CHSS Staff and Administrative Faculty Advisory Council

Mission:

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Staff and Administrative Faculty Advisory Council’s mission is to serve as a representative body for staff and administrative or professional faculty within the college:  

  • to serve as a conduit through which their ideas and concerns are communicated to dean of the college and their administration;  
  • to promote and advocate for their unique needs;  
  • to represent their concerns with university-wide partners as necessary;
  • to act as a resource for promoting an enriching, engaging, collaborative, and supportive work environment for CHSS staff and administrative and professional faculty.

 
 
Goals:

Promoting open lines of communication between the college’s staff/administrative faculty and the Dean and their administration. 

  1. Gathering information through townhalls, annual surveys, and the like to identify and address critical, in-common issues affecting the college’s full-time classified staff, administrative faculty, part-time classified staff, and/or non-student wage employees and presenting it to the dean and their administration. 
  2. Collaborating with the dean and their administration in addressing the concerns of the staff/administrative faculty with appropriate university-level officials, when necessary.  
  3. Ensuring that a broad representation of staff across departments/programs/centers/administration as well as types of positions (student-facing, research, administrative roles, etc.) are actively involved in the work of the Council. 
  4. Collaborating with university-wide partners on larger advocacy initiatives. 

 

People:




Maria Carabelli, Co-chair
 Department of Communication  

As a 20-year dedicated staff member and proud alum of the Department of Communication in CHSS, I believe I bring a unique perspective to the CHSS staff and admin faculty advisory council. Having had the experience of being a student, working with the students and working with the faculty and administration, I have the advantage of fostering connections that allow me to see different perspectives to any problem. With a commitment to communication and collaboration, I aspire to elevate the voices of the college’s staff and admin through insightful discussions. My hope with this committee is that those discussions address the needs and leverage resources for positive change that will enrich our community.

 

Sara Montiel, Co-chair
School of Integrative Studies



David Soorenko, Member
Undergraduate Academic Affairs:

I have been working at Mason in the Undergraduate Academic Affairs office since 2004. Prior to that that I was a full-time student and worked as a wage student in an academic department. My reason for being on this council is to try to preserve and enhance the employee experience in CHSS. Which is important to obtain and retain staff in this rapidly changing work environment we have all been experiencing. I believe open and clear communication on all levels of the college is integral to this, so I hope that this council can help facilitate that communication. 

 



Barb Gomperts, Member
English Department: 

I have been working at GMU in a classified staff position since 1998. Over the last 25 years, I have watched the university grow and change tremendously. When I began my GMU employment, there were fewer than 1000 students living on campus; now there are 6000. My department has grown from 170 employees to 230. This kind of sustained growth demands a dedicated workforce who both believe in the mission of the university and feel that they are a part of that mission so that they will remain with the university. I am serving on this council to help improve the employee experience to ensure that all CHSS staff and administrative faculty have the tools they need to do their jobs well, they feel valued and a integral part of the college and the university.  



Sharon Corradino, Member
Department of Criminology, Law and Society:

 

Anthony DeMaio, Member
Finance and HR:

I have been at Mason for six years and have spent the last year and a half in my current role as a post-award research administrator for CHSS. I am consistently impressed with this college’s commitment to improving the experience of its classified staff, A/P faculty, and wage employees, and am happy to serve on the Advisory Council to help guide those improvements. I’ve served on Staff Senate for the past three years and have seen the power that advocacy can have; I’m excited to bring that experience to the more focused discussion of the specific experience of CHSS employees.



Jacelyn Tyson, Ex Officio
Finance and HR:

I came to Mason in 2013. Since then I have had the privilege of being a classified staff member, A/P faculty member, student, and an alum. Each of those roles has brought me great joy and provided opportunities for personal and professional growth. As an ex officio member of the CHSS Staff and Administrative/Professional Faculty Advisory Council, I intend to utilize the knowledge and insights gained from my current and previous roles to further enhance the employee experience for CHSS classified staff, A/P faculty, and wage employees. CHSS has demonstrated its commitment to this work, and I am excited to partner with the college in this important endeavor.