Leadership
Academic Governance
Academic Governance at ESF serves to facilitate the initiation, development, and implementation of ESF’s mission and educational programs under the direction of the SUNY Board of Trustees.
The full body of Academic Governance (faculty, staff, and student representatives) meets monthly during the academic year to discuss matters of College interest and conduct academic business, including the review and proposal of College policies.
Please contact [email protected] for more information about Academic Governance and adding items to the agenda.
Meeting Schedule
The full body of Academic Governance meets monthly in synchronous hybrid format in Gateway A&B and online at 11 a.m.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Monday, May 4, 2025 (Awards Meeting | 2:30 p.m.)
Meeting Documents (Authentication Required)
Join Academic Governance meetings on Teams
Executive Committee Meetings
The Executive Committee regularly meets two weeks prior to the full governance body, allowing time to make any necessary decisions about the agenda for the larger meeting. The dates for the 2025-2026 academic year are:
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
All Executive Committee meetings are from 11am-12:20pm in 408 Baker, except where noted. The meeting is open to all members of the campus community, but due to space limitations, please RSVP if you wish to attend.
Placing an item on the agenda
Anything that is to be considered for the agenda at a College-wide meeting must be sent to the Executive Committee at [email protected] before the Executive Committee meeting scheduled prior to the Academic Governance meeting for which it is intended to be discussed.
Executive and Standing Committees
All Faculty and Research Associates are voting members of Academic Governance. In addition, 30 elected members of professional staff are represented as voting members.
Serving through Spring 2026
Appleby, Ray
Blair, Erika
Chase, Meredith
Day, Kialey
Engelman, Heather
Fassler, Sue
Knight, Aaron
LaTray, Lauren
Moore, Karen
Owens, Jonathan
Searing, Katherina
Storrings, Mark
Tochelli, Erin
Turbeville, John
Serving through Spring 2027
Bailie, Kate
Caviness, Terrance
Chefalo, Anthony
Collins, Daniel
Karker, Karen
Korbas, Sean
Krush, Matthew
LaTray, Lauren
Mercer, Kate
Rounds, Aaron
Watson-Collins, Kelly
Webb, Jennifer
Whitmarsh, Olivia
Yurka, Sarah
Executive Committee
| Name | Title | Term ends |
|---|---|---|
| Joanie Mahoney | Chair and President of SUNY ESF | N/A |
| Aaron Rounds | Co-Executive Chair | 2026 |
| Ruth Yanai | Co-Executive Chair | 2026 |
| Kelly Watson-Collins | Secretary | 2027 |
| Past Executive Chair | ||
| Kate Mercer | Sergeant-at-Arms | 2026 |
| Aaron Knight | Parliamentarian | 2026 |
| Deepak Kumar | Delegate-at-Large (untenured) | 2026 |
| Heather Engelman | Delegate-at-Large (staff) | 2027 |
| Matthew Smith | Delegate-at-Large (tenured) | 2027 |
| Erin Tochelli | SU Senator | 2026 |
| Ivan Gitsov | SU Senator | 2026 |
| Sarah Fessler | SUNY Senator | 2026 |
| SUNY Senator Alternate | 2026 | |
| Daniel Vera | MOSA representative | 2026 |
| Emily Friden | GSA representative | 2026 |
| Ruth Owens | Academic Affairs, Chair | 2026 |
| Faculty and Staff Advancement, Chair | 2026 | |
| Tristan Brown | Research, Chair | 2025 |
| Anthony Chefalo | Student Experience Committee, Chair | 2026 |
| Janine DeBaise | Honors and Awards, co-Chair | 2026 |
| Katherina Searing | Honors and Awards, co-Chair | 2026 |
Standing Committees
Honors and Awards
| Member | Term End | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Janine DeBaise (Co-Chair) | 2025 | ES |
| Katherina Searing (Co-Chair) | 2025 | Staff |
| Robin Kimmerer | 2026 | EB |
| Karen Moore | 2025 | Staff |
| Leslie Rutkowski | 2026 | Staff |
| Karin Limburg | 2026 | EB |
| Ruth Yanai | 2025 | SRM |
| Lindi Quackenbush | N/A | Provost |
| ** Due to SUNY policy on the composition of this committee, the Awards Chair will populate it. | ||
Academic Affairs
| Member | Term End | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Shijie Liu | 2026 | Chemical Engineering |
| Avik Chatterjee | 2027 | Chemistry |
| Environmental Biology | ||
| Christine Georgakakos | 2027 | Environmental Resources Engineering |
| Sharon Moran | 2027 | Environmental Studies |
| Thomas Hogge | 2027 | Landscape Architecture |
| Eddie Bevilacqua | 2026 | Sustainable Resources Management |
| Nino Jakhaia | 2027 | Interdisciplinary Programs |
| Ruth Owens (Chair) | 2026 | Library |
| Erika Blair | 2026 | Academic Administration |
| Joanie Mahoney | N/A | President of SUNY ESF |
Non voting Members and Observers
| Name | Representing |
|---|---|
| Zora Thomova* | Associate Provost for Instruction AG Staff Representative |
| Terrance Caviness | AG Staff Representative GSA Representative |
| Dalton Adams | MOSA Representative |
| Jon Henderson | MOSA Representative |
| Leslie Rutkowski | Registrar |
| Elizabeth Minard | Registrar |
| Susan Sanford | Undergraduate Admissions |
| Jeremy Coleman | Undergraduate Admissions |
| Erin Tochelli | AAC Secretary |
| William Fisher | Board of Trustees |
*represents and votes for President in their absence
Faculty and Staff Advancement
| Member | Term End | Department |
|---|---|---|
| David Newman | 2027 | Chem Eng |
| Lee Newman | 2026 | Chemistry |
| Chris Briggs | 2027 | EB |
| Stephen Shaw | 2026 | ERE |
| Patrice Kohl | 2027 | Env Studies |
| Matt Potteiger | 2027 | LA |
| Christopher Nowak | 2026 | SRM |
| Kurt Stavenhagen | 2027 | Interdisciplinary Programs |
| Doug Moore | 2026 | Library |
| John Turbeville | 2026 | Career Services |
Research and Scholarship
| Member | Term End | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Ankita Juneja | 2027 | CE |
| Jiajue Chai | 2027 | Chemistry |
| Mike Schummer | 2027 | EB |
| Giorgos Mountrakis | 2026 | ERE |
| Eun Kyung Lee | 2026 | Env Studies |
| Ellen White | 2027 | LA |
| Tristan Brown (Chair) | 2027 | SRM |
| Interdisciplinary Programs | ||
| Jenn Nace | 2026 | Library |
Student Experience
| Member | Term End | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Klaus Doelle | 2027 | Chem Eng |
| Gyu Leem | 2026 | Chemistry |
| Brian Leydet | 2027 | EB |
| Yaqi You | 2026 | ERE |
| Michael Mikulewicz | 2027 | Env Studies |
| Jean Yang | 2027 | LA |
| Shayan Mirzabeigi | 2026 | SRM |
| Jason Kohlbrenner | 2027 | Interdisciplinary Programs |
| Hanna Seraji | 2026 | Library |
| Anthony Chefalo (chair) | 2027 | Student Affairs |
Ad-Hoc Committees
- IDEA
Heather Engelman, chair - Classroom Technology
Jennifer Webb, chair - Online Programs
Paul Hirsch, chair - Artificial Intelligence
Aidan Ackerman and Daniel Noon, co-chairs - Stability Planning
Jon Owens and Colin Beier, co-chairs
Elections are held each spring for any officer roles and to elect half of the professional staff membership.
Documents and Resolutions
Resolution Guide
Contact [email protected] for a procedures outline for how resolutions can come to the floor of an Academic Governance College-wide meeting.
Bylaws and Standing Rules
Academic Governance Bylaws are reviewed biannually by the Executive Committee and
Faculty Chair (College President) and amended as needed to keep them current and to
ensure that they accurately reflect the operating procedures of the faculty as it
pertains to curriculum, research, and service.
- Current bylaws (pdf)
- Standing rules (pdf)
For past bylaws and standing rules, contact the Executive Chair.
Syllabus Template
All course syllabi must be made available at the departmental level.