Research Assistants and Administrative Staff

Jennifer DeSantis (desantis@tc.edu) is Research Assistant to NCCF Co-Director Sharon Lynn Kagan. Ms. DeSantis graduated from Vassar College in May 2008 with a Bachelors degree in psychology and a focus on education policy and cognitive science. She is particularly interested in applying theories of embodied cognition and learning to educational settings. Prior to joining NCCF, she worked as a research assistant at the Comparative Education Review and as a lab assistant in the Learning and Behavior Lab at Vassar College where she conducted experiments on animal learning models.

Alison Hill (ahill@tc.columbia.edu) is Administrative Assistant to NCCF Co-Director Sharon Lynn Kagan. Ms. Hill graduated from the University of Scranton in May 2004 with Bachelors degrees in English Literature and Philosophy. Prior to her work at NCCF, she was a development associate for the Archdiocese of New York. She is currently pursuing an M.A. degree in American Studies from Columbia University.

Rachel McKinnon (mckinnon@tc.columbia.edu) is Administrative Assistant to NCCF Co-Director Jeanne Brooks-Gunn. Ms. McKinnon graduated from Arizona State University in May 2004 with a Bachelors degree in Family Studies and Human Development. Prior to her work at NCCF, she was a Research Assistant at the University of Maryland for Dr. Nathan Fox. She is currently pursuing an M.A. degree in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Jodi Moss (moss@tc.columbia.edu ) is Communications Director for NCCF.  Prior to joining NCCF, Ms. Moss was the marketing and public relations manager at Porter Novelli, a global public relations agency, and the director of marketing for Dynamic Diamond Corp.  Ms. Moss received her MBA from Columbia Business School with a concentration in marketing and management and her BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania.

Samara Wallace-Noyola (wallace-noyola@tc.columbia.edu) joined NCCF in September 2004 as Finance Director. Prior to joining NCCF, Ms. Wallace-Noyola was employed at Columbia University for eight years. She holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Metropolitan College of New York, and is currently pursuing a MA degree in fundraising for non-profit administration at Columbia University.