Rachel Dunifon: Interim Dean

Rachel Dunifon, professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management and senior associate dean for research and outreach in the College of Human Ecology, will become interim dean of the College July 1, Provost Michael Kotlikoff announced Jan. 23. Her appointment was approved by the State University of New York Board of Trustees.

Dunifon succeeds Alan D. Mathios, who is stepping down after leading the College as the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan dean for two five-year terms, preceded by one year as interim dean and three years as associate dean. Dunifon will serve until June 30, 2020, at which time a permanent dean will be named.

“With her experience guiding the College’s research and outreach efforts, Rachel brings a wealth of leadership experience to the College of Human Ecology,” Kotlikoff said. “Furthermore, Rachel has demonstrated scholarly excellence as a researcher focused on child and family policy, including many projects conducted with community partners outside Cornell. She is widely respected across the College’s faculty, staff and students, and offers a steady administrative hand for the continued growth of the College.”

Mathios reiterated these sentiments. “As senior associate dean, Rachel has proven her outstanding leadership skills, her deep understanding of the breadth of the College mission, and developed superb collaboration with the leadership teams in the College and in the provost’s office,” he said. “The College will be in great hands.”

Dunifon, who joined the Cornell faculty in 2001, is a leading scholar in child and family policy whose research explores the development of vulnerable children. Her forthcoming book, “You’ve Always Been There for Me,” explores the lives of children being raised by their grandparents. She is also co-director of Cornell Project 2Gen, a new project housed in the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research that addresses the needs of at-risk children and their parents. Her work has been supported by a William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Award and the National Institutes of Health, and she has published widely in top academic journals.

As senior associate dean, Dunifon oversaw faculty recruitment and development, provided leadership for the College’s outreach and extension programs, and coordinated graduate education in the College. In this role, Dunifon has launched several initiatives to facilitate research and played a key role in several university-wide initiatives related to public engagement and Cornell’s land-grant mission.

Dunifon said she appreciates the opportunity to lead the College of Human Ecology. “Having started as a junior faculty member in the College, I have built my career here and have benefited from the College of Human Ecology’s strong intellectual community,” she said. “The College and its success are very important to me, and I am honored to lead the College over the coming years.”

Dunifon received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Davidson College in 1994. She earned a Ph.D. in human development and social policy from Northwestern University in 1999, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan School of Public Policy.

In Rachel's Words

What I love about the College of Human Ecology:

This is an incredibly exciting time of growth for Human Ecology. We are soon to begin the renovation of our historic Martha Van Rensselaer building and are hiring an unprecedented number of faculty. I am energized and excited to lead the College forward as we bring these new spaces and faces into place in support of our mission.

The College of Human Ecology plays a leading role on campus in bringing multiple disciplines together to address society’s most pressing issues and ensuring that students have extraordinary opportunities to apply knowledge outside the classroom. Throughout its history and into the present time, the College focuses on going beyond the walls of the University and engaging with households and families in the state through its extension mission.

Our work has three key characteristics:

1. Applied – directly and more swiftly addressing important issues like poverty, inequality, health, and sustainability.
2. Multidisciplinary – engaging and utilizing insights from disciplines across campus, including synergies like law and psychology, nutrition and engineering, and fiber science and technology.
3. Innovative – leveraging our approach and outlook in new, unique and creative ways.

All of these come together to benefit students, preparing them for the job market, continuing scholarship and entrepreneurship.

My guiding principles:

First, I want to focus on enhancing the student experience by continuing to support and further provide unique and enriching experiences for our undergraduates. This would include connecting students with institutes and programs such as the Cornell Cooperative Extension internship program and the Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement.

Second, I want to continue to foster a sense of community that brings students, faculty and staff together to focus on a shared vision that highlights and elevates the College’s contributions to innovation and growth on campus and beyond.

Finally, I want to encourage multidisciplinary and translational research that addresses human health and well-being by engaging with communities throughout New York State as well as outside of the state, domestically and abroad. This includes supporting our many students working on undergraduate research in Human Ecology (currently the highest rate of all schools and colleges at Cornell), which is vital to our mission.

Karl Pillemer: Senior Associate Dean for Research and Outreach

Beginning July 1, Karl Pillemer, the Hazel E. Reed Professor in the Department of Human Development, will begin serving as senior associate dean for research and outreach at Human Ecology – a role vacated by Professor Rachel Dunifon, who accepted the position of interim dean of the College.

Pillemer brings a wealth of administrative experience to this role, including previous service as associate dean and roles as director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research and director of the Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging.

This new position means his departure from his role as director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, a post he has held since 2015. He will be succeeded at the Center by Christopher Wildeman, professor of Policy Analysis and Management.

“I am pleased and honored to be invited to fill this role,” Pillemer said. “Coming to the College was a career- changing event for me, allowing me to conduct research in real-world settings and endorsing my efforts to create a better marriage of science and service. This is a great opportunity to give back and to help our incredible cohort of younger faculty to achieve career success.”

Pillemer joined the Department of Human Development in 1990 and is a world-renowned scholar on family and social relationships in later life. He excels at the integration of cutting-edge research and outreach.

His major interests center on human development over the life course, with a special emphasis on family and social relationships in middle age and beyond. His current research projects span his interests in aging and the family, long- term and palliative care, developing effective models for translational research, and studies of elder wisdom.

“It’s fantastic to be taking on a position in an organization that is in such a position of strength, but also has room to develop in new ways,” he said. “When I was in graduate school,
there were endless debates about ‘basic’ versus ‘applied’ research. The seamless link that’s been forged in our College makes that argument seem tired and obsolete.

“The College is a model for excellence in research that has implications for human problems. It integrates scholars from a range of disciplines; indeed, I don’t think there is another entity with more cross-disciplinary collaboration than Human Ecology,” he said.

“As a sign of these strengths, we attract outstanding graduate students and undergraduates, and maintain a vast array of extension and outreach projects. Other universities are trying to invent what we have here now, so in Human Ecology, we are way ahead of the
curve in terms of radical collaboration, integration of social science and medical research, and translational research models.”

Along with his roles within the College of Human Ecology, Pillemer is also professor of gerontology in Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College.

Patricia Cassano: Interim Director, Division of Nutritional Sciences

Patricia Cassano, professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, took the role of interim director of the Division on March 1, replacing former director Patrick Stover who accepted the role of Vice Chancellor and Dean of Agriculture and Life Science for the Texas A&M System.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to further serve the Division, the College and the University,” said Cassano, who has served as the Division’s Associate Director since 2015.

“I am excited to be working on behalf of the faculty, staff and students in the Division, and I am looking forward to continuing to build and nurture a positive and supportive environment, to strengthen cross-University connections, to build on existing external relationships, and to forge new relationships that bring distinction to Cornell,” she said.

Joining the Division in 1989, Cassano is a chronic disease epidemiologist with interests in nutrition and genetics and specialized expertise in the etiology of respiratory diseases. During her time at Cornell, Cassano has distinguished herself as an administrative leader and an influential epidemiologist.

She is also a professor of healthcare policy and research at Weill Medical College, director of Graduate Studies for the minor field of epidemiology in the Cornell University Graduate School, and leads the WHO/Cochrane/Cornell University Summer Institute for Systematic Reviews in Nutrition for Global Policy Making.

The Division will continue on its positive course under Cassano’s direction, said Dean Alan Mathios, “especially given the depth and breadth of her experience and scholarship and her dedication to the Division, the College and the University.”

Qi Wang: Chair, Human Development

Qi Wang, professor of Human Development, was named chair of the Department of Human Development and began her five-year term on July 1, 2017. Her appointment follows Professor Charles Brainerd, who spent five-and a-half years at the helm of the department.

Wang, who earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University, joined Human Ecology in 2000 after a role as a teaching fellow at the Boston-based Ivy League University.

Under Wang’s leadership, the department continues to embrace its ecological tradition to study human development in context. She seeks to enhance its academic distinction, expand its interdisciplinary strength and methodological rigor, and address questions of real-world relevance and fundamental theoretical importance.

“The department will strive for excellence by conducting and disseminating innovative scientific research, increasing outreach efforts to serve the community and society, training first-rate research scientists, educators, and practitioners, and providing an outstanding undergraduate education that prepares students for real-world challenges,” Wang said.

“My main priorities during my time as chair will be to continue to build a world-class faculty, expand our interdisciplinary focus, strengthen resources for research and student training, and increase the national and international visibility of the department.”

Wang’s research examines the mechanisms underlying the development of social cognition in the context of culture.
In 2013, she wrote the book “The Autobiographical Self in Time and Culture,” which is regarded as the definitive work on culture and autobiographical memory. Her research has been published frequently in top psychology journals.

Wang directs the Culture & Social Cognition Lab, where she and her students study a variety of social- cognitive processes, examining their developmental causes and consequences in cultural context. Integrating developmental, cognitive, and sociocultural perspectives, her research examines autobiographical memory, future thinking, self-concept, and emotion knowledge in children and adults and investigates the influence of social media on cognitive functioning and well-being.

Mardelle Shepley: Chair, Design + Environmental Design

Mardelle Shepley, professor in the Department of Design + Environmental Analysis (DEA), accepted the position of chair of the Department starting July 1, 2017. She will serve a three-year term in the role.

Shepley took over the reins of DEA from Professor Sheila Danko, who served as chair for eight years and has recently moved on into retirement.

“The Department of Design + Environmental Analysis is currently in the process of hiring multiple new faculty due to recent retirements,” said Shepley, who joined the department in 2014. “This is an exciting time for DEA, as the hiring decisions we make now will impact the course of the department for many years to come.”

“Mardelle will add great strength to the leadership team of the College and foster and support the great work that is done in DEA,” said Dean Alan Mathios.

Shepley’s research focuses primarily on the impact of the physical environment on human health and well-being. The constructs of her studies are based on the art and science of design and psychology. As a design practitioner, her research is characterized by its translational contact, meaning it generates data that is readily applicable to practice.

In addition to her research, teaching and chair duties, Shepley is an associate director with the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures, which combines hospitality, environmental design, and health policy and management into a broad-based platform to improve service in health care, wellness, and senior living.

Previously, she served a professor at Texas A&M University, where she was director of the Center for Health Systems & Design from 2004-2014. Shepley is a fellow in the American Institute of Architects and the American College of Healthcare Architects. She is LEED and EDAC certified, the author of six books, and was the recipient of the 2017 Changemaker award from the Center for Health Design.

Chris Wildeman: Director, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research

Christopher Wildeman, professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, will become Director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR) on July 1.

Wildeman’s research on mass incarceration and child maltreatment has not only advanced research knowledge in these important areas, but also informed programs and policies for vulnerable families, said Rachel Dunifon, the College’s interim dean.

“I know that the BCTR will be in excellent hands under Chris’ leadership,” she said.

Wildeman’s research emphasizes the prevalence, causes, and consequences of parental incarceration and child welfare contact for families in Denmark and the United States. He has served as associate director of the BCTR since 2016, where he has played a key role in fostering faculty engagement with the Center. He is also co-director of the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN), a U.S. data archive that preserves and distributes child abuse data sets to researchers for analysis and promotes scholarly exchange among researchers in the child maltreatment field.

“In my mind, the BCTR is such an exciting center to direct – and place to be more broadly – because it is where our mission to engage in research for the greater good is most clearly exemplified in the College and maybe even the University,” he said. “With its unique collection of cooperative extension staff, large funded projects, and faculty, it is a place that is both intellectually engaging and socially beneficial.”

Prior to joining Cornell’s faculty in 2014, Wildeman was an associate professor of sociology at Yale University. He received his doctorate degree in sociology and demography from Princeton University in 2008. From 2008 to 2010, he was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar and postdoctoral affiliate in the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan.

Kay Obendorf: Interim Chair, Fiber Science & Apparel Design 

S. Kay Obendorf, Professor Emerita in Fiber Science & Apparel Design, is serving as interim Chair of the Department, beginning April 9. She follows former chair, Professor Jintu Fan, after six years of his dedicated service. Fan stepped down from the role to devote more time to his research as a faculty member in the Department.

A key goal over the coming months will be to identify the next Chair.

Obendorf’s 50-year career as a well- respected and innovative mentor, scientist and administrator in the College and her forward-thinking perspective sets a solid foundation for the Department during this leadership transition.

“I am very pleased that Kay Obendorf will serve as interim Chair of the Department over the next several months,” Interim Dean Rachel Dunifon said. “Having served as a faculty member and Department Chair in FSAD and as Senior Associate Dean in the College of Human Ecology, Professor Obendorf brings a wealth of administrative experience and intellectual strength to this role – the College is very fortunate that she is willing to serve in this important leadership position.”

Having earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Cornell in 1976, Obendorf’s research and teaching interests are in the area of fiber science, chemistry of fibers and films, and protective clothing. She was the department chair for the Department of Textiles and Apparel (now Fiber Science & Apparel Design) from 1985-95 and Senior Associate Dean for the College of Human Ecology (1997-2015). In 2010, she received the Olney Medal for achievement in textile chemistry from the American Associate of Textile Chemists and Colorists, and in 2013 she was elected as an Honorary Member of The Fiber Society.

Maria Fitzpatrick: Director, Cornell Institute for Public Affairs

Maria Fitzpatrick, associate professor of Policy Analysis and Management (PAM) and a member of the Public Affairs Field at Cornell, has been named the new director of the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA.) She began her five-year term in March.

“I am honored to have been appointed as director of the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs,” Fitzpatrick said. “The program has a history of providing students with a combination of interdisciplinary academic training and experiential real-world training that prepares them for careers in public service.

“Interacting with current and former CIPA students has been most rewarding, and is much of what motivated me to become more involved as director of CIPA,” she continued. “I look forward to building on that tradition by strengthening the programmatic training and creating even stronger connections to policymaking and public affairs.”

Fitzpatrick has a doctorate degree in economics from the University of Virginia and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research prior to joining PAM in 2011. She is an internationally-known scholar with expertise in the economics of education, public finance, and labor economics.

“With her strong academic background in areas directly relevant to CIPA and her commitment to the CIPA program and mission, I am confident that Maria will serve as an outstanding director,” Interim Dean Rachel Dunifon said.

At Cornell and within Human Ecology, Fitzpatrick has taught courses in the economics of education for CIPA students as well as courses in microeconomics and the economics of education more broadly.

CIPA’s immediate past director, Sharon Tennyson, professor of Policy Analysis and Management, completed her three-year term last July and returned to teaching and serving as director of graduate studies within the field of Public Affairs at Cornell.

Kelly Musick: Interim Chair, Policy Analysis and Management

Kelly Musick, professor of Policy Analysis and Management (PAM), has agreed to serve as interim chair of the department, beginning July 1. She will oversee department administration while the external search for the next chair of the department continues. Musick, who also serves as the director of the Cornell Population Center, was on the sociology faculty at the University of Southern California before moving to Cornell in 2008.

Her research focuses on family change and social inequality, publishing on women’s childbearing intentions, the quality and stability of cohabiting relationships, social class differences in family formation, and the mechanisms linking family environments and child well-being. She has taught classes in family demography, population and public policy, and research methods at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
 

Alex Susskind: Associate Director, Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures 

Professor Alex Susskind has joined the Cornell Institute for Healthy Future (CIHF) as an associate director after a productive stint as a faculty fellow. Susskind, an associate professor at Cornell’s Hotel School, will bring his expertise in food and beverage management and healthy eating to add another dimension to the CIHF portfolio.

The mission of the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures is to provide a multi-disciplinary platform for integrating hospitality, health management and policy, and design to enhance service excellence in healthcare, wellness, senior living, and related industries.

“When CIHF was announced, I thought it was a perfect way to expand what I do into a new domain – health, hospitality and design are three elements that go well together,” Susskind said. “Until CIHF came to life, we really had no single platform at Cornell where all this came together.”

Susskind joined the faculty at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration in the Department of Food and Beverage Management in 1998. He earned a doctorate degree in communication, and a master’s degree in business with a concentration in personnel and human relations from Michigan State University. His undergraduate degree is from Purdue University in restaurant, hotel and institutional management.

“When I was given a chance to move into a leadership role at CIHF, I thought I could add value with my focus on the food service side of the business,” Susskind said. “Food service is an important part of both the healthcare and hospitality businesses, and I plan to bring more of that focus to CIHF through my new role.”

Susskind is also a trained chef with a degree in culinary arts from The Culinary Institute of America in New York. Before his career in academia, Susskind was a chef and restaurant operator for both independent and multi-unit restaurant companies in the northeastern and southeastern United States.

Through his research, Susskind is currently examining how customer-service provider interaction with guests and managers influences organizational performance; how technology is influencing the relationship between guests and service-based employees and managers; and how nutrition information provided by restaurants on menus, as required by the Affordable Care Act, is influencing guests’ food in full service restaurants.

Jennifer Rouin: Assistant Dean, Alumni Affairs and Development

On November 1, Jennifer Rouin became Assistant Dean for Alumni Affairs and Development for the College, replacing Marybeth Tarzian who left the role for a new position with the University’s Alumni Affairs and Development Division.

Rouin has served as Human Ecology’s Associate Director of Alumni Affairs and Development since 2015 and the Cornell Annual Fund prior to joining the College.

At the time of her appointment, Dean Alan Mathios said, “I am very excited that Jen will be taking on this position and grateful for the excellent work she has been doing for Human Ecology.”

“Jen’s keen ability to build meaningful and long-lasting relationships with diverse internal and external constituents and manage team members, in combination with her institutional knowledge, academic background and fundraising experience prior to Cornell, have been of great value to the College and will be even more so as she leads the Alumni Affairs and Development team as Assistant Dean.”

Paired with over two decades of development and advancement funding experience, Rouin has a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Lawrence University and an MBA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“I am tremendously grateful for this opportunity to advance the mission of the College by involving increasing numbers of alumni, and seeking the resources needed to educate the next generation of students,” said Rouin.

“Our focus for the immediate future will be on supporting the priorities of Interim Dean Dunifon, as well as securing funds for our faculty’s exceptional research, creating naming opportunities in the newly remodeled MVR Building, and further engaging the amazing alumni of the College.”