Brown President Christina H. Paxson in March 2020 charged several ad hoc administrative committees to provide high-level oversight on ongoing issues arising from the global novel coronavirus pandemic. While the work of the committees is specific to the unique circumstances of the pandemic and does not fall within the University’s established governance committees, offices and structures, these ad hoc groups are working with relevant faculty and staff colleagues from across the University.
Community Response to COVID-19
Healthy Brown
Planning Committees
Principles for committee recommendations
As the University makes adjustments to Brown’s operations in response to the pandemic, the work of the ad hoc committees is being guided by a clear set of principles:
- That we will protect the health and safety of Brown students and employees;
- That we will protect the financial wellbeing of vulnerable members of our student and employee populations;
- That we will protect Brown’s mission of education and research, including focusing resources on Brown’s highest academic priorities;
- That we will protect the long-run financial health of the University.
Ad Hoc Administrative Committees
Academic Continuity Group
This group is developing plans for reopening research laboratories and libraries, and implementing changes in the academic calendar, curriculum and modes of teaching that will enable Brown to continue to provide a high quality academic experience for all students. The group has subcommittees for four work streams, all reporting to Provost Richard M. Locke. In addition to this group and its subcommittees, a Research Task Force will focus on developing recommendations and a communications strategy for a staged re-opening of research.
Executive Chair
Richard M. Locke
Provost and Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs
Subcommittee for Academic Calendar and Curriculum
Richard M. Locke
Provost and Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs (Co-Lead)
Elizabeth Doherty
Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs (Co-Lead)
Rod Beresford
Associate Provost of Academic Space, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs for the School of Engineering and Professor of Engineering
Janet Blume
Deputy Dean of the Faculty, Chair of Sociology and Associate Professor of Engineering
Andrew Campbell
Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Medical Science
Melissa Clark
Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Rob Fitzgerald
University Registrar
Paul George
Associate Dean of Medical Education and Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Medical Science
Beth Harrington
Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in the Division of Biology and Medicine and Professor of Medicine
Thomas (Tal) Lewis
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Professor of Religious Studies
Adrienne Marcus
Dean, Pre-College and Summer Undergraduate Programs
Kevin McLaughlin
Dean of the Faculty and Professor of English and Professor of Comparative Literature
Joe Meisel
University Librarian, Adjunct Associate Professor of History
Shankar Prasad
Deputy Provost for Global Engagement and Strategic Initiatives
Besenia Rodriguez
Senior Associate Dean for Curriculum
Kate Smith
Associate Dean of Biology Undergraduate Education, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Leah VanWey
Dean of the School of Professional Studies, Professor of Environment and Society and Sociology
Rashid Zia
Dean of the College, Professor of Engineering, Professor of Physics
Johanna Hanink
Associate Professor of Classics
Subcommittee for Online/Remote/Hybrid Instruction
Shankar Prasad
Deputy Provost for Global Engagement and Strategic Initiatives (Lead)
Chira Delsesto
Director of the Brown Arts Initiative Programs and Operations
Nora Dimmock
Deputy University Librarian
Mark Johnson
Associate Professor of Teaching Excellence and Associate Professor of Biology, Graduate Program Director for the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry Graduate Program
Shayna Kessel
Associate Dean of the Graduate School
Nancy Khalek
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Sylvia Kuo
Senior Lecturer in Economics
James Morgan
Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences
Karen Sibley
Vice President for Strategic Initiatives
Elizabeth (Beth) Taylor
Distinguished Senior Lecturer in English
Bill Thirsk
Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer
Jim Valles
Professor of Physics
Mary Wright
Executive Director of the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning
Catherine Zabriskie
Senior Academic Technology Officer
Subcommittee for Communications
Marisa Quinn
Chief of Staff to the Provost (Lead)
(Katharine) Tracy Barnes
Director of Institutional Research
Robert Barrick
Manager of Faculty Governance & Research in Faculty Governance
Ethan Bernstein
Director of Administration and Operations in the Graduate School
Other members TBD
Subcommittee for Research Continuity
Jill Pipher
Vice President for Research and Professor of Mathematics (Lead)
Jeffrey Bailey
Associate Professor of Translational Research, Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Laurent Brossay
Professor of Medical Science, Chair of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Edward Hawrot
Professor of Medical Science, Senior Associate Dean for the Program in Biology
Larry Larson
Dean of the School of Engineering, Professor of Engineering
Bess Marcus
Dean of School of Public Health, Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Stephen Morin
Director of Environmental Health & Safety
Nicole Picard
Associate General Counsel
Jennifer Tidey
Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Lai-Sheng Wang
Professor of Chemistry, Chair of Chemistry
Gang Xiao
Professor of Physics, Chair of Physics, Professor of Engineering
Healthy Fall 2020 Task Force
This group of scholars, administrators and students will make recommendations on the public health measures that will be in place throughout the duration of the pandemic.
Eris Estes
Vice President for Campus Life (Co-Chair)
Emily Oster
Professor of Economics and Public Policy (Co-Chair)
Vanessa Britto
Associate Vice President for Campus Life & Executive Director of Health Services
Russell Carey
Executive Vice President of Policy and Planning
Shontay Delalue
Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity
Elizabeth Doherty
Deputy Provost for Academic Affairs
Michael Grabo
Associate General Counsel
Michael Guglielmo
Vice President for Facilities Management
Jennifer Howley
Director Risk Emergency Management & RISD Property Holdings
Nancy Jacobs
Professor of History
Kathleen Kuesters
Graduate Student
Adam Levine
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine & Director of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
Maria Guerrero Martinez
Undergraduate Student
Amy Nunn
Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences & Associate Professor of Medicine
Kathy Tameo
Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Director of Finance and Administration
Personnel Group
This group is developing plans to safely bring employees back to campus and making decisions about a range of issues affecting support for Brown staff during the pandemic. The group has an executive committee and three subcommittees.
Executive Committee Members
Barbara Chernow
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration (Co-Chair)
Shontay Delalue
Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity (Co-Chair)
Amanda Bailey
Vice President of University Human Resources
Russell Carey
Executive Vice President of Policy and Planning
Eileen Goldgeier
Vice President and General Counsel
Lyubov Niemann
Chief of Staff for the EVP Finance and Administration
Subcommittee for Considerations Before Employees Return to Campus
Shontay Delalue
Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity (Lead)
Amanda Bailey
Vice President of University Human Resources
Michael Guglielmo
Vice President for Facilities Management
John Luipold
Vice President for Real Estate and Strategic Initiatives
Stephen Morin
Director of Environmental Health & Safety
Kathleen (Kate) Peterson
Deputy General Counsel for Litigation and Employment Law
Shankar Prasad
Deputy Provost for Global Engagement and Strategic Initiatives
Subcommittee for Return to Campus
Barbara Chernow
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration (Lead)
Vanessa Britto
Associate Vice President for Campus Life & Executive Director of Health Services
Eileen Goldgeier
Vice President and General Counsel
Michael Guglielmo
Vice President for Facilities Management
John Luipold
Vice President for Real Estate and Strategic Initiatives
Stephen Morin
Director of Environmental Health & Safety
Lyubov Niemann
Chief of Staff for the EVP Finance and Administration
Kathleen (Kate) Peterson
Deputy General Counsel for Litigation and Employment Law
Kimberly Roskiewicz
Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Operations
Sarah Walker
Human Resources Director
Subcommittee for Operations and Rule Setting (Logistics)
Russell Carey
Executive Vice President of Policy and Planning (Lead)
George Barboza
Director of Dining Programs
Rod Beresford
Associate Provost of Academic Space, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs for the School of Engineering and Professor of Engineering
Beth Gentry
Assistant Vice President, Business & Financial Services
Michael Guglielmo
Vice President for Facilities Management
John Luipold
Vice President for Real Estate and Strategic Initiatives
Stephen Morin
Director of Environmental Health & Safety
Lyubov Niemann
Chief of Staff for the EVP Finance and Administration
Kathleen (Kate) Peterson
Deputy General Counsel for Litigation and Employment Law
Finance & Strategy Group
This group is assessing the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, and developing strategies to maintain Brown’s short-term and long-term financial stability.
Christina H. Paxson
President and Professor of Economics and Public Policy (Co-Chair)
Michael White
Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer (Co-Chair)
Russell Carey
Executive Vice President of Policy and Planning
Barbara Chernow
Executive Vice President for Finance & Administration
Joseph Dowling
Chief Executive Officer of Investment Office
Sergio Gonzalez
Senior Vice President for Advancement
Richard M. Locke
Provost and Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs