Staff Directory

Dr. Stevan Veldkamp serves as Special Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs with a focus on fundraising and is the director of the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research.

In his role, Steve organizes fundraising priorities and supports unit fundraising initiatives. Additionally, as the Executive Director of the Piazza Center, he sets a national research agenda and works with research faculty in designing, conducting, sourcing, and resourcing exploratory research to benefit more than 770 campuses that host fraternities and sororities nationwide. He is a frequent campus and headquarter consultant, and national conference presenter on fraternity and sorority life.  

Prior to Penn State, Steve served Indiana University Bloomington as the Assistant Dean and Director of Student Life and Learning, where he supervised functional areas of campus wide-leadership development, community engagement, fraternity and sorority life, student government, and student organizations recognition and support. He is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors, and Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, as well as past Director of the Interfraternity Institute.

Steve earned bachelors and master’s degrees from Grand Valley State University, and a doctoral degree in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University.

Dr. Adam Christensen is the Research Director for the Piazza Center in addition to the Director of Student Affairs Research and Assessment at Penn State. Adam oversees the data analysis and project coordinator staff for the Piazza Center, overseeing and guiding the data management work of the center.

Adam received his PhD in Developmental Psychology at Penn State before finding his way into the world of institutional research and assessment. In his joint roles, Adam finds fulfillment in the application of data to improve the student experience by equipping practitioners with the information they need to understand the ever-changing needs of students.

Kimberly compiles the National Fraternity and Sorority Scorecard (NFSS) and assists with the Fraternity and Sorority Experience Survey (FSES). She is primarily responsible for maintaining and reporting on data gathered through the center, including providing institutional and aggregate reports, as well as contributing to key research projects related to the Piazza Center mission. 

Kimberly earned her bachelor’s degree from Mercer University, where she joined Alpha Gamma Delta. She earned her master’s degree from Arkansas Tech University. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education Administration program at Louisiana State University, and her doctoral study focuses on the influence of organizational and institutional culture on hazing in historically White fraternities. Her research interests include fraternity/sorority life (specifically hazing and organizational culture), leadership education, and faculty/tenure issues. She has presented research at regional and national higher education and student affairs conferences and was a co-author of the 2020-2025 National Leadership Education Research Agenda. 

Prior to Penn State, Kimberly served Louisiana State University as the Graduate Assistant for Title IX.  She has also previously worked in housing and residence life, fraternity/sorority life, student conduct, and Title IX at Centenary College of Louisiana and the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts.

Dr. Pietro A. Sasso serves as the faculty research fellow for the center in which he supports the dissemination of interdisciplinary research projects as scholarly peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national conferences.  He has previously worked as a fraternity/sorority professional in both inter/national and campus-based professional capacities. He is currently a faculty member of higher education/student affairs in which he has written and edited more than 15 publications related to the fraternity/sorority experience including 2 seminal texts. In total, he has co-edited 8 textbooks, authored approximately 50 scholarly publications, and facilitated over 50 conference presentations. He serves as a reviewer for more than 5 journals including the Journal of Student Affairs Research & Practice and serves as senior co-editor for the text series Identity & Practice in Higher Education-Student Affairs by Information Age Publishing. He is the recipient of the AFA Dr. Charles Eberly Research Award and is a past ACPA Men and Masculinities Emerging Scholar-In-Residence.

Dr. Dawn Maynen is the Project Coordinator for the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform. In her role, Dawn is responsible for client interaction, administers and assists with data analysis of the Fraternity and Sorority Experience Survey (FSES), collaborates on key research projects, coordinates the presence of the Piazza Center at national conferences, and is a frequent conference presenter. Additionally, she serves on the National Board of Directors as the Director of Policy for Phi Beta Chi Sorority.

Dawn earned a BA degree in Political Science/Public Law & Sociology/Criminology from Northern Illinois University, a MA degree in Criminal Justice and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Indiana University-Bloomington. She also obtained a Certificate in Institutional Research from Indiana University-Bloomington and holds an expert Qualtrics certification furthering her involvement in several research projects.

Her research interests include hazing, conduct, and social issues in fraternities and sororities, and the experiences of women faculty members in STEM departments (specifically with equity and inclusion). Prior to Penn State, she worked at Indiana University for the Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research (CFSR), in the financial industry, and in law enforcement.

Bilal Badruddin is an experienced higher education professional, with an understanding of mission-driven work, both on and off campus.  He has served as the National President (2016-2018) for Delta Epsilon Psi Fraternity, Inc., of which he is also a member.  During his time working for the fraternity, Bilal helped make Delta Epsilon Psi the first Trans*-inclusive APIDA fraternity and closed all underground chapters.  From 2019 to 2021, Bilal was the Chair of the National APIDA Panhellenic Association (NAPA), making him the first South Asian to be at the helm of the organization.

• B.A. in Advertising Research, Temple University
• M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration, Loyola University Chicago
• Ph.D. (Expected Fall 2022) in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies, Howard University

Bilal will work on the Piazza Center's study on Integrative Learning, which will explore fraternities and sororities as catalysts for student learning.  

Dr. Corey Esquenazi is the Director of Health and Safety at Theta Chi Fraternity. He has over 11 years of Higher Education experience in various functional areas both on college campuses and working for Theta Chi Fraternity. Dr. Esquenazi is interested in learning more about campus wide responses to hazing and high risk behaviors in fraternity and sorority communities.

• B.S. Social Science Education, University of Central Florida
• M.A. Higher Education/Student Personnel, University of Central Florida
• Ph.D. Higher Education and Policy Studies, University of Central Florida  

Vivienne Felix is the associate dean of students and director of the Center for Professional and Career Pathways at Washington & Jefferson College. Vivienne is a higher education practitioner with experience in both academic affairs and student affairs. She has contributed to students’ educational experiences by helping to develop early colleges, advising sororities, managing living and learning communities, planning community engagement projects, and developing systems that advance experiential learning.  

• BA in international affairs, Lafayette College
• MA in education, the University of Connecticut
• Ph.D. in higher education administration with a specialization in comparative and international education, Bowling Green State University. 

Vivienne will work with the Piazza Center's emerging conversation and concept team around fraternities and sororities and community engagement as well as fraternities and sororities and learning outcomes. In addition, she will assist with the early warning signs of hazing study.

Emily Feuer serves as the assistant to the vice president for finance and administration at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She also works on the consulting team for RISE Partnerships. Feuer is passionate about uncovering and exploring strategies for hazing prevention and completed her dissertation on administrator and student perceptions of hazing. 

• BA, SUNY Plattsburgh
• MA in educational administration and leadership studies, University at Albany, SUNY
• Ph.D. in educational policy and leadership, University at Albany, SUNY 

Emily will work with Pietro Sasso on the Piazza Center's study of the Warning Signs to Hazing and specifically focus on the Prevention and Intervention Strategies that are employed to stop hazing.

Brian Joyce is the director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at George Washington University. Brian is a student affairs professional with over 15 years of progressive leadership experience in multiple functional areas including fraternity and sorority life, student activities, and new student orientation.

• BA in political science, Eastern Kentucky University
• M.Ed. in college student affairs, the University of South Florida
• Ph.D. in educational leadership with a higher education emphasis, Clemson University. 

Brian will work with Pietro Sasso in the Piazza Center's study of Community of Practice Hazing/Hazardous Drinking: Effectiveness of intervention and prevention strategies for substance misuse and hazing (Lit. Review).

Dr. Jenny L. Small is the Associate Director of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education at Brandeis University. She has spent the past 20 years researching college students' religious, secular, and spiritual identities (RSSIs) and advocating for RSSI equity and inclusion in higher education. Dr. Small has published three books and dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles on related topics, and she is incredibly excited to explore questions of identity and belonging in traditionally Jewish fraternities and sororities.

• B.A. English and American Literature, Brandeis University
• M.A. Student Personnel Administration, Teachers College, Columbia University
• Ph.D. Higher Education, University of Michigan

Emily Anne Pride Sutton is a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at Western Kentucky University (WKU) focusing on public health and community engagement within student affairs. She serves as Health Careers and Education Specialist for the South Central Kentucky Area Health Careers housed within WKU’s College of Health and Human Services. Her academic background in Organizational Communication focused on health, risk, and crisis communication. At WKU, Pride chairs the Enrollment and Student Experience Graduate Institute and is a lead facilitator for Dynamic Leadership Institute program. A member of Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity, Pride serves on the International Education Committee, overseeing curriculum and training, and as a recruitment consultant.

• B.A. in Corporate and Organizational Communication, Western Kentucky University
• M.A. Organizational Communication, Western Kentucky University
• Ed.D. (Expected Fall 2023) in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies, Western Kentucky University

Emily will assist in the coordination and study of hazing prevention and what practices reduce hazardous behaviors.

Dr. Bailey Thompson is an Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public relations at Stephen F. Austin State University. 

Her primary research focus is the role social media's portrayal fraternity/sorority membership plays in the development of college students' identity formation and maintenance, including, but not limited to, stereotype reinforcement. Her research can be found in journals such as Psychology of Popular Media Culture, Sexualization, Media, & Society, and The Oracle: The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors.​

• BA in Communication Studies, Southwestern University
• MA in Mass Communication, Texas Tech University
• Ph.D. in Mass Communication, Texas Tech University

Bailey will work with Dr. Georgianna Martin, associate professor, at the University of Georgia to study the National Panhellenic Council chapter’s impact on member diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Chris Zacharda brings 25+ years of experience in student conduct and student affairs, including several years as a fraternity and sorority advisor.  He currently serves as the Director of Student Conduct at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA.  His research interests including peer leadership, team culture in athletics, the psychology of hazing and short and long-term effects of hazing.

• BA in English and political science, Bucknell University
• MA in higher educational administration, University of Connecticut
• Ed.D. in educational psychology, University of Southern California

Chris will work on the Piazza Center’s studies of adjudication models for hazing allegations on college campuses in North America.