On This Page:
Jeanne Briand
Michelle de Sousa
Megan Fallon
Michael Hanitchak
Samantha Ivery
Xenia Markowitt
Jennifer M.D. Matos
Pam Misener
Diana "DeeDee" Samuels
Stephen Silver
Minnie Slater
Sandra Spiegel
Nora Yasumura
Since 2007, Jeanne Briand has worked in OPAL as an Administrative Assistant, primarily supporting the Native American Program. She previously worked in Dartmouth’s English Department and the Collis Center and Student Activities office. She is currently working on a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree at Dartmouth, focusing on the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and ethics. She is also a facilitator for the Graduate Ethics Program.
Joining the staff in 2008, Michelle de Sousa is the Coordinator for the Sexual Abuse Awareness Program, which is housed within OPAL’s Center for Women and Gender and Health Service’s Health Resources. Working to raise awareness around women’s issues, reproductive rights, sexual violence, domestic violence, and body image has been a passion and part of her life for many years. Michelle earned her B.A. in Psychology at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and a master's degree in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education from Springfield College. Prior to her arrival at Dartmouth College, Michelle worked as Residence Hall Director at the University of San Francisco and was trained as a Certified Rape Crisis Counselor.
Megan Fallon has been the Assistant Director of OPAL’s Center for Women and Gender since 2006. She graduated from SUNY Potsdam with a BA in Political Science and Women's Studies. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree at Dartmouth. Before working for Dartmouth, she worked in community crisis-prevention providing medical and legal advocacy; emergency shelter services; and advocacy for families with child services' agencies. One of her favorite moments in her professional life was lobbying for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2005.
Michael Hanitchak, '73, cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in sculpture, has been serving as OPAL’s Native American Program Director since 1995. Having worked at Dartmouth since 1974, he has previously served as Acting Assistant Director of Admissions, with special responsibilities for Native American recruitment. He has also been an instructor in the College's Film Studies department, a visiting instructor in Native American Studies, and most recently teaching a course about the images of Native Americans in contemporary cinema. An enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Michael also chairs the Governing Board of the National Institute for Native Leadership in Higher Education (NINLHE).
Samantha Ivery arrived at Dartmouth College as a Community Director in 2002 and later joined the OPAL staff as Advisor to Black Students. Samantha has a B.A. in Theater from the University of Missouri and a M.A.E. in Student Affairs from Western Kentucky University. She has also worked as a Program Coordinator in Multicultural Affairs, Mentor to International students, and a Freshman Seminar Instructor at Haverford College and Western Kentucky University. Her work interests include training in social justice leadership, understanding the experience of students of color at predominately white institutions, and researching the impact of identity on self-efficacy in the classroom. To that end, you might find her facilitating a workshop on the intersections of race and class, teaching a leadership seminar, or performing in an Open Mic program.
Xenia Markowitt began working at OPAL’s Center for Women and Gender in 1997 and has served as its Director since 2004. She came to work in higher education 16 years ago largely by accident as she secured a job while working on her Master’s in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU (1994). Under her leadership, the CWG endeavors to create opportunities for students to connect the theory they learn in class with the practice of their lived experiences regarding issues of gender and other intersecting and significant aspects of individual and cultural identities. Xenia has worked to establish new Dartmouth traditions such as V-Day and the Visionary-in-Residence programs which have been yearly signature programs for over a decade.
Jennifer began working in OPAL as the Advisor to Latina/o students in 2009. Jennifer has a B.A. in English Language and Literature and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Smith College. She has served Smith, Mt. Holyoke, and the University of Utah in their residential life programs. Currently, Jennifer is working on her doctoral degree in the Social Justice Education Program at UMASS-Amherst. Her research interest is based in how Latina/o parents make positive contributions to the education of their children. Jennifer’s other passions include offering workshops, facilitating intergroup dialogues, and working with groups to develop a shared vision and practice of liberation.
Since arriving at Dartmouth in the fall of 1999, Pam Misener has worked to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, faculty, staff, and alumni as OPAL’s Advisor to LGBTQA students. Pam holds a M.Ed from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Social Justice Education, where she most enjoyed teaching classes on the implications of social diversity, particularly in education systems. A native Marylander, she began working with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students in Baltimore where she was honored for her outstanding work. Key components to Pam's professional practice are understanding intersecting experiences of identity within the whole person, and developing leaders skilled at engaged pluralism. She is committed to transformative education and liberatory pedagogy, particularly involving ally development.
Since 2000, DeeDee Samuels has worked in OPAL as an Administrative Assistant, primarily supporting the four OPAL advisor positions. She holds an Associates Degree in Communications. DeeDee brings over 25 years of event planning, account and budget management, as well as statistical analysis. She co-founded the annual Support Staff Conference at Dartmouth and has participated on the advisory committee for the Administrative Professionals Program (PEAK) through Human Resources. She also serves on the Dean of the College Diversity Committee and the Economic Equity Initiative.
Having worked at the College since 1991, Steve Silver joined the staff as OPAL’s International Student Programs Director in 2008. Steve came to Dartmouth with an undergraduate degree from Colgate University, a Masters degree in Education (field of College Student Development) from George Washington University, and nine years of experience in admissions at Lafayette College and Clarkson University. At Dartmouth, Steve worked in the Admissions Office, managing the international student recruitment and application review processes, and served for nine years as the Director of the International Office (now Office of Visa and Immigration Services). In his current position, Steve works with international undergraduates and graduate students, assisting them in their adjustment to the College and helping them maximize their Dartmouth experiences.
Minnie Slater joined the OPAL team in 2006. She currently works as an administrative assistant at OPAL's central office and OPAL’s Center for Women and Gender (CWG). Having earned her Associates Degree in Human Services at the Community College of Vermont in 2007, she looks forward to continuing her educational pursuit of a Bachelors degree in the near future. Minnie's responsibilities include supporting the Director of OPAL, as well as the Center for Women and Gender and International Student Programs. In addition, she provides general office support and maintains office websites. Prior to her work in OPAL, Minnie spent many years as a legal secretary.
Sandy Spiegel is the Acting Director of the Office of Pluralism and Leadership. Sandy received her BA from Spelman and holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Antioch. She has served Dartmouth students and the Dartmouth community in a variety of roles over many years. She began her Dartmouth career as Interim Director of the Women's Resource Center and later served as the Assistant Director of Affirmative Action. She has worked with both Dartmouth undergraduate and graduate students as Staff Counselor in Counseling and Human Development, and Director of Recruiting and Diversity in Graduate Studies. In addition to her work at Dartmouth, Sandy served as Director of the ALANA Student Center and Director of Strategic Programs at the University of Vermont. Her on and off-campus activities have included serving on Dartmouth's Committee on Standards and the Dean of the College Search Committee. She has represented Dartmouth at Ivy Leadership Alliance meetings, co-coordinating the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows program, and participating in a variety of social justice and diversity initiatives and symposia.
Nora Yasumura began working at Dartmouth in the fall of 1999. She currently serves as OPAL’s Advisor to Asian and Asian American Students. She holds a Masters in Social Work from New York University with a professional background in cultural and racial identity development, community organizing, and individual, group and family counseling. With a strong interest in leadership development, she advises over 25 Asian related student groups and provides individual student leadership, academic, personal, and career mentorship. As the founder and coordinator of Dartmouth’s Diversity Peer Leadership Program (DPP), she has a passion for building cross-group coalitions and dialogues on campus. In addition, Nora is committed to increasing awareness about socio-economic class issues and is currently serving as one of the coordinators of Dartmouth's Economic Equity Initiative (EEI) and Dartmouth’s First Generation College Student Network.
