Meet the Staff
Campus Life | Leadership Activities
Religious and Spiritual Life | Student Diversity Programs
Brooke Paradise
Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Inclusion and Engagement
518-580-5022
Dr. Brooke Paradise (they/them/their) joins the Skidmore community with over a decade of experience in High Education at multiple institutions, most recently being the Associate Dean of Residential Experiences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Brooke has an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry from Castleton University, a master’s in health sciences from Sage Graduate School, and a Doctorate from the University of New England in Educational Leadership.
Brooke plays a key part in the initiatives that address disparities and promote cultural change in educational settings with specialties in inclusive leadership and inclusive excellence. They have taught at Russel Sage College, at both the graduate and undergraduate levels and serves on doctoral student research committees. Their passion is creating inclusive learning environments and equitable access to learning for all students. Brooke has also been active in multiple professional associations, holding numerous leadership positions during their career. Their commitment to supporting professional development for all staff reflects the investments that others made in their growth and development, as well as their own personal commitment to their professional development activities. Brooke enjoys coaching and engaging with team members about their professional development plans. Brooke’s vision for student life is largely informed by their own college experience as a first-generation college student at a small, public institution and from their experience as a resident assistant. As a result of these and other impactful experiences, they see the objective of Student Affairs as helping each student feel that they matter and belong. This objective of belonging is crucial to the vision and drives the focus of the division’s programs, services, and philosophy.
When Brooke is not at work, they love spending time with their wife, Katie, and their three children, Quintin, Phoenix, and Everest.
Mary Ann Toia
Pre-Orientation Coordinator
Administrative Assistant, Office of Campus Life & Engagement
518-580-8338
Mary Ann earned a B.S. degree in communications from the State University of NY College
at Oneonta. She joined the Office of Campus Life in 2011 and is currently the Pre-Orientation
Coordinator managing all programs both on and off campus for First Year Students.
Mary Ann also created a program S.O.L.E (Sophomore Outdoor Leadership Experience)
which launched in August 2012. Prior to working at Skidmore she worked at The Waldorf
School of Saratoga Springs for 9 years in many facets. Fun fact, Mary Ann was a flight
attendant and was able to travel the world extensively after college. She has a passion
for outdoor education and believes in the effectiveness of experiential learning.
She spent 18 months raising a guide dog who is now successfully guiding in Ohio (pictured).
When she is not busy at work she is enjoying time with her 3 daughters where they
can usually be found doing something outdoors!
Hillary Montague-Asp
Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion
518-580-8103
Dr. Hillary Montague-Asp (she/her) is a white, queer, fat, cisgender femme from a
professional class family, and has a chronic illness that is sometimes disabling.
Hillary is a social justice educator and DEI practitioner with over a decade of experience
doing equity-centered work to support marginalized students in higher education. She
uses relational and reflexive approaches in her own self-work and in her work with
students, staff, faculty, and community members to support personal growth, professional
development, and to co-create critical communities of care. She is a formally trained
intergroup dialogue facilitator and coach and has worked with students and facilitators
on semester-long dialogues focusing on race, sexuality, and/or gender. Hillary has
also taught courses at the undergraduate and graduate level on social (in)justice
in the US education system and ableism & disability justice. She recently co-authored
a book chapter on ableism & disability justice in Teaching for Diversity and Social
Justice, 4th edition (Routledge, 2022). Hillary holds a B.A. from the University of
Colorado – Boulder where she studied women & gender studies and sociology and an M.Ed.
and Ph.D. in social justice education from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.
In her free time, Hillary loves talking and learning about all thing’s social justice, being outdoors (particularly in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado), spending time with her partner and 4 cats, watching women’s college basketball, and making music with friends. Hillary’s office (Case 203) is stocked with tea/cider/hot chocolate, snacks, candy, and fidget toys - please stop by and say hello!
ZacharySchwan
Director, Office of Leadership Activities
518-580-8352
Originally from Ithaca, NY, Zach Schwan's journey to the Capital Region began in high school, driven by his athletic ambitions. He went on to attend Clarkson University, where he earned his B.S. in Social and Behavioral Sciences while playing as a member of the men's Division I ice hockey team.
Following graduation, Zach moved to Boston, where he gained valuable experience in various administrative roles within education and health & wellness promotions. His pursuit of excellence led him to Chicago, where he earned an M.S. in Sport Management from Northern Illinois University while working full-time in the athletics marketing and sales department at Northwestern University.
After completing his graduate studies, Zach returned to Ithaca to serve as an advancement officer at Cornell University, where he successfully secured philanthropic support for the athletic department. However, the call of Saratoga Springs and a desire to be closer to family and friends drew him to Skidmore College, where he joined the community as the Associate Director of Major Gifts for Athletics.
Zach's passion for student leadership development deepened during his tenure as Director of Athletics at SUNY Adirondack. This experience inspired him to return to Skidmore in August 2024, where he now serves as the Director of Leadership Activities within the Campus Life and Engagement team.
An avid golfer, skier, and outdoorsman, Zach’s love for exploration has taken him to over 30 national and state parks and 24 countries around the world. He is married to Courtney, an elementary school teacher in the Niskayuna School District, and they are the proud parents of their two children, Colton and Clara.
Associate Director,
Leadership Activities
Case 207
518-580-5779
Emily Poole (she/her) holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from SUNY Cortland. During her time at Cortland, she was actively involved in student activities and organized various weeknight programs, which sparked her passion for event planning and leadership development.
In her current role, Emily supports the Student Events Council (SEC) and oversees the activities of the 100 clubs and organizations at Skidmore College. With a deep love for event planning, Emily plays a crucial role in creating a student-focused event calendar, managing over 2,600 events annually. These events offer a wide range of experiences for Skidmore students, from small gatherings to large-scale productions. Notable events include the annual large-scale concert, with Saint Motel headlining the Fall 2023 show, as well as class year tradition events held both on and off campus, and late-night weekend programming.
A fun fact about Emily is that she has attended over 130 concerts, with her favorite being The Lumineers.
For any inquiries regarding student events, joining the Student Events Council, or club activities, please contact Emily at emilypoole@skidmore.edu.
Nicki Damiano
Coordinator of Club Sports, Office of Leadership Activities
518-580-8315
Nicki received her B.A. in History Education from SUNY Cortland in 2007 and her M.S. in Ethnic Geography in 2009 from Binghamton University. Nicki first served as Assistant Swimming Coach for Skidmore from 2009-2011 and returned in August of 2015 in the same position. Nicki also teaches Beginning Swimming and Swim for Fitness for the Physical Activity Department on campus. During her four years away from Skidmore, Nicki served as the Head Swimming & Diving Coach/Aquatics Director for SUNY Cobleskill where her athletes broke over 50 schools records and won their conference championship during the 2015 season. Nicki is looking forward to creating a positive environment for all Club Sports and eager to work with the Club officers and students.
Kris Leggiero
SGA Accountant, Office of Leadership Activities
518-580-5776
Schedule a meeting with Kris:https://krisleggiero.youcanbook.me
Kris received her Associates Degree in Accounting from Nassau Community College on Long Island, where she grew up. Kris joined the Skidmore staff in 2001 as the financial advisor to the Student Government Association as well as all student clubs and organizations. Kris provides oversight of the student activity fee allocations and expenditures, financial policies and procedures, as well as leadership training on budgeting and finance. Kris is the primary advisor to the SGA VP of Financial Affairs as well as the advisor to the Budget and Finance Committee.
Parker Diggory
Director, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life
518-580-8340
Schedule a meeting with Parker:https://parkerdiggory.youcanbook.me
Parker's work with individual faith communities has ranged from preaching to liturgical dance to social-justice activism. She has also worked in the nonprofit sector on interreligious collaboration for peace and development. Parker's academic work includes graduate study in theology and Hebrew Bible at Emory University, where she also received her M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology. She holds a B.A. from Middlebury College, where she studied religion and theater. Her research interests include the intersections of religious texts and practice and the impact of archaeology and history on biblical interpretation. A Saratoga native, Parker enjoys being back in the Skidmore community and close to Adirondack hiking and cross-country skiing.
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Martina Zobel
Coordinator, Jewish Student Life and Interfaith Programming
518-580-5679
Martina has been exploring Jewish practice for decades. After rebelling from a strict traditional upbringing in the UK in her youth, living secularly in Israel in the early '80s, and moving to the U.S. as a young mother, she fully embraced Judaism as a guiding principle for a richly spiritual and intellectually stimulating life. Martina is a keen student of Mussar, and she consistently strives as a Jewish educator to embody the balance between formal and experiential learning opportunities. She is passionate about exploring life's journey and making a difference, whether she is teaching Hebrew in the classroom, leading comparative religion workshops or leading a meditative hike. As part of the ORSL, Martina supports the Skidmore community to connect spiritually, culturally and/or intellectually in a way that serves each person's unique journey and collaborates with faculty and staff to deepen cross-cultural connections and appreciation
