The staff who develop, lead, and coordinate CDP’s programs and courses.
CDP Leadership Team
Adi Grabiner-Keinan, Ph.D.
Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Director & Senior Lecturer, Center for Dialogue & Pluralism
Working closely with Cornell’s academic units and leadership, Adi leads and implements campus-wide educational interventions, aiming to integrate student development principles into curricula, pedagogy, and academic support services, and to foster the growth of Cornell students as engaged and responsible members and leaders of their communities. By creating optimal conditions for multi-phase processes for faculty, students, and student-facing staff, and focusing on areas such as human connection, curiosity, and pluralism, Adi supports change at personal, interpersonal, and institutional levels. Adi has extensive experience in a variety of educational and academic settings, working with both educators and students on identity development, dialogue, experiential learning, leadership, and collaborative change. Adi holds a B.A. in History from Tel Aviv University, M.A. in Cultural Production from Brandeis University, and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Cornell University.
Jazlin Gomez Garner, M.P.A.
Pedagogy Specialist & Lecturer
Jazlin was first introduced to CDP’s work as an undergraduate student and she has held various positions in CDP since. In her current role, she develops sustained educational processes that empower participants to value, connect, and communicate effectively about their differences. She has taught various CDP courses, including UNILWYL 1515: Dialogue Across Political Differences, EDUC/ILRID 2610: Intergroup Dialogue, and PUBPOL 3880: Dialogue Across Political Differences. She also leads many of CDP’s co-curricular efforts, including those for peer leaders and mentors. Jazlin holds an M.P.A. from the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell and a B.A. from Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences.
Kathryn Stamm, B.A.
Teaching Support Specialist
Kathryn first met CDP as an incoming student at a Community at Cornell session — immediately after which she sent an email to the program asking to enroll in EDUC 2610. She went on to become a peer facilitator and research assistant with CDP, roles which grounded her time in college, where she studied stories, structures, and social identity through majors in Literatures in English and American Studies. Kathryn joined the teaching team full-time after graduating; now, as a teaching support specialist, she is responsible for coaching student facilitators and supporting EDUC 2610, and she continues to support research and assessment efforts.
Kellie Ochs, B.S.
Curriculum and Project Development Specialist
Kellie graduated from Cornell with a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations. She discovered CDP in her junior year when she enrolled in EDUC 2610, and went on to join the team as an undergraduate facilitator in her senior year. In her current role, Kellie collaborates on curriculum development efforts for undergraduate students and other university-wide programs, and supports the development and implementation of CDP’s special projects and strategic initiatives.
Marissa Rice, Ph.D.
Research Specialist
Marissa completed her PhD in Psychology (Behavioral & Evolutionary Neuroscience) at Cornell and then continued on to complete a postdoc within the College of Human Ecology. Her research has focused on how social contexts and physical environments influence individual behavior and decision making. Her strength is bringing concepts and frameworks from biology & psychology to the forefront of how we discuss, conceptualize, and solve problems regarding human connection. As one of CDP’s Research Specialists, Marissa is responsible for providing research, program planning, development, implementation and evaluation of CDP programs and courses.
Natasha Steinhall, M.P.A
Academic Initiatives & Operations Manager
As the academic initiatives and operations manager, Natasha plays a key role in overseeing both strategic and operational efforts for CDP. She collaborates closely with CDP staff, campus partners, and alumni to advance the center’s vision and impact. Natasha’s journey with CDP began during her senior year at Cornell, where she first discovered the program. After earning her B.S., she remained deeply involved, serving in multiple roles before stepping into her current position.
Beyond her work with CDP, Natasha volunteers with the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX as a hearing panel member and co-investigator. She also enjoys providing animal-assisted therapy visits through Cornell Companions with her dog, Avalanche. Natasha holds an M.P.A. from the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell and a B.S. from Cornell’s College of Agriculture & Life Sciences.
Nimot Ogunfemi, Ph.D.
Research Specialist
Nimot completed both her BA in psychology and PhD in educational psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC). Through her concentration in counseling psychology, she learned about, conducted research on, and participated in human change processes. During her doctoral studies at UIUC she was introduced to the intergroup dialogue process first as a facilitator and later as an instructor. Her journey with intergroup dialogue led her to the CDP team, taking on the role of research specialist in 2024. Nimot’s research philosophy is intentionally multicultural, liberatory, and interdisciplinary. Her responsibilities with CDP include providing evaluation, research, and dissemination of new knowledge related to the work being done by the program.
Rachel Sumner, Ph.D.
Associate Director & Senior Lecturer
Rachel arrived at Cornell as a Ph.D. student in the Department of Human Development, where her dissertation focused on the development of purpose in life and identity among college students and adults. Through subsequent roles in a nonprofit organization and the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research she worked with youth work practitioners to use data as a tool for understanding and informing programmatic decisions. In January 2017 Rachel participated in the second CDP session for graduate/professional students and postdocs; it was a watershed moment for her. She’s been grateful to continue her involvement with CDP since then, first as a co-facilitator and coach and now as associate director and senior lecturer. Supervising our research and assessment efforts, Rachel works to understand CDP’s transformative impact on individual participants and the campus community. She also collaborates on the development and delivery of meaningful learning opportunities including tailored programs for faculty and student-facing staff, a 7-week course for MBA students, and undergraduate courses about purpose in life.
Ryan Vega, B.S.
Teaching Support Specialist
Ryan first encountered CDP during their sophomore year as a student participant of EDUC 2610 and has continued to stay passionate and involved since. As an undergraduate, Ryan facilitated multiple sections of EDUC 2610 and led CDP workshops throughout the Cornell community. Since earning their degree, Ryan has returned to the program full-time to serve as a teaching support specialist, assisting the teaching team and providing coaching and support to undergraduate facilitators.
Stephen Kim, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Educational Innovation and Lecturer
Stephen participated in the first iteration of CDP’s course for graduate students and has worked for CDP in various positions since. He focuses on designing academic and professional development programs that foster connection, explore identity on individual and structural levels, and imagine more inclusive avenues for change. He also supports CDP’s teaching and outreach through development of written resources. He completed his Ph.D. in Literatures at English at Cornell, with minors in American Studies and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. He also serves as a volunteer for the Cornell Prison Education Program.
CDP Co-Instructors & Coaches
Our professional staff partners who co-facilitate for and coach CDP courses and programs for graduate students, staff, and faculty.
Steph Cowling-Rich, M.Ed.
Co-Instructor for Advising Across Difference: Course for Academic Advisors
Steph Cowling-Rich (affirming pronouns: she/her) works for Cornell as an Assistant Director of Student Advising and Engagement and an EOP/HEOP Advisor. She particularly focuses on advising and crafting programming for undergraduates who are the first in their families to go to college, low-income students, and students of color. Her professional life has focused on young adult post-secondary transitions through college and career. Academically, she received her Bachelors in Sociology and Masters in Education both from UC Berkeley. Additionally, she has studied Women’s Spirituality, Non-Violent Communication (NVC), Insight Meditation, Brazilian dance, and, of course, Intergroup Dialogue. Steph co-facilitates “Advising across Difference,” CDP’s course for academic advisors with Adi, for the past two years. She is particularly interested in integrating practices of reflection, mindfulness, social justice, goal setting, visioning, and deep interpersonal communication within the spaces she engages in at Cornell.