Jacobs has been part of the Provost’s Office since 1999, but initially joined the University in 1973. He has various responsibilities related to Ph.D. programs throughout the University, including assigning doctoral dissertation defense chairs, monitoring program admissions and placement, supervising University-wide fellowship competitions, and measuring program impact. He serves as the University of Rochester’s Institutional Coordinator of the National Research Council’s assessment of doctoral programs. He also represents the University in various national organizations related to graduate education and has served on the governing boards of the Council of Graduate Schools, the Association of Graduate Schools (President), and the Graduate Record Examination (Executive Committee). Dean Jacobs helps direct the University's office of institutional research and carries out various studies for the Provost. His undergraduate degree was earned at MIT and he holds a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University. He is an active member of the Department of Political Science.

Dean Jacobs has superb seats for Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concerts and an extensive collection of classical, folk, and popular music recordings. He plays Scrabble regularly and takes as a compliment a top national competitor's judgment that he is a “pretty good living room player.”

Phone: (585) 275-3540

University Intercessor
Professor Emeritus, Counseling and Human Development

Frederick Jefferson is a behavioral scientist with extensive experience in the teaching and facilitation of personal, group, and organizational change, with an emphasis on understanding the influence of issues of human diversity on the change process.   As University Intercessor, Jefferson provides personal, team, and/or organizational consultation, coaching, and counseling services to faculty, staff, and student members of the University on personal, interpersonal, or organizational policy or procedural matters that are seen as a threat to the perceived well-being of an individual, group of individuals, or department.   He has been a part of the Provost’s Office since 1973.

Jefferson sings with the Finger Lakes Choral Festival chorus each summer, studies jazz piano, and is an average but avid golfer.   He is the recipient of several awards for his service to the community, among which are the James McCuller Award for Excellence sponsored by Action for a Better Community, Inc. and the Hannah G. Solomon Humanitarian Award made by the National Council of Jewish Women.    He is currently serving as chairman of the board of directors for the Greater Rochester Chapter of the American Red Cross.   Jefferson is married to June, a retired nurse, and has 3 grown children and four grandchildren.

Phone: (585) 275-2867

Senior Counsel
Director, International Services Office

Cary joined the University in 1996 as associate legal counsel and currently oversees the immigration and related services for more than 2000 foreign national students and scholars currently studying and working at the University.   He previously served as Claims Counsel for United Educators Insurance and prior to that was associated with Rochester-based Nixon, Hargrave, Devans, & Doyle (now Nixon Peabody) in the firm's Not-for-Profit/Educational Services Practice Group.

Cary received his J.D. from Brigham Young University; he also received a B.A. in English from BYU and taught Freshman English/Composition while attending law school.   He is a member of the New York, Washington D.C., and U.S. Supreme Court bars.   A trained mediator and arbitrator, he currently team-teaches a course on conflict resolution.

A former Colorado River/Grand Canyon guide, he still enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking, biking, skiing, and ultimate frisbee.   He is an active Latter-day Saint (Mormon) and currently serves as the President of the Rochester Stake (a region roughly equivalent to a Catholic diocese).   Cary and his wife Suzy love to read and travel and look forward to doing more of both when their six children -- Kyle (18), Blaine (16), Samantha (13), Christian (12), Andrew (9), and Cameron (7) – are grown.

Phone: (585) 275-8928

Administrative Assistant and Events Coordinator

Karen Johnson began working in the Provost's Office in 2007.   Karen plans and staffs official events at the Provost’s residence and on campus, and supports the Provost's Office on other assignments as needed.   She is cross-trained on many of the responsibilities of the Provost's Office support staff and functions as a utility infielder for the office.

Prior to moving to Rochester with her husband, Karen worked at the University of Chicago for 28 years.   For the last 25 of those years, she was Executive Assistant to the Dean of the Booth School of Business.

In her spare time, Karen enjoys travel (especially in Italy), cooking (especially Italian), reading, movies, and exploring Rochester and things nearby.

Phone: (585) 275-2566

Provost and Executive Vice President

Ralph Kuncl was appointed Provost of the University of Rochester in August 2007.   He received his A.B. degree at Occidental College and his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago.   He completed postdoctoral fellowships at Johns Hopkins University, where he then built a faculty, research, teaching, and clinical career for twenty-two years, eventually rising to the position of Vice Provost.

Among his many honors, Dr. Kuncl held ACE Fellowships at both Johns Hopkins and at Bryn Mawr College, and received a Distinguished Service Award from the University of Chicago in 2002.   In national higher education leadership, he has been a member of the National Executive Board of The Reinvention Center since 2001, was a representative to the COFHE Assembly, served in various leadership positions in the American Neurological Association and its top journal, the Annals of Neurology, and currently serves as Director, Board of Directors, Tuition Plan Consortium, sponsor of The Independent 529 Plan.   His research interests include motor neuron pathobiology, neuromuscular disorders, drug development, and federal funding for higher education.

Provost Kuncl is a long-time supporter of the fine arts, and has performed professionally and volunteered with community ensembles.   For twenty years he performed in the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, one of the most respected professional choral groups in the mid-Atlantic region.   He is currently a member of the Eastman Rochester Chorus.

Phone: (585) 275-5931

Vice Provost and Chief Information Officer

Dave Lewis reports to the Provost as the Senior University Information Technology (IT) Officer and also oversees the University's Information Technology organization.   He provides broad leadership for the extensive and diverse information technology initiatives required by a leading research university.

As the primary hub for IT programs and initiatives, the Office of the CIO engages constituents University-wide to ensure that all IT services align with the institution's missions of teaching, research, patient care, performance, and community service.   A key objective is to build collaborative relationships across the University to create integrated, secure, and dependable IT systems and practices that support efficient and cost-effective distribution of information across the University community.

Lewis joined the University of Rochester in 1997.   He has an extensive background leading information technology organizations, including developing and integrating complex IT infrastructures into higher education and health care environments.   Lewis is experienced in collaborating with University faculty on projects relating to research, and teaching and learning initiatives that require technology support.   He has been at the leading edge of developing sustainable cost recovery models for funding information technology infrastructure.

Lewis is active in many national and regional initiatives including Educause, NYSERNet, Internet2, and Association for Communications Technology
Professionals in Higher Education.    He received both his bachelor's degree in Organizational Development and his master's degree in Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University.    He is interested in community and team building as well as organizational dynamics and culture.   He enjoys all sports, building relationships, and most importantly, spending time with his family.

Phone: (585) 275-5240

Director, University Health Service
Associate Professor of Medicine

Ralph Manchester began working at the University in 1983, and became part of the Provost’s Office in 2002.   Ralph leads the University Health Service (including the University Counseling Center).   He sees patients approximately half-time, and supervises Medicine Residents in their clinic one-half day per week.   He’s also the editor of the journal Medical Problems of Performing Artists. Ralph earned a BS in Chemistry, magna cum laude, from Tufts University in 1975 and his MD from the University of Vermont in 1979.    His Internal Medicine Residency training (including a Chief Resident year) was completed at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in 1983.

Ralph and his wife, Cynthia Christy, MD, have three children, as well as dogs, cats, and a horse.   He serves on the board of the American College Health Foundation.   In his free time, he enjoys training for and competing in sprint and Olympic distance triathlons.

Phone: (585) 275-2662

Vice Provost and Director & Chief Executive Officer, Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE)
Professor of Physics and Mechanical Engineering
Senior Scientist in Laser Energetics

Robert McCrory began working at the University in 1976 and joined the Provost’s Office in 1988.   As Director and CEO of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Professor McCrory is responsible for the overall direction of the Laboratory and ensures that the scientific goals of the sponsoring agency, the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U. S. Department of Energy, are supported.

Prof. McCrory’s research interests are in the general field of theoretical plasma and laser physics, the field in which he obtained his B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.   He has authored or coauthored over 200 publications and made numerous contributions to the study of inertial fusion.   He was awarded the 1995 Edward Teller Medal for his pioneering research and leadership in the use of lasers for controlled thermonuclear fusion.   Prof. McCrory served on the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Space Technology to the U.S. Space Command of the Air Force Studies Board which advised the U.S. on the military use of space, space architecture, and space policy.   He has also served on the Director's advisory committee of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Prof. McCrory is an avid golfer and a member of Oak Hill Country Club.   He enjoys swimming and weight training.   He is a member of the Rochester Rotary Club.   He and his wife Betsey Wahl McCrory have three children and two grandsons.

Phone: (585) 275-4973

Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship
Rudolf & Hilda Kingslake Professor of Optical Engineering
Professor of Optics, Biomedical Engineering, and Business Administration

Duncan Moore was appointed Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship at the University in 2007.   In this role, he manages the Kauffman Campus Initiative ($10.6M over 5 years).   Dr. Moore is also the Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Professor of Optical Engineering, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Professor of Business Administration at the University of Rochester.   From 2002 until 2004, he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Infotonics Technology Center.   From 1995 to 1997, Dr. Moore was Dean of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University.   From 1997 until 2000 he served as Associate Director for Technology, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President.

Dr. Moore holds master’s and Ph.D. degrees in optics from the University of Rochester, and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Maine.   He enjoys golf, reading, travel (his favorite destination being Maine), and is an avid amateur photographer.   He has a natural love for animals, especially his dog Saco.   He serves on the Board of Trustees at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.   His son, Matthew, and daughter-in-law, Nicole, are both in the optics field.   Dr. Moore and his wife, Gunta, reside in the Village of Perinton.

Phone: (585) 276-3500

Associate Provost for Academic Administration

Kathleen Moore designs and conducts surveys and institutional research projects for the Provost and others at the University.   She is the University’s Middle States Accreditation liaison, coordinates submission of new degree proposals to the New York State Department of Education, and works with the assessment liaisons within each school to design and implement student learning assessment initiatives. Kathleen has organized the annual Phelps Colloquium Series since its inception in 2004.   She coordinates University-wide honors and awards programs such as honorary degrees, the Eastman Medal, and the Hutchison Medal.   She also manages the Provost’s Office website.  

Before joining the Provost's Office in 2002, Kathleen was Assistant Director of Institutional Research at Monroe Community College. Prior to that she was a Project Manager in Education Research at Harris Interactive, where she specialized in the use of qualitative and quantitative market research techniques in higher education. Kathleen holds master’s and Ph.D. degrees in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree in social psychology from the University of Rochester.  

In her spare time, Kathleen serves on the Board of Directors of the Off-Monroe Players – Rochester’s Gilbert & Sullivan Theater Company – and often sings and performs with the group as well.   She runs a part-time business creating 3D computer-assisted drafting (CAD) architectural renderings, enjoys sprucing up her 75-year-old Tudor Revival home in Brighton, and is an ardent supporter of the cultural and performing arts in Rochester.

Phone: (585) 275-2497

Director, Office of Technology Transfer, and Senior Counsel

Gail Norris joined the University in 2005.   In her role as Director of the University Office of Technology Transfer, Ms. Norris oversees the evaluation, patenting, licensing, and commercialization of technologies developed within the University.    Her office is involved in all aspects of the process to translate research results into commercial use.    In her role as Senior Counsel at the University, she provides legal assistance to the University on a wide range of legal matters, with a focus on research and intellectual property issues.

Ms. Norris spent the first 17 years of her career at the law firm of Nixon, Peabody, where she provided legal advice on corporate matters including corporate formations, mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions, and intellectual property licensing.   From 2000-2005, Ms. Norris was the General Counsel of the US subsidiaries of Celltech plc., a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in the UK, where she oversaw all legal matters related to the company’s North American operations, including FDA regulatory compliance, intellectual property management and contracting, employment matters, and litigation management. Ms. Norris received her B.S. from Syracuse University and her J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University.

Ms. Norris spends much of her free time participating in racquet sports (tennis, platform tennis, squash), and she attributes her low blood pressure and pleasant disposition to regularly hitting a ball hard.   She and her husband, Michael, enjoy traveling and drinking wine (also partially responsible for her blood pressure and disposition).   She is an avid reader of all types of literature.

Phone: (585) 275-2758

Administrative Assistant

Jenni Oliver joined the Provost’s Office staff in 2006.   She performs administrative duties associated with the Faculty Senate, the Senate Executive Committee, and the various Senate sub-committees.   She staffs the Faculty Senate and University Committee on Tenure and Privileges elections, and provides support to the Provost’s office.

Jenni has an associates degree in Secretarial Science and graduated with a paralegal degree from St. John Fisher College with high honors.    In December of 2009 she will be graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.   Jenni was the Executive Assistant for Continental Airline’s Base Director in Newark, New Jersey, for 8 years.    Prior to that, she held various positions at Fleet Bank in Rochester and at Fleet Brokerage on Wall Street in New York City for 10 years.

In her leisure time, Jenni enjoys continuing to travel the world, taking college classes to challenge her mind, spending time with her family, and playing the piano.

Phone: (585) 275-5932

Senior Associate Provost

Since joining the Provost's Office in 2006, Carol Shuherk has been working on faculty development, creating topical and social programs to welcome and orient new faculty to Rochester, and participating in the university-wide initiative to recruit and retain a diverse faculty.   She also assists in leadership development, implementing programs that support faculty who assuume administrative roles such as department chair, or assistant or associate dean.   She serves as the University's liaison to the Rochester Surround Care Community project, a community-based initiative aimed at rebuilding the neighborhoods and supporting the children of northeast Rochester.   She is staff to the University Council on Sustainability, coordinating university-wide efforts of faculty, staff, and students to enhance Rochester’s activity in curriculum, research, and operations contributing to a sustainable future.

Carol has a BA and MA in Classical Rhetoric and a PhD in Organizational Communication.   At the University of Southern California and University of Arizona, prior to coming to Rochester, her career focus was on preparing people for leadership roles in industry and in academics and on building collaboration-based work communities.

Sources of personal pleasure for Carol include raising two sons, caring for their 1810 farmhouse and its animal residents, and tending its gardens.   Her favorite pastime is creating lavish feasts for family and friends.

Phone: (585) 273-4765

Executive Assistant to the Provost

Melinda Smith began working in the Provost’s Office in 2001, after working for the Simon School in Alumni Relations and Development for six years and in Central Administration for two years.   Prior to working at the University, Melinda worked for Eastman Kodak as an administrative assistant for senior-level executives.   She feels that her work experiences at Kodak and the Simon School helped prepare her for her current position.

When Melinda joined the Provost’s Office, the focus of her responsibilities switched from being externally focused to being much more internally focused.   Her major responsibilities include overseeing the daily operations and functions of the Provost’s Office.   Although there are many days when the term “firefighter” comes to mind and she feels that using roller skates would be ideal, most of Melinda's days are spent dealing with confidential tenure matters, managing difficult student and faculty concerns, juggling the demands of a constantly changing schedule, and handling many other tasks that require a diplomatic touch.

Melinda’s favorite things to do outside of work include spending time with her family and friends, cooking, and traveling.   She’d like to say that she participates in really cool sports like skiing, mountain climbing, and ice climbing.   But she actually leaves those to her husband, joining him for snowshoeing and hiking on occasion, which they enjoy very much.

Phone: (585) 275-5931

University Intercessor and Coordinator of Disability Resources

Kathy Sweetland serves as a resource to faculty, staff, and students who have concerns about harassment, discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.   She also helps schools, departments, managers, and supervisors understand the need to implement reasonable classroom and workplace accommodations for students, staff, and faculty with disabilities.

Kathy began working at the University in 1975.   Prior to joining the Provost’s Office as a full-time Intercessor in 1998, her career at the University included working in the Department of Pediatrics in a clinic that served children who were suspected of having a disability, and working at the student counseling center on campus, where she worked with the Dean of Students Office to develop and coordinate the University’s Sexual Assault Hotline.   Kathy serves as co-chair of the University Committee on Interdisciplinary Studies Disabilities Cluster.

Kathy’s interests include travel, birding, leadership coaching, and volunteering on the board of the Rochester Rehabilitation Center.

Phone: (585) 275-9125

Administrative Assistant

Barbara Tanski provides administrative support and assists Melinda Smith with all daily functions of the Provost’s Office.   Barb processes all invoices, travel and conference forms, and 312 requisitions for the Provost’s Office.   She assists Kathleen Moore with grant and award nominations.   Barb also schedules meetings and appointments, manages the calendar for Wallis Hall conference rooms 210 and 278, processes the payroll for the Provost’s Office, balances the ledgers, and provides budget information for Provost accounts.   She is the administrative contact for equipment and space surveys, and serves as the office’s United Way representative.

Before joining the Provost’s Office staff in 2007, Barb previously worked in the Finance Department for the University Controller.   She has been employed at the University since 1998.   Barb has a B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Social Gerontology from SUNY Cortland.

Barb likes spending time with her family and friends.   She is a season ticket holder to Rochester Broadway Theater League productions.   She enjoys festivals, movies, sports, crafts shows, museums, and travel, and loves to read.   Barb is an avid collector of Wizard of Oz memorabilia, cookbooks, and old books.   She enjoys taking adult education classes to learn how to do new things.   She volunteers for Red Cross, United Way, American Cancer Society, and Church of the Good Shepherd.

Phone: (585) 276-4074

Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Health Science Center for Computational Innovation
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Co-Director of the New York Influenza Center of Excellence

David Topham joined the faculty at the University of Rochester Medical Center in 1999 and was appointed in 2009 as Vice Provost and Executive Director of the Health Science Center for Computational Innovation (HSCCI), a partnership between the University and IBM.   As Executive Director of the HSCCI, Dr. Topham’s responsibility is to support collaboration in biomedical research using High Performance Computational Resources.   He will bring together academic biomedical and health-related Research Investigators, High Performance Computational Biologists, and HP Research Computing resources.   Dr. Topham provides strategic direction to the HSCCI and facilitates the development of research projects between UR scientists and its corporate partners, as well as support from state and federal agencies.

Dr. Topham is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, a member of the David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, and co-directs the New York Influenza Center of Excellence—one of the six national Centers of Excellence in Influenza Research and Surveillance supported by the National Institutes of Health.   He has also served on IBM’s Global Pandemic Steering Committee.   His research interests are in the area of immune responses to influenza and experimental vaccines, and include computational modeling of the immune system.

Dr. Topham has a BSc, MS, and PhD from the University of Vermont, and trained with 1996 Nobel laureate Dr. Peter Doherty at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital prior to joining the UR faculty.   He enjoys snowboarding, golf, sailing, and mountain biking.   He and his wife Sarah have two boys, and reside in the town of Pittsford.

Phone: (585) 273-1400

Administrative Assistant

Malora Zavaglia joined the President’s Office in 2005 and the Provost’s Office in 2008 but has worked at the University since 1983.   She provides administrative support and office management for Lynne Davidson, Deputy to the President and Vice Provost for Faculty Development & Diversity.    She also supports Frederick Jefferson and Maggie Cassie in their roles as University Intercessor and Assistant Provost for Faculty Development & Diversity.   Malora coordinates all diversity events for President Seligman and the Office for Faculty Development & Diversity.  

Malora formerly worked as Executive Assistant to the President of Unity Hospital.   In addition, she has numerous years of administrative experience at URMC in the Departments of Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and the Medical School Dean’s Office.

Malora thoroughly enjoys her five grandchildren, as well as her border terrier, Sofie.   She loves crafts, crossword puzzles, and Italian cooking.   Malora serves on the Parish Council and the Parish Life Committee at St. Helen’s Church.

Phone: (585) 273-5664