Residential Life Staff

Central Staff | Resident Director Staff | Graduate Assistant Staff | Union/Support Staff

Office of Residential Programs – Central Staff

Amanda Horvat
Director of Staff Training & Development
(B.S. Paralegal Studies, M.S. Student Development Practice in Higher Education)

Amanda is originally from Long Island, New York. As an undergraduate student at St. John's University, New York, Amanda was involved in numerous activities on campus. She was a proud member of the first Resident Assistant staff at St. John's. Amanda continued at St. John's to pursue her Master's degree in Higher Education and gained experience in Student Activities and Greek Life.

After completing her degree, Amanda began her career as a Residence Life Coordinator at the Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA. In 2006, Amanda joined the Residential Programs staff at Hofstra University and is excited for another fun-filled year!

Christopher Muller
Director of Residential Living-Learning Communities
(B.S. Health Care Administration, M.S. Student Affairs Administration)

Christopher is originally from Seaford, New York. He completed his undergraduate and graduate education at the University at Buffalo. He truly enjoyed his time in Buffalo and had a passion for getting involved in Student Government, Leadership Initiatives, Residential Life and Judicial Affairs. Christopher was a very active college student and while he was at the University at Buffalo, he discovered that was some wonderful career opportunities in Student Affairs. Before working at Hofstra, he worked at Stony Brook University as a Resident Hall Director. During his time at Hofstra, Christopher has previously held the roles of Assistant Director of the Suites Area and Associate Director of Residential Programs. Recently, Christopher took on the position as Director of Residential Living-Learning Communities. He is very excited about his new role and looks forward to growing the living learning program at Hofstra University. He is very involved in numerous campus committees including: Family Weekend, Welcome Week, Student Affairs Strategic Planning and the Student Affairs Professional Development. In his free time, Chris likes to travel and spend time with friends and family.

Jean Anne Smith
Associate Director of Residential Programs

After 8 years of working in banking and finance, in the metropolitan area Jean Anne decided to change her career path and began her university career at Hofstra, in 1991, as a clerk specialist in the Office of Residential Life. Over the next several years she increased her knowledge in the field of higher education by holding various administrative positions in the Division of Student Affairs at Hofstra. After a decade of service at the university she accepted a new position at SUNY Maritime College as the Director of Residential Facilities in order to gain additional experience outside of the Hofstra Community. She returned to Hofstra 3 years later to assist in the budget management and with the upgrading of the university residential facilities.

During her time at Hofstra Jean Anne has not only worked in the Department of Residential Programs but also in the Department of Public Safety, the Office for Campus Operations and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. This is Jean Anne's fourth semester Associate Director of Residential Programs for Operations.

Novia Whyte-Ramsay
Associate Director of Residential Programs
(Hofstra University - B.B.A Management, Hofstra University - M.A. Foundations of Education)

Novia is originally from the island of Jamaica, in the West Indies. She started her college experience at Nassau Community College as an Accounting major. After receiving her Associates in Applied Science in Accounting, Novia attended Hofstra University where she started her career path in Student Affairs. She has been a member of the Residential Programs staff since June 2000 when she started out as the Housing Assignment Coordinator. Today she is the Associate Director of Residential Programs and her responsibilities include the assignment of all new students for the fall semester into housing. She coordinates the annual room selection process and is currently assisting with the creation of and upgrade to an automated assignment process for the office. Novia’s other responsibilities range from the direct supervision of union personnel and the administrative coordinator to serving as a member of the Emergency Response/On-Call team. She enjoys being a newlywed and is looking forward to continuing molding the lives of the students she encounters within the division of Student Affairs.

Sean Dowd
Assistant Director of Residential Programs – High Rise Towers & Suites
(Eastern Connecticut State University - B.A. Social Work and Applied Social Relations, Fairfield University - M.A. Education - Curriculum and Instruction)

Sean is originally from Enfield, Connecticut. He began his college experience at Western New England College in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1996 as a business major. He later transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University in Windham, Connecticut and began his experience as a Resident Assistant. Through his two year commitment with Residence Life at Eastern CT State, he decided to change career paths and pursued a degree in social work.

During his undergraduate years, Sean worked as a community outreach worker educating local high school students and community members about STD's and HIV/AIDS. He also served as both HIV/AIDS Counselor and support group facilitator at an urban Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community center. After completing his degree from E.C.S.U, Sean began work as a Graduate Residence Hall Coordinator at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut and later served as Assistant Director of Student Life at Loyola College in Maryland. This is Sean's second year at Hofstra University as Assistant Director of Residential Programs.

Michael Arno
Assistant Director of Residential Programs – Living Learning Communities
(SUNY Brockport - B.S. Business Administration, University of Buffalo - M.S. Student Personnel Administration)

Michael is originally from Catskill, NY. He received his bachelor's degree in 2003 at SUNY Brockport. While at SUNY Brockport, Michael was a Resident Assistant for two years. After his graduation, Michael began working as an intern in the Residence Life office at SUNY Brockport.

In the spring of 2003, Michael began his graduate work at Buffalo State College. Michael's professional career began shortly thereafter at the State University of New York, College at Geneseo. For two years Michael served the SUNY Geneseo community as a Residence Hall Director. Following his graduation at Buffalo State College, in 2006, Michael continued his career serving as a Residence Hall Director at Stony Brook University. This is Michael's second year at Hofstra University as Assistant Director of Residential Programs.

Meghan Rydzik
Administrative Coordinator of Residential Programs
(University of Connecticut- B.A. Human Development and Family Studies, University of Bridgeport- M.S. Counseling with a concentration in College Student Personnel)

Originally from Connecticut, Meghan received her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies in May 2004 from the University of Connecticut and her Masters of Science in Counseling with a concentration in College Student Personnel in May 2006 from the University of Bridgeport. During her time at the University of Bridgeport, Meghan worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Residence Life where she was in charge of Room Selection and the Budget. In July 2004, Meghan worked as a Residence Life Coordinator at Elmira College in Elmira, NY. At Elmira, Meghan was in charge of an all-female freshman residence hall housing approximately one hundred and thirty residents.

Meghan joined the Office of Residential Programs in January 2008 as the Administrative Coordinator. Meghan’s primary responsibility includes but is not limited to, assisting the Associate Director of Residential Programs with the management of the housing assignment and room selection processes. She is also responsible for overseeing all updates related to publications such as the Living Factor, Move-In Brochure, and the Summer Housing application. Meghan is also excited to help create a positive experience for students during the room selection process.

Resident Director Staff

Mia Casey
Resident Director – Vander Poel & Enterprise
(Hofstra University - B.A. Political Science with minors in History and Psychology)

Mia is originally from Northern Vermont where she lived until venturing to Long Island for college. She came to Long Island as a first year student at Hofstra University and has not left since. She became a Resident Assistant as a sophomore at Hofstra and moved up to Senior Resident Assistant in her senior year. She then accepted a Graduate Assistantship in the Office of Residential Programs and soon after became a full time administrator as a Resident Director.

Kate Grossman
Resident Director- Constitution and Estabrook Halls
(Hofstra University- B.A. Speech Communication, Rhetoric and Performance Studies)

Kate is originally from Long Island, New York. She graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication, Rhetoric and Performance Studies, with a minor in Speech-Language Hearing Sciences.  Kate began as a Resident Assistant her junior year at Hofstra, and continued on to become a Senior Resident Assistant her senior year at Hofstra. This is Kate's first year as a Resident Director.  Kate is excited to be able to continue her work in the Office of Residential Programs at Hofstra University.  
 

Susan Guarrieri
Resident Director
(Hofstra University - B.S. History and Secondary Education, Hofstra University, M.A. Social Studies Education)

Sue is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was an active member of the Hofstra community as an undergraduate and graduate student. Sue became a Resident Assistant in Suffolk Hall in her junior year at Hofstra. She moved on to being a Senior Resident Assistant in Honor's Housing the following year. Sue spent a period of 6 months as an undergraduate student teacher in the Uniondale School district teaching American History, but after her two years as a member of Hofstra's Residential Programs office, she decided to pursue a Graduate Assistantship within the office. She became the Graduate Resident Director of Bill of Rights Hall, the all female residence hall on campus and later became the Assistant Resident Director of the High Rise area.

In October of 2006, Sue had the opportunity to become the interim Resident Director in Honor's Housing and she went on to become the Professional hall director there. Sue has recently moved to become the Resident Director of The Netherlands Complex, which is home to three of Hofstra's Living Learning Communities. Sue is a member of the Hofstra Homecoming committee and helps coordinate Open House events with the Office of Admissions at Hofstra.

Monique Hill
Resident Director – Colonial Square
(Seton Hall University- B.A. Psychology)

Monique Hill is originally from the town of Huntington in Long Island, NY. During her time at Seton Hall, Monique was a Resident Director for three years and heavily involved in different facets of students affairs. Some of these facets included Peer Health Education, Women's Resource Center, Community Development and the National Coalition Building Institute. After Graduating from Seton Hall, Monique began her first job as a Territory Sales Manager for Philip Morris USA. Although Monique enjoyed her time with Philip Morris, she had an unfulfilled void being absent from world of student affairs. This is Monique's second year at Hofstra and she is excited to be making an impact on the lives of students at Hofstra University.

Vanessa Parent
(Hofstra University- B.A. International Business Administration, M.S. Elementary Education)

Originally from Long Island, New York, Vanessa Parent has been a member of the Residential Programs family since her sophomore year at Hofstra. She began her career as an RA in Netherlands North for 2 years and then became a Senior Resident Assistant in Nassau Hall. After graduating with a B.A. in International Business Administration, she decided to move her career in a different direction. Vanessa started the M.S. program in Elementary Education here at Hofstra and was the Resident Director of Nassau Hall for those two years of graduate school. Now, Vanessa is happy to return to her Hofstra home as the Resident Director of Alliance and Bill of Rights Halls. She hopes to utilize her experience in the fields of business and education to advance her career in student affairs administration.

Timothy Reilly
Residence Director – Nassau-Suffolk
(The Catholic University of America - B.A. Politics, Old Dominion University, M.S. Education Higher Education Administration)

Timothy grew up nearby on the north shore of Long Island in Fort Salonga. During his time as an undergraduate, he actively got involved in Catholic's New Student/Parent Orientation program and worked part time for the Department of Judicial Affairs and Ethical Development.

While attending Old Dominion University for his master's degree, he entered the world of Residence Life at Virginia Wesleyan College. At Virginia Wesleyan, Tim worked as a Village Coordinator and worked extensively with the college's arbitration process. Tim is excited to be back home on Long Island with his wife and can't wait for a new season of Islanders hockey.

John Zilvinskis
Resident Director for Liberty and Republic Halls, Residential Programs

John Zilvinskis is the newest member of the Office of Residential Programs! John is originally from Tully, NY, a suburb of Syracuse. John completed his bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo, with a major in physics and a minor in mathematics. While at Geneseo, John also worked as a resident assistant in the Office of Residence Life. Since his graduation, John has lived in multiple states, such as California, Tennessee, and Washington working in various educational programs for students of all ages. John is excited to be working at Hofstra in his role as a Resident Director. John will be working closely with the Honor's College, assisting in the development of residential programs for Honor's students.

Christina King
Resident Director- New Complex
(Hofstra University- B.A. Biology)

Graduate Assistant Staff

Christopher W. Baker
Administrative Graduate Assistant for the High Rise Area
(B.A. History and Political Science - Hofstra University, MSED in Social Studies Education [Anticipated May 2010])

Chris is originally from Long Island, New York. This is Chris' fourth year in the Department of Residential Programs. He began his Sophomore year as an Resident Assistant in Alliance Hall where he worked for two years. During his senior year, Chris became the Senior Resident Assistant of Alliance Hall. He also graduated that same year with a B.A. History and Political Science as well as minor is Drama, International Affairs and European Studies. Chris is very excited to take on the new position as the Administrative Graduate Assistant for the High Rise Area. He is also very happy to still be a part of the Residential Programs community.

Rochelle Manelis
Assistant Resident Director – Nassau/Suffolk
(Hofstra University- B.A. Speech Language Hearing Science, Hofstra University, M.A. Speech Language Hearing Sciences [Anticipated May 2009])

Rochelle is originally from Margate, NJ, a small beach town outside of Atlantic City. Rochelle began her undergraduate college experience at Hofstra University in 2002, where she studied Speech Language Pathology, a field in which communication disorders sparked her interest. Wanting to become more involved in Hofstra's community, Rochelle became a Resident Assistant her junior year in the Netherlands South Complex, and continued as an RA her senior year.

Upon entering Hofstra University Graduate School, Rochelle became the Resident Director of Nassau Hall, where she balanced the life as a direct supervisor and professional employee with her job as a graduate student. With new initiatives in the Residential Programs' departmental model, Rochelle is now the Assistant Resident Director of Nassau/Suffolk Hall, where she closely works with an RA staff of 24 and supervises their programming initiatives. This is Rochelle's fourth year working with Residential Programs.

Erin McDowell
Assistant Resident Director - Netherlands
(Hofstra University- B.A. Broadcast Journalism, Hofstra University- M.S. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies)

Erin is originally from Nashua, New Hampshire. She began her college experience at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York in 2003 as a broadcast journalism major. At Hofstra, Erin began her experience as a Resident Assistant. Her positive experiences within Residence Life inspired her to change career paths and focus her graduate studies towards a future in Student Affairs.

During her undergraduate years, Erin was an active member of Hofstra's Student Government Association and Student Conduct Board. She also served as a Resident Assistant and Senior Resident Assistant for three years in the first year student residence halls. Erin is currently enrolled as a graduate student at Hofstra and serves as the Assistant resident Director in the Netherlands.  

Audra Kincaid
Graduate Resident Director - Graduate Residence Hall
(Hofstra University - B.A. Print Journalism, M.A. Science Journalism [Anticipated 2010])

Audra is originally from Pittsburgh, PA. She began her undergraduate college career at Hofstra in 2003 as a print journalism major. During that time Audra was a founding member of Hofstra University Gamers, and joined Phi Eta Sigma and The Golden Key International Honor Society. Audra also served as a Resident Assistant for two years, and took on the role of vice president for Lambda Pi Eta, the Communications Honor Society at Hofstra, during her senior year.

Upon entering graduate school at Hofstra Audra became a Senior Resident Assistant. Her positive experience with Residential Programs lead her to accept the Graduate Resident Director position.

Anne Pelaez
Administrative Graduate Assistant

Anne is originally from Keansburg, NJ, a small beach town . Anne completed her bachelor's degree at Douglass College of Rutgers University, and was an RA for their Residence Life team. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy in preparation for licensure as a Couples Therapist. Anne is very excited to join the Residential Programs community at Hofstra and take on the new position as the Administrative Graduate Assistant for the Suites Area.

Andrea Staats
Graduate Resident Director – Colonial Square
(Hofstra University- B.A. Speech Language Pathology and Community Health, Hofstra University, Masters in Inclusive Early Special Education [Anticipated May 2009])

Andrea was born and raised in Massapequa, New York. As an undergraduate student here at Hofstra, Andrea was a Resident Assistant for two years and a Senior Resident Assistant for one year. She was also involved in RSA, is an Alpha Phi Alumni, and a member of Sigma Pi, the Speech Language and Hearing Honor Society at Hofstra. Andrea has worked with Residential Programs for four years now and is currently the Graduate Resident Director of two high rises, Alliance and Bill of Rights.

Union/Support Staff

Patricia Brennan
Senior Accounts Clerk

Patricia started her career at Hofstra University in 2001, serving as a temp for the Office of Public Safety. She then worked in the bookstore for a short period of time prior to being recruited by the Office of Residential Programs as a temp in the receptionist position. She was hired shortly thereafter as the permanent receptionist.

In January 2007, Patricia replaced the Senior Accounts Clerk who retired. Her responsibilities include but are not limited to creating applications for new and returning students; she enjoys working closer with students and parents.

Jean Grande
Senior Assistant for Residential Programs

Jean started working at Hofstra in 1982 in the office of Financial Aid where she stayed for six years. In 1988 she decided to move over to her current position with the Office of Residential Programs.

Jean has served as Union Assistant Chief Representative of Local 153 for staff here at Hofstra since 1990. During her years as a union representative she has been involved with many negotiations and arbitrations. She has also attended numerous conferences and workshops, including Labor Relationship classes given by Cornell University and an Alcohol Dependence workshop.

Jean was instrumental in obtaining the union pension for all of our members of Local 153 by getting both Hofstra representatives and our union representatives to meet.

For almost seven years Jean was the sorority advisor for SDT and a member of the Administrative Judicial Hearings for the Dean of Students. She has also served on the University Senate and attended monthly Planning & Budget Committee meetings during her tenure.

Mary Prine Laurino
Receptionist
(NASD (National Association Security Dealers) sponsored Municipal Bond School - 1975 Certificate of Completion)

Proudly born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Mary began working for Ehrlich-Bober & Co. Inc., Municipal Underwriters upon Graduation from High School. Mary also started NASD School September, 1973 and remained at Ehrlich & Bober working as an Assistant Vice President /Assistant to Trader until "retirement" in 1985.

She served as member of New York State mandated Site Based Team for Shared Decision Making for Milburn Elementary School, Baldwin, NY, from 1991 through 1996. Mary has served Hofstra University since 1999 in the following areas:

1999/2003 - Part time, Axinn Library
2003/2004 - Plant Department
2004/2007 - Student Accounts, Repayment Office
January 2007 to present - Office of Residential Programs

Carol Ruppeiko
Senior Assistant for Residential Programs

Carol was born and raised on Long Island. She has lived in Wantagh, Islip and currently resides in Bellmore, on the south shore. Carol joined the Hofstra family in 1985, originally working as the Clerk Supervisor for Financial Aid and Academic Records office. During her time in Financial Aid, Carol created and implemented the Competitive Scholarship Exam, which grants scholarships to high school juniors in the local community. Carol joined the Residential Programs Office in 1996. She is directly responsible for overseeing billing for housing and meal plans for our incoming First Year students.