Office of Residential Education
With 15 plus years of experience in residential education and part of the CMU community since 2005, David serves as the college liaison for the Schools of Music and Art and CFA transitional. His favorite part of his job is hearing residents’ stories and supporting them through their CMU journey. With a background in creative writing and theatre and a Master’s degree in higher education administration, he infuses his work with humor, humanity, and humility. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, riding and repairing vintage scooters, listening to baseball games, and sharing all that happens at CMU with his wife, two kids, and dog.
Jae is the first person you see when you walk into the Student Life offices. A member of the CMU community since 2009, Jae has discovered her passion for serving students and happily joined the Residential Education family after working as an administrative assistant in the Department of Chemistry and the School of Computer Science. When she is not at work managing the front desk operations or studying towards her Masters in Social Work degree at Pitt, Jae enjoys spending quality time with her husband and her daughter, Penny.
Grace is serving as the assistant to the Community Standards & Integrity office for the past two year. She currently supports both the academic integrity and community standards side of things within the university. Originally born in San Francisco, she grew up in Pittsburgh and now considers the city to be her home. In her free time, she is usually chasing her toddler Teddy and is excitedly preparing for her second shortly. She is also involved within her church serving as a deacon.
John joined Carnegie Mellon in 1994. He provides leadership to the departments in the Division of Student Affairs that are focused on creating safe, supportive and engaging living environments on campus, including Housing Services, Residential Education, Parent and Family Programs & First Year Orientation, Conference and Events Services, and Pre-College Summer Studies. Additionally, he provides direction for the division’s role in campus incident management and emergency response, while also serving as the university’s ombudsperson for town-gown relations with campus neighbors. A native of Western New York, John possesses a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Colgate University and a master’s degree in Counselor Education from the Pennsylvania State University.
Kristine Kengor is currently the Housefellow for Stever House, a Leed-certified first-year residence hall located on Morewood Avenue. Kristine also coordinates Community Advisor (CA) selection and training initiatives for the Office of Residential Education. Kristine is passionate about community service and civic engagement and is always looking for ways to incorporate this into her work with residence hall communities. You can often see Kristine at the Paws to Relax events in the Mindfullness room with her retired racing greyhound, Copper, who is a certified therapy dog through Animal Friends.
Utilizing his skills in organizational operations, program planning, and leadership development, Jesse helps the individuals and organizations within the CMU Greek community thrive and succeed. As the primary liaison for the Greek Housing experience, Jesse advocates for a positive living-learning experience for all residents. When he’s not working, you can find him walking his dogs, walking dogs at the Humane Animal Rescue, asking strangers to pet their dogs, or dreaming about creating a dog sanctuary.
Bryan has been working with residential students at Carnegie Mellon since 2010. Part of the Office of the Dean of Students, he leads a team that is focused on student support services within the Division of Student Affairs. He is the proud housefellow of Henderson and Welch. Bryan completed his undergraduate studies and his master’s in higher education from Penn State University, and his doctorate in higher education administration from George Washington University. Out of the office, he is likely training for a half-marathon, listening to podcasts, or walking his Samoyed with his spouse, Laura.
Gina is the housefellow for Fairfax Apartments. Gina graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with a bachelor’s degree in music performance and is now a graduate student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania working towards a master’s degree in student affairs in higher education. Gina can be found playing her harp, cooking or singing along to musical cast albums in her free time.
M. Shernell Smith
Executive Director for the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion
Email
412-268-4955
Everyone has a story and Shernell is committed to ensuring that at Carnegie Mellon we are fostering environments for authentic and meaningful exchange. She believes that diversity is meaningful exchange and meaningful exchanges can inspire and empower action toward social change. In moments of quiet mindfulness, you will either find Shernell trying to physically plant something in the local community garden, planting seeds of change and activism in the local community through her various non-profit board affiliations, or planning her next travel adventure.
Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Daniela comes to Carnegie Mellon from The University of Toledo, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. After working as a field service engineer for a couple of years, Daniela returned to Toledo to pursue a master’s degree in higher education administration. Aside from her role as a Housefellow, Daniela serves as a liaison for academic integrity violations in the College of Engineering, a process advisor for the University Disciplinary Committee. Growing up in a family of musicians, Daniela is constantly listening to music, and if she’s not singing along, she’s dancing to it!
Guided by the Latin phrase cura personalis, care for the entire person, Gwendolyn’s philosophy is to ensure everyone feels heard, seen and valued. She is committed to cultivating vibrant living and learning experiences reflective on the diversity and uniqueness of every CMU student. She seeks to create communities that are enriching and inclusive for all. Outside of work, Gwendolyn enjoys binge-watching Netflix, boxing, and playing with her dog, MiMi.
