Student Services, Inclusion, and Strategic Partnerships Directory

Catherine Cotrupi (she/hers) serves as the  Assistant Dean of Student Services, Inclusion, and Strategic Partnerships for the Graduate School at Virginia Tech.

She is passionate about community engagement, DEIJ, antiracism, and justice-based efforts and has served in professional and personal roles working to bridge the these to leverage the resources of each for the benefit of the others.

Her professional work and passions lie at the intersection of community engagement and DEIJ efforts. Her previous professional roles include working for VT Engage, the Center for Service Learning, Leadership Education, and Civic Engagement; and Multicultural Programs and Services (now the Cultural and Community Centers) at Virginia Tech; and as Community Engagement Manager at the University of Southern Indiana. She uses her experience and expertise to support antiracist and social justice efforts on campus and off.

Catherine earned both her doctoral degree in Higher Education and her master’s degree in Sociology from Virginia Tech and she earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Clemson University. Her dissertation research focused on white faculty members’ actions to resist upholding whiteness and white supremacy culture in their community engagement efforts. Her personal, professional, and academic interests include individuals’ actions toward actively addressing inequity and hegemony.

She and her wife, Tara, live in Radford their dog, Hugo, and their cats, Finn, Andarna, and Serafina.

Lauren has worked in the Graduate School since 2006 but has served as the Director of Student Services since 2022.

While she loves connecting students to resources, planning professional and social events for students, and welcoming them to campus, her favorite way to interact with students is at the weekly GLC Cafe. She enjoys getting to know graduate students beyond their academics and discovering ways she can assist them on their graduate student journey.

Lauren is also the advisor to the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) and serves on a variety of commissions and committees in which she advocates for graduate students.

Lauren received her B.S. in Communications, tv/radio emphasis, from Milligan University in Johnson City, Tennessee and her M.B.A. from Radford University.

Lauren enjoys playing softball, listening to True Crime podcasts, and watching pretty much any collegiate sport. She lives in Christiansburg with her husband, JT, two sons, Corbin and Aiden, and two cats, Winnie Nelson and Cash.

Lindsay Barron has been a Graduate Student Services Coordinator since Fall of 2022, focusing on community building events, coordinating the GLC weekly listserv email, and helping connect graduate students to resources on campus and in the New River Valley community.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Virginia Tech and spent many years as an entrepreneur, building and running a K-8 STEM education franchise.

Lindsay enjoys spending time at Claytor Lake, reading, football, and entertaining friends and family.

William Hutton joined the Graduate School in March 2023, serving as a Graduate Student Services Coordinator with a focus in professional development and the co-op program.

In the day to day of his job, Will has a passion for engaging with the student community and learning more about the students he helps.

Will earned his bachelor’s degree in history at Liberty University with a particular interest in the 1890’s-1920’s of America’s history and culture.

His favorite hobbies are reading, hiking, and playing TTRPGs with his wife, Claire, in the Blacksburg area.

Adey Kefenie joined the Graduate School in July 2022 and is the Student Services Generalist. She earned her M.A. in Development Administration (concentration in Non-profit Leadership and Administration) from Western Michigan University, and her B.A. in Political Science and International Relations (minor in Public Administration) from Addis Ababa University. Prior to joining the Graduate School, she spent several years on maternity leave. In her leisure time, Adey loves spending time with her husband and three children, and especially enjoys watching her children's soccer games.

Whitley Johnson is a student in the Higher Education doctoral program at Virginia Tech. A champion for student success, she brings more than 10 years of higher education experience in various functional areas, including diversity and inclusion, recruitment and programming for both undergraduate and graduate communities; academic advising and coaching; multicultural and TRIO programs; and first-generation student support. Whitley is a native of Petersburg, Virginia, and she is a two-time Virginia Tech graduate, earning a B.A. in Communication Studies in 2009 and an M.A.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs in 2016.

As an international student, Tian has a passion for fostering an environment where differences are celebrated, and collaboration is the key. 

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature from Beijing Language and Culture University, an M.A. degree in Instructional Technology and currently pursuing her doctoral degree in the educational realm at Virginia Tech. Her enduring fascination with cultural interchange, coupled with her active involvement in multiple educational programs abroad during her student years, drove her towards a professional path in the realm of international education. In her free time, Tian enjoys spending time with her friends and family, traveling, hiking, and playing musical instruments.

Akshay Anil is an international student with a deep passion for higher education. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs at Virginia Tech. His diverse educational journey includes being a Young India Fellow at Ashoka University, an M.A. in National Security Studies from Central University of Jammu, and B.A. in English and History. Akshay's interdisciplinary background and global perspective, rooted in his experience as an international student, fuel his commitment to enhancing the higher education landscape and supporting student success.

My name is Brogan Holcombe, and I am a first-year Ph.D. student in the doctoral Geospatial and Environmental Analysis (GEA) Program with my home department in Fish and Wildlife Conservation. My research focuses on American black bear behavioral ecology, building on my MS research at Virginia Tech on American black bear behavior and foraging ecology.

When not working on my research, I enjoy taking my dogs on walks/hikes, kayaking with my partner, crocheting, and reading on the couch!