About the Magazine
LearningWell magazine is published by the Mary Christie Institute and the Coalition for Transformational Education, organizations dedicated to examining how higher education experiences can lead to improved wellbeing both on campus and throughout one’s lifetime. Through news and research reporting, expert opinion, and storytelling, LearningWell provides readers with information, evidence, and inspiration to help young people live and learn well.
Staff
Marjorie Malpiede
Editor in ChiefMarjorie Malpiede is Editor in Chief of LearningWell and Executive Director of the Mary Christie Institute. As a journalist and strategist, she has over 30 years of leadership experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She has advised public agencies, campaigns, private companies and non-profit organizations on policy, communications, and government relations. She received her MPA from the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston and her BS from Drew University.
Dana Humphrey
Managing EditorDana Humphrey is the Managing Editor for LearningWell and Associate Director of the Mary Christie Institute. She was previously Marketing Manager at Christie Student Health and has worked on various public health research projects at Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences, John Snow Inc, and Boston Medical Center. She received her MPH from Boston University School of Public Health and her BA in Sociology from The Colorado College.
Mollie Ames
ReporterMollie Ames is a reporter for LearningWell and the Mary Christie Institute. A recent alumna of Harvard College, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with highest honors in History & Literature and Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations. As a writer for The Harvard Crimson, she recognized her passion for education and mental health reporting, and pursued this interest as a research assistant to adolescent psychologist Emily Pluhar, an intern for former Boston city councilor Andrea Campbell, and an instructor at the Eyre Writing Center.
Anna Milrod
Editorial AssistantAnna Milrod is the Editorial Assistant for LearningWell and the Special Projects Coordinator for the Mary Christie Institute. In this role, she helps edit all publications, brainstorm and carry out new initiatives, contribute leads, plan and execute events, and assist in administrative tasks. Anna also serves as Executive Assistant to Fred Chicos, Founder of MCI. Anna has been a part of MCI since 2015. After studying abroad in 14 countries, she then studied Business and Jewish Studies at Emory University.
Ella
SchmidtElla Schmidt is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for LearningWell magazine and the Mary Christie Institute. She graduated with honors in English from Bowdoin College, where she was awarded the Academy of American Poets Colette Inez Poetry Prize in 2019, the Martha Reed Coles Fellowship in the Humanities in 2021, and the Nellie C. Watterson Fellowship in the Creative & Performing Arts in 2022. Prior to joining the Mary Christie Institute, Ella worked as an intern at her local NPR station, St. Louis Public Radio.
Amadeo Rodriguez
Digital EditorAmadeo Rodriguez is the Digital Editor of LearningWell, as well as the Marketing and Communications Intern for the Mary Christie Institute. In this role, he develops social media content, coordinates media outreach, and manages the website. He is currently in his last year at Quinnipiac University, where he studies Computer Information Systems and Marketing.
Ashira Morris
Art DirectorAshira is a freelance reporter and art director based between Sofia, Bulgaria and Tallahassee, Florida. Her work, focused on local environments and the forces that shape them, has been published by Foreign Policy, The Guardian, and National Geographic. Ashira worked as the Mary Christie Institute’s communications coordinator for its first two years and continues to art direct and design its publications.
Richard K. Miller
Senior AdvisorRichard K. Miller (F.AAA&S, F.NAI, M.NAI) is the Founding Chair of the Coalition for Transformational Education. Dr. Miller served as Founding President of Olin College of Engineering until 2020, and previously served as Dean of Engineering at the University of Iowa and Associate Dean at USC in Los Angeles. He served as Chair of the Board on Higher Education and Workforce of the NASEM, and Chair of the Engineering Advisory Committee of the NSF, among many other advisory roles.
Keith W. Buffinton
Senior AdvisorKeith W. Buffinton is the inaugural Executive Director of the Coalition for Transformational Education. Prior to his current role, Dr. Buffinton served on the faculty of Bucknell University from 1987 through 2023 and is now Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Dean Emeritus of Engineering.
John Volin
Senior AdvisorJohn Volin is Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Maine. Prior to joining the UMaine community in August 2020, he served as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Volin was a Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment at UConn. He served a decade as department head and conducted research in ecosystems around the world, focusing on invasive species and restoration ecology.
Editorial Board
Daniel R. Porterfield
Dan Porterfield is President & CEO of the Aspen Institute, a global NGO committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. From 2011-2018, he served as President of Franklin & Marshall College, when the college tripled the enrollment of low-income students, expanded student wellness and career services, and set records for applications, fundraising, and fellowships.
Lynn Pasquerella
Lynn Pasquerella has served as the President of the American Association of Colleges and Universities since 2016. Prior to the role, she was the 18th President of Mount Holyoke College. Pasquerella is the author of numerous publications, including her most recent book, What We Value: Public Health, Social Justice, and Educating for Democracy, which examines the role of higher education in addressing some of the most pressing contemporary issues at the intersection of ethics, law, and public policy.
Eric Wood
Eric Wood currently serves as the Director of Counseling & Mental Health at Texas Christian University. With over 16 years of experience in college mental health, Dr. Wood founded TCU’s innovative Comprehensive Collaborative Care Model and has helped train over 100 colleges and universities to implement various aspects of the nationally recognized program.
Tom Harnisch
Tom Harnisch is Vice President for Government Relations at SHEEO, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, where his primary leadership responsibilities include planning, implementing, and coordinating SHEEO’s portfolio of federal relations, policy, communication, and advocacy work. Dr. Harnisch also teaches at Georgetown University.
Charles Kravetz
Charlie Kravetz’ award-winning career in Boston journalism includes broadcast and cable television and public radio. From 2011-2019, he was the General Manager of WBUR, the iconic public radio station in Boston where, during his tenure, Charlie grew WBUR’s staff by 50%, doubled its annual revenue to $40 million, and created CitySpace, a 275 seat hi-tech event venue in downtown Boston.
Kara Miller
Kara Miller writes The Big Idea column for The Boston Globe, which examines game-changing ideas in everything from traffic, to education, to housing. Kara has worked across radio, TV, and print for the past 15 years. From 2011-2021, she hosted and served as the Executive Editor of the public radio program Innovation Hub, which she launched. She has taught at Babson College and at the University of Massachusetts.
Zoe Ragouzeos
Zoe Ragouzeos is the Chief Clinical Officer of the Mary Christie Institute and Executive Director of Counseling and Wellness Services at New York University, where she oversees the mental health services as well as the sexual misconduct support services for over 40,000 students. Dr. Ragouzeos currently oversees a clinical team of full-time NYU staff in 12 countries.
Michael Leon Bradford
Michael Bradford is the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education at the University of California, Davis. He is formerly the Vice Provost of Faculty, Staff, and Student Development at the University of Connecticut where he also served as Department Head of Dramatic Arts and the Artistic Director of the Connecticut Repertory Theatre.
Laura Walker
Laura Walker became President of Bennington College in 2020. In her first two years, she launched the Bennington College Mental Health and Wellness Model, an innovative plan for student wellbeing based on Bennington’s self-directed academic model. Prior to this appointment, she was the President and CEO of New York Public Radio (NYPR), a position that she held for 23 years. During her tenure, NYPR was awarded 10 George Foster Peabody awards and many other honors.
Barbara Brittingham
Barbara Brittingham is President Emerita of the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), which accredits over 200 colleges and universities in the six New England States and eleven American-style institutions abroad. Earlier she served as Dean and Professor at the University of Rhode Island. Currently she serves on the Board of the National Student Clearinghouse, the Board of Trustees of Wheaton College (MA), the Urban College of Boston, and the American University of Kurdistan.