Directors
Heather Kolakowski
Lecturer, Food & Beverage Management | School of Hotel AdministrationHeather Kolakowski '00 is a lecturer in food and beverage management at the School of Hotel Administration. She teaches several food and beverage courses, including Restaurant Management and Hunger, Health and Nonprofit Social Enterprise. She is also the faculty advisor for Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC), the student-run hospitality showcase conference which allows students the opportunity Read More...
Mardelle Shepley
Executive Director, CIHF; Department Chair and Professor, Department of Design and Environmental Analysis | College of Human EcologyDr. Mardelle McCuskey Shepley, B.A., M.Arch., M.A., D.Arch., is a professor at Cornell University and chair of the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis. She is Associate Director in the Cornell Institute for Health Futures. Previously she served a professor at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and was director of the TAMU Center for Health Systems Read More...
Nicolas R. Ziebarth
Associate Professor, Sloan, Policy Analysis and Management | College of Human EcologyProfessor Ziebarth is an economist whose research focuses on insurance markets and health risks. Dr. Ziebarth studies the interaction of (social) insurance systems with labor markets and population health. Another focus of his work is the driving forces and implications of risky health behavior such as smoking, drinking, or overeating. Dr. Ziebarth has won several awards Read More...
Staff
Nikki Cerra
Program Manager | CIHFNikki Cerra joins the Institute with over 15 years of managerial experience, most recently from the Cornell Botanic Gardens as Horticulture Program Manager. She has a Master in Landscape Architecture and other past professional experiences include work as a planner, landscape designer, adjunct professor, teacher and scientist. Her interests lie in the human-nature connection and Read More...
Ellie Valenzuela-Mendoza
Program Assistant | CIHFEllie joins the Cornell community by way of Iowa State University where she worked as the Academic Program Assistant in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She earned a doctorate in American Studies from the University of Iowa with concentrations in literature, ethics, and social justice. Originally from Southern California, Ellie studied English Literature and Read More...
Jennifer Mayo
Senior Director, External Relations | Cornell SC Johnson College of BusinessJennifer Mayo is Senior Director of External Relations leading the corporate relations activities of the School of Hotel Administration (SHA) at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. In her role, Jennifer has responsibility for devising, planning, and implementing SHA’s corporate relations and development strategy designed in order to maximize support and engagement. With a Read More...
Emeritus
Brooke Hollis
Executive Director Emeritus CIHF; Associate Director Sloan Program in Health AdministrationBrooke Hollis serves on the leadership team of the Sloan Program working on alumni and industry external relations. He also mentors students and serves as a faculty member. Beyond his appointment at Sloan, his ongoing professional consulting activities straddle the area of mergers & acquisitions and management consulting primarily for health and professional services firms. Read More...
Rohit Verma
Co-Founder and Executive Director Emeritus | CIHFRohit Verma (Professor, Operations Technology and Information Management area; School of Hotel Administration) is currently on leave from Cornell University serving as the Founding Provost/Rector (Chief Academic Officer) of VinUniversity, Hanoi (Vietnam). Prior to his current appointment, he was the Dean of External Relations for Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (May 2016 –June 2019); Read More...