Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost
Assessment and Technology
Eva Fernández
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Contact: Ayechia.Perez@guttman.cuny.edu
Dr. Eva Fernández comes to Stella and Charles Guttman Community College after serving as Associate Provost for Innovation and Student Success at Queens College since 2019. She is an innovative and experienced academic leader. Before her appointment as the Associate Provost at Queens College, she served for nine years there in executive leadership positions in the Office of the Provost, among them Assistant Provost for Teaching Excellence and Experiential Education and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. These roles have included projects that contribute to understanding the impact of faculty development programs on student learning and success. She has a deep interest and expertise with STEM course redesign and peer mentoring programs, both of which are areas of interest and excellence at Guttman.
A successful grant writer, Dr. Fernández brought more than $10 million to Queens College over the past ten years, including the grant that provided the College its current Hispanic-Serving Institution designation, as well as contracts and grants from the National Science Foundation, US Department of Education, Petrie Foundation, Pinkerton Foundation, and the New York City Department of Small Business Services.
Dr. Fernández’s scholarly research has focused on language processing and the psycholinguistics of bilingualism. Read More
Nicola Blake
Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs
Contact: Yolelda.Ira@guttman.cuny.edu
As Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs at Guttman Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY), Dr. Nicola Blake is charged with building the academic reputation, increasing the impact, and expanding the reach of the College in order to fulfill the missions of the College and CUNY. Through guidance on strategic planning, innovative thinking, intra- and cross-divisional collaboration, and continuous assessment, Dr. Blake’s visionary leadership is key to Guttman’s institutional success.
In her role, Dr. Blake directs a broad range of academic matters within the College’s unique organizational structure: all Academic Programs and curricular processes; academic technology; workload and scheduling; faculty development and mentorship; and the digital Center for Practice, Technology, and Innovation. Read More
Niesha Ziehmke
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Contact: Keteya.Harrison-Melville@guttman.cuny.edu
Dr. Ziehmke is an optimist who always strives to enhance the spaces she enters. She brings with her a passion and vision for higher education that is grounded in a commitment to racial and social justice. She earned her Masters in Education from the New School for Social Research and taught Spanish in a NYC public high school for six years. She then completed her Ph.D. in linguistics at the CUNY Graduate Center, with a focus on methods for teaching academic English to students who speak non-academic varieties of English. Read More
Allyson Bregman
Director of Curriculum and First-Year Experience
Email: Allyson.Bregman@guttman.cuny.edu
In April 2021, Dr. Allyson Bregman assumed the position of Director of Curriculum and First-Year Experience, after serving as Interim Director since July 2020. In this role, she oversees curriculum processes at the College, supporting the development of new proposals and managing the preparation and submission of proposals for University and NYSED approval. She also provides administrative leadership for the First-Year Experience program, including oversight of pre-matriculation programs. Dr. Bregman has an extensive history with the College, having served as a member of the New Community College planning team from 2010-2011, and as the Project Manager for the College’s Learning Analytics Initiative within the Center for College Effectiveness during the 2012-2013 academic year. Read More
Christopher Roth
Associate Director of Academic Technology
Email: Christopher.Roth@guttman.cuny.edu
Mr. Christopher Roth is the Associate Director of Academic Technology at Guttman Community College, CUNY, where he has also served as the Program Coordinator for iPASS and Academic Technology Coordinator. In his current role, Mr. Roth provides support for technology platforms such as Starfish, Digication, and Blackboard in addition to leading professional development for faculty and staff and spearheading various educational technology projects at the College. Prior to joining Guttman, Mr. Roth has worked as the Director of Technology for an event planning organization and the Office Manager for Special Events and Event Planning at the CUNY Graduate Center. He holds a Master of Science degree in information design and technology, with a concentration in educational and instructional design, from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and a Bachelor of Science degree in hospitality management with a minor in business from St. John’s University. Mr. Roth is a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional co-ed business fraternity.
Ayechia Perez-Cruz
Executive Associate to the VP for Academic Affairs and Provost (HEA)
Email: Ayechia.Perez@guttman.cuny.edu
Ms. Ayechia (pronounced: I-e-sha) Perez-Cruz is the Executive Associate to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Guttman Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY). She manages operations for the Office of the Provost, collaborates with internal and external constituents to execute special projects, provides faculty and student support services, as well as promotes the College’s mission and goals. Prior to working at Guttman, Ms. Perez-Cruz held administrative roles within the Executive Offices of Academic and Student Success and Institutional Development at Bronx Community College, CUNY. A proud CUNY alumna, she holds a Master of Arts degree in urban affairs from Queens College, a B.A. in political science/public administration, with a minor concentration in health administration, from Herbert H. Lehman College, and an Associate in Applied Sciences degree in secretarial studies (medical) from Bronx Community College. In her spare time, Ms. Perez-Cruz enjoys mentoring and working with causes close to her heart.
Keteya Harrison-Melville
Academic Affairs Manager (HEA)
Jazmin Lopez
Administrative Specialist to Dean (HEa)
Email: Jazmin.Lopez@guttman.cuny.edu
An invaluable member of the Division of Academic Affairs administrative staff. Ms. Jazmin Lopez specializes in faculty workload and collaborates on directing academic procedures, onboarding part-time faculty. She engages in data analysis to build capacity by streamlining processes and exploring collaborative, automated solutions. In addition, she serves as Administrative Coordinator for Guttman’s summer Math Start program. Committed to advancing educational equity, her previous work for a national nonprofit organization in the Washington, DC, metro area focused on evidence-based institutional improvement. Ms. Lopez is an alumna of the New York City-based Prep for Prep program. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Duke University and is in pursuit of a Master of public administration degree with a focus on policy analysis and evaluation.
Yolelda Ira
Administrative Coordinator (aHEO)
Email: Yolelda.Ira@guttman.cuny.edu
Ms. Yolelda Ira is a seasoned Administrative Coordinator, with more than seven years of experience supporting executive higher education administrators in event planning, grant management, and office operations. In addition to her role at the College, she has served as the chair of the LGBTQIA History Month, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month Committees. Ms. Ira holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Queens College. In her spare time, she is a makeup artist who loves uplifting and encouraging women all ages.
Shaina Davis
College and Research Assistant
Email: Shaina.Davis@guttman.cuny.edu
Ms. Shaina (pronounced: Shay-na) Davis was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. After graduating from Cardinal Spellman High School, she began her college and professional career at her alma mater, Virginia State University (VSU), where she was the Performing Arts Coordinator for the Department of Student Activities. While obtaining her B.A. in mass communications at VSU, Ms. Davis joined the illustrious Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Since returning to New York, she has contributed to the Guttman’s Division of Academic Affairs as a College and Research Assistant. Outside of her responsibilities at Guttman, Ms. Davis dedicates her time to screenwriting, producing for film, and embedding herself into the many art forms around NYC.