About Us

Belinda Guthrie returned to Vassar College in 2021 as the Assistant Vice President for Institutional Equity and the College’s Title IX Coordinator. She brings a wealth of experience, having previously served in various leadership roles at Vassar from 1996 to 2012, including Associate Dean of the College and founding director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in 2003 (now the Office for Institutional Equity), as well as the Office for Accessibility and Educational Opportunity in 1996. After leaving Vassar, Belinda joined Santa Clara University to establish their first Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX.

Belinda has been a dedicated advocate for Title IX and disability for over twenty-five years. Serving on the ATIXA Advisory Board and as a consultant, she has worked with private and public colleges and universities, as well as K-12 institutions as a Title IX investigator and external hearing officer. She has trained thousands of practitioners on Title IX compliance and ADA/504 issues. Outside of her professional work, Belinda enjoys spending time outdoors, riding motorcycles, hiking, and traveling. She is originally from Wyoming and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wyoming and a Master of Education degreefrom New York University.

Brian Van Brunt, EdD, is the Institutional Equity and Title VI Coordinator within the Office for Institutional Equity. Dr. Van Brunt is a subject matter expert on topics including Title IX/VI, campus climate, instructional design, informal/alternative resolutions, and facilitated dialogue/mediation. He is the author of over twenty books and dozens of research articles, as well as an international speaker on behavioral intervention, threat assessment, Title IX/VI, crisis preparedness, mental illness, FERPA/HIPAA, and law enforcement policy.

With his position at Vassar, Brian believes that we must address messages of hate and/or discrimination by building relationships and understanding the underlying perspectives that drive threatening and/or discriminatory behavior. In his previous roles as the director of counseling at two major universities and as a therapist for over twenty-five years, he argues the way forward is to engage with the community through listening and learning about our diverse perspectives and provide ways to express ourselves through dialogue, gatherings, and education to address individuals and groups who feel disempowered and voiceless.

These concepts are outlined in two of his more recent books, White Supremacist Violence: Understanding the Resurgence and Stopping the Spread and How to Engage in Difficult Conversations on Identity, Race, and Politics in Higher Education: A Practical Guide for Faculty. It is through these interactions that we grow and learn from our experiences and dialogue with one another. Our diverse differences, experiences, ideas, and opinions make us a stronger community, provided these discussions occur within a safe place free of threat, harassment, or discrimination based on their race, ethnicity, or national origin.

Jeffrey Schneider has worked at Vassar College since 1997. Though he was officially appointed to the Faculty Director role in this office in 2023, beginning in 2009, he served multiple times in this role in an acting capacity. He was drawn to the position by his passion for social justice, his long-standing intellectual interest in the design and implementation of fair policies, and the satisfaction he finds in helping others. In addition to his work in this office, he is also a Professor of German Studies and teaches all levels of the curriculum. He is also an active member in several multidisciplinary programs, including Women, Feminist, and Queer Studies and the Global Nineteenth Century Studies. His research interests include foreign language pedagogy, drama, queer studies, masculinity studies, and late nineteenth-century German literature and culture. His book Uniform Fantasies: Soldiers, Sex and Queer Emancipation in Imperial Germany was published in 2023 by University of Toronto Press. In the meantime, he has begun working on a study of Asian Boys Love television, a recent feminist and queer pop cultural phenomenon with a global reach. Outside of Vassar, he has been actively engaged in the local community as a co-founder and member of the End the New Jim Crow Action Network (ENJAN), a local group working to end mass incarceration and racism in the criminal legal system.

Lynn is a professor in the Biology Department and serves as the Associate Faculty Director for Institutional Equity. She started working at Vassar in 2005, teaching in the ENST program as a visiting professor. Lynn joined the Biology Department full-time as an Assistant Professor in 2010 and is now a full professor at the college. She teaches ecology and ecosystems classes in the biology department and environmental science in the ENST program. One of the best parts of her job as a professor is working with students in both the lab and field, conducting research that advances our understanding of the environment. Her role as Associate Faculty Director for Institutional Equity is new, as she joined the team in January 2025. For the past two years, she has served as an Equity Advisor, assisting departments with the hiring of new faculty. Finding new faculty members who bring creativity and fresh perspectives to our campus has been an important contribution. Similarly, helping our community navigate our core standards of behaviour is super important to Lynn. Hearing how we treat one another and responding to concerns allows this office to promote practices that can overcome these challenges. Sometimes we treat each other poorly; her goal in the Title IX office is to work with all community members and to remember that kindness, empathy, and consideration of our actions can ultimately strengthen our community.

Jessica “Jessi” Gasbarro has been at Vassar since January 2022. She is the Deputy Title IX Coordinator and Senior Investigator. Jessi takes intakes with students and employees as part of her role, completes investigations, and manages cases. She also runs the Title IX Student Advisory Committee. 

Before Vassar, Jessi worked at various law firms in California and Santa Clara University, doing Title IX and equity work. She enjoys this work because she likes supporting the campus community and influencing Title IX and equity policy.  When she is not working, Jessi enjoys hanging out with her animals and family, cooking, and watching true-crime documentaries.

Johanne serves as the Civil Rights/Title IX Investigator and reports to Belinda Guthrie, Assistant Vice President for Institutional Equity. She worked as an attorney in Florida as a solo practitioner and later merged with a larger firm in a general practice, which included  Employment Discrimination, Corporate Representation, Workers Compensation, and Family Law. Johanne later became a Federal EEO Investigator and investigated employment matters for various federal agencies. Johanne joined Vassar in December 2019 as a contract investigator for an employment matter and continued to investigate student matters as issues arose. She joined Vassar as an employee in January 2022 to investigate matters related to students and employees. As a member of the Vassar community, she hopes to become more involved with student life and participate in outreach to help students, faculty, staff, and administrators gain a better understanding of the role the Office for Institutional Equity plays in campus life.

Olani (Loni) Maher has worked at Vassar since 2018 as the Office Specialist for the Office for Institutional Equity (previously EOAA/Title IX), supporting the office's operations, the work of the Administrators in the office, and all initiatives with the College community, student employees, and the Student Advisory Committee.

Before Olani’s employment at Vassar, she had no prior history in higher education, Title IX, or Title VI. However, she has found a great sense of community, belonging, and a continual drive to achieve in the ever-changing atmosphere of higher education. There are no two days alike, and the sense of fulfillment gained in this work, where we work as a team, commit as a team, strive as a team, and aspire as a team for the betterment of a community, is second to none. Outside of her work, Olani enjoys every opportunity for a day spent at the beach, classical architecture, attempts at cooking a new or favorite ethnic dish for her family, long scenic drives in the Hudson Valley, a good Ready Coffee (don’t sleep on it), a good book and loving on my newly adopted Frenchie.

Ella Martin is a first-year intern at the office. Originally from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, Ella grew up with her two younger sisters, parents, a dog, and a cat. She is passionate about pursuing a degree in Biology and Science, Technology, and Society (STS) at Vassar College, while also enjoying art and English classes. Outside of the office, Ella plays field hockey on the Vassar team and enjoys reading, drinking coffee, and engaging in various campus clubs. At the office, she utilizes her skills in graphic design by helping with the Instagram account and creating infographics to further enhance the office's accessibility and student-friendliness.