Shawna Cooper Whitehead
Vice President for Student Affairs
shawna.cooper.whitehead@bc.edu
Shawna Cooper Whitehead, joined Boston College as the Vice President for Student Affairs in August 2021. Prior to that, she served as Seton Hall’s Vice President of Student Services where she was a member of the Executive Cabinet and provided leadership and guidance to facilitate decision making in all matters related to student welfare. Shawna managed a wide array of student support and academic programs including the Academic Resource Center, Career Center, Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Freshman Studies, Health Services, Housing and Residence Life, and Public Safety and Security. She was chair of the Council for Student Success and the co-chair of the University Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Health Intervention and Communication Team.
Previous to that Shawna served as the Assistant Provost at Loyola University Chicago. She also served as the Dean of Students of the School of Social Services Administration at the University of Chicago, Director of African American Student Affairs at Northwestern University, Assistant Director of the Student Activities Office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Assistant Dean of the School of Communication at Loyola University Chicago.
Shawna earned a doctoral degree of education from Boston University, master of education degree from National Louis University and bachelor of science degree from the University of Illinois.
Drop in and say hello!
Shawna holds open office hours most Fridays from 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Spring Semester Dates:
1/20, 2/3, 2/10, 2/24, 3/3, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/14, 4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs Staff
Melinda Stoops, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President
Student Health and Wellness
Colleen Dallavalle, M.A.
Senior Advisor
Jonathan Hinrichs, M.B.A.
Director of Finance and Operations
Claire Ostrander
Associate Vice President
Student Engagement and Formation
Melinda joined the Boston College Community in 2017 after having spent 14 years at Framingham State University where she served in various roles, including as the Associate Vice President/Dean of Students. Melinda is a licensed psychologist and is particularly interested in factors related to student wellness. Additional higher education experience includes providing counseling services at Radford University, Saint Mary of the Woods College, and Indiana University.
Melinda is an active member of her professional organization, NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. She has served at both the regional and national level and is currently the Region I Director-Elect. She was recognized by NASPA in 2017 as the inaugural recipient of the AVP/Senior-Level Student Affairs Professional Award.
Melinda earned her B.A. in Psychology from Smith College, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Radford University, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Indiana State University.
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Jonathan Hinrichs is Director of Finance and Business Operations. He is responsible for financial planning, budgeting, accounting, resource allocation, and business services for the Division of Student Affairs. Jonathan joined Boston College directly from the University of California, Santa Cruz where he managed the financial and business operations for a unit of the university. Prior to that, he worked in finance and operations in the outdoor products industry and also spent time as a cartographer with National Geographic.
Jonathan holds an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado and a B.S. from Mary Washington College.
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Judy Z. Ferres, M.A.
Director of Administrative Services
Lisa Berasi, M.A.
Sr. Assoc. Director, Marketing and Communications
Karen Fiorentino, M.A.
Executive Assistant to the Vice President
Judy Ferres is the Director of Administrative Services in the Division of Student Affairs. In this role she is responsible for division related human resource activities, partners with Information Technology Services, Facilities, and Institutional Research and Planning on divisional projects, planning and improvements. Prior to working in Student Affairs, Judy worked as Associate Director in the Office for Institutional Diversity at Boston College. In this capacity, her responsibilities included the development and implementation of the University’s affirmative action program and ensuring equal opportunity compliance. As part of her work Judy is an integral part of the Disability Services Coordinating Committee which is working towards ensuring inclusion for all members of the BC community (students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and visitors).
Before joining BC, Judy worked as an HR Consultant for an international law firm based in Boston, where her focus was affirmative action program development, I-9 audits and other compliance related projects. Prior to the law firm, Judy worked in various HR management capacities in non-profit, professional services, automotive and financial industries. This work include time working in London, England and in Michigan.
In addition to her human resources certifications (SPHR, SHRM-SCP and SCAAP), Judy holds a Master’s degree from Wayne State University and a Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University.
Lisa Berasi is the Senior Associate Director of Marketing and Communications. She is responsible for the execution of marketing strategies and communications, graphics, branding, and oversees the division’s online presence.
Previously, Lisa worked as a senior graphic designer and marketing associate for a financial services company, specializing in requests for proposal development, brand management, and the creation of print and web publications. Most recently she worked as a business development manager for a government relations firm and as a freelance graphic designer in the biotechnology, education, and financial services industries.
Lisa holds a B.A. in Studio Art from Lake Forest College, a Certificate in Graphic Design from the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston, and an M.S.A. from Boston College.
Karen is the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs. In her role, Karen is the Vice President's administrative point of contact for students, parents, and the Boston College community. In addition, she supervises nine students working in the VPSA office. Karen holds a B.A. and an M.A. degree from Boston College.