"Living in New York was such an amazing experience, especially since the staff at Bard NYC were so helpful with their tips on how to get the most from this experience, my internship, and building a network that will benefit me later."
— Angela, Spring 2024
Our devoted faculty and staff are here to support students throughout their academic, professional, and personal development, and to ensure a positive New York City experience for all Bard NYC participants.
— Angela, Spring 2024
Our devoted faculty and staff are here to support students throughout their academic, professional, and personal development, and to ensure a positive New York City experience for all Bard NYC participants.
Program Staff
Dr. Lucilla Pan
Associate Director
Dr. Lucilla Pan
Lucilla Pan’s focus as associate director is on experiential learning and program implementation. She works closely with students on internship applications and career development. She also works in the day to day management of the program and student success.
Lucilla has a BA in philosophy from Boston College and a PhD in philosophy from Emory University. A former philosophy faculty member of Manhattanville College, Lucilla has taught in ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of race, and aesthetics. Her research interests include Soren Kierkegaard, ethics, and moral freedom.
Steven Couras
Director Of Student Life & Facility Manager
Steven Couras
Steven Couras is a student affairs professional with more than a decade of experience in higher education, specializing in residence life, student life, and campus operations. At Bard NYC, he oversees all aspects of student life from social programming and residential engagement to student conduct and facilities management, creating a vibrant, inclusive, and safe living–learning environment where students can thrive personally, socially, and academically.
Steven holds a Master of Arts in Public and Organizational Relations with a concentration in Educational Leadership from Montclair State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Stockton University. His work is grounded in principles of equity, care, and community accountability… plus a firm belief that no student program or event is complete without food/snacks, a great playlist, and the occasional pun to keep things lively.
Before joining Bard NYC, Steven served in pivotal residence life and student conduct roles at several institutions, including Stevens Institute of Technology, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Saint Peter’s University. In these capacities, he oversaw housing operations, supervised professional and student staff, and shaped campus crisis response protocols. His career also includes senior-level leadership as Associate Dean of Residence Life and Off-Campus Housing at a renowned music conservatory, where he helped foster a dynamic, inclusive residential experience for a diverse student community from around the world, and also served as a campus Ombuds, providing confidential, impartial support to students, staff, and faculty.
Earlier in his career, Steven played a key role in enhancing student conduct practices, advancing professional and student staff development, and creating social, engaging, and inclusive community programming that consistently drew strong participation and fostered meaningful connections. He has also served as a Title IX Investigator, a District Advisor for Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and is a frequent presenter at regional and national student affairs conferences. Guided by a student-centered and collaborative approach, Steven remains committed to supporting student growth, well-being, and success both inside and outside the classroom.
Steven holds a Master of Arts in Public and Organizational Relations with a concentration in Educational Leadership from Montclair State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Stockton University. His work is grounded in principles of equity, care, and community accountability… plus a firm belief that no student program or event is complete without food/snacks, a great playlist, and the occasional pun to keep things lively.
Before joining Bard NYC, Steven served in pivotal residence life and student conduct roles at several institutions, including Stevens Institute of Technology, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Saint Peter’s University. In these capacities, he oversaw housing operations, supervised professional and student staff, and shaped campus crisis response protocols. His career also includes senior-level leadership as Associate Dean of Residence Life and Off-Campus Housing at a renowned music conservatory, where he helped foster a dynamic, inclusive residential experience for a diverse student community from around the world, and also served as a campus Ombuds, providing confidential, impartial support to students, staff, and faculty.
Earlier in his career, Steven played a key role in enhancing student conduct practices, advancing professional and student staff development, and creating social, engaging, and inclusive community programming that consistently drew strong participation and fostered meaningful connections. He has also served as a Title IX Investigator, a District Advisor for Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and is a frequent presenter at regional and national student affairs conferences. Guided by a student-centered and collaborative approach, Steven remains committed to supporting student growth, well-being, and success both inside and outside the classroom.
Alec Qualitza
Student Life Coordinator
Alec Qualitza
Alec Qualitza is passionate about creating inclusive, welcoming communities where students can feel at home and thrive. At Bard NYC, he supports the development of a vibrant community through programming, student support, and cultivating an environment that fosters student well-being.
Originally from California, Alec earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Public Health Science from Santa Clara University. While there, he was involved in Residence Life, Associated Student Government, the LEAD Scholars First-Gen Program, The Redwood Yearbook, and worked as a Public Health Research Assistant.
Before Bard NYC, Alec spent two years living in Madrid, Spain teaching English to preschool and primary school students. Working in Spain allowed him to cultivate a greater sense of cultural humility and global awareness, support students’ linguistic and emotional development, and explore different cities across Europe. He also worked in Summer Programs at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he supported community events, supervised student excursions, and provided on-call support in the residence halls.
Alec has experience in residence life, student engagement, and international education, and is committed to supporting student well-being at Bard NYC through intentional community building and personalized support.
Elmira Bayrasli
Director, BGIA Certificate Program
Elmira Bayrasli
Elmira has lived in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, where she was the chief spokesperson for the OSCE Mission from 2003–2005. From 1994–2000 she was a presidential appointee at the US State Department, working for Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke. Elmira provides analysis on foreign policy, particularly on Turkey, global entrepreneurship, and gender issues. Her work has appeared in Reuters, Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, and more. She earned her BA in political science and middle eastern studies at New York University and her MA in middle eastern languages and literatures at Columbia University.
Erica Kane
Associate Director of Experiential Learning
Erica Kane
Erica Kane obtained her BA in international studies, globalization, development, and human rights from Arcadia University (’09) . She worked with under-served public middle school students in southwest Philadelphia as an AmeriCorps volunteer from 2010–2011 and with high school students in 2012 through City Year Orlando. Erica completed her MS in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy in 2014, having studied at Carnegie Mellon's campus in Adelaide, Australia. After working for elected officials in the New York State Senate and Assembly, and at Cornell University's Hudson Valley Research Laboratory, Erica joined BGIA as deputy director in 2019.
Grace Lubell
Recruitment and Admissions Manager
Grace Lubell
Grace Lubell earned a BA in Asian studies from Skidmore College, where she studied abroad twice in Nagoya and Osaka, Japan. She became interested in Japanese Buddhist art and went on to earn an MA in Japanese Humanities from Kyushu University, Japan. Upon returning to New York, she worked at a Japanese art gallery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side from 2015–2017, and then became an associate program officer of Japanese studies at the Japan Foundation from 2017 to 2021. Grace joined Bard NYC as the program manager of BGIA in 2021.
Zarlasht (Zar) Sarmast
Business Manager
Zarlasht (Zar) Sarmast
Zarlasht Sarmast completed her undergraduate degree at the American University of Central Asia in the department of International and Comparative Politics in 2020. While studying at AUCA, Zar was working for the “The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH” (GIZ) in Bishkek as a communications specialist. Before starting her academic and professional journeys in Bishkek, Zar served as the spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan. She has previously worked with United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and was part of many different peace building and humanitarian projects.
Zar finished her first Master’s degree at the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE Academy), and her second at AUCA in the department of Applied Psychology. Zar played an important role in the evacuation of over 370 Afghan students of AUCA and AUAF from Kabul to Bishkek, which inspired her to author her photo storybooks A Journey From Kabul to Bishkek and Our Journey to Bard. Currently Zar works as the business manager for Bard NYC and she also serves as the civic engagement program coordinator at the Open Society University Network and the Bard Center for Civic Engagement.
Josie Snider
Assistant Director, MA in Global Studies
Josie Snider
Josie Snider is the Assistant Director of the MA in Global Studies program. She holds an Erasmus Mundus MA in Global Studies from the University of Vienna and Leipzig University and a BA in Marketing Communications from Emerson College. With a background in international education, program development, and nonprofit marketing, she has worked with students and organizations across Europe and the U.S. Her experience spans teaching, mentorship, and strategic communications in sectors focused on global education, arts, and social impact.
Duncan MacDonald ’23
Program Manager, MA in Global Studies
Duncan MacDonald ’23
Faculty
Aarati Akkapeddi
Aarati Akkapeddi
Cynthia Conti-Cook
Cynthia Conti-Cook
Noah Fischer
Noah Fischer
Elizabeth Frank
Elizabeth Frank
Ed Halter
Ed Halter
Suzy Hansen
Suzy Hansen
Richard Harrill
Richard Harrill
Fahmidul Haq
Fahmidul Haq
Cecile Kuznitz
Cecile Kuznitz
Jonas H. Khemiri
Jonas H. Khemiri
Khemiri was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and moved to New York for a Cullman Fellowship at the New York Public Library. He is currently teaching in the creative writing program at NYU.
Michael Martell
Michael Martell
Martell’s research interests center around the economics of equity and inclusion and he has written about the causes, consequences, and potential remedies for inequalities experienced by sexual and gender minorities. His research contributes to an understanding of unequal labor market outcomes, the impacts of equal rights laws (such as anti-discrimination and same-sex marriage laws), and the intrahousehold dynamics of LGBTQ+ individuals. His work has been supported by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the AU Innovative Research in Gender Economics program. His teaching interests mirror the fields in which he publishes: labor and industrial relations, health and demographic economics, public policy, household and feminist economics as well as the economics of inequality and discrimination. He is also a fellow at the Global Labor Organization and a member of the inaugural American Economic Association Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ Individuals in the Economics Profession (CSQIEP).
Elisa Slattery
Elisa Slattery
Elisa has worked as a consultant on workers’ rights issues in Kenya, conducted comparative legal and human rights research on the rights of incarcerated parents at the Brennan Center for Justice, and researched the impact of welfare reform on families with disabilities at the University of North Carolina’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center. She holds a JD from Columbia Law School and a MA in history from Duke University.
Drew Thompson
Drew Thompson
Tom Wolf
Tom Wolf
Elisabeth Zerofsky
Elisabeth Zerofsky