About Us

Dr. Emily Isaacs, Senior Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professor in the Department of Writing Studies, has a long record of teaching, scholarship, and service at Montclair State University. Dr. Isaacs published Writing at the State U: Instruction and Administration at 106 U.S. Comprehensive Universities (2018) and Intersections: A Thematic Reader for Writers with Catherine Keohane (2017). She has published numerous articles on teaching writing, writing programming in public higher education, and challenges in higher education.

Dr. Catherine Keohane has a Ph.D. in English from Rutgers University. She supports faculty of all ranks in their career development. Catherine has published in the field of writing studies and eighteenth-century British literature, and oversees OFE’s support of faculty research and writing. She works with faculty to support both student and faculty belonging, and is the OFE lead on Strong Student Campaign communications. Catherine published Intersections: A Thematic Readers for Writers with Emily Isaacs (2017). She previously served as Director for Writing Placement in the First-Year Writing Program. She is an executive board member of To Improve the Academy and also serves as president of the Burney Society (North America). 

Dr. John Yi earned his Ph.D. in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where his research examined how community and belonging are co-constructed in First-Year Writing classrooms, with particular attention to blended and online learning environments. At Montclair, John partners with faculty across disciplines to support teaching, learning, and conversations about emerging technologies. These interests continue to inform his work as a member of the 2026 Google & GSV Higher Ed Leader Fellowship. Selected for the inaugural cohort, he joins higher education leaders from across the country in exploring AI and what meaningful learning might look like in higher education. Across his work, John is committed to creating spaces where faculty can learn from one another, exchange ideas, and reflect together on how relationships, course design, and shared inquiry shape student learning and participation. He believes that teaching is relational, reflective, and community-shaped work, and values opportunities for faculty to learn with and from one another.

Dalilah Smith-Santos joined the OFE in January of 2023 after seven years working for the MTA in the Real Estate Department where she served in several capacities, most recently as the Facilities Management Administrator.  Prior to working at the MTA, Dalilah worked for the Children’s Aid Society- Next Generation Center supporting this NYC organization in providing services to help underserved youth succeed and thrive.  Ms. Smith-Santos received her B.S in Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Dr. Vera Senina is an interdisciplinary scholar and teacher whose disciplinary expertise spans from the study of the humanities to digital technology and artificial intelligence. Vera also has top-company industry experience in project management and employee development. Vera’s current projects are:

— Dialogue Across Difference (lead event organizer and working group coordinator)

— AI Working Group (lead project manager)

— Faculty hiring (lead on faculty search committee education)

— International Faculty community.

— AI for faculty development and research.

— web-content management for the Office for Faculty Excellence.

— Thank a Professor program.

— Wednesday morning Research and Writing group.

Dr. Courtney Glore Crimmins is a Faculty Developer in the Office for Faculty Excellence and serves as OFE’s Adjunct Liaison. She supports faculty of all ranks in teaching and development, including systems training. Courtney facilitates OFE’s “Just for Adjuncts” programming, a series of professional development workshops and drop-in sessions, as well as the newly-developed Adjunct Orientation. Courtney also teaches in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. She has a Ph.D. in Germanic Language and Literature from the University of Michigan.

Trina Chance O’Gorman is a faculty developer dedicated to supporting faculty and student success at the university. She has been a part of the Montclair State University community since 1998, in a number of roles, from being a graduate student in our Master of Arts in Teaching program, as well as a TA, to working as an adjunct writing instructor in our English and Writing Studies departments and mentoring student teachers during their clinical internship. Her experience as an adjunct instructor has been enhanced by leadership training and co-facilitating workshops based on the research and work of Brené Brown with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which supports surviving military families. She is dedicated to creating community and spaces in which faculty can reach their full potential.

Mahek Patel is a graduate assistant for the OFE.  Mahek received her Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Interdisciplinary Studies from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and is now pursuing her Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 

Samaiyah Bey is a student assistant for the OFE. She is currently a sophomore studying Film & Television with a minor in Business. Her goal through MSU is to get as many social and academic experiences as she can with her future goal being to work in film editing and marketing