Residence Life Staff

Mary Oakes
Director of Residence Life
Mary earned her Masters Degree in College Student Personnel from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She has served the Residence Life Department here at Columbia for 10 years, but has worked in Residence Life for a total of 20 years professionally and on a student staff level. She enjoys supporting and challenging students while they live on campus and experience their transition into College life.

Kelli Collins
Associate Director of Residence Life
Kelli earned a Masters of Education with a concentration in community counseling. She has served in the Residence Life Department at Columbia for 10 years, but has worked in Residence Life for a total of 20 years professionally and on a student staff level. Kelli's professional philosophy is that there is a great deal of learning that can take place outside of the classroom, and that is what she likes to promote with the students living on campus. She strives to provide an experience that will help students she comes into contact with to be a better person for their interaction with her.

Christine Mihalopoulos
Coordinator of Residence Life & Adjudication
Christine is new to the Residence Life department at Columbia College this year (2011). Prior to joining the Columbia College staff, Christine worked at Saint Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana for two years. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of West Florida and a Master of Education in College Student Affairs from the University of South Florida. Originally from the Chicago area, Christine is excited about this new opportunity at Columbia and is looking forward to exploring the windy city!

Sara Pump
Coordinator of Residence Life & Training & Communication
Sara has a Masters of Science in College Student Personnel from Western Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Dominican University. Prior to coming to Columbia College Chicago in November 2008, she worked for Albion College in Michigan as a Resident Director and as an Assistant Director for Residential Life for four years. After being away from Chicago for nearly 7 years, Sara is enjoying spending time with family and friends and falling in love again with the Windy City.

Rob Hogan
Coordinator of Residence Life & Student Relations
Robert has spent the last four years working in various areas of student affairs including student organizations and activities, fraternity and sorority life, and student leadership and development. He has worked at Arkansas Tech University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and now at Columbia College. Rob received a B.S. in Psychology and M.Ed. in Student Affairs Administration from Loyola University Chicago. Previous to work in Higher Education, Rob worked as a contract negotiator at an advertising agency for 3 years.

Sarah Shaaban
Coordinator of Residence Life & Community Development
Sarah graduated with a M.A in Clinical Counseling from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2008 and a B.S. in Psychology from Eastern Michigan University. For two years Sarah served as Residence Hall Coordinator at Illinois State University. Sarah enjoys working with students and seeing their development over time. She is also excited to be living in such a vibrant and culturally rich city like Chicago.

Liz Velez
Coordinator of Assignments & Operations
Liz brings over seven years of administrative and contract management experience to Columbia College. She has provided technical support to residents since 2006, but officially joined Residence Life in September 2008. She feels privileged to be in a position where she can be a resourceful staff member to the residents and looks forward to seeing all of them grow into mature, successful adults. Liz enjoys spending time with her family and also takes pleasure in playing and watching sports.

Jessica Martinez
Project Coordinator
Jessica earned a B.A. in Interactive Arts and Media from Columbia College Chicago, then joined the Residence Life department in 2008. Whether at work or at home, Jessica likes to immerse herself in web design, web development, photo editing, photo manipulation, and video editing. If by chance she's NOT in front of a computer, she's probably playing hide-and-seek with her cat or attending a show somewhere in Chicago.