Mohamadreza Babaee Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Success
Mohamadreza Babaee
Dr. Babaee is part of the student services team that develops systems to monitor student
progress and engages proactively to support timely degree completion, fostering an
environment where students feel supported throughout their graduate journey. He works
with graduate program directors to ensure academic requirements, policies, and procedures
are implemented effectively. He also processes student petitions and other academic
actions necessary for degree conferral. In addition to collaborating with academic
units, he meets individually with students to address concerns, offer guidance, and,
in coordination with other staff, connect them to resources such as professional development,
wellness, or academic support.
Jeannette Cardi Administrative Assistant 1
Jeannette Cardi
Jeannette works with the student services team and is often the first point of contact
for visitors to the Graduate School, where she either helps them directly or guides
them to other staff. She monitors incoming email queries, provides expedited responses,
and carries out actions relating to petitions and other student action forms. Jeanette
works closely with the Registrar鈥檚 office and other groups on campus to review, update,
and archive student records, and is instrumental in processing individual student
services.
Courtney Ignarri Assistant Dean for Program Review
Courtney Ignarri
Dr. Ignarri works with graduate programs to coordinate new degree program proposals,
revise existing curriculum, and steward these curricular changes through campus, SUNY,
and NYSED approval processes. She also organizes and oversees the Academic Program
Review process to ensure accreditation requirements are fulfilled. Dr. Ignarri also
manages Academic Guide review and revision for all graduate programs and policies.
She is available to consult on policy matters encoded in the Academic Guide and Graduate
School Manual or any of the processes described above.
Ann Marie Kellogg Executive Assistant to the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
Ann Marie Kellogg
Ann Marie coordinates scheduling for the Dean and other meetings hosted by the Graduate
School. She supports graduate student events, such as the Excellence Awards, orientation,
professional development seminars, and social activities that contribute to student
and program success. She is responsible for processing travel grants and other awards,
coordinating travel for external examiners and other guests, and hosting events for
the Graduate School. She also provides administrative support for the Graduate Council.
Yongabi Ngoh Assistant Director of Finance and Operations
Yongabi Ngoh
Yongabi manages budgets for the Graduate School and works with programs and departments
to facilitate fellowship awards, expenditures, and payments to student accounts for
select groups of international (Fulbright, IIE, etc) and Foundation-supported (Clark,
Gajwani, and Wu Fellowships) graduate students. His responsibilities include support
for the logistics and operations of the Graduate School such as working with ITS,
regulating permissions to information systems, meeting compliance functions, and working
with the business office to plan, manage, and reconcile budgets.
Joshua Reno Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives
Joshua Reno
As Associate Dean, Dr. Reno is involved in all functions of the Graduate School including
decision-making on academic issues, management of Graduate Council, developing and
operationalizing strategic initiatives. He is a critical point of contact for Graduate
Directors and is responsible for clarifying and implementing Graduate School policies,
while at the same time promoting best practices in graduate education. Dr. Reno often
serves as the Dean鈥檚 representative on committees, and has decision-making authority
if the Dean is not available.
Erica Sausner Professional Development Specialist
Erica Sausner
Dr. Sausner leads the Graduate Center for Professional Development and Postdoctoral
Affairs. Through this Center she connects graduate students and postdoctoral fellows
to opportunities鈥搊n campus and beyond鈥搕o augment student learning, develop professional
skills, and explore career pathways. She collaborates with graduate assistants who
provide peer support in dissertation writing and the development of effective teaching
and mentorship skills, and is also responsible for communicating events and opportunities
offered by the Graduate School to constituent groups.
Elise Thornley Student Services Specialist
Elise Thornley
Elise is part of the student services team. She is available to meet with students
to provide advising on Graduate School requirements, including navigating policies
and expectations in support of the completion of their degree. Elise is responsible
for processing individual student actions such as academic petitions, add/drop actions,
leaves of absence, and withdrawals. She is also the point person for reviewing and
approving thesis and dissertation submissions through ProQuest. She is available to
consult on formatting requirements for these culminating projects.
Kim Yousey-Elsener Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs
Kim Yousey-Elsener
Dr. Yousey-Elsener develops data-driven strategies to support data-informed decision-making,
strategic planning, and academic policy leadership. She ensures compliance with accreditation
standards and manages Graduate Manual review and revisions. Kim supports student success
by coordinating national survey responses, managing data for academic program review,
and coordinating Graduate Council operations, and is instrumental in the development
and implementation of strategic initiatives for the Graduate School and beyond.
