Mentor Bios
Kelli Armstrong, Vice President, Planning & Assessment
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Duxbury on the south shore of MA, and I returned to my home town to live (which would
have surprised my younger self!) My husband and I chose the town for the school system and the
coast, and it was a bonus to have my parents close by. He also was a prosecutor in Plymouth County at
the time and we needed to live in the county of his court district.
What path brought you to BC?
I was employed at 7 different institutions prior to BC, and have been at BC by far the longest (11 years).
I was a doctoral student in the Lynch School 20 years ago, and was familiar with BC through my time as a
student. When I returned to work here, I was offered the opportunity to create a new department and I
also loved the strong sense of community at BC.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
One of the areas I am most passionate about is college access. A college degree can change a life for so
many people, particularly first generation students. I am particularly interested in the experience of
students from high financial need backgrounds and reducing their barriers to the same educational
experience as other students.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or
Sunday afternoon?
I love reading and watching films. I can lose myself in a book for hours, and read every night before I go
to sleep to relax and create space at the end of the day. My family and I watch a lot of films together
but I have 2 boys and it’s difficult to find films that we all would enjoy!
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
My mother volunteers at a homeless shelter every week and I’ll join her when I can. I also spend time
supporting my son’s school through fundraising and faculty appreciation events. My husband and I
spend a lot of time by a baseball field watching our son and organizing activities around his team.
Who is your hero? Why?
Eleanor Roosevelt. I loved learning about her strong vision and passion for the poor and the voiceless.
She was the force behind some of our most important social support systems, and a beacon of hope
during a difficult time.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
My mentor is Pat Keating, our former EVP. He was my boss and the person who most tirelessly
supported me over the last 10 years, giving me new challenges but always the resources I needed to be
successful.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
El Salvador, as part of a recent immersion trip. It completely opened my eyes on so many fronts, and
reminded me of how most of the world lives.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
On a big level, my family. They are my source of strength and anchor me. On a small level, cookies!
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I would like to start a non-profit to help low income students get to college, or be part of an effort that
supports this mission.
Kathleen Bailey, Associate Professor of the Practice; Associate Director, Islamic Civilization & Societies
Program
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I was born and raised in Woodstock, New York. Although my extended family still lives there, I left to
attend Boston College as an undergraduate. I visit often, but Boston is now my home.
What path brought you to BC?
I applied to BC despite opposition from my high school guidance teacher. I was thrilled when I got in,
and never looked back. Although I got my Masters at Tufts, I quickly returned to BC for my doctorate,
and then accepted a teaching position in the Political Science department. I met my husband at BC,
raised my 3 sons at BC, and have enjoyed every second of it. I can’t imagine my life without the BC
community.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
Teaching. There is satisfaction is research and writing, committee responsibilities, attending
conferences, and so on, but teaching tops everything. This is where we have the most impact. I love to
challenge students, push them to go further, and sit back to watch the results. I love it when I hear from
former students who have gained perspective on their educational experience, and see it as
transformational, life changing and enhancing. I love all the different personalities that I come across;
each one is precious and unique. Teaching and mentoring are not difficult things to do, and yet they
have the biggest, most positive impact on real people and real lives.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or
Sunday afternoon?
I enjoy working out at the gym, taking aerobics classes or riding my bike, hiking, sailing in summer.
Anything outdoors. I enjoy going out with friends, most of whom I went to school with so we know one
another very well. I like to cook for my sons, who usually invite their friends to eat at our house. I like
when my house is overflowing with people.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I used to volunteer at my sons’ schools, but now that the last one has graduated from high school, I’ve
turned my efforts to the Brain Science Foundation, which raises money for primary brain tumors in
children. We run awareness days at hospitals, golf tournaments, information days, and so on.
Who is your hero? Why?
Right now my hero is my son Stephen, who passed away at age 24 on July 3. He was the most
personable, caring human being I’ve ever met. He was friends with everyone, and made them all feel as
though they were the most important person in his life. He had a direct, positive impact on everyone he
met, making them all feel better about themselves after a conversation with him. He was fun-loving, and
embraced life with a passion I have never seen in anyone else. He was entirely selfless.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
My mentor was my husband. I met him at BC—he was a professor in the same department that hired
me. He was a true intellectual and scholar. We worked very closely together, publishing articles and
books, exchanging ideas about teaching. We traveled to the countries we studied, which was always a
crazy adventure. He was brilliant, the most engaging speaker I’ve ever met. I have tried to model my
courses and teaching style after him.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
Uzbekistan. I did my field research there for 10 months and lived in the ancient city of Samarkand. The
historical sites are amazing, but it was the culture and hospitality that was most remarkable.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
My other two sons. Having lost one, I couldn’t bear to go through that experience again. You really
never realize how precious your children are, and how much you take it for granted that nothing could
ever happen to them.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Professionally, I would like to make the Islamic Studies program at BC one of the strongest in the world
in terms of human and financial resources.
Régine Michelle Jean-Charles, Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and African
and African Diaspora Studies Core Faculty
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
Wellesley MA, because of the lack of class and racial diversity in Wellesley I did not want to raise my
children there.
What path brought you to BC?
I was hired in 2008 as part of a search for core faculty in the African and African Diaspora Studies
Program. This is actually my first job! Prior to BC I did my PhD at Harvard and then a post-doc at UVA.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I am passionate about literature and the ability of stories to help us better understand and engage the
world. Whether I am writing about these works in an article or exposing students to them through my
teaching it is this belief that literature has a role to play in the real world that excites me.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or
Sunday afternoon?
On the weekends I spend a lot of time with family—biological and otherwise. Lunch, brunch or coffee
with my closest friends is an inevitable part of my week. On Sundays we go to church as a family (me,
my husband and 3 children) then usually have lunch with someone from church at a restaurant in
Boston or at our home in Milton. We are “people people” and love to host gatherings at home large or
small. Also, I take my self-care very seriously whether it is going to the gym, a Soul Cycle class, or getting
a mani/pedi I always try to do something for me a couple of times throughout the week.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
For over a decade I have been a board member, performer and lecturer for A Long Walk Home a
nonprofit organization that uses art to educate, inspire, and empower young people to end violence
against girls and women. This work takes up much of my time and is a cause I am passionate about.
I am very active in my church where my husband and I co-lead the marriage ministry.
Who is your hero? Why?
This one is difficult for me. I feel that I have many people I admire (Ella Baker for activism, Gloria
Steinem for feminism, Carole Boyce Davies for her academic career, Edwidge Danticat for her writing
and activism related to Haiti) but no hero per se…So I will go with the first thing that came to mind
which is Jesus Christ because his life exemplified sacrificial love of others.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
I don’t have one, but several…My pastor Valerie Copeland who I met at church. My undergraduate
mentor was my college professor Farah Jasmine Griffin who I met freshman year and named my
daughter after, my graduate school professor Alice Jardine, another Haitian professor I met through a
professional association Claudine Michel. My BC mentors Kevin Newmark and Cynthia Young…
What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Unusual only because it is not a common tourist destination.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Working full time
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
To work firsthand with women and girls who are survivors of sexual violence in a different country
Kerry Cronin, Associate Director, Lonergan Institute; Adjunct Instructor, Philosophy Department
(Perspectives Program)
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Hartford, CT. It’s a great small city, but it’s SMALL. I came to BC as an undergraduate and
though I’ve left to do a few things in other cities, I wanted to come back to Boston and so I have lived
her for the past 25 years.
What path brought you to BC?
I came to BC as an undergraduate and found a second home. My uncle was a great Jesuit who gave his
life to this university. He passed away a few years ago, but I feel his presence and encouragement all the
time.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I LOVE teaching in the Perspectives program! I adore teaching first year students and love talking about
the intersection of philosophy, culture and faith. I’m fairly obnoxious about it, actually. My friends
always know what books I’m teaching because I bring it up at parties.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or
Sunday afternoon?
I love the Cape so I’m there visiting with family a lot. But I also am a big fan of staying home. If it’s the
early part of the day, I’m sleeping in or reading. If it’s late, I’m out to a movie or watching “The Walking
Dead.”
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I tend to give any free time I have to the church. The church needs good people who are hard-working
and normal. I like to think I’m both, for the most part.
Who is your hero? Why?
I have to think about this one. I think lots of people are heroes to me. Mostly people who work hard and
are humble enough to know they don’t have all the answers are quite heroic to me.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
My uncle, Joseph Flanagan, SJ, was and still is my greatest mentor, even though he’s passed away. I
knew him so well that his memory and spirit still give me great guidance.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
I spent three weeks in Vietnam 15 years ago when my college roommate was adopting a baby by
herself. I went along to help her out and had a trip of a lifetime. Traveling in the developing world taught
me a tremendous amount.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
My faith would be impossible for me to give up. I’m Christian and Catholic through and through. Not in
an unquestioning way, but in a committed way. After that, sleep. I have to really love someone to miss
sleep for them!
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I would like to become a more trustworthy and reliable person. I think I need to keep working at those
qualities.
Pat DeLeeuw, Vice Provost for Faculties
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in northeastern Ohio, near Akron, where I went to high school. I left to go to college, then
grad school, and never returned.
What path brought you to BC?
I came to BC long ago because I was offered a faculty position here. (The other job offer I had at the
time was from the University of Florida at Gainesville, so I made what seemed like an obvious life style
choice!)
What are you most passionate about professionally?
It has always seemed a privilege to me to work in higher education, where we do research on, and
teach, ideas for their own sake, just because we find them interesting. The ideas that I personally find
most interesting are historical; I’m fascinated by the religious beliefs and practices of medieval people.
Where else but a university could I go to pursue these interests?
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or
Sunday afternoon?
I lead a boring life: I garden, I read, I walk, I do email.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I sing.
Who is your hero? Why?
I greatly admire women and men who lead with passion despite odds against them – Rev. Martin Luther
King; the women of the women’s suffrage movement in the nineteenth century; Frances Perkins,
Secretary of Labor under Roosevelt, the first woman in the US Cabinet who was largely responsible for
the New Deal; the birth control activist Margaret Sanger; Drew Faust, the first woman president of
Harvard.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
I don’t think I’ve had one mentor, but have been fortunate to have had several at various stages in my
life. They’ve all been faculty members or senior colleagues who’ve guided me by example as much as by
advice.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
With my husband and children I traveled to East Africa in summer 2000. The trip was notable for me not
just because it was so different from any place I’d been, but because it was life-changing for my family.
Since we returned my husband has been president of a small foundation that sends funds to support
women’s education in East Africa, and my son was an African Studies major in college, and is now a
physician who does research on public health issues in Africa.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
National Public Radio? My subscription to The Atlantic? Not much, actually.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I think I lack ambition: now that my kids are launched, I’m content.
Sarah Gallenberg, Program Administrator/Counselor, Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Rochester, Minnesota. I moved to Massachusetts in 2011 and took a position in residence
life at Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. I met my partner and fiancé at Holy Cross, and we have created
roots in MA.
What path brought you to BC?
A few years ago, I took a position in the Office of First Year Experience as the Assistant Director for
Diversity and Identity Development. The position was a fusion of two areas I love working in –
orientation and diversity/social justice education. Additionally, I have always felt connected to Ignatian
Spirituality since attending St. Louis University for my undergrad and working at Holy Cross.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
Student learning and empowerment, student self-advocacy, experiences of college students of color at
PWIs, first-generation college students, high-economic need students, experiences of LGBT college
students, experiences of gender in college, adoptees and their college experiences – I am currently
reading Dr. Arissa Oh’s book To Save the Children of Korea.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or
Sunday afternoon?
Right now, it’s wedding planning. My wedding is in October, so I’m usually crafting on the weekends. I
also love to dance – I’m part of the DanceWorks Boston company, and I also take ballroom dancing
lessons. As a transplant from the Midwest, I also love traveling throughout New England trying different
restaurants and microbreweries.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I work with 9th and 10th graders at a Catholic Church in Newton who are preparing for confirmation. I
was in a sorority in college, and now I serve as an advisor for the chapter at Boston University as well as
serving on the alumnae chapter’s advisory board.
Who is your hero? Why?
Right now, I’d say it’s Misty Copeland. She has defied racial and gender barriers, despite odds stacked
against her in a field that is not kind to people who do not fit a certain kind of mold or look a certain
way. Growing up as a ballerina, there were often times I was overlooked or not cast because of my
appearance.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
I have been blessed to have several very special women in my life who have mentored me and continue
to do so. One I met working as an undergraduate student, Leanna Fenneberg. She encouraged me to
enter higher education as a career. My other mentors I met in graduate school, Kate Caffrey, Kate Boyle
and Tori Svoboda. These women helped develop my passion for social justice and inclusion and
developed me into the professional I am today.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
I have been to Australia and New Zealand; both were incredible, and I left a piece of my heart in both
places. The most unusual place I visited while there was a place called the Agrodome in New Zealand.
It’s marketed as a “farm show,” but it is much more than that. The show features all different breeds of
sheep, and a sheep gets sheered on stage. During the show, I was called up to feed a baby lamb. It was
ridiculously fun and something I will never forget.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Wine and cheese
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
I want to do walk the Camino De Santiago in France and Spain. My fiancé’s father did it recently, and it
sounds life changing.
Margaret Nuzzolese, Campus Minister, Program Director for Arrupe International Immersion Program
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Port Washington, New York, a beautiful town on the north shore of Long Island, surrounded
by a gigantic family of 2 sisters and a brother, and wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
I’m not there now because it’s too far of a commute to work at BC.
What path brought you to BC?
I attended BC as an undergraduate. When I drove up to campus for my first tour, I took one look at the
gates of Linden Lane and Gasson and thought, “this is it!” I felt adamant that I didn’t even need to get
out of the car, I just knew. The tour guides confirmed it, this place would have the Jesuit education, all
the clubs and activities I could dream of, and more. I lived and worked as a Jesuit Volunteer in
Nicaragua for two years after college, in a micro-finance bank for women of very low-income, and then
later worked for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in the U.S. The same Spirit brought me back to BC in 2012,
first with the Center for Student Formation and now in Campus Ministry.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
“Men and Women for others!” But not just “for others” but with others -- in accompaniment -- which
means walking with another in all aspects of life-- in the service of faith and the promotion of justice, in
the beautiful moments, and in the most difficult moments -- living one’s life with and for others. I am
most passionate about the ways we work together as humans to truly, justly, peacefully *be* with one
another.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or
Sunday afternoon?
I’m finishing up a Master’s in Theology at the moment, so you can often find me across the street in the
TML (Theology and Ministry Library). My favorite Sunday afternoons would be spent with the people I
love, on a bike ride or hike with my boyfriend, volunteering in Boston, in a park with younger cousins, at
my Grandmother’s kitchen table, or laughing with my parents, sisters, and brother.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
Yes - Rosie’s Place and Catholic Worker communities. There are few things I love more than working
together with others to be with and help support those people most in need. I love walking into a
shelter or soup kitchen knowing that the people who walk in the doors are going to receive the utmost
care and compassion. I love washing dishes and handing out bread and interacting with those most on
the margins. I love being with a team of folks who are so dedicated to peace and justice that they are
helping to respond to people’s most basic needs, which the rest of society has forgotten. Being at
Rosie’s place, at a Catholic Worker community, at an Arrupe site, reminds me of that which is most real
in this world.
Who is your hero? Why?
So many! Mom. Grandmom. Dorothy Day. Mev Puleo. Jesuits. People who are so dedicated to what
they believe in and who work their hardest to see it through -- these people are my heros/heroines. And
these are the folks who are most aware of and most responsive to those in the most need.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
I’ve been lucky to have many mentors in my life. I try to seek out a few different people in each
different walk of life so that I can learn from many people’s different experiences and opinions. I have
found it most rewarding when I’ve reached out specifically (proactively) to someone to ask for
mentorship/advice/counselling, etc. and I have been amazed and humbled at the ways in which mentors
have specifically, generously, and graciously reached their hand back out. Sheryl Sandberg in her book,
Lean In, talks about how we need to continually “sponsor” women -- how important it is for women in
particular to have advocates, to reach out to actively support other women, to ask for sponsorship and
to give it freely. Sponsors are the best types of mentors.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
Micronesia! You have to scroll in (zoom) on Google Maps about 50 times before you can even see it! It’s
a group islands in the Pacific where there are a few Jesuit high schools and Jesuit Volunteers serving
internationally. I had the opportunity to lead a retreat there for the JVS for 5 days on an island that was
the size of a football field! It was awesome.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
My Nalgene water bottle. I like the color, the size, the shape, and the way I feel like I’m doing my part
for the planet by not buying bottled water.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Hmmm this is a tough one!... I’d like to have a child or adopt a child, I’d like to feel like I did everything I
did to stand on the side of the marginalized and to work for peace, love, and justice in the world, and I’d
like to feel at peace at the moment of death. Eek that’s a lot that still needs to happen :)
Joy Moore ’81, H’10, Associate Vice President, Alumni Relations
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Newton, Mass. Why aren’t you there now? I’m here!
What path brought you to BC?
My interest in the field of education and the very generous financial aid package I received from BC.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
Taking ideas and turning them into realities.
Where can we find you when you’re not working?
You can find me working out (usually at the Plex) or traveling to visit family and friends or home
enjoying my surroundings.
What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or Sunday afternoon?
I usually enjoy some type of physical activity-biking or walking. I also enjoy cooking and reading.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about? Generally, activities that involve being in the company of
young women.
Who is your hero?
My mom. Why? For all of the sacrifices she made to ensure that I would have more opportunities than
she was afforded. And, the pride with which she did what she had to do for her family.
Who is your mentor?
I don’t have one mentor. I have found what’s best for me is to surround myself by a few people who
are younger than me, a few who are my age and a few who are older than me. All have wisdom to share
from their different place along the age scale. How did you connect with him/her? I found them along
my life journey and different encounters and opportunities I’ve had.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
The Townships of South Africa.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
My freedom.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Seeing more of the world and its many people.
Katie O’Dair, Associate Vice President, Student Affairs
Where did you grow up? Why aren’t you there now?
I grew up in Worthington, Ohio and went to college at Miami University in Ohio. During my college
summers I worked at a summer camp near Boston and caught the east coast bug. I moved to Boston
after graduation with my boyfriend at the time and have never looked back. I have been in Boston 27
years so I consider myself a New Englander!
What path brought you to BC?
With my UG communications degree my first job was at the National Bureau of Economic research in
Cambridge working in the publications department. I switched gears to education and received my
master’s in counseling from Northeastern before taking a job at Tufts University in student activities.
After five years at Tufts I went to MIT where I spent 8 years working in student life as an assistant dean. I
have been at BC for 11 years and have had three positions here. I was also fortunate to receive my
doctorate from BC.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
I love my job and want to create the right environment for students to thrive – to figure out what they
want to do, be their best self, and take risks. The best way I can do this is to examine if our systems are
working – policies, procedures, how we approach student concerns – and make sure we are clearing
unnecessary barriers. I have a critical eye and always think we can do better for students.
Where can we find you when you’re not working? What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend or
Sunday afternoon?
I love being active and being outdoors. I am a competitive swimmer and when I am not working I am
either at swim practice at MIT or out on the open water. I surround myself with family and friends and
travel a lot to see my nieces, nephews, and siblings.
Any volunteer activities you’re crazy about?
I am a crew leader for the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, a major charity event for the Dana Farber
Cancer Institute. I have been involved with the PMC for 15 years.
Who is your hero? Why?
Equally my grandmother and mother. They were both ahead of their time. My grandma was an RN at a
time when not a lot of women worked. My mom received her bachelor’s and master’s degree and
taught nursing at Ohio State. She gave up her career to raise five kids, then returned to her work after
her kids were grown. Both always showed me that women can balance many different parts of their
lives, and that women have choices.
Who is your mentor? How did you connect with him/her?
One of my mentors is Bill Stackman, currently associate vice president at Notre Dame. He was my first
professional supervisor at Tufts, and he has been my champion throughout my career. He has integrity,
he is kind, he cares deeply about people, and he ALWAYS does the right thing by students. When I have
a difficult decision, I first think “what would Bill do?” and if it is a really hard decision, I call him. He
pushes me to think. That is what a good mentor does.
What’s the most unusual place you’ve visited?
Probably Guatemala when my sister was in the Peace Corps.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
Swimming.
What’s one thing you want to accomplish before you die?
Write and publish something that people (besides my friends and family) want to read.