Administrative Leadership
Jazzmine Clarke-Glover, D.B.A
Chief of Staff, Vice President & Secretary to the Board of Trustees
Jazzmine Clarke-Glover provides strategic counsel and vision to President Doggett and the board, as well as coordinating the Executive Leadership Team. Dr. Clarke-Glover joined Wagner in 2015 as director of human resources and the College’s Title IX coordinator. She previously served as assistant director of human resources at New York City Technical College and an HR professional for the City University of New York’s Graduate Center. She is a member and past president of the Board of College and University Professional Association of Human Resources (CUPA-HR). She is certified by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM-SCP). She also holds certifications in Business and Ethical Leadership and Leadership & Succession Planning. She holds a D.B.A. from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, an M.S. in industrial and labor relations from Baruch College, and a B.A./M.A. in sociology from Boston College.
John A. Carrescia, Jr., M.B.A.
Chief Financial Officer & Vice President for Finance & Administration
John Carrescia joined Wagner College in 2003 and currently oversees the College’s Finance and Business Office, Bursar’s Office, Campus Operations, Human Resources, Postal Center, Copy Center, Dining Services, and Bookstore. He serves as the chair for the College’s pension committee and is responsible for all financial compliance and reporting requirements. Mr. Carrescia has been an adjunct professor for accounting at the College for more than 10 years. Before coming to Wagner, Mr. Carrescia was a supervising senior accountant at KPMG LLP. Mr. Carrescia is also an alumnus of Wagner, where he received his M.B.A. with a finance concentration and a B.S. in accounting.
James A. Chiavelli II, M.A.
Vice President for Communications and Marketing
Jim Chiavelli oversees marketing and communications for the college. He previously held senior communications, marketing, and external relations positions at the University of California-Merced, Merrimack College, and Northeastern University. He also worked in the Theatre Psychological Operations Element of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. He is a former newspaper reporter, editor and publisher, and former adjunct professor in journalism at both Northeastern and Merrimack, where he also advised the student newspaper. He has freelanced for Afghan Scene, The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald. Jim holds an A.B. in government from Harvard College, an M.A. in journalism from Northeastern and an M.A. in Security Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, after completing coursework for a Ph.D.
Brendan Fahey, M.S.
Director of Athletics
Brendan Fahey came to Wagner College in 2006 and currently serves as the director of athletics. He oversees the college's NCAA Division I athletic program featuring 28 varsity sport offerings. He was named director of athletics in June 2022, and previously held roles as the assistant athletic director for external affairs and the deputy director of athletics at the college. Prior to Wagner, Mr. Fahey spent two years in the athletic department of Marshall University. Mr. Fahey has previously served on the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse committee including a year as the chair. He holds a B.S. in sports marketing from the University of Connecticut, and a M.S. in athletic administration from Marshall University.
Kaitlin Girton
Vice President for Institutional Advancement
As vice president for institutional advancement, Kaitlin is responsible for ensuring that our alumni, our donors, and many of our external supporters are engaged and we are communicating to them about our efforts and ways they can partner in our work. Kaitlin began her career at Wagner in 2012, and has held a variety of roles in the Office of Institutional Advancement at the college. Most recently, she has served as the chief alumni and development officer, overseeing the offices of Alumni Engagement, and Development. A proud Wagner alumna from the class of 2008, she holds a B.A. in English.Kaitlin resides in Staten Island with her husband and three young children.
David Martin, J.D.
Senior Advisor
David joined the Wagner College administration in 2003, after he finished serving for 15 years on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. He has been “in command” of the planned giving office since 2014. His training as both a lawyer and a senior military officer affords him the technical skill, experience, and compassion to assist the members of our Wagner community with their personal estate plans. He conducts an annual planned giving seminar during reunion weekend and counsels people across the country about trusts and estates. When he is not traveling, you can find him in the classroom. He has been an adjunct faculty member for over 20 years. David holds a B.S. from James Madison University, a J.D. from Loyola and a graduate certificate in emergency management from American Military University, with further studies at the Army War College and the Naval Justice School.
Ruta Shah-Gordon, Ph.D.
Vice President for Enrollment & Campus Life
Ruta Shah-Gordon oversees enrollment and admission; residential education; co-curricular programs; leadership development and student conduct; the centers for wellness, intercultural advancement, and spirituality; and Public Safety. She serves as the co-chair for the Diversity and Internationalization Action Council and is responsible for furthering the strategic blueprints for the College in these areas. As vice president, she leads the connection of academic and co-curricular experiences, creating opportunities for students to learn more about themselves as civically engaged, psycho-socially adapted, and interculturally competent citizens of the world. She also serves as the College's Title IX Deputy Coordinator. She is administrative coordinator for the Mandela Washington Fellowship at Wagner, which is part of President Obama's Young African Leadership Initiative. She earned her Ph.D. in leadership and change from Antioch University.
Academic Leadership
Taviare L. Hawkins, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Research, Development and Civic Engagement
Dr. Hawkins’s role in the provost’s office is to assist faculty in all aspects of research, establish community partnerships, and develop venues for community engagement. She also oversees the graduate and professional programs at Wagner College. Dr. Hawkins came to Wagner College as Assistant Provost for Research, Development, and Civic Engagement in 2023 after being the division chair for Math and Sciences at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Before that, she was the chair and professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Dr. Hawkins earned her bachelor’s degree in physics and a minor in African-American Studies at the University of Iowa. She attended Syracuse University for her graduate studies, earning her master’s degrees in physics and computer science and her doctorate in physics. Dr. Hawkins is an experimental biophysicist. Her research interests in microtubule rigidity lie at the intersection of physics, biology, and computation. She currently chairs the American Physical Society’s Forum on Outreach and Engaging the Public and will serve on the Biophysical Society’s Council.
Katia González, Ed.D.
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Dr. González is Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Education. Dr. González’s role in the provost’s office is to lead various efforts related to policy and procedures impacting academic affairs, work closely with deans and division chairs/program directors to support faculty development and programmatic decision-making, and oversee several special programs, committees, and accreditation needs. Dr. González holds an Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University and serves as an Accreditation Commissioner for the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) co-chairing AAQEP’s standards renewal process. Her research interests include the role of intercultural communication and culturally responsive practices for effective higher education, schools, and community partnerships. Dr. González received Wagner’s Diversity and International Action Council award for diversity and inclusion efforts and, as a member of Wagner’s Education Department, a Civic Engagement Recognition Leadership and Service to the Community award.
Sarah Donovan, Ph.D.
Division Chair of Humanities & Professor of Philosophy
Sarah K. Donovan is a professor of philosophy at Wagner College. As a professor at a teaching institution that focuses on civic engagement, she has engaged in several community-based projects with students including a decade-long tutoring program for migrant children near campus. At her institution, she has also served as the interim dean of integrated learning, and the interim director of the center of leadership and community engagement. She is a board member of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers, the national organization devoted to excellence in philosophy teaching, and she is a trained facilitator for faculty and graduate student workshops on teaching and learning that the AAPT offers nationally. She has published about the ethics of community-based learning, and co-edited volumes about equity, diversity, and inclusion in the higher education classroom. She earned her Ph.D. in philosophy from Villanova University and her B.A. in philosophy and Spanish from Skidmore College
Nora Lowy, Ph.D
Executive Director, Physician Assistant Program
Nora Lowy is the executive director of the Wagner College PA Program and has been involved in the education of health care professionals for almost 30 years. She was the founding director of two PA programs, developed several clinical certificate programs, guided the growth of the Wagner program from the bachelor’s to the master’s degree, and spearheaded the early introduction of learning innovations, such as simulated learning, immersion learning, early clinical exposure, problem-based learning, and health related medical and social research. She has taught foundational medical science courses, clinical medicine science courses, as well as research courses, guiding students through the development and implementation of research projects that culminate in the dissemination of findings at research forums. Dr. Lowy earned her Ph.D. in health sciences from Seton Hall University, an M.P.A. from Long Island University, and a Bachelor in education from Yeshiva University. She is a certified physician assistant with the National Commission on Certification of PAs, (NCCPA), and is licensed to practice in the State of New York.
Patricia Tooker, D.N.P
Dean of the Evelyn L. Spiro School of Nursing
Patricia Tooker received a B.S.N., M.S.N., and post-master nurse practitioner’s certificate, all from Wagner College, Staten Island, N.Y. She received her doctorate in nursing practice at Wagner College with research focused on the Heroin Epidemic Among Teens and Young Adults on Staten Island, in December 2016. She holds RN licensure in New York and has current BCLS certification. Dr. Tooker's 20-plus years of practice prior to entering higher education consisted of many staff and leadership/management positions within acute care and ambulatory settings. Her teaching responsibilities in the Spiro School of Nursing have included undergraduate and graduate courses, with expertise in critical care, leadership and management, community health, and health care administration. Dr. Tooker has also taught for many years in Wagner’s undergraduate general education learning communities’ curriculum. She is the recipient of the Excellence in Service award 2005-2006, the Civic Engagement Faculty Recognition award 2008-2009, and the Excellence in Teaching award 2009-2010. She received tenure in 2005. In 2010, she was appointed to the position of dean for integrated learning which she held until January 2017. She was responsible for overseeing the undergraduate curriculum, better known as the Wagner Plan, and continues to represent Wagner as an active member and spokesperson within the national circuits in higher education. Her recent publications include an academic chapter in review Brill Publishing :Community Based Partnerships in Nursing (2023) and academic articles in The Journal of Long-Term Care (2021) Metropolitan Universities (2017), Peer Review (2015), the NYU Faculty Resource Network Journal (2015), and Learning Communities Research and Practice (2014). Pat is a board member at Eger Lutheran Homes and Services, Inc. on Staten Island and was appointed to the Staten Island Health and Wellness Advisory Council, which is overseen by the Borough President of Staten Island.
Celeste Gagnon, Ph.D.
Division Chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences & Professor of Anthropology
As a bioarcheologist trained in biological anthropology and archaeology, Celeste's scholarship traces the embodied experience of sociopolitical and economic change on the north coast of Peru during the early pre-Columbian period. Her focus is examining human skeletal remains for evidence of diet and health, with particular regard to the practices of chewing coca and drinking chicha (corn beer). Her research areas include the Moche Valley of North Coastal Peru and the Susquehanna Valley of New York and Pennsylvania. In addition to her academic experiences, she has worked as a applied archaeologists throughout the Middle Atlantic region, and as an osteologist at the New York State Museum. Her work has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports, the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, and Ñawpa Pacha: Journal of Andean Archaeology. She earned her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of North Carolina, an M.A. in anthropology from Arizona State University and a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Delaware.
Felicia Ruff, Ph.D.
Division Chair of Performing and Visual Arts & Professor of Theater
Felicia J. Ruff received her Ph.D. in theatre history from the Graduate Center of CUNY, having focused on 19th century melodrama. In 2007 she received a NEH grant to attend “The Oscar Wilde Archive” at UCLA’s Clark Library and subsequent scholarship focused on Wilde Studies, including book chapters: "The Transgressive Prop; or, Oscar Wilde's E(a)rnest Signifier" and "Oscar Wilde, the Erotique-Grotesque, and Modernist Spectacle." Her book chapter “The Laugh Factory? Humor and Horror at Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol” in Theatre Symposium: Comedy Tonight led to her interview by Eric Molinsky for his podcast Imaginary Worlds. She is currently at work on a book chapter for the forthcoming Arden Guides to Early Modern Drama on plays involving witchcraft. At the College of Staten Island, she opened the Center for the Arts, where she worked with many artists of international renown. At Wagner, she has served in multiple administrative roles, including as department chair and chair of the Academic Policy Committee. While at Wagner, Dr. Ruff has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and service as well as the Martin Luther King Agent of Change Award.
Paul Barretta, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, Nicolais School of Business
Paul G. Barretta received a B.B.A. in Finance & Investements (’87), and M.B.A. in International Business (’90) from Baruch College - CUNY. After 25 years of corporate experience, primarily in the music/media/entertainment industry, he earned his Ph.D. in 2013 from University of Texas – Pan American (now UTRGV) with a specialization in marketing. He then became a full-time faculty member at St. Bonaventure University where during six years, five years as marketing department chair, he earned tenure and the rank of Associate Professor. He came to Wagner in August 2019 to teach marketing courses and continue his research and service to college, school, and discipline. His primary areas of research include consumer behavior, particularly in the cultural services industries. He has published research related to music, sports, perceived authenticity, and beverage consumption.
Bin Zhu, Ph.D.
Division Chair of Sciences and Mathematics & Professor of Biology
Bin Zhu received his MPA in 2005 and his Ph.D. in biology in 2006 from Syracuse University. Dr. Zhu research focuses on several ecological and environmental issues. He studies ecology and management strategies of invasive animals and plants including zebra mussels, European frogbit, and Eurasian watermilfoil. He also investigates impacts of human activities such as urbanization and land use on water quality, specifically water pollution associated with excessive nitrogen and phosphorus, chemical waste, and heavy metals. Additionally, Dr. Zhu is interested in global changes, biodiversity, and conservation. Currently he is an Associate Editor of Journal of Plant Ecology and Journal of Aquatic Plant Management. Besides the discovery research, he conducts pedagogical research on teaching and learning.