The Residence Life staff strives to develop positive relationships with residential students and make their Sarah Lawrence residence feel like a home away from home.
Myra M. McPhee
Director of Residence Life
Myra M. McPhee oversees staff and programs for all residential communities on campus. She leads her team in community development initiatives that help Sarah Lawrence students feel at home.
Prior to Sarah Lawrence, Myra worked for the US State Department at the US Embassy Nassau as the Education and Cultural Specialist. She has worked at several universities including Michigan State University, where she was responsible for strategic planning and leadership development. She also worked at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA, and The University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a Master of Education in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The University of South Carolina.
Myra has volunteered as a Big Sister in the Big Brother, Big Sister program, led community service trips to the Gulf Coast and Appalachian areas, and participated as an actor in theater productions of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide, Vagina Monologues, and the social justice initiative Tunnel of Oppression. As an alum of the Social Justice Training Institute, Myra considers herself to be someone who is eager to address issues of injustice. Since serving as an Environmental Steward and Green Games coordinator, she is well experienced in program development for Sustainability and Green Initiatives.
Erica Monnin
Assistant Director of Residence Life
Erica Monnin manages housing operations in addition to overseeing Hill House. She supports the daily operations of residence halls and collaborates with the Director to provide leadership in enhancing the quality of life for students.
Prior to Sarah Lawrence, Erica worked at the University of Colorado Boulder as an Area Coordinator in Housing and Dining Services. Erica also worked at Syracuse University as a Residence Director where she piloted a first-year experience initiative aimed at supporting students’ academic success in the residence hall. She received her Master of Science degree in Higher Education from Syracuse University and her Bachelor of Arts degree in French and International Studies from Denison University, in her native state of Ohio.
Erica is passionate about equity, community engagement, and activism. She has an extensive background in service learning, training development, and dialogue facilitation. In her free time, Erica can be found volunteering, traveling, and exploring Yonkers and Bronxville with her Standard Poodle, Archer.
Graduate Hall Directors
Graduate Hall Directors (GHDs) are graduate students who live in the undergraduate residence halls. Each GHD supervises a small staff of Resident Advisors (RAs), helps manage budgets, provides support to the Director of Residence Life, and oversees special programs.
Meet the Graduate Hall Directors
Hill House
Greer Veon
Graduate Hall Director
Greer Veon is a first year student in the MFA Writing Program studying creative nonfiction. Greer is originally from Texarkana, AR. In May 2016, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis on creative writing, graduated cum laude from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. In addition to being named to the Dean’s List each of eight semesters, Greer earned her varsity letter as a four-year member of the Hendrix Warriors Cheerleading Squad.
Greer has worked the last four summers in support of the faculty and staff at the Arkansas Governor’s School. She also interned at CBS News in New York in 2016 where she was part of the team assigned to work on CBS This Morning.
Greer loves traveling, reading, photography, listening to all kinds of music, and writing in coffee shops. She is excited to be the GHD for Hill House and getting to know her residents. She, along with her team of RAs, looks forward to creating a fun, inclusive environment where residents feel connected both to one another and the Sarah Lawrence community.
Mead Way & Old Dorms (MOD)
Giovanni Kavota
Graduate Hall Director
Giovanni Kavota holds a BA in psychology with a minor in theatre from Hood College. He is a first-year student in the MFA Theatre Program,and a company member at Baltimore Improv Group and The Maryland Ensemble Theatre. His theatrical interest includes directing, playwriting, and devising original works as an ensemble.
His merits outside of theatre are within not-for-profit and nonprofit organizations in youth development, co-worker orientation, and engagement through training and career navigation. Giovanni is also an American Red Cross First Aid, CPR, and AED Instructor. He is excited to be a part of the Residence Life Team, and to facilitate an open and welcoming environment on campus.
Random Assorted Dorms (RAD)
Derick Ebert
Graduate Hall Director
Derick Ebert is a first-year student in the MFA Writing Program studying poetry from Baltimore, MD. As a first generation college student, Derick excelled at the University of Baltimore studying English with a specialization in creative writing.
During his sophomore year, Derick became Baltimore's first ever Youth Poet Laureate. As the 2015 Youth Poet Laureate, Derick was charged with promoting a citywide appreciation for literacy and art, as well as inspiring young people to become more engaged in their community. Derick is the author of Black Boy Archaeologist, a poetry book that explores the boundaries of bi-racial identity, self-awareness, and young heartache. He was named Baltimore's 2015 Rising Star and has performed on stages from Vermont to New Orleans.
Westlands, Rothschild, Garrison, Taylor (WRGT)
Caitlin O'Keefe
Graduate Hall Director
Caitlin O’Keefe is a first-year student in the Women’s History Graduate Program and is very excited to be the GHD for WRGT.
Caitlin is originally from Long Island and attended Fordham University at Lincoln Center for her undergraduate. While studying at Fordham, Caitlin worked as an English and history tutor at the Professional Performing Arts School in midtown Manhattan and interned at the French Embassy and Doctors without Borders. After graduating in 2015 with a degree in history and a minor in French, Caitlin spent a year in Paris teaching English in the Académie de Paris. Since returning to the United States, Caitlin has been working as an educator at the New-York Historical Society.
Caitlin loves to travel whenever she can and enjoys reading, cycling, and snagging last minute theater tickets. She looks forward to welcoming WRGT residents and helping them find a home in Sarah Lawrence.
Housing Coordinator
Tiara Mann
Tiara Mann was born and raised in Somerville, NJ. She attended Raritan Valley Community College, where she graduated with her Associates Degree in English. She was a proud member of the Sister to Sister Network, The Black Student Association, and The Culture Diversity Club. After graduating from RVCC, Tiara went on to attend Kean University where she graduated with her BA in English.
Over the years, she has put on fundraisers that are near and dear to her heart. Tiara, being a slam poet, designed a fundraiser that allowed local performers to showcase their talents in effort to raise money for underprivileged children who couldn’t afford school supplies. She is a literature fanatic and enjoys reading anything James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker. In her free time, she enjoys binge watching Aaron Sorkin and listening to For Colored Girls—the original version—on her record player.
She is pursuing an MA in Women’s History. She hopes to someday be a great novelist and inspire others the way her favorite authors have inspired her.
Resident Advisors
Resident Advisors (often referred to as RAs) are undergraduate students who live in the residence halls and respond to issues related to life in on-campus housing. They also facilitate educational, cultural, and social programs that foster a feeling of community within their residence hall.