Featured Professors

DR. BRIAN K. PERKINS is the Director of the Urban Education Leaders Program at Teachers College, Columbia University in the Department of Organization and Leadership. He is the former Chair and Professor of Education Law and Policy at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. As Chair, Dr. Perkins successfully led his department through the licensure of the University’s first doctoral program and full NCATE accreditation.

DÉBORA THOMÉ is a Visiting Scholar at Institute of Latin American Studies (Columbia University). Ph.D. Candidate at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (Rio de Janeiro - Brazil) she studies how institutions shape women’s representation in politics. Beyond her research, she has fought for women’s rights in Brazil, speaking in various conferences about feminism and organizing cultural activities and pro-abortion advocacy groups. Debora also trained more than 300 women from all over Brazil planning to run for office in a program of the Brazilian Government Agency for Women’s Policy. In her master, she studied Conditional Cash Transfers and policies to reduce inequality. Author of a children's book about Brazilian women leaders called "50 brasileiras incríveis para conhecer antes de crescer". She has just finished a book about women and power in Brazil (coming in April).

JEANNETTE M. WING is Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute and Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. She came to Columbia in July 2017 from Microsoft, where she served as Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Research, overseeing a global network of research labs. She is widely recognized for her intellectual leadership in computer science, particularly in trustworthy computing.

KATHRYN KOLBERT is the Constance Hess Williams '66 Director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies, Professor of Leadership Studies, and Professor of Professional Practice, Department of Political Science at Barnard College. As the founder director of the Athena Center, a premiere, interdisciplinary center dedicated to the advancement of women’s leadership, Kolbert provides Barnard students and adult women, a wide range of education, research, professional development, and public education programs both in New York and across the globe. A public-interest attorney, journalist, and visionary in the not-for-profit world, Kathryn Kolbert brings to Barnard an extraordinary depth of experience in collaborative leadership, educational programming, and civil-rights advocacy. She has been recognized by The National Law Journal as one of the "100 Most Influential Lawyers in America,” and by The American Lawyer as one of 45 public- interest lawyers “whose vision and commitment are changing lives." In 1992, Kolbert argued the landmark case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the U.S. Supreme Court and has been credited with saving Roe v. Wade with what Jeffrey Toobin has called "one of the most audacious litigation strategies in Supreme Court history.”

LOREE SUTTON is Brigadier General (Ret.), MD is the founding Commissioner for New York City’s Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS).  Established in 2016, DVS is the nation’s first municipal-level agency devoted solely to veterans and their families. A career Army psychiatrist, Sutton seeks to demonstrate the essential role of community as the front line of hope and healing, guiding veterans and their families in their journey from ‘doing better’ to actually ‘getting better’ – at home, work, school, and life.  Resilient communities build safety nets for catching falls and springboards for launching goals. This ‘whole health’ approach, incorporating peer support, arts/culture, holistic services, and clinical treatment, lays the foundation for success by restoring trust and overcoming stigma.

NATHALIE MOLINA NINO is the CEO of BRAVA Investments and the writer of LEAPFROG, The New Revolution for Women Entrepreneurs (Tarcher Perigee, a Penguin Random House imprint). She is committed to delivering returns to investors while making a catalytic impact on women in the world. In 2012, while at Columbia University, Molina Niño co-founded Entrepreneurs@Athena at the Athena Center for Leadership studies of Barnard College, with the mission of leveling the playing field for women entrepreneurs.

SARAH HOLLOWAY has worked in the public and nonprofit sector for 25 years. She is currently a full-time member of the SIPA faculty where she teaches Nonprofit Financial Management and Social Entrepreneurship. In addition to teaching, she runs the school’s Management Specialization—a set of courses and activities that support knowledge and skill building in non-profit, for-profit and social enterprise management.

THOMAS TREBAT is the Director of the Columbia Global Centers | Rio de Janeiro. He joined Columbia after a lengthy career on Wall Street dedicated to economic research on Latin America. He formerly served as Executive Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University and of the Institute’s Center for Brazilian Studies.  Prior to joining ILAS in February 2005, Tom was Managing Director and Head of the Latin America team in the Economic and Market Analysis department of Citigroup. He joined Citicorp Securities in 1996 as the head of Emerging Market Research.

WILLIAM B. EIMICKE is the founding director of the Picker Center for Executive Education of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. The Picker Center runs the School's Executive MPA program, university partnerships, and nondegree professional training programs. Eimicke teaches courses in public management, applied policy analysis, and management innovation. He also teaches at Peking University, the National University of Singapore and the Universidad Externado de Colombia.

YASMINE ERGAS is Director of the Specialization on Gender and Public Policy and Lecturer in Discipline in International and Public Affairs. She also directs the program in Gender and Human Rights of Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights, is a member of the Executive Committee of the University’s Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality, and is the co-convener of the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Council at Columbia University.

VALERIE PURDIE GREENAWAY serves as Director for the Laboratory of Intergroup Relations and the Social Mind (LIRSM). She is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Columbia University, core faculty for the Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars Program (RWJ Columbia-site), and research fellow at the Institute for Research on African-American Studies (IRAAS) at Columbia.

VISHAKHA DESAI is Senior Advisor for Global Affairs to the President of Columbia University and a Senior Research Scholar for the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. She also serves as Senior Advisor for Global Programs to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. From 2004 through 2012, Dr. Desai served as President and CEO of the Asia Society, a global organization dedicated to strengthening partnerships between Asia and the U.S.