Get to Know Kjersti VanSlyke-Briggs, Dean of the College of Education

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Kjersti VanSlyke-Briggs is dean of Empire State University’s College of Education. Ahead, she shares the story behind her career path, goals for the college, and passion for learning.  

What inspired your career path? Did you always envision a career in academia?  

I never envisioned myself as an academic. It was a path that I landed on and continued to follow as someone that is excited by new opportunities for growth. I am a first-generation college graduate and originally went to college for adolescent English education. I completed my bachelor’s and master’s in back-to-back programs at SUNY Brockport and then began teaching high school English.  

After a couple of years in the classroom, I decided to take a class nonmatriculated at SUNY Binghamton in the Ed.D. program as an opportunity to increase my salary as a teacher. One thing led to another, and I ended up enrolling in the program and completed it part-time while still teaching high school. I had no plans to move into academia at that time and just thought of it as a way to grow as an educator. As luck would have it though, I was highly involved at the time with the New York State English Council and a colleague there encouraged me to apply for a position at SUNY Oneonta as an assistant professor in adolescent education. 

How did you transition from teaching to a leadership role? 

I was at SUNY Oneonta for 20 years and in that time, I had a lot of roles. I moved my way up to full professor, served as the inaugural director of the Faculty Center, served as chair of my department, and served as a provost fellow. I credit that transition to other people seeing leadership in me when I did not see it myself. My drive to help people and programs improve and my love of collaborative growth is what propelled me forward into these roles. I also had the benefit of an amazing mentor who was herself an excellent example of compassionate and thoughtful leadership. She encouraged me to take advantage of opportunities like SUNY SAIL, our own on-campus leadership development programs, and external opportunities like AASCU’s Emerging Leaders Program. Each one of these steps led me to the next. 

You’re the dean of the new College of Education. What’s one of your goals? 

This is an exciting time to be in the College of Education. Our programs are seeing fast-paced growth in enrollment, increasing opportunities to form partnerships with external offices and schools, and we are embracing opportunities to develop new programs to respond to an increasing demand for teachers across the state. New York state does not have enough teachers, and SUNY Empire is finding innovative ways to help working adults, such as helping paraprofessionals scale up and earn their teaching credentials. We are leaning into stackable programs and building strong relationships between our undergraduate and graduate programs. There is space for us to serve educators across their career arc not only in p-20 (pre-K through college) spaces, but beyond through professional development partnerships and fueling the work of lifelong learning for educators.  

If you weren’t working in higher ed, what would you be doing? 

There is so much I’d love to do, and I sometimes threaten to go back to college for additional degrees just for the sake of learning. If I could, I would love to pick up classes in sociology or anthropology for fun. I’d make a great lifelong student. I also sometimes wonder how it would turn out if I followed my original plan from when I was a teen. Leaving high school, I debated teaching English or moving into librarianship. When doing my master’s, I worked in the college library and assisted the research librarians. In an alternate universe, I get my M.S. in information and library science and work in a university as a librarian, likely still ending up in a dean capacity as the director of a library. In my years as a professor, some of the best projects I worked on were in partnership with our library. 

Behind the Scenes with Special Events 

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From virtual academic conferences and town halls to in-person commencement ceremonies attended by thousands, the Special Events team plans a wide range of gatherings for Empire State University. Ahead, Director Danielle Heller, Events Specialist Mallory Holman, and Events Operations Coordinator Danielle Boardman offer a glimpse of the team that executes some 30 functions per year.  

What does a typical day look like for you? 

Boardman: That’s such a great question. I don’t know if there is one because even just yesterday and today are vastly different. I think it kind of depends on where we are in the ebb and flow of things. We each have our own little nooks and crannies of the things that we do. I know Danielle’s already starting to field questions about Annual Meeting, and we’re already starting rooming lists, getting proposals, and finalizing scripts for all the different components of the event. I think people don’t realize all the things that go into each component. There’s runs of show, there’s scripts, there’s technology requests—all these background details that go into just that one thing that people see.  

Heller: Ditto, I totally agree with Danielle. The only other thing I would say is that we do a lot of laughing in our office because sometimes it’s just a lot of brainstorming. So we go really far to every extreme, and then we kind of hone it back to what’s realistic and what we can actually do. I like to think that we laugh a lot because we’re kind of a silly group, but then we hone it back and say, okay, this is actual work that we have to do. 

Holman: Highly agree that no typical day-to-day really exists for us necessarily, but it always involves certain things like checking in, following up, and tracking items on our to-do lists. I also think we maintain a good balance of individual work and group work. Like Danielle Boardman mentioned, we all have our little areas within things, but then we all also follow the project as a whole to make sure all the parts are done and all groups of attendees are considered.  

What is in your event planning bag of tricks—something you always have with you on the day of an event? 

Boardman: Orthopedic inserts. That’s the first thing that came to mind. Good inserts and good shoes.  

Heller: That’s a tough one. I’m thinking of what I have in my little purse when I’m walking around any event, and that’s chapstick, hand sanitizer, and water. And stretchy pants, because you’re always on the floor no matter what event you’re doing; you’re fixing something on the floor, you’re tying a shoe, you’re doing something. 

Holman: In similar fashion, I will say anyone who’s been to a commencement staffing meeting with us will know my answer, which is compression socks. I feel like these answers sound silly, but they’re all things that support the humans behind the task. On the event day, it comes down to the customer service aspect of the job. Obviously, there’s a lot leading up to it too, but there’s so much that goes into putting our best faces forward. I think anything that supports our physical bodies and prepares us to be there, be present, be available, and be good at what we’re doing the day of is important.  

Boardman: I also feel like we need to add a large fountain Coke. Usually at some point throughout any event you will see the event staff with a Coca-Cola, not a Pepsi. We do have a brand. I know as a university we can’t promote sides, but we are definitely Team Coca-Cola. And I will say, in a practical sense, our reMarkable tablets have made a huge difference in our lives too. You probably won’t see us too far without these babies just because they have the run of show on them, they have the floor plans on them. We can walk into a room and be like, OK, that table needs to be moved there; this isn’t what was on the setup. 

What’s something about your work that might surprise people? 

Holman: The care and effort that goes into everything. I think the backbone of what we do is the structure of an event— making sure all of the ducks are in a row, all of the requests have been placed, and all of the coordination has been done in the background— but then also putting heart into everything. When an event goes well, it means a lot to us. When we get good feedback or we see smiling faces and happy people, that fuels us to go forward.  

Heller: We have a lot of support within the university—a lot of wonderful people that we work with weekly, monthly, or bi-weekly that we talk to a lot. We also talk to event attendees so much during peak commencement season. Whether it’s on the phone, through e-mail, or whatever kind of messaging we’re doing, it’s like 70 students a day. We’re getting thousands of emails and calls from not only students but faculty and staff here at the university that we’re trying to provide information to. That can be a challenging part of our job. We are constantly talking to people and trying to put the best and most accurate information out there to put someone’s mind at ease.  

The other thing is that we have to make a lot of data-informed decisions that aren’t necessarily easy ones. We have to factor in the focus at the time, the theme of the event, the budget, who’s attending, and what we need to accommodate all people and make them feel comfortable. It’s the nitty-gritty details of small things like is there a gluten-free pasta for this meal to big things like moving thousands of people from one room to the next. I like to put that out there because we’re always collecting information so we can improve our events moving forward. We’re taking any kind of feedback people are providing into consideration as much as we can. 

Boardman: I want to echo all of that. I think you’re sensing a theme, but we do have a hive mind, as we like to say every once in a while. But I don’t think people realize how much time we spend on the event evaluations and how much we take those things to heart—how granular we get with the wording on a form based off that feedback or how many hours Mallory is spending on a menu to try and figure out what would appease the hundreds of restrictions and preferences that we get for specific events. There’s also the professional development—talking to other colleges and universities around the nation and asking what do you do? What works for you? What isn’t working? How can we better X,Y, and Z?  

What’s your favorite part of the job?  

Heller: Honestly, my favorite part is working with the team here. When I started, I worked with the wonderful Susan McFadden who taught me everything and was so amazing to learn from before she retired. But then with the department and the needs of the university growing, we were able to bring Mallory on, which was huge. Danielle was actually on that hiring committee, which is so funny. And then Danielle joined the team a little bit later. I feel like we have the best time. I have to say too that Tiffany Williams is incredible. She’s the administrative assistant for the department, and the fourth member of this team. It’s so wonderful to work with humans that care about other people and care about what they’re doing and have a feel for what the university is standing for and try to push that momentum forward. I think we have a common goal.  

Holman: Anytime anyone asks me what do you do at your job, what do you like about it, or why the heck have you been there for 16 years, I think it comes down to the people. One of my other favorite parts is that we are always looking for ways to improve. It’s a continual, ongoing thing. We’re always trying to fine tune and get things just right for the audience that we’re working with, and I really like that. I don’t think we’ve had a single event that we’ve fully copied and pasted from one to the next. We’re always willing to build on what has been done so far. Apart from the people, the willingness to grow keeps the work interesting and fun. 

Boardman: Ditto. I think you throw three people in one shared space, and it can go wrong in a lot of different ways. We got very lucky that our dynamic works out really well. We joke around that there’s good cop, bad cop, and logical cop, and that shifts depending on the situation and the feedback, but the team is great. The extended team is great. Working as closely as we do with marketing, security, and facilities and operations and having those great relationships is amazing. It’s great to work with all the different people across the university. Also, we’ve joked about this from time to time, but every day, it’s like there’s a new jigsaw puzzle on your desk that you have to put together. And when it clicks, it clicks—and it’s awesome. 

SUNY Empire Spotlight: January 2026

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The latest news on research efforts, awards, grants, and media appearances from Empire State University faculty, staff, and leadership.    

Cindy Conaway, professor, was interviewed about Australia’s social media ban by WNYT. 

Herb Covington, assistant professor, commented on the psychology behind New Year’s resolutions for  WNYT.  

Dorothy Escribano, interim provost, co-authored an article published by Inside Higher Ed.* 

Daniel Fogarty, assistant vice president of enrollment management and marketing, was selected to participate in the 2026-2027 NAWDP Leadership Academy. 

David Fullard, visiting associate professor, was invited to contribute an article to an issue of the National Dance Society Journal, which also features one of his poems. 

Cherrelle Hall, assistant to the vice president of enrollment management and marketing, co-authored an article published on the Forum of the American Journal of Education.

Mindy Kronenberg, visiting assistant professor, performed in a poetry series for Oceanside Library. 

Tom Mackey, professor, will serve as a virtual keynote speaker for the upcoming iSchools Inc 2026 conference. 

Cirita Moffett, academic advisor, was selected as a SUNY Academic Momentum Fellow.  

Julie Reback, assistant professor, spoke with WNYT about the danger of heart attacks during the holidays. 

Shaun Richman, program director for graduate studies, was interviewed on the Drafting the Past podcast. His op-ed on the New York City nurses’ strike was also published by the Daily News.* 

Gayle Stever, professor, spoke about parasocial relationships in an article published by Anadolu Agency. She also contributed to a Metro article on Diet Coke fandom.  

President Lisa Vollendorf has joined the ASU+GSV Higher Education Insights Board. 

*Subscription may be required for full access. 

Vjosa Musliu ’08: Growing Up in War

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When Vjosa Musliu ’08 first started writing a book about her childhood experiences during the Kosovo War, she wanted to preserve her memories. 

“I started writing it in 2012 first as a move against forgetting, then as a way of making sense of what I could not make sense of as a child,” says Musliu, an Albanian. “After a while it became a cause for intellectual disobedience.”

The result of her efforts is “Girlhood at War: Interpreting War and Liberation in Kosovo” (Bloomsbury Publishing), a collection of short stories about Musliu’s experiences as an Albanian living under Serbian rule during the late 1990s and the eventual liberation by NATO forces. 

The book is both a collection of personal essays and an academic analysis of the war and the ensuing liberation, told from the rare perspective of a young child who is today, an associate professor of international relations at the Free University of Belgium (VUB). 

 “The overwhelming majority of academic productions about war and peace-making has been written by scholars who have not experienced either,” she says. 

Musliu experienced both.  

Second Class Citizens

Musliu grew up in Gjilan, Kosovo. Although her childhood was filled with love and warmth, it was also dominated by Serbia’s oppressive rule over Kosovo Albanians, which relied on repressive measures of control. 

“By the time I was old enough to play in the street, the government in Belgrade (capital city of Serbia) had installed an apartheid-like system in Kosovo whereby ethnic Albanians were massively laid off from public jobs, schools (teaching) in Albanian were closed, (and) the public space became a homogenous Serbian space,” Musliu says. “Growing up in a setup like that whereby you are rendered as second class citizen in your own space, grows you up overnight.”

The first signs of conflict were subtle, she says. She remembers being required to whisper whenever she spoke Albanian in a public space and to avoid certain streets and neighborhoods where Albanians were the target of police intimidation. “Wars do not start like the Olympics,” Musliu says. “Nobody cuts off the ribbon first to then shell civilians or launch an attack over a hospital.”

Long simmering tensions erupted when war broke out in March 1998. Serbian troops began to attack the civilian population and the loosely formed Albanian guerilla movement known as the Kosovo Liberation Army. Reports of mass killings by the Serbs triggered an international outcry.  The fighting finally ended in June 1999, with the arrival of NATO peacekeeping troops. 

That year, Musliu celebrated her 14th birthday dressed in a U.S. military uniform and holding an unloaded gun. She became an informal translator for U.S. troops stationed in her city, often translating between angry Albanians who sought revenge against the Serbs and NATO troops who insisted on not picking sides. 

“Working as a translator as a 14-year-old was in a way my very embodied entrance into the field of peace and conflict studies,” Musliu says. “I was seeing hands-on how these mechanisms work. I would later sit in auditoriums and listen to senior scholars as they theorized about those same events.”  

A Global Perspective

In 2004, Musliu moved to Albania to attend the University of New York Tirana, Empire State University’s international partner in that country. Growing up among U.S. marines and NATO soldiers, Musliu was thrilled to get a degree from an American institution. 

“I grew up with the utmost adoration for the U.S. NATO troops,” she says. “They were the ones who saved our lives back in 1999 and put an end to Serbia’s ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.”

Ironically, it was through her courses at SUNY Empire that Musliu was exposed to literature critical of U.S. global interventionism. “The four years became formative not only in my intellectual upbringing, but also in terms of personal development,” she says.  

After getting a degree in international relations from SUNY Empire in 2008 — the same year Kosovo declared independence — Musliu returned briefly to Kosovo to work as a journalist. In 2009, she moved to Belgium. She finished her master’s degree at Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium and went on to get a Ph.D. at Ghent University. After doing two consecutive postdocs at the VUB, she became a tenured professor there. 

Today, Musliu, her husband and their eight-year-old daughter are permanent residents of  Belgium, Kosovo, and Turkey. Because her extended family still lives in Kosovo, she travels there frequently, both for work and to enjoy skiing and spring retreats in the Kosovo mountains. 

In celebration of International Women’s Education Day, Musliu will discuss her book with the SUNY Empire community at noon on Monday, March 9. Visit sunyempire.edu/alumni for more information coming soon. 

New Associate Provost Is Dedicated to Student Success

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From teaching courses in business administration to tackling dean roles at two universities, Rashmi Prasad, Ph.D., has enjoyed a lengthy career in higher education. Now, the seasoned educator and leader adds a new position to his extensive resume: associate provost for academic affairs at Empire State University.  

“I’m really excited to be part of the team,” says the Albany resident, who joined SUNY Empire in October. “I think we can accomplish some really great things.” 

Prasad comes to SUNY Empire from Truman State University in Missouri, where he served as dean of the School of Business and Professional Studies for five years. Prior to that, he was academic vice president for the College of Business at Western Governors University—a large online institution headquartered in Utah. It was during his tenure there that Prasad first learned about SUNY Empire from a colleague.  

“The seed was planted in my mind. So when I saw an opportunity, the bell went off in my head,” he recalls. “I thought, maybe I should investigate this.” 

Prasad says he was drawn to SUNY Empire because of its dedication to improving access to high-quality, affordable education—a pursuit to which he’s deeply committed. He notes that his personal interest in expanding access stems in part from his 16 years of service to the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he was a professor before ultimately being appointed dean of the College of Business and Public Policy. His time at the Alaska institution afforded him an eye-opening opportunity to work with adult learners and first-generation students.  

Now, at SUNY Empire, he’s dedicated to helping staff foster that same kind of student success. In his role as associate provost, he co-chairs the university’s Middle States 2028 accreditation efforts. He also works with the Office of Prior Learning on growing the number of students who qualify for credits. More broadly, he supports offices like Empire Online and the Center for Teaching and Learning. He says he’d like the university community to know that his approach to his role “is one of sincerity and humility.” 

“I’m new and I have a lot to learn, but I also bring a substantial amount of experience,” Prasad says. “I’m here because I want to be here, and I want to help the university achieve its mission.” 

Get to Know Julie Gedro, Dean of the College of Business

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Julie Gedro is dean of the recently formed College of Business. Ahead, she shares her love for the city of Rochester, goals for the new college, and lessons she’s learned throughout her career in higher education. 

What is your current hometown?  

I was born and raised on the Virginia Peninsula. I currently live in Rochester, New York. It is a city with a rich cultural, industrial, entrepreneurial, and social justice history, and it is a place where I can still feel, see, and hear that legacy in daily life. I live, for instance, less than two miles from Susan B. Anthony’s gravesite at Mount Hope Cemetery, and this proximity is symbolic and meaningful for me. Rochester has a compelling combination of grit and beauty. 

What inspired your career path, and how did you transition to working in higher ed? 

Learning, growth and development have been the throughline in my career journey. I have always been drawn to learning and helping others learn, whether on the tennis court, through corporate training, through human resource management and development, as faculty, and as a dean. 

My route into higher education was in some ways a long one. After working at a couple of country clubs, I transitioned into corporate training roles with the longest being in financial software. I served in human resource roles at the phone company in Atlanta, Georgia. Concurrently, I returned to school twice, earning my MBA and then Ed.D. Through a fortuitous series of events and conversations, I discerned a calling to academia as a fulltime vocation. 

What’s one goal you have for the new College of Business?  

One goal is to lead and facilitate an organization that draws on the strengths and talents of every faculty and staff member so that we may serve as an engine for individual learning and transformation.  I envision strong content and meaningfulness for a program, and a strong and recognized reputation of our degree. For me, the formation of our College of Business is a moment of building and refining.  

What did you learn from your past positions at SUNY Empire that you’ll be applying to your work going forward? 

As dean of the School of Business, I developed a solid understanding of what is vital to this kind of role: quality and relevance of our offerings, program development, enrollment management, financial stewardship, outcomes assessment, and continuous improvement. I have learned how to leverage my cognition and data-informed aspects of leadership as well as my intuition. 

 If you weren’t working in higher ed, what would you be doing? 

I would likely be in a human resource role in corporations that serve sports or tech. I would prefer to be in a role where I could help to build environments where people can do their best work. 

Get to Know Gina Torino, Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

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Gina Torino, Ph.D., is dean of Empire State University’s recently formed College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Here, she shares details about her career path, goals for the new college, and passion for mentorship.  

What inspired your career path? Did you always want to work in academia? 

Initially, I didn’t see myself in academia. Frankly, I didn’t even know what a Ph.D. was growing up—I thought doctors worked in medical offices. My inspiration really came from my professors in sociology and psychology who opened my eyes to the possibility of working in academia. That curiosity eventually led me to earn my Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Columbia University. It was through that journey that I realized I could combine my interest in understanding human behavior with teaching and mentorship.  

You began teaching at SUNY Empire in 2010. When and why did you transition from teaching to a leadership role?  

My transition was gradual and driven by a desire to serve the university community on a broader scale. I started as a unit coordinator at our Staten Island location, then moved on to become a department chair in psychology and human development and eventually stepped into the dean role. I saw the dean position as a unique form of service to the university—an opportunity to use my skills as a psychologist in new ways. Instead of working with individuals one-on-one, I could apply my understanding of human development and organizational dynamics to support faculty and shape the educational environment for our students. 

As dean of the new College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, what’s one of your first-year goals? 

One of my primary goals is the creation of pathways from undergraduate to graduate programs within our new college. In addition, I would like to create new academic pathways that directly meet workforce needs. Specifically, I am spearheading the development of a new master’s program in counseling, which aligns with my own background as a licensed psychologist and addresses a critical need in the mental health field. Additionally, we are working on launching new microcredentials. These short-term, skills-based credentials will allow students to upskill quickly in specific areas of social and behavioral sciences, enhancing their employability and career progression. 

Prior to being appointed dean, you served as interim dean for the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. What have you learned from your time in that role that you’ll be applying to your current work? 

Serving as interim dean taught me just how multifaceted this university is—there are so many moving parts and things to know to keep the institution running smoothly. The biggest lesson that I have learned, however, has been the importance of understanding and respecting others. My research background focuses on microaggressions, cultural competency, and racial identity, and I apply those lenses to my leadership. Creating a culture of respect and inclusivity is not just a theoretical concept for me; it is a practical necessity for a thriving academic environment. 

What excites you most about your job? 

I am most excited about the generative aspects of the role: mentoring new faculty and creating new programs. Mentorship is a passion of mine—helping colleagues navigate their careers and ensuring they have the support to be culturally competent educators is deeply rewarding. I’m also energized by writing grants and contributing to workforce development. Empire State University has a strong commitment to upward mobility, and I enjoy creating programs that give our students tangible skills to advance in their careers and support their communities. 

Emmy-Winning Journalist Earns Degree at Empire State University

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Mariela Lombard first began dreaming of earning a college degree nearly three decades ago. Now, at the age of 52, the New Yorker has finally earned her bachelor’s degree at Empire State University. 

“It was very emotional,” she says of crossing the stage at the winter 2025 commencement ceremony in Albany. “It felt like an accomplishment.” 

Lombard’s path to graduation began in her home country of Argentina, where she initially considered becoming a physical therapist or a veterinarian. After moving to the U.S. in 1997, though, her plans were put on hold.  

“I immediately started working as a photographer for a newspaper, and life became so busy,” says Lombard, whose photos have been published in Time, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal, among other media outlets. “I didn’t have time for that.” 

After many years on the job, the opportunity to attend college finally presented itself in 2021, when Lombard started working for Spectrum News NY1. There, the longtime journalist was eligible for tuition assistance if the degree she pursued was relevant to her role as a planning editor.  

“I started the job in October and by December, I was applying to SUNY Empire,” she recalls, noting that she ultimately enrolled in the cultural studies program with a concentration in journalism. “It seemed like it was my path.” 

Lombard says she chose SUNY Empire based on the recommendation of a colleague who’d told her about the university’s credit for prior learning and work experience. She also valued that she could continue to work full-time while taking courses at her own pace. This year, while completing her degree, she won a New York Emmy with her team for a Spanish-language news special. 

“The flexibility this university gives allows you to study on your own time and at your speed,” Lombard says. “I’m grateful for that.” 

She’s also grateful for her mentors who helped her navigate her program since she began taking classes in January 2022. With their guidance, Lombard became the first person in her family to earn a degree offered in the English language—a fact that makes her particularly proud. 

Now that she has her degree, Lombard says she is open to exploring new career options. 

“Life has so many opportunities,” she says. “Going to Empire State University gave me the power to think about doing other things and improve myself. And I’m all about that.”  

VMRC Launches New Professional Development Series for Faculty, Staff

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Empire State University serves over a thousand military-affiliated students—more than any other school in the SUNY system. Now, a new initiative aims to prepare more faculty and staff to support this unique population of learners. That’s the goal behind UNITE, a professional development series created by the Veteran and Military Resource Center (VMRC).  

“The hope is that it helps integrate a wider contingency of the university into military and veteran programming because the more support and understanding we have, the better our students are going to feel,” says Desiree Drindak, director of the VMRC.  

Launched this fall with backing from the university’s Special Projects Fund, the program centers on five pillars: Understand, Nurture, Inspire, Transition, and Empower. Participants must engage in events and/or trainings related to each. To satisfy requirements for the “Nurture” pillar, for instance, participants must attend panel presentations on military student success and funding. The “Understand” pillar, meanwhile, includes training in mental health first aid. 

Overall, the program—which takes about 15 hours to complete—is designed to be flexible. There are in-person and virtual options to help address scheduling challenges, plus a variety of ways for participants to work through each pillar. 

“It’s mostly set up like a choose-your-own-adventure,” Drindak says of the curriculum, which encourages participants to explore and report back on local resources for active military and veterans. “It’s meant to let people delve into things they’re interested in learning about and give them a wide range of opportunities.” 

Open to all faculty and staff, the program currently has 40 participants, but Drindak notes that more enrollees—including those with military affiliations—are welcome.  

“I think actually it’s valuable to have people who are connected to the military community participate because they bring that voice to the table when we’re in conversation,” says Drindak, a military spouse. “Every person’s experience is going to be different. A child of a veteran is going to bring a different perspective than a military spouse or a military member. I think all those voices are important to help our community learn more about supporting our military families.” 

As a UNITE participant, Jacob “JayJay” Johnson offers one such voice. The graduate recruiter/admissions coordinator, whose father (among other relatives) served in the military, says the program has been “incredibly meaningful” for him.  

“Each part of the journey has shaped my understanding in a different way,” Johnson says, noting his participation in events like Honoring Our Heroes. “Along the way, I’ve seen how dedicated we are to supporting both current military and veteran students and their families through flexible learning options, knowledgeable staff, and a genuine commitment to making sure they feel valued and understood. Altogether, these experiences have given me a richer perspective and a profound respect for the communities we serve.” 

Creating Positive Change: Grad Student Earns Degree in Social and Public Policy 

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Christol Wright ‘09 has long been interested in social change and justice. That’s what inspired the Rochester resident to pursue a master’s in social and public policy at Empire State University. 

“I am passionate about improving community services through effective and equitable public policies,” says Wright, a winter 2025 graduate. “This felt like the right time to deepen my impact and understanding in this area.” 

Wright first began her journey at SUNY Empire as an undergraduate student, earning her bachelor’s in community and human services in 2009 before enrolling in a master’s program in 2024. She says the experience she gained while pursuing her bachelor’s degree convinced her to stick with the online institution for her master’s. 

“I had a very positive learning experience and grew both personally and professionally over the years,” says Wright, who also holds associate degrees in addictions counseling and human services. “The knowledge I gained allowed me to apply what I learned directly to the workplace and in everyday life to help others.” 

Throughout the course of her program, Wright has balanced her studies with a number of other obligations. In addition to maintaining jobs as both a substance abuse counselor and an AmeriCorps VISTA member with the Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative, she has devoted her time to serving in the Empire State Service Corps. Specifically, she’s worked with SUNY Empire’s Office of Health and Wellness, focusing on connecting students with resources to combat food insecurity. Wright says her experience with the program has “left a lasting impact” on her.  

“My degree in Social and Public Policy is directly connected to my Service Corps experience. Many students face food insecurity while pursuing higher education, and social and public policy plays a critical role in advocating for systemic change,” she explains. “My work involved helping students access benefits, such as food assistance, without unnecessary barriers, aligning with my focus on policy advocacy and improving access to essential services for individuals working toward a better future.” 

Going forward, Wright plans to build on this experience by completing a Master of Social Work program. 

“I hope to work directly with underserved populations to create positive change and outcomes that promote equity for all,” she says.