Residential Life & Learning Team

Christina Alch

Director, Residential Life and Learning

Christina has a B.A. from SUNY New Paltz and an M.Ed. from Salem State University. Christina joined Tufts in August 2022. Prior to Tufts, she worked at Northeastern University, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Salem State University. In her spare time, Christina enjoys playing board games, eating (and sometimes making) baked goods, and spending time with her dog.

The Director is responsible for the overall management of Residential Life and Learning, supporting 4,100 residents on two campuses, over 1.5 million square feet of residential space, and supervision of over 160 student and professional staff. The Director works closely with the two teams in the department (Residential Education and Residential Operations) to ensure a high level of student support, responsiveness, and inclusivity in the opportunities, initiatives, and procedures/policies of the department.

Dotty Payzant

Staff Assistant

Dotty has lived in Somerville, Massachusetts, all her life. Dotty has been with Tufts for over 15 years. Dotty's favorite thing about Tufts is working for Residential Life. Dotty has met the most amazing people and she loves that she is able to support students, families, and others who call, email, or stop by our office. When Dotty can she loves to travel.

Dotty is responsible for the front office of the Office of Residential Life and Learning. She supports students, families, and others who call, email, or stop by the office, and can be a great resource to connect individuals to the best member of our team to assist with complex concerns. 

Zach Tepper

Associate Director for Residential Education

Zach is from Newberg, Oregon; the Pacific Northwest's equivalent of Napa Valley, home to fabulous wine and an array of breathtaking vineyards! He received his BA in Women's Studies and Sociology from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, and MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of San Francisco. Zach has worked in higher education for over 10 years, mostly in housing and residential life, and a brief stint in community standards and behavioral misconduct intervention. His favorite thing about Tufts is the rainbow stairs–every time he walks up Winthrop, he is filled with gratitude to work at a place that values coloring with every crayon in the box! In his free time, Zach enjoys video games (huge Nintendo nerd), devouring any installment of RuPaul's Drag Race, reading, political analysis, researching digital minimalism, and spending time with his 20-pound chihuahua-terrier named Koa. 

Zach was a first-generation college student, is openly queer, had eight different majors before finding the right one, and the entire reason he gets out of bed every morning is to help people feel less lonely and more connected to others that affirm, appreciate, and respect their humanity.

Matt Denison

Assistant Director of Residential Education

Matt has his roots in New England. He grew up in Maine, has a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Merrimack College, and a M.S in Human Development and Family Studies from The University of Rhode Island. 

As an Assistant Director, Matt is responsible for most first-year communities on both the Medford/Somerville campus as well as the SMFA campus. In this role, he supervises RLCs and ARLCs supporting over 1,800 students. He is a great resource for students and families seeking additional information, guidance, and support in navigating their first-year experience at Tufts. 

Some of his hobbies are playing disc golf, exploring new restaurants, and playing video games. He is a dog person but is open to conversations about cats.

Armando Martinez

Assistant Director for Residential Education

Armando is from Boston, MA, with great pride, and he honors and cherishes every moment he gets to spend serving the students of the commonwealth! With a degree in Higher Education Student Affairs M.A. from The Ohio State University, he comes most recently from Boston College where he was a Hall Director. Throughout the year Armando coaches hockey, a true joy in his life. He also serves as a faculty member and year-round advisor for The Institute for Recruitment of Teachers, a program which he attended himself! Armando’s passion for our students, his young hockey players, and his IRT scholars is rooted in a deep draw to be a lifelong learner.

Christina Behr-Kranefeld

Bush, Tilton, Lewis

Christina is from Long Beach Island, NJ and has her undergraduate degree in Psychology and masters degree in Mental Health Counseling. While receiving her education, she worked within the universities counseling department and was an active contributor to any wellness and student life program and outreach. After graduating, she supported individuals in housing transition and life changes as a mental health counselor. While at Tufts, she has worked alongside OEO, Student Support, and the Wellness department to learn more about ways to support students in the residential communities. In her free time, she enjoys taking long walks, baking oatmeal cookies, reading thriller books, and exploring new restaurants. Her favorite thing about Tufts is how close you are to everything; the city, beach, mountains–you are able to get a little bit of everything. Christina has two dogs, Chaplin and Teddy who live on campus and love meeting new people. Some other fun facts about Christina are that she was an ocean lifeguard for 8 years, an NCAA champion swimming, she attended a National Sumo Wrestler Competition in Japan, and she really loves cats but they do not reciprocate the same love to her.

Phil Brown

90 Curtis, 92 Curtis, 94 Curtis, 9 Sunset, 11 Sunset, Carmichael Hall, Wilson House

Phil is from Queens, NY and studied at SUNY College at Old Westbury. Phil came into higher education because he wanted to make students feel seen throughout the entirety of their collegiate career, outside of academics. Phil likes to support students in any way possible, including playing basketball and soccer with them to establish a sense of community. He values supporting students directly, or streamlining their requests to the proper resources. When Phil isn’t playing basketball or soccer, he enjoys videogames and anime. Phil also taught himself piano and can do a halfway decent British accent. His favorite thing about Tufts is Spring Fling–it’s always fun to see who we end up getting!

Tatiana Cassel

Miller, West, Hillside (and Hallowell) Apartments

Tatiana is from Western Massachusetts, where she studied East Asian Languages and Cultures at Smith College. She has over four years of experience working at independent boarding schools, and joined Tufts in December of 2023. Her favorite hobbies are bowling, playing videogames, and learning foreign languages–she is taking Chinese language classes currently at Tufts! Her favorite thing about Tufts are the abundance of motivated students. She also has two cats, Nieska and Maks! 

Thomas de Armas-Wlodek

Bartol House, Chandler House, Davies House, 12 Dearborn, 32 Dearborn, Anthony House, Capen House, Hall House, Metcalf Hall, Milne House, Richardson House, 14 Sawyer, 45 Sawyer, Schmalz House, Sophia Gordon, Stratton Hall, 101 Talbot, Theta Chi, 25 Whitfield, Wyeth House, Zeta Beta Tau 

Thomas joined the Residential Life & Learning team summer of 2023 and is excited to supporting Tufts students. While completing a Masters of Theology at Boston University in May 2020, Thomas worked in student affairs for numerous years engaging. Prior to accepting the position as Residence Life Coordinator, Thomas was an educator at a public college prep boarding-school based in Miami. Teaching high school social science, Thomas routinely challenged students to ethically analyze the gravitas of their social condition and subjective formation. 

Outside of Residence Life, Thomas can be found in the Tisch Library stacks BF173.L1-M.222 reading on psychoanalytical theory, continental theory and economic analysis or recording session guitar inspired by Yamandu Costa, Al Di Meola and Meshuggah. Thomas is a proud father to his three kitties: Marduk, Nergal and Malkia. 

Sarah Kazmierczak 

Harleston, Haskell, Latin Way

Sarah has a bachelor's degree in English from Norwich University and a certificate in Developing Healthy Communities from Tufts. Sarah is currently pursuing a master’s in Educational Studies through Tufts as well. In addition to Sarah’s role as RLC, she is also a pre-major advisor. Sarah enjoys working closely with her students to develop a strong support system as they navigate college life and providing guidance as they make choices for their future. One of Sarah’s favorite parts about Tufts is the campus and all its bunnies that make walks with her dog enjoyable for both of them. Sarah’s hobbies are reading, writing, baking, soaking up the sun whenever she can, playing volleyball, and exploring Boston.

Sarah McDaniel

Community Housing (Units on Bellevue St, Fairmount St, Winthrop St, University Ave, and Capen St, 344-346 Boston Avenue; 10 Winthrop Street);  Muslim House (176 Curtis Street); Hill Hall; Wren Hall; and Simpson House

Sarah joined the Tufts RLL team in July of 2022. She grew up in a suburb of Chicago, IL and earned a B.A. in Sociology and Spanish at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. While at Colgate, she was a Resident Assistant (RA) for two years. After graduation, she joined the Teach for America 2018 Corps and taught middle-school English in Lawrence, MA for four years. She loved forming personal connections with students, guiding them in their unique life journeys, and encouraging a love of learning. Sarah has continued to combine her RA and Residential Life knowledge and experience in education to foster strong relationships with students and encouraging personal growth and a love of learning. Her hobbies include hiking, listening to podcasts and music, traveling, learning, and spending quality time with friends and family.

TBD

Beacon Street Halls

Samma Fuller

The Court (91, 93, 95 Professors Row), 92 Professors Row, 106 Professors Row, 114 Professors Row, Houston Hall

Samma is originally from Northern California, and received her B.A. In Economics from Sonoma State University and M.A. in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Tufts, she worked as an Area Coordinator at University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Her favorite thing about Tufts is how kind, welcoming and genuine the community members are. In her free time, Samma enjoys walking, listening to music, traveling to new places, and playing with her two cats, Bean and Barley!

Aurora Llamas

Metcalf, Richardson, Capen House, 12 Dearborn, 32 Dearborn, Sophia Gordon, Stratton Hall

Perry Doherty

Associate Director of Residential Operations

Perry has a BA in German language and literature and English from Tulane University and a MEd in Higher Education Administration from Suffolk University. Perry enjoys getting to know students and watch them learn and grow during their time at Tufts. When Perry is on campus, she loves walking through our beautiful academic quad. When Perry is not on campus she enjoys hanging out with her dog, Chicago, embroidering, knitting, and planning her next meal.

Perry is responsible for operational processes such as move in, move out, break and holiday transition, and summer housing. She also supervises our Residential Life Assistants, student workers responsible for managing lockouts and operational checks of residential buildings. She also oversees operational elements of COVID isolation and quarantine logistics.

Amanda Russell

Senior Residential Life Coordinator

Amanda is originally from the vibrant streets of Manhattan, but has ventured and lived in five different states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Arizona soaking in the different diverse experiences of living in urban, suburban, and rural places along the way! Amanda received her M.A from Teachers College, Columbia University in Higher and Postsecondary Education in 2021 and completed her B.A from Salem State University in Early Childhood Education and English with a Psychology minor in 2020. Before Tufts, Amanda worked in Residence Life at Simmons and Arizona State, and International Affairs at Columbia University. As a first generation college student, improving and adding to the student experience has been a passion that Amanda is excited to contribute to at Tufts. 

Outside of higher education, Amanda loves to write and has written four books! Amanda also enjoys drawing, painting, photography, spending time with friends and family, and hiking with her dog: Emily. Amanda also loves to travel and wants to visit at least one new state and country a year. A fun fact about Amanda is that she has been an extra in various Hulu and Netflix movies and shows!

Angy Sosa

Associate Director for Residential Education - Off Campus Engagement

Angy has a BA from Vassar College in Film Theory, an MFA from Academy of Art University in Motion Pictures & Television and is finishing her second Masters in Public Policy (MPP) program in Urban and Environmental Planning here at Tufts. Go Jumbos! 

Angy has been involved in Residence Life since her undergraduate days, working with annual alumni reunions. Though Angy planned to obtain a PhD in Cinema Studies, she has found a love for helping students and families grow during such a transformative period in their lives. Angy enjoys working with Tufts students, getting to know them outside of her work in residence life, which she does as a Pre-Major Advisor and House Advisor for the Arts Haus (Bartol House). 

Angy’s hobbies include crafting, woodwork, and puppies! Angy is the primary point of contact and an excellent resource for students seeking assistance with off-campus housing opportunities and for navigating the complexities of living off campus.