Our Collaborators

As the Health Promotion Specialist – Student Well-Being, Rebecca plays an integral part in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of theory- and evidence-informed health promotion strategies, programs, and services to enhance student well-being. At the core of her passion is the empowerment of educators and student-facing staff, arming them with practical tools that prioritize self-compassion, nurture self-care, and establish environments conducive to student well-being. Rebecca’s efforts are aimed at enriching mindfulness, self-compassion, and overall well-being, thereby contributing to the exceptional quality of education and support provided by University of Rochester faculty and staff. With a rich background spanning classrooms across the Rochester City School District, NYC Public Schools, and the University of Rochester, her commitment is fueled by the invaluable insights garnered from these experiences.

As the Director of the Health Promotion Office, Amy strives to create a thriving culture of well-being for our campus community. During the past fifteen years, she has created, developed, implemented, and evaluated health education and health promotion programs for the corporate and higher education sectors. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning and program development, as well as the topics of mental well-being and mindfulness meditation. Amy is passionate about advancing a comprehensive, inclusive, and progressive student well-being model which creates the conditions for students to flourish.  Her work moves beyond traditional approaches of influencing individual behavior towards systems level and environmental strategies that influence the well-being of the whole campus culture. She believes that utilizing a public health approaches to improve well-being is how we can truly become ever-better.

Danielle has worked at the University of Rochester for two years as the Assistant Director of Alcohol and Other Drug Education (AOD). In this role Danielle focuses on teaching harm reduction techniques to students around AOD. She has also received her certificate in Trauma Informed Care (TIC) from the University of Buffalo, which she also uses in her day to day practices. As a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) teaching others about harm reduction, TIC, and other preventative health techniques is a passion for Danielle, which she plans to continue to do throughout her career.

As an Assistant Director of The Learning Center, Robin Frye is the lead for the Academic Success Coaching program and teaches courses in the College Peer-led Team Learning (PLTL) Workshop program. She has been coaching graduate and undergraduate students on study-related topics since 2011. Currently, she largely supports students at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. Robin received her PhD in developmental psychology from Clark University.

Rachel Grzejka has their Master of Social Work degree and has been working at the University of Rochester since 2021, first at the Eastman School of Music and then in the Center for Student Conflict Management as one of the Assistant Directors of CARE. CARE is part of the Dean of Students Office and works with students, faculty and staff to support students who have been experiencing a wide variety of distress in and out of the classroom via an online referral system. Rachel enjoys working with students to help them learn about themselves, overcome adversity and watch them become comfortable in advocating for themselves, and will bring those skills to this program and other professionals.

Alexandra joined the UR Medicine EAP team in January of 2020. Alexandra achieved a Masters of Social Work degree with a specialty in Mental Health from Roberts Wesleyan College. Her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a minor in Abnormal Psychology from Mercyhurst University has prepared her for working with diverse populations. Throughout her career, she’s had the honor of counseling: veterans diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder within the VA Outpatient Clinic in Rochester, NY, survivors of domestic violence seeking services through the Willow Domestic Violence Counseling Center and individuals on their recovery journey from eating disorders at The Healing Connection. These experiences have increased her passion to provide an empathetic and client-centered approach to all those she meets and supports

Dr. Johnson has been working to drive institutional change, create diverse co-curricular experiences, increase EDI education across Warner’s community, and foster a more equitable and inclusive educational and workplace environment. She works very closely with students, supports, and fosters close collaboration with staff, faculty, and colleagues across the university.  She is a Warner alum and the Rochester Regional Leader for the UR Black Alumni Network. During the program she will be providing leadership and strategy solutions to support historically excluded students at a PWI. Dr. Johnson worked at two private PWIs, post-secondary schools in New York City, and non-profit organizations.

Dagmar studied Psychology at the University of South Florida, where she received her B.A. in 1997.  Dagmar then moved to New York and started her doctoral studies in Clinical Psychology at the University of Rochester.  Her research focused on adolescent socio-emotional wellbeing, parent-child relationships, peer relationships, and resilience in the face of adversity. Dagmar transitioned into her current role as UCC’s clinical director in 2018. She enjoys teaching and supervision, as well as group psychotherapy and (most recently) animal-assisted treatment.  She favors psychodynamic, relational, and existential theoretical approaches but integrates other modalities in her practice of psychotherapy.  She particularly enjoys working with international students, first generation college students, Eastman School of Music students, as well as grief and loss.

Mary Beth Kitzel is an Access Coordinator at the Office of Disability Resources. Mary Beth is a former academic and support service professional with more than 30 years of university experience.

Jen Prosceo is the Director of the UR Office of Disability Resources. Jen joined UR in 2019 as an Access Coordinator and has over 25 years of experience working with post-secondary students who have disabilities.

Dr. Col Raimond is a lifelong Rochesterian who was a practicing trademark attorney before joining the University of Rochester. Col earned their Doctor of Education from the University of Rochester, Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo Law School, and their Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice from the College at Brockport. As an attorney, Col focused their pro bono practice on assisting transgender and gender expansive folks to obtain name changes.

Col is passionate about educating allies and working to create an environment that allows all people to live their lives safely, happily, and authentically. As part of the team at the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center, Col is excited to work with the future members and leaders of the LGBTQ community.

Alex Samors is a licensed social worker and has served as the Director of the CARE Network since December 2022. Alex oversees professional staff and campus partners to ensure students are connected quickly to the best resource for support, in addition to coordinating with University wide CARE partners in support of the whole student body. Alex is coming from progressive leadership roles in Academic Success and Coaching, Disability & Access Services, and Case Mangement, and excited to bring these perspectives to holistic student support.

They are especially excited about deepening skills in mindfulness-based stress-reduction, slowing down, and encouraging curiosity and inquiry in the practice of having difficult conversations. When not in the office, Alex can be found on the hiking trail with husband Josh and dog Merlin, on a horseback ride, or attempting another baking project!

Dr. Tricia Shalka is an Associate Professor of Higher Education at the Warner School of Education & Human Development. Her research investigates the impacts of trauma on college student experiences. Her scholarship also explores how trauma-informed practices can inform the work of both administrators and faculty in higher education. Dr. Shalka’s research has appeared in some of the top journals in higher education and she has won several awards for her research and teaching. Prior to becoming a faculty member, Dr. Shalka spent several years working in higher education administration in areas such as residential life, fraternity and sorority life, institutional assessment, and development and alumni relations.

Michael Siembor, Ph.D. is a NYS licensed psychologist and the Assistant Director for Group and Outreach at the University of Rochester’s University Counseling Center. He has worked in various roles in college counseling in upstate New York since 2011 and has focused on suicide prevention during that time. Specifically, Michael has been involved in the training and provision of clinical risk assessment in addition to the training and provision of suicide prevention workshops.

Antonio began his educational career at Alfred University as a member of Higher Educational Opportunity Programs (HEOP). This state grant-funded program provides access and support to historically underrepresented students. After spending several years at his alma mater as a First-Year H/EOP Counselor and as Assistant Dean of Professional Studies, he soon transitioned to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in 2018, where I served as the Assistant Director of HEOP before joining the University of Rochester at the end of 2021. Antonio has 17 years of experience working in higher education, focusing on multicultural student support and creating retention programs that support at-risk students. He has recently completed his doctorate in Educational Leadership, focusing on improving the retention of Black Male college students at predominately white institutions (PWI) in higher education.

Denise is in charge of the programming and life of the Interfaith Chapel at the University of Rochester, working with the diverse religious communities that are affiliated with the University through the chapel. She has been engaged in local, national and global interfaith work for over twenty years as an Episcopal priest, representing my denomination on national interfaith organizations and participating in a variety of global interfaith events. In her role, she offers religious diversity training through the Medallion Program and upon request for faculty/staff groups. In addition, Denise teaches courses through the Department of Religion, including Introduction to Interreligious Studies, Sexuality and World Religions, and Religion and Public Health, focusing on the many ways religion/spirituality intersects with public life and politics.