Department Leadership and Administrative Staff

Courtney Bazan Colvin

Courtney serves as the Director of Residential Learning and Development in Residential Living. In this position she leads the Learning and Development team and oversees the learning and development initiatives, the curricular foundation within Residential Living, departmental assessment, professional staff and student leader recruitment, selection and onboarding, leadership programs, residential community, and payroll processes. Courtney and her team also oversee the First Year Connections program, specifically focusing on first year students finding connection, belonging and community within their first year at Syracuse. Courtney prides herself in creating strong team environments that center around inclusion, growth, learning and fun. Courtney earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Le Moyne College and Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Connecticut. Prior to her time at Syracuse, Courtney served as the Associate Director of Residence Life and First-Year Programs at Barnard College of Columbia University and supported students in residence life roles at Florida International University, Ithaca College and Fordham University. Courtney enjoys living in Central New York with her three sons, husband, her two doodles Hagrid and Dobby and Taco the cat.

Dan Cutler

Dan has been at Syracuse University for 24 years and the Director of Living Learning Communities (LLCs) since 2008. Previously, he worked at Mizzou, Clemson University, and the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. Dan has a passion for enhancing students’ college experience by bringing together their academic and living experiences through the work of the LLC Program. Outside of work, Dan enjoys spending time with his husband and twin daughters, reading and watching fantasy/science fiction, and testing his luck on roulette.

Eric Nestor

Eric returned to Residential Living in 2021 as Director of Apartment and Off-Campus Living, where he oversees South Campus, off-campus, and commuter student communities along with department operations, technology, and budget. He previously served as Associate/Interim Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities (2013–2021) and held multiple roles in Residence Life (1998–2013). He has contributed to university wide efforts through the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual and Relationship Violence, the Threat Assessment Management Team, and the Behavioral Coordinating Committee. Eric earned both his M.S. in Counseling/College Student Personnel Work and his B.A. in History from Shippensburg University (PA). Outside of work, he enjoys family time, rooting for the Syracuse Orange, Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers, and New York Yankees, and relaxing with beach trips, hiking, or a good political/spy thriller.

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy (she/her) is the Director of Residential Life at Syracuse University, where she leads a team committed to fostering inclusive, student-centered residential communities that support academic success and personal growth. A first-generation college graduate, Lauren is a proud product of public education and is deeply passionate about ensuring higher education remains accessible, equitable, and sustainable. Lauren earned her B.A. in English and History from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her M.A. in both English and History from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Her nontraditional path into student affairs, including years living and working abroad, has shaped her approach to leadership, student engagement, and policy development. With over a decade of experience in housing and residence life, she has previously served in roles at Binghamton University, SUNY Oswego, and the George Washington University. Her professional interests include workforce sustainability, leadership development, and fostering belonging among both students and staff. She is particularly dedicated to mentoring emerging professionals, helping them discover their strengths and navigate their own career paths. Lauren is actively involved in national and regional associations, having served in leadership roles with ACPA, ACUHO-I, and NEACUHO.

Steve Herndon

Steve Herndon (He/Him) serves as the Assistant Vice President for Residential Living at Syracuse University. In his role, Steve oversees all aspects of the residential living program, including residence life, apartment and off campus living, staff learning and development and administration and operations. He also partners with Academic Affairs in the development and delivery of more than 20 living learning communities (LLC). Prior to his arrival at Syracuse University, Steve served as the Assistant Vice President for Student Development and Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life at The University of Dayton. His responsibilities included serving as a Title IX investigator and member of the Division of Student Development’s Campus Awareness, Response and Evaluation Team (CARE), the Dean of Students after hour rotation for crisis management and the University’s hearing board. Steve also led a department that housed over 6,500 undergraduate students in traditional residence halls, apartments and 450 university-owned houses. Steve holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from North Carolina State University. From 2015 to 2022, Steve served as faculty for ACPA’s Institute on the Curricular Approach and co-chair for the 2020 and 2021 institutes. He also served as faculty for the GLACUHO 2018 Mid- Level Institute and the 2019 James C. Grimm National Housing Training Institute and co-chair for ACUHO-I’s Anti-Racism Task Force. From 2022-2024, Steve served on the ACUHO-I executive board as the Director of the Future of the Profession initiative. As a result of his accomplishments, Steve was selected as a member of ACPA’s 2022 Diamond Honoree Cohort and the 2025 recipient of the James C. Grimm Leadership and Service award. Steve’s professional interests include curricular approaches to learning and development, learning organization design and trauma stewardship.

Bram Stone

Bram has been with Residential Living in a number of roles since Summer 2019. Bram presently serves as the Assistant Director for Leadership Programs within RL and is a current Leadership Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern Maine. Bram is a 2021 graduate from the Teaching & Curriculum master’s degree program within the School of Education here at SU and has also received their Master’s in Higher Education Administration from the University of Rochester. Outside of work, they enjoy attending live performances, whether it be a theater production, a musical, or a local drag show, and spending time with their dog, Covi.

Chris Freitag

Chris has been with Residential Living for 4 years. He has been in the Operations Specialist role since June 2025. His favorite part of his job is working with and developing his team of Residence Hall Operations Coordinators and ensuring that residents are having a positive experience with their main desks. He is actively pursuing his Master’s degree in Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation from Syracuse University.

Giuliana Painter-Rings

Giuliana Painter-Rings serves as the Coordinator of Living Learning Communities. She grew up in Upstate NY, and holds a B.A. from SUNY Plattsburgh and a M.S. in Higher Education Affairs & Administration from Canisius University in Buffalo, NY. Outside of work, she enjoys cozying up with a good book, cooking, and going on adventures with her husband & daughter.

Jessica Newsom

Jessica Newsom is the Assistant Director of Living Learning Communities and is originally from Nashville, TN. She holds a Master of Education and Counseling from University of Louisville that she received in 2016 and a Bachelor of Communication from University of Tennessee Knoxville she received in 2011. She is passionate about leadership development at the professional and student level, assessing the student experience, and increasing student retention through enhanced academic support services. Jessica likes to spend her free time hiking, kayaking and exploring the many delicious restaurants around Central New York with her partner and their dogs.

Karess Gillespie

Kimberly Bright-Brooks

Kimberly Bright-Brooks is the Assistant Director for Curriculum Development and has been with Residential Living for almost 2 years. Kim has degrees from SUNY Fredonia (Bachelor of Science – Communication, Audio/Radio Production) and Northern Arizona University (Master of Education – Counseling, Student Affairs), and before coming to Syracuse worked at the University of Central Florida. Kim’s favorite part of her job is collaborating with others to creatively engage with students in new and exciting ways!

Mel Molsberry

Mel has been with Residential Living for 6 years and currently serves as an Assistant Director with oversite of the West Neighborhood Sadler, Lawrinson, and BBB). She was born and raised in Iowa, and completed her double master’s in Adult and Higher Education as well as Public Administration. Mel’s favorite part of her role is seeing students grow and develop across their time at Syracuse University. In her spare time she enjoys road trips with her dog, reading fantasy books, and playing video games.

Quincy Bufkin

Quincy Bufkin has been with Residential Living for 9 years. Quincy is an alum from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and graduated with a Master’s in Education in 2013. His favorite part about working as the Assistant Director for Residential Community is that he gets to connect with students on programs about community building, inclusive community engagement, connection, and belonging. In his free time, Quincy enjoys spending time watching movies and attending festivals.

Taylor Gale

Taylor Gale is in her fourth academic year as the Assistant Director – North Neighborhood in Residential Living. Taylor is originally from Gouverneur, NY but spent several years in Western NY before her arrival at Syracuse University. Taylor is an alum of St. Lawrence University (Here we go, Saints!) where she earned her Bachelors of Arts in History at the University of Rochester (Meliora!) where she received a Masters of Science in Student Affairs Administration from the Warner School of Education. Taylor loves collaborating with her colleagues within and external to RL and taking a stroll to 3fifteen on Marshall St. during lunch time to find new wall art, accessories, and clothes. Taylor is particularly passionate about reading, being a Swiftie, and most importantly her dog, Tucker. In her free time, you can find Taylor at a local bookstore, coffee shop, thrifting around Syracuse, or driving around town with Tucker with the windows down performing car concerts for any unfortunate passersby.

Barbara Norris

Barbara Norris has been the Living Learning Communities’ administrative specialist for 10 years. She graduated with an associate’s degree in chemistry from Alfred State College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from SUNY Oswego. Barbara has been working at Syracuse University since 2012. Prior to that she worked at Anheuser Busch as a chemical quality assurance technician for 20 years. She enjoys working with the students.

Ezra Lockwood

Ezra has been with Residential Living since January 2024, and is originally from Colorado. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s in Organizational Development and Leadership. His favorite parts of his job are getting to help students and their families, and anything that he gets to use excel for. In his free time, he likes to play video games and spend time with his wife and their three cats.

Katrin DeGlas

Katrin DeGlas joined Residential Living at Syracuse University in April 2025 and serves as the Administrative Assistant for Staff Processes. Originally from Philadelphia, Katrin is currently completing her undergraduate degree in the Associate of Arts Liberal Arts program at Syracuse University. Before joining Syracuse, Katrin built professional experience at Tesla and in the Indie Gaming Industry, where she primarily worked in management. She brings with her a passion for the power of people and the meaningful impact they can bring to the workplace. Outside of work, Katrin enjoys spending time with her dogs, reading, gardening, and gaming. For the past ten years, she has also honored a personal tradition of celebrating her birthday by doing something she has never done before. This may be trying a new cuisine, traveling to a new place, or tackling a new adventure, such as skydiving, which she checked off her bucket list in 2022. Katrin looks forward to continuing to grow in her role at Syracuse University and supporting Residential Living in creating a positive and engaging environment for staff and students.

Maryanne Ross

Maryanne has been working at Syracuse University since 2008 and has been with Residential Living for nearly four years. Maryanne is the Administrative Specialist in the Central Office whose primary role is supporting the Assistant Vice President of Residential Living, the Director of Residence Life, and providing supervision to several Student Assistants at the front desk. Maryanne graduated with a Marketing degree from Niagara University. When she isn’t at work, Maryanne enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, trying new recipes, gardening, shopping for good deals, and going to sporting events.

Melinda Secor

Melinda has worked at Syracuse University for over 20 years. She enjoys fun with family, good films and books, good friends, and her cat.