Leadership and Staff

Gemma Rinefierd is the founding director of the Student Conduct Institute. Prior to becoming Director, Dr. Rinefierd worked in student affairs administration for more than fifteen years in New York and within the UK at a number of institutional types.  Rinefierd has held several administrative positions at various colleges and universities, including as a Director of Residence Life and Associate Proctor for Residence Conduct at the University of Essex and as a Director of Student Conduct within SUNY. Rinefierd earned her doctorate in higher educational leadership, with an additional certificate in Program Evaluation from the University of Rochester.   Rinefierd’s interests include student conduct, student development, residential life and housing, due process, title IX, sexual and interpersonal violence prevention and response, student leadership, behavioral assessment, professional leadership and public speaking.  In 2019 Rinefierd has presented at NASPA Region I, NASPA Region II ACPA, the SUNY and Department of the Navy Regional Discussion on Sexual Violence, Vermont Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference, CSPA of NYS, and regularly presents basic compliance training across New York and beyond.  Rinefierd has maintained active engagement in professional organizations and also serves on the Governor’s Youth Council for New York State.

Abbey Marr is an Assistant Director of the SUNY Student Conduct Institute. She comes to the SCI from the Office of the Counsel to N.Y. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, where she handled legal and policy matters related to civil rights, reproductive health, gender equality, and ending discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Abbey holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor's in Political Science and Women's Studies from George Washington University. Previously, she served as a Policy Analyst at Advocates for Youth (AFY), where she focused on state and federal policy related healthy relationships education in K-12 schools and supported AFY’s partnership with Know Your IX; and as a Paralegal Specialist at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section. She also developed and taught a Reproductive Rights and Justice seminar as an adjunct professor at University of D.C. Law School. Abbey is admitted to practiced law in the State of New York.

Adam Wolkoff is an Assistant Director of the SUNY Student Conduct Institute, where he provides legal compliance training to campus professionals on how to conduct disciplinary proceedings that meet and exceed the requirements of due process, Title IX, the Clery Act, and N.Y. Education Law 129-B. Adam also serves as Special Assistant Counsel to SUNY’s Office of General Counsel. He earned a Ph.D. in U.S. and African American History from Rutgers University-New Brunswick, a J.D. from the University of Connecticut, and a B.A. from Columbia University. Prior to joining the Institute, Adam practiced labor and employment law, was an adjunct professor of history at Rutgers University-Newark and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and served as a judicial clerk to the Connecticut Superior Court, and he has published several peer-reviewed articles on law, history, and policy.

Joseph Storch is an Associate Counsel in the SUNY Office of General Counsel and Chair of the Student Affairs Practice Group. He has testified before the United States Senate and regularly advises legislators and staff at the federal and state level on best practices in drafting and analyzing pending domestic and international campus violence prevention legislation. In 2014, Joe received the Commissioner's Award from the State University Police for contributions to safety on campus. In 2015, the National Association of College & University Attorneys awarded him its First Decade Award. Starting in 2016, he coordinated the SUNY's Got Your Back program which has donated well over 10,000 comfort bags to victims and survivors of violence. In 2017, the One Love Foundation recognized his work in relationship violence prevention with its Unsung Hero Award. Joe is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of SUNY Oswego where he served as Vice President of the Student Association, of the University at Albany with a Masters of Public Policy, and of Cornell Law School where he served as Moot Court Board Chancellor. After graduating, he clerked for the New York State Appellate Division, 3rd Department. He is the author of more than 50 articles and book chapters in law reviews, practitioner journals, and popular media, most centering around campus safety or copyright law.

Elizabeth Brady is the Director of Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention at The State University of New York. She has significant experience in sexual and interpersonal violence prevention and victim support services on and off college campuses and has brought in more than $5 million in external funding for violence prevention and response programming.  In her role at SUNY, she has developed several statewide and national programs including SUNY’s Got Your Back, a program that educates thousands of New Yorkers annually on violence prevention strategies and available resources while providing comfort kits for victims and survivors of violence.  She also created SUNY SPECTRUM- the nation’s largest conference dedicated to sexual and interpersonal violence prevention and response against members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Elizabeth has an MBA from Western Connecticut State University and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from Southern Connecticut State University. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Scranton with her B.A. in Women’s Studies/B.S. in Counseling and Human Services.

Janelle Brooks, Assistant Dean for Conduct and Community Standards came to Buffalo State in 2007 from St. John’s University (Queens, NY campus) where she served as Assistant Director of Campus Activities. She holds a master’s degree in Student Personnel Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Canisius College of Buffalo, NY. Janelle served as a Complex Director in Residence Life from 2007-2011 and as Assistant Director of Residence Life for Student Conduct from 2011- January 2017. From January 2017- November 2017, Janelle served as Assistant Director within the Dean of Students Office. In November 2017, Janelle was hired as Assistant Dean of Conduct and Community Standards at Buffalo State.  In August 2019, Janelle and the Student Conduct Team opened the Restorative Justice Center to offer restorative practices to members of the Buffalo State community. Janelle has certificate from both the Gehring Academy and the Erie County Restorative Justice Coalition. Additionally, Janelle is active with the Association for Student Conduct Administrators as well as the SUNY Student Conduct Association, where she serves as the representative for the University Colleges.  Janelle enjoys working with student leaders and has always been committed to providing them with support for their organizations. Janelle has received numerous awards throughout her career in Student Affairs for her support of student leaders and respective departments. During her time at Buffalo State, Janelle has served on countless committees. Currently she serves as a member of the College Planning Council, the Campus Safety Taskforce, and the High-Risk Admissions Committee.

Renee Copperwheat serves as Staff Assistant to the SUNY Student Conduct Institute. Prior to joining SCI, she provided professional and administrative support to higher education administrators at the University at Albany and Colgate University in the areas of honors education, admissions, and national fellowship advising. Renee received her Master’s Degree in School Counseling from Syracuse University in 2010 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from SUNY Geneseo in 2008.

Bridget Doyle serves as Staff Assistant to the SUNY Student Conduct Institute. Prior to joining SCI, Bridget worked first as a Graduate Assistant, and then as a Residence Director at Northeastern University’s Department of Residential Life. She also served as a Supervisor for Crisis Text Line, a nationally recognized mental health organization. Bridget received her Master’s in Public Administration from Northeastern University in 2019, and was awarded her Bachelor’s Degree from SUNY Fredonia in 2017. She is a proud Vice President Emerita of the SUNY Student Assembly.

Ian Nichols serves as Staff Assistant to the SUNY Student Conduct Institute. Prior to joining SCI, he served as Audio-Visual Technician and Events Assistant for SUNY Special Events, providing technical and logistical support for universities throughout New York State, Board of Trustees, and the Chancellor. Ian received his Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and Music from SUNY Oneonta in 2002.

Rachel Temple serves as the Staff Assistant to the SUNY Student Conduct Institute. Prior to joining the SCI, she served as a Senior Staff Assistant to the SUNY University Center for Academic and Workforce Development, providing professional and administrative support to the staff and Educational Opportunity Centers across the state. Rachel received her Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University at Albany in 2006. She also currently serves as the Membership Chairperson for the United University Professions Executive Board at SUNY System Administration.

Valerie is an attorney who joined SUNY in 2003, after 4 years of private practice focusing on employment litigation and 2 years as Assistant Counsel to the Governor's Office of Employee Relations. Valerie focuses on faculty and professional staff issues, concentrating on interpretation and application of the collective bargaining agreements.  In particular, Valerie assists campuses with the implementation of the negotiated disciplinary processes, from investigation through arbitration. She also works with the classified units on an as-needed basis. Valerie has been a University representative on the State’s team for negotiations with the Civil Service Employees Association, Public Employees Federation, and Graduate Student Employees Union, represented by the Communication Workers of America. Valerie also frequently provides training to campus Human Resources and supervisory personnel regarding Employee Relations issues.

Joelle Carroll is a Staff Associate for SUNY’s Got Your Back. She has a background in advocacy, fundraising, and event planning. In her free time she volunteers with Planned Parenthood as a certified Victim Advocate providing crisis intervention services and counseling to victims of sexual and interpersonal violence. Joelle received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies with a minor in Child, Family, and Community Psychology from Canisius College. She is continuing her education by pursuing her M.S. in Leadership and Negotiation at Bay Path University.

Chantelle Cleary is a nationally-recognized subject-matter expert in Title IX and related fields. She has more than 10 years of experience in the investigation and adjudication of sexual and interpersonal violence. She lectures extensively at universities and conferences throughout the U.S. on Title IX, VAWA, harassment, and implementation of best and emerging practices.

Chantelle currently serves as a senior consultant with Grand River Solutions, a firm dedicated to providing K-12 and institutions of higher education with accessible support in the areas of Title IX, Clery, and institutional equity by subject matter experts with extensive practical experience in this space. Prior to joining Grand River Solutions, Chantelle served as the director for Institutional Equity and Title IX at Cornell University. Prior to that she served as the Assistant Vice President for Equity and Compliance and Title IX Coordinator at the University at Albany. In these roles, she provided direct, hands-on experience in the fields of Title IX, civil rights, employment law, and workplace and academic investigations. Her responsibilities included focusing on diversity efforts, sexual assault prevention and training, affirmative action, and protecting minors on campus.

Chantelle spent the first decade of her career as an Assistant District Attorney assigned exclusively to the prosecution of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, and crimes against children. While in that role, Chantelle developed an expertise in trauma informed interviewing practices and investigation technique.

Chantelle also served as a faculty member for the National Center for Campus Public Safety and Cornell Law School. Chantelle received her B.A. from Binghamton University and her J.D. from Albany Law School.

Morgan Clifford is a Staff Associate for SUNY's Got Your Back. Her background includes research and the criminal justice system. Prior to joining SUNY's Got Your Back, Morgan worked as a project coordinator for a public health research center at the University at Albany, and completed an internship with the Albany County District Attorney’s office. Morgan graduated Summa Cum Laude from SUNY New Paltz in 2017, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Law and Politics.

Erin Hogan is a Staff Associate for SUNY’s Got Your Back. She has a background in survivor advocacy and is a NYS Certified Rape Crisis Counselor. Prior to joining the team, Erin interned at SUNY as an undergraduate helping plan SPECTRUM and strengthen SUNY’s victim resources. Erin received her Bachelor of Arts from St. Lawrence University and graduated Cum Laude in 2019. She double-majored in Government and Psychology and minored in Italian Studies.

Dr. James Hopper is an independent consultant and Teaching Associate in Psychology at Harvard Medical School.  For over 25 years Dr. Hopper’s research, clinical and consulting work has focused on the psychological and biological effects of child abuse, sexual assault and other traumatic experiences. As a clinician Dr. Hopper works with adults who have experienced abuse as children and assault as adults.  In his forensic work, both criminal and civil, he testifies on short- and long-term impacts of child abuse and sexual assault. Dr. Hopper was a founding board member and longtime advisor to 1in6, a nonprofit serving men sexually abused as children, and served on the Peace Corps Sexual Assault Advisory Council. He consults and teaches nationally and internationally to military and civilian investigators, prosecutors, victim advocates, commanders and higher education administrators.

Delsy Joya-Reyes is a Staff Associate for SUNY’s Got Your Back. She has a background in counseling, advocacy, and working with minority groups such as LGBTQIA+, immigrants/refugees, and people of color. Her research has focused on domestic, sexual, and interpersonal violence within the Latinx farm working community. She also has experience with recruiting, interpretation, working with victims of sexual violence, and social justice. Delsy received a Dual Bachelor of Arts in Africana-Latino Studies and French from SUNY Oneonta. She continues her career with an intersectional framework wanting to provide access and stability to all.

Gary is a 33-year veteran of the New York State Police. His most recent assignment was to oversee the State Police Campus Sexual Assault Victims Unit (CSAVU). He was responsible for establishing CSAVU at the Unit’s inception in December 2015, and for developing and managing the Unit’s operation.  The concept and implementation of this Unit was exclusive and progressive.  The New York State Police CSAVU is a highly specialized unit of trained investigators tasked with responding to reports of interpersonal violence on college campuses and within campus communities, and providing training and assistance to colleges and universities across New York State. The work of CSAVU has been highly effective and has received statewide and national recognition.

Prior to and as part of that assignment, he also held the position of the statewide AMBER Alert Coordinator for New York State (for more than ten years) and along with CSAVU, simultaneously managed the New York State Police Special Victims Unit (SVU).  In the dual role, Gary was responsible for managing the staff and work of CSAVU members across the state in their outreach to college and university campuses, their response to and the investigation of reports of sexual assault and other crimes of interpersonal violence, and operating a prevention education campaign. He was also responsible for managing the staff and work of the state police members assigned to the Special Victims Unit.  In that capacity, Gary oversaw the development and implementation of law enforcement training in the fields of child abuse, trauma informed sexual assault response and investigation, elder abuse, and the state’s AMBER Alert program. As the State’s AMBER Alert Coordinator, he managed the AMBER Alert Program and chaired the AMBER Alert Committee.  Gary was responsible for reviewing activation requests, determining if criteria were met for activation, and for activating the State’s AMBER Alert system for cases involving child abductions that fit the criteria. Gary activated New York State’s AMBER Alert system in 60 child abduction cases involving 72 children, including cross border and international cases.

Gary hold a Masters Degree from the State University of New York at Albany School of Criminal Justice and has been instructing as a certified police instructor for two decades. He has instructed police recruits, veteran investigators, police leadership, advocates and social service professionals, prosecutors, and numerous other criminal justice partners, and he was a staff member of an intensive training program on forensic interviewing of children.

Gary also has fifteen years of field experience as an investigator, conducting investigations of child abuse, sexual assault, homicide, and other felony offenses. He spent four years assigned to a Major Crimes Homicide Unit, and participated in the investigation of numerous homicides, sexual assaults, and cold cases. Gary was assigned as the state police lead investigator for the Porco Homicide case in 2004, and worked directly with the Albany County District Attorney’s Office, and contributed significantly to the successful prosecution of that circumstantial case involving the murder of a prominent law clerk of the NYS Supreme Court.

Gary has also served on numerous task forces and committees, including the New York State Children’s Justice Task Force, the NYS AMBER Alert Committee, the NYS Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, and other advisory groups related to issues pertaining to special victims. He has spent his police career in fostering multi-disciplinary relationships advancing justice for victims.

Jordan McClendon received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Sage College of Albany, with a concentration in Graphic Media and Design. A well-regarded creative video and graphics artist, Jordan creates graphical, animated, and video content for the Student Conduct Institute, SUNY’s Got Your Back, and related programs. Examples of his work may be found at https://www.jmcclendondesign.com/.

Phil Potter currently serves as a Staff Associate within the SUNY's Got Your Back program. Prior to joining SUNY, he worked in print media and business development in New York City. Phil received his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Spanish from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in 2015.

Roma Shah is a Staff Associate for SUNY's Got Your Back. She has a background in violence prevention policy and biostatistics. Her research has focused on the mental health impacts of intimate partner and sexual violence and the experiences of survivors in the criminal justice and health care systems. She also has experience working as a case manager and survivor advocate. Roma received a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. from Rutgers University. She has published several peer-reviewed articles on intimate partner violence, mental health, and justice seeking.

Andrea Stagg is Deputy General Counsel at Barnard College. She has advised federal and state legislators on best practices in campus safety and sexual harassment prevention, and serves on a campus working group with prevention and response partners throughout New York state. Before joining Barnard Andrea advised three colleges within the State University of New York on all legal matters and provided SUNY-wide Title IX compliance advice. Andrea co-coordinated a working group that created SUNY's sexual and interpersonal violence prevention and response policies, which formed the basis for New York Education Law Article 129B. In 2019, Andrea received the First Decade Award from the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and in 2014 she was awarded the Commission’s Award from the State University Police. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with high honors from Rutgers University, and received her law degree from The George Washington University, where she was an intern in the counsel’s office.

Before coming to System Administration in 2017, Catherine already had extensive experience in Higher Education Law, specifically with SUNY.  She served as Employee Relations Associate at UAlbany for five years.  Before that, she performed several roles at Columbia-Greene Community College, including Registrar, Assistant Title IX/Judicial Officer, Director of Special Services and Adjunct Professor.  Catherine also worked for the New York Attorney General’s Office as a consultant developing a petition to the FDA on reforming manufacturing and labeling of allergenic foods.  Her experience in the private sector includes work done for Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Garden Way Incorporated and the Law Firm of Richard M. Meyers.