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Cornell University

Carl Becker House

People

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Hyeonseo Kim (hyun-suh)

Graduate Resident Fellow

Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, I came to Ithaca in 2022 to begin my PhD in Classics. I study Greek literature pretty broadly, and lately I've been interested in how quotations are used in poetry. I find great joy in learning and teaching languages, which is an important part of my job as a classicist.
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Lori Leonard

House Professor Dean

Lori Leonard is a professor and serves as senior associate dean, effective July 1, 2025. She was the inaugural chair in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University.
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Amanda Carreiro

Assistant Dean

Amanda Carreiro is the Assistant Dean of Becker House. A Cornell alumna with a degree in Human Development, she later earned a master's degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Meredith Collins

Administrative Coordinator

Meredith works as the Administrative Coordinator for Becker House; she manages the House Office where residents and guests can get help with keys, mail, and questions about life in Becker. She loves to give local recommendations about wonderful off-campus experiences and restaurants. 
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Matt Seeber

House Chef

Originally from Bucks County Pennsylvania, Chef Matt began working in kitchens as a teenager. He fell in love with the constantly evolving seasonal ingredients and how to best prepare them. Around the same time, Matt became involved in 4-H where he gained an understanding of how raising livestock and growing food can nurture a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.
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Oumar Ba

Assistant Professor in the Department of Government

Oumar Ba is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government. Ourmar was born and grew up in Senegal and moved to the United States at age 23. He has lived in Ohio, Florida, Georgia, and now central New York. His research and teaching interests are at the intersection of international politics and law, violence and humanity, history and world orders.
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Shannon Buffum

Associate General Counsel in Cornell’s Office of General Counsel

Shannon Buffum is Associate General Counsel in Cornell’s Office of General Counsel, where she provides legal guidance to the university on issues related to labor and employment law.  Shannon joined Cornell in 2017 after practicing labor and employment and education law in a law firm.
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Michell Chresfield

Assistant Professor in Africana Studies

Michell Chresfield is an Assistant Professor in Africana Studies where her research and teaching focuses on Black and Indigenous histories, the history of science and medicine, and the history of racial formation and identity making in twentieth century America. Dr.
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Bonnie Comella

Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

Bonnie is the Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education where she serves as the chief of staff to Vice Provost Nishii and oversees several areas in the vice provost’s portfolio such as the Health Professions Advising Center and the Cornell Student Engagement Initiative.
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Chris Csíkszentmihályi

Associate Professor Information Science

Chris Csíkszentmihályi is an artist, technologist, humanist, and designer. He combined his early work producing hip hop with technology to create the world's first scratching robot, touring from Nagoya to Berlin, and receiving death threats from DJs who feared replacement. He has built products for dystopian futures and robots to automate protests.