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Student Affairs Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Brian Patchoski
Name

Brian Patchcoski

Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

He, Him, His

Office of the Vice President Student Affairs Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Office

222J Boucke Building
University Park, PA 16802

Bio

As Assistant Vice President for diversity, equity and inclusion in Student Affairs, Brian is responsible for strengthening and furthering a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all students at Penn State. He provides strategic leadership for six Student Affairs units.

Throughout his career in higher education, Brian has worked to build educational opportunities around issues of student advocacy and development and a diversity of thought and human experience. While at Penn State he has worked to broaden the understanding of diversity and commitment to inclusive excellence not as separate entities, but rather as part of the larger tapestry of student life and experience.

Brian served as the assistant director of the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity from 2008-2012. Prior to returning to Penn State as the center’s director, he served as an associate dean of students at Cornell University focused on student support, sexual violence, and advocacy while also directing Cornell’s LGBT Resource Center and co-directing the Center for Intercultural Dialogue. Before joining Cornell, Brian was the founding director of the Office of LGBTQ Services and deputy Title IX officer at Dickinson College.

Brian received his master’s degree in higher education from Penn State and his bachelor’s degree in counseling and human services from the University of Scranton. He lives in State College with his husband Greg, their twins Declyn and Keegyn, and their two dogs.

Specialties/Interests

Student Engagement and Community Support
Diversity and Inclusion Education
University Chosen Name & Identity Process
Commonwealth Campus Coalition on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Oversees the following offices:

  • Adult Learner Programs and Services
  • Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity
  • Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development
  • Collegiate Recovery Community
  • Gender Equity Center
  • Paul Robeson Cultural Center
  • Parents Program
Stephanie Whitesell
Name

Stephanie Whitesell

Administrative Assistant - Senior Support

She, Her, Hers

Office of the Vice President Student Affairs Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Office

222H Boucke Buliding
University Park, PA 16802

Bio

Stephanie is an alum of Penn State's College of Health and Human Development (2004) where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Children, Youth and Family Services and is a current graduate student in the Masters of Public Policy program in the College of the Liberal Arts. After 11 years in the private, non-profit sector, providing services to under-served and low-income families, Stephanie's path led her to Penn State. She has been at Penn State serving in Administrative Support roles since September 2015 and in Student Affairs since November 2017.  

In her free time, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her partner, Ben and their two cats, Suki and Oliver. She has two adult children, Kaitlyn and Milo/Nova, who have flown the nest but with whom she enjoys spending time playing Mario Kart or D&D online and visiting when she can. She also enjoys reading, cooking/baking, being outdoors, running, dancing, and shopping. Stephanie feels privileged to provide support for the overall Student Affairs DEI efforts of the University and is part of the onboarding committee. She loves being a part of the Student Affairs team as they continue to be a leader in providing services and support to the all students in the community at Penn State.

Affinity and Identity-based Community Staff

Adult Learner Programs & Services

Leslie Laing
Name

Leslie Laing

Director

Adult Learner Programs & Services

Office

210 Boucke Building
University Park, PA 16802

Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity

Wilmoth, Sonya
Name

Sonya Wilmoth

Director

She, Her, Hers

Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity

Office

LL011 HUB-Robeson Center
University Park, PA 16802

Bio

Sonya began her work with Penn State as Assistant Director at the LGBTQA Student Resource Center in January of 2013. A Maryland native, Wilmoth received her Bachelor of Arts in English from La Salle University and a Master of Science in Administration with a concentration in Sports and Athletics Administration in 1995 from West Chester University. She completed a second Master's in Higher Education with a concentration in administration from Penn State World Campus in 2018. 

Prior to her work in student affairs, Wilmoth enjoyed a successful career in athletics at West Chester University and The University of North Florida as head softball coach at both institutions.  She served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University in their sports administration program. In her free time Sonya enjoys reading, time at a beach. She enjoys spending time with her daughter Dylan. 

Specialties/Interests
  • Programming/Speakers
  • Student Fee Funding
  • BBH 251 Instructor
  • Scholarships
  • Educational Programs/Peer Education
  • Coalition on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity-Campus LGBTQ Support
  • Commission on LGBTQ Equity
  • Penn State Leadership Institute
Kate Rawson
Name

Kate Rawson

Assistant Director

She, Her, Hers

Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity

Office

LL011 HUB-Robeson Center
University Park, PA 16802

CERTIFICATIONS/CREDENTIALS
  • BS in Psychology
    Appalachian State University

  • M.Ed. in Student Affairs
    UNC Greensboro

Ryan Strohl
Name

Ryan Strohl

Program Coordinator

He, Him, His

Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity

Office

LL011 HUB-Robeson Center
University Park, PA 16802

BIO

Ryan Strohl is a first year graduate student in the Higher Education Masters Program at Penn State. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Higher Education Student Affairs, an individualized, interdisciplinary program from Elizabethtown College. On his undergraduate campus he was very involved with queer student support as well as the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Title IX. Ryan's interests now with the center involve the support and advocacy for gender diverse students and the representation of queer identities in literature.

Name

Frank Gallagher III

Office Manager

He, Him, His

Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity

Office

LL011 HUB Robeson Center
University Park, PA 16802

Center for Spiritual & Ethical Development

Bob Smith
Name

Bob Smith

Director

Center for Spiritual & Ethical Development

Office

111 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
University Park, PA 16802

Rachel Galloway
Name

Rachel Galloway

Assistant Director

Center for Spiritual & Ethical Development

Office

111 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
University Park, PA 16802

Name

Wolfgang Bruckner

Evening/Weekend Manager

Center for Spiritual & Ethical Development

Office

111 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
University Park, PA 16802

Bio
Certifications/Credentials
Specialties/Interests
Fred Gass
Name

Fred Gass

Evening Manager

Center for Spiritual & Ethical Development

Office

111 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
University Park, PA 16802

Mullin, Stephanie
Name

Stephanie Mullin

Financial Assistant

Center for Spiritual & Ethical Development

Office

111 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
University Park, PA 16802

CERTIFICATIONS/CREDENTIALS

B.S. in Marketing at PSU

Quay, Nancy
Name

Nancy Quay

Administrative Assistant

Center for Spiritual & Ethical Development

Office

111 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
University Park, PA 16802

Wildridge, Collin
Name

Collin Wildridge

Program Coordinator

He, Him, His

Center for Spiritual & Ethical Development

Office

111 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
University Park, PA 16802

CERTIFICATIONS/CREDENTIALS

MPA

BIO

Collin is a diversity professional with a specialty in religious, spiritual, and secular inclusion. He grew up in upstate New York and is an avid board game player. He received a BA in Anthropology in 2018 and then an MPA in 2020 with a focus on Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention.

Gender Equity Center

Yvette Willson
Name

Yvette Willson

Director

She, Her, Hers

Gender Equity Center

Office

222U Boucke Building
University Park, PA 16802

Geiger, Rebecca
Name

Rebecca Geiger Wallen

Associate Director

She, Her, Hers

Gender Equity Center

Office

222U Boucke Building
University Park, PA 16802

Jacob Frank
Name

Jacob Frank

Program Coordinator for Peer Education and Men's Engagement

He/Him/They

Gender Equity Center

Office

222U Boucke Building
University Park, PA 16802

Sophia Mills
Name

Sophia Mills

Program Coordinator for Outreach and Prevention

She, Her, Hers

Gender Equity Center

Office

222U Boucke Building
University Park, PA 16802

Gina Kapustik
Name

Gina Kapustik

Adminstrative Support Assistant

She, Her, Hers

Gender Equity Center

Office

222U Boucke Building
University Park, PA 16802

Mary Ohashi
Name

Mary Ohashi

Survivor Advocate and Case Manager

She, Her, Hers

Gender Equity Center

Office

222U Boucke Building
University Park, PA 16802

Paul Robeson Cultural Center

Name

Evan Williams

Director

He, Him, His

Paul Robeson Cultural Center

Office

015 HUB-Robeson Center
University Park, PA 16802

A.B. Bejar
Name

A.B. Bejar

Program Coordinator for Signature Programming, Identity and Affinity Community Support

They, Them, Theirs

Paul Robeson Cultural Center

Office

014 HUB Robeson Center
University Park, PA 16802

Credentials

Bachelor's in International Affairs from the George Washington University Master's in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco

Bio

A.B. is a queer Quechua and Peruvian first-generation immigrant. Prior to working at Penn State, they served as a youth development facilitator and advisor for the Sadie Nash Leadership Institute and NJ SEEDS. A.B. is also an AmeriCorps VISTA alum. They served as the Community Partnerships and Volunteer Coordinator for the Puerto Rican Action Board (PRAB), a human services non-profit organization in Central New Jersey. During their service year, they created campaigns geared towards promoting food security and multilingual literacy across Middlesex County. As a researcher, A.B. worked for the Observatoire Citoyen de l'Action des Pouvoirs Publics en Haïti (OCAPH), a Haitian citizen watchdog organization, as well as, Réseau Siggil Jigéen (RSJ), an NGO that works to promote and protect women’s rights in Senegal. More recently, they worked with the Library of Congress on expanding their Andean Studies archives in partnership with Andean storytellers, activists, artists, and scholars. A.B. credits GW’s multicultural community for cultivating a strong sense of belonging for them during their undergraduate career and hopes they can reciprocate that support and care for Penn State students with diverse identities and needs.

Name

Adline Juste

Black Community Support Coordinator

She, Her, Hers

Paul Robeson Cultural Center

Office

21D HUB-Robeson Center
University Park, PA 16802

Bio

Adline, a Haitian-American fluent in Haitian Creole, is a dedicated professional with a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Boston University and a Master’s in Social Work from Boston College. As an AmeriCorps alum, she passionately advocated for students from bilingual and multilingual backgrounds, fostering their academic success and access to resources at a diverse high school. While obtaining her MSW she implemented programs to encourage a multicultural perspective among students at a local Boys and Girls Club, and provided crucial psychocounseling and case management support to immigrant populations, LGBTQIA+ individuals, BIPOC communities, and more. Her commitment to social justice led her to contribute as a Research Assistant on a research-practice partnership addressing homelessness for Boston Public School families. More recently, in her role as an Equity and Inclusion Associate at a prominent community health center, Adline developed and executed a mentorship program to empower underrepresented students to explore health-related careers. Now, as a DEI consultant, she brings her expertise to support students at Penn State, leveraging her skills to foster inclusive environments and promote equity.