Meet Our Team

At Lyman Briggs, we know that one of our distinctive qualities is our people. Meet the people who support alumni engagement and fundraising efforts. Click their individual pictures or names for more information. 

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LBC Development Team

Sarah Dickinson


Associate Director of Alumni Relations

Supports fundraising efforts and connects LBC alumni far and wide
Jessie Pung stands by Beaumont Tower. She has medium-length blond hair and is smiling. She is wearing a white shirt and a black buttoned shirt over it.


Senior Director of Development, NatSci and Lyman Briggs

Responsible for LBC fundraising along the Upper East Coast and Florida



Associate Director of Development

Responsible for fundraising for LBC in the West, Midwest, Lower East Coast and South

Deans Involved in Fundraising Efforts

Kendra Spence Cheruvelil wears a burgundy sequined top and a black jacket. She has dark brown hair and is smiling


Dean

Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Ryan Sweeder wears a blue dress shirt and pale pink tie. He has dark hair


Acting Dean (September-November 2026)

Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs, Professor, Lyman Briggs College, SEISMIC Collaboration

LBC Advancement Fellows

Megan Halpern

Megan K Halpern, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Paola Leon

M. Paola León Arizmendi, MSW, Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence and Academic Innovation
Shahnaz Masani

Shahnaz Masani, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Kirtimaan Mohan

Kirtimaan Mohan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Niki Rudolph

Niki J. Rudolph, Ph.D.

Assistant Dean for Student Success & Advising
Vashti Sawtelle

Vashti Sawtelle, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Anne Slavin

Anne Slavin, M.A.

Associate Director of Student Success & Advising

LBC Campaign Priorities

LBC continues to enhance student success through inclusive and interdisciplinary teaching and advising. We aim to raise support for high-impact learning experiences, which deeply engage students and transform lives. By providing personalized support and equitable access to these opportunities, LBC will help all students succeed and prepare for their future careers.

Goal: $6 million

Image
A student helps teach another student in a chemistry lab

LBC’s faculty are true teacher-scholars who center the student experience while achieving scholarly excellence. Investing in faculty through endowed positions and honorifics strengthens our foundation of excellence and drives our vision to transform what it means to be a scientist. By elevating our faculty’s work, we are shaping a legacy of excellence that will transform education’s future.

Goal: $3.4 million

 

LBC was founded as, and continues to be, a home for interdisciplinarity. We are expanding interdisciplinary research that fosters collaboration and includes diverse experiences and perspectives in local to global discovery and applications. Our research initiatives will drive innovative projects, support student and faculty knowledge production and application, and strengthen MSU’s leadership in academic excellence and global impact.

Goal: $1.2 million

As MSU’s largest residential, degree-granting college, LBC is dedicated to ensuring that everyone sees themselves as a Briggsie and that all who are admitted are provided with what they need to thrive. We’ll expand secondary-school outreach to inspire future scientists, enhance Briggs’ first-year experience with programs in career exploration and leadership development, and improve facilities to recruit, retain and empower diverse talent.

Goal: $1.4 million

LBC continues to enhance student success through inclusive and interdisciplinary teaching and advising. We aim to raise support for high-impact learning experiences, which deeply engage students and transform lives. By providing personalized support and equitable access to these opportunities, LBC will help all students succeed and prepare for their future careers.

Goal: $6 million

Image
A student helps teach another student in a chemistry lab

LBC’s faculty are true teacher-scholars who center the student experience while achieving scholarly excellence. Investing in faculty through endowed positions and honorifics strengthens our foundation of excellence and drives our vision to transform what it means to be a scientist. By elevating our faculty’s work, we are shaping a legacy of excellence that will transform education’s future.

Goal: $3.4 million

 

LBC was founded as, and continues to be, a home for interdisciplinarity. We are expanding interdisciplinary research that fosters collaboration and includes diverse experiences and perspectives in local to global discovery and applications. Our research initiatives will drive innovative projects, support student and faculty knowledge production and application, and strengthen MSU’s leadership in academic excellence and global impact.

Goal: $1.2 million

As MSU’s largest residential, degree-granting college, LBC is dedicated to ensuring that everyone sees themselves as a Briggsie and that all who are admitted are provided with what they need to thrive. We’ll expand secondary-school outreach to inspire future scientists, enhance Briggs’ first-year experience with programs in career exploration and leadership development, and improve facilities to recruit, retain and empower diverse talent.

Goal: $1.4 million