Staff
Bios
Gail Cohee
Gail Cohee holds a Ph.D. in English Literature and Women's Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington. Before becoming Director of the Sarah Doyle Women's Center in 2001, she taught courses in British literature, literature by women, and women's studies at Emporia State University in Emporia, KS, and at Skidmore College, the College of Saint Rose, and Siena College in New York. She is a former member of the Governing Council of the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA), and is a co-editor of the journal Feminist Teacher. She teaches courses at Brown through the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women. Gail also coordinates the Sexual Assault Advocates at Brown.
Felicia Salinas-Moniz
Felicia Salinas-Moniz completed her Ph.D. in the Department of American Studies at Brown in 2013. Prior to her role as the Coordinator for the Sarah Doyle Women's Center and the LGBTQ Center, Felicia worked as the Administrative Coordinator for the Student Activities Office and served as the adviser to the Liber Brunensis yearbook staff. In her position at SDWC, Felicia handles the operational and fiscal responsibilities at the women's center and advises the student staff with center programming, such as women's history month.
Sara Matthiesen
Sara Matthiesen is a PhD candidate in the Department of American Studies at Brown where she is working on a dissertation that examines women's reproduction in the decades following Roe v. Wade. As the Graduate Programmer for the SDWC, Sara attempts to meet the diverse needs of graduate students' lives through events, programs, and conversations with graduate students and administrators alike. She is excited to be working for the SDWC, which has been an important resource during her years in graduate school. She is from the San Francisco Bay Area, and enjoys exploring the New England coast.
Abigail Ettelman
Abigail is a first year Master's student in the Public Humanities program, which is a part of the American Studies department at Brown. The interdisciplinary field of the public humanities emphasizes public engagement in humanities work, including archives and museums. Abigail's primary academic work focuses on the ways that community memory is maintained (or not maintained), especially in the context of difficult or traumatic experiences. She is very excited about working on the archive at the Sarah Doyle Women's Center due to a long-standing interest in feminist theory and women's history.
Kyle Albert
Kyle Albert is a first year from Northbrook IL, likely concentrating in Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies. As a programming coordinator at the center, he works to bring gender related events to the Brown community, often through the lenses of intersectionality and activism. In addition to his work here, he helps direct GSASS, a student group that works to provide outreach and support to local LGBTQ and allied students, and he also facilitates sex-ed workshops with BRUSHE at Roger Williams Middle School.
David Borgonjon
David is 183 cm, 76 kg, and grew up using the metric system. His favourite colours are cobalt blue and quinacridone magenta, and grew up using British spellings. Nonetheless, he feels thoroughly American, down to feeling a little guilty about it, and hoping to be a bit more special. In his 4th year, he studies English at Brown and Painting at RISD.
Patricia Ekpo
Patricia Ekpo is a sophomore from Lawrenceville, GA and plans on concentrating in both Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is the library coordinator of the center and hopes to spread the knowledge of the rich resource that is the SDWC library. She is a member of the Brown Women's Rugby Team and likes to ponder the effects that social media has on the accessibility of feminist thought.
Dara Illowsky
Dara is a sophomore from Ossining, NY concentrating in Environmental Science.
Krishnanand Kelkar
Krishnanand is a sophomore studying International Relations and Religious Studies. While his academic interests lie in the intersection of religion and politics, his personal interests lead him to explore the intersectionality of identity. He is one of two half Caucasian, half East Indian gay male twins who speaks Japanese and was baptized Catholic, but brought up by Protestant-turned-Buddhist local politician of a mother and a non-practicing Hindu engineer of a father – and loves it!
Molly Lao
Molly is a senior concentrating in political science and sociology. She has been a Women’s Peer Counselor and is now a community assistant, a member of Brown’s First Generation College Students, and a participant in IM volleyball/tennis. She received a BISP fellowship to Cambodia where she co-produced an international sporting event for disabled people, and the Arthur Liman fellowship this past summer that funded her research with Human Rights First surrounding human rights and the Olympics. Her volunteer work is sparked by her interest in international human rights, where she has taught English and built houses in Cambodia, built schools and removed rubble in Haiti, tutored alongside post-Katrina efforts in New Orleans. She will be a lifelong active advocate for the rights of marginalized populations such as disabled people and women around the world.
Zahra Merchant
Zahra is a senior from Dallas, TX and is concentrating in Human Biology. She has a particular interest in health and medical issues that relate to women and children.
Radhika Rajan
Radhika Rajan is a sophomore Anthropology concentrator from Gainesville, Florida. She is interested in the intersections between race and gender, and global issues surrounding gender inequality. She has a particular interest in sexual health, and other healthcare issues affecting women, in developing countries. She is one of the Women's History Month Programming Coordinators, and is working on different events for March, and for the rest of the year.
Alexia Ramirez
Alexia Ramirez is a first-year from Mahwah, NJ and plans on concentrating in Political Theory and History. She is interested in the evolution of government, particularly the role of the legal system, in defining and protecting the civil rights and the liberties of individuals. Alexia is very excited to be working on the archive at the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center as well as photographing the Center’s various events throughout the semester.
Devon Reynolds
Devon Reynolds is a junior concentrating in Africana Studies and Portuguese and Brazilian Studies. She is coordinator of the Coalition Against Relationship Abuse and the Sexual Assault Task Force. She enjoys talking, hiking, and Annie Dillard.
Irene Rojas-Carroll
Irene Rojas-Carroll '15 hopes to bring her perspectives as co-Head Chair of Brown's Queer Alliance and a Minority Peer Counselor Friend into her work at Sarah Doyle. Irene is from the San Francisco Bay Area and is concentrating in "something about inequality."
Adele Ruppert
Bio Coming Soon!
Sahar Shahamatdar
Sahar Shahamatdar is a senior from Rockville, Maryland, concentrating in materials science engineering. She is the coordinator for the Sophia Academy tutoring program, which is aimed at helping middle school girls grasp fundamental science and mathematics concepts.
Sheila Sitaram
Sheila Sitaram is a sophomore from Los Angeles, California concentrating in International Relations and Modern Culture & Media. She is particularly interested in how global media and advertising imagery play an integral role in the lives of women.
Mia Stange
Mia Stange is a junior concentrating in Community Health. At the Sarah Doyle Center, she is the co-coordinator of CARA (Coalition Against Relationship Abuse), which serves as a resource to educate and empower students about relationship abuse. Mia’s interests include sexual and reproductive health advocacy, creative writing, and issues surrounding military and veteran health.
Yen Tran
A third year from southern California, Yen loves volunteering and interacting with people. He has worked as a college mentor, field organizer, and event coordinator amongst others. His interests include food, languages, popular culture and community and self-empowerment.