As the Brown community continues to navigate the aftermath of the Dec. 13 shooting, the Office of Student Support Services has introduced six new interim student support deans to strengthen support networks available to Brown students. Earlier this month, students expressed concerns about accessing the University’s psychological services.
The six deans will liaise between students and SSS, Student Accessibility Services, Counseling and Psychological Services and Student Health Services, according to Associate Vice President for Strategic Assessment and Student Experience Susan Layden and Associate Vice President of Campus Life for Inclusive Community and Belonging Loc Truong, who are both providing interim oversight to SSS.
Since March 16, the deans have also contacted students who were directly impacted by the Dec. 13 shooting and are providing same-day support through daily drop-in hours available for all students.
The Herald corresponded with the new deans about their backgrounds and goals for their new positions.
Andrew Heald
Before coming to Brown, Andrew Heald spent over a decade working in international education, working as an English teacher in Japan and as an advisor for international students at the California College of the Arts. Now, as the Director of the Global Brown Center for International Students, Heald supports Brown’s global community.
There, Heald focuses on “building spaces that feel like a home away from home,” he wrote in a statement to The Herald. He plans to build on that practice in his role as interim dean.
“Home is where you find care, support and a community that centers your needs,” Heald wrote, adding that he views his new role as interim dean as an “extension” of the Global Brown Center.
As interim dean, Heald believes it is “most important” to “honor the entirety of (students’) lived experience.” For him, this means “being curious about what they are going through, what support they may need and listening for understanding to provide the best resources.”
Mary Jordan
As the inaugural Director of Student Experience at Brown, Mary Jordan has worked with many students over the course of her career, whether through leading undergraduate orientation or collaborating with the Division of Campus Life. Previously, she worked as a career and academic advisor, professor and student success coach at Brown and other universities.
“Decades of experience have helped me understand that not only does this empower students to overcome their current challenges, but it affirms their resilience and strength,” she added.
Jordan hopes to carry her experience working with students to her new role as interim dean.
“Every student’s experience is unique and requires unique solutions,” Jordan wrote in a statement to The Herald. “My approach really focuses on student agency and affirming that they are the author of their experiences.”
Jordan has begun reaching out to students one-on-one and wrote that she was “met with their kindness, gratitude and generosity toward the greater Brown community.”
“Connecting with Brown students one-on-one through this new role has been an absolute privilege,” Jordan wrote.
Caitlin O’Neill
When Caitlin O’Neill was a student at Oberlin College, they experienced “an unexpected loss that deeply shaped (their) time” as an undergraduate. As they were pursuing a graduate degree — with plans to become a professor — they found a different career objective.
“I came to the realization that I wanted to be a staff member who had the ability to impact the lives and trajectories of students the way college mentors positively impacted mine,” O’Neill wrote in a statement sent to The Herald.
“Joining Brown in December of 2019 was my way of continuing to pay that investment forward while working with a vibrant community of students and having a rewarding time doing it.”
At Brown, O’Neill is the Director of the LGBTQ Center, overseeing programs and initiatives at Stonewall House — a place O’Neill described as “a home for students who find themselves away from their supportive families and communities back home or students who are forging chosen family.”
O’Neill hopes to “serve as another set of eyes and ears that is fully connected to campus resources” for students.
“I find that students here know so much more about themselves than they think they do, they just need a little guidance from someone they can trust,” O’Neill wrote.
Julio Reyes ’12, MA’22
Julio Reyes ’12, MA’22 hopes to serve as a “bridge” for students navigating both the academic and personal dimensions of their time at Brown, he wrote in an statement sent to The Herald.
Reyes brings his experience as the director of the University’s Undocumented, First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center to his role as interim dean. In his new role, he plans to draw on his familiarity with campus resources and Brown’s curriculum to provide holistic support.
When he was an undergraduate at Brown, Reyes navigated the University “without many resources tailored for first-generation college and low-income students,” he said. He was later inspired by student advocacy efforts aimed at improving those experiences — work he was “excited to carry” forward during his time at Brown.
“It’s meaningful to be in a role where I can create programs and spaces that support this growth and help students feel confident in the paths they’re choosing,” he wrote. As a student support dean, Reyes wrote that he plans to extend that same commitment to all students.
“My door is always open,” he wrote, encouraging students to reach out and connect with him.
Felicia Salinas-Moniz MA’06, PhD’13
When Felicia Salinas-Moniz was a graduate student of American studies at Brown, she worked for Dean Gail Cohee — then director of the Sarah Doyle Center — as a graduate coordinator.
Cohee’s “positive impact” inspired Salinas-Moniz to pursue a career in higher education administration, she wrote in a statement sent to the Herald. About ten years later, Salinas-Moniz had a “full circle moment” when she became the Sarah Doyle Center’s director after Cohee’s retirement.
Salinas-Moniz has also taught courses in American studies at Brown, and her experiences working with students “both inside and outside the classroom” have allowed her to “understand the diverse campus experiences that students have,” she wrote in a statement to The Herald.
In her new role as interim dean, she will continue to help students navigate Brown “through collaborative problem-solving and direct connection to campus resources.”
“I’m proud to do the work that I do at Brown because it reminds me of the importance of mentorship in higher education,” Salinas-Moniz wrote. “When I was in college, having the help of advisors and mentors made all the difference in my academic and professional career and it’s a privilege to serve in that capacity for students that I work with.”
Brian Woods
Brian Woods’s path to Brown was shaped by “consistent interest in working directly with students during pivotal moments, both in college and in life,” he wrote in a statement sent to The Herald.
Before coming to Brown in March, Woods was a part of the faculty team at Skidmore College, where he created the first intergroup dialogue minor in the United States. He wrote that his previous experience taught him how students experience institutional systems.
He found that his approach to student support is defined by “clarity, strong communication and consistent follow through.”
Woods wrote that is drawn to higher education by the chance to “support growth both in and beyond the classroom.”
“There may not be an award for helping a student navigate a difficult period and emerge with a stronger sense of self,” Woods added, “but those moments of growth are what matter most and they’re the foundation for everything that follows.”
Although he has been at Brown for less than a month, “it’s already clear that the community — grounded in curiosity, care and a strong sense of purpose — creates meaningful opportunities for students to grow,” he wrote, adding that he hopes to contribute to systems that make support more accessible.
“College is often a time of figuring out who you are while balancing academics, relationships, expectations and the occasional ‘what am I doing with my life?’ moment,” Woods wrote. “Being part of that process — as a guide, sounding board or steady voice — is a privilege.”
Ivy Huang is a University News and Science & Research editor from New York City. Concentrating in English, she has a passion for literature and American history. Her favorite authors include Marilynne Robinson, Vladimir Nabokov, and Toni Morrison. Outside of writing, she enjoys playing basketball, watching documentaries, and beating her high score on Subway Surfers.
Miriam Davison is a Senior Staff Writer for University News covering Academics & Advising. She is a first-year from Los Angeles, CA and plans to study tentatively the realm of International & Public Affairs and English, though her interests span from linguistics to history to music. In her free time, she plays on one of Brown's ultimate frisbee teams and likes writing silly poems.
