Staff

Heather Samson Calabrese joined the Office of the Secretary in October 2013. She oversees communications initiatives within the Office of the Secretary; major university events including Commencement; and the Gordon Grand Fellowship Lecture. Prior to joining Yale, Heather was an independent nonprofit consultant and the chief operating officer of United Way of Greater New Haven. She is active in Greater New Haven civic efforts and has served on several community boards, including New Haven Reads and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s Fund for Women and Girls. She is a fellow in Ezra Stiles College.

Elizabeth Conklin, J.D., joined Yale University in the inaugural role of associate vice president for Institutional Equity, Accessibility, and Belonging in September 2020. In this role, she works closely with other leaders across the university to support institutional equity and accessibility, and to guide strategy and initiatives that create a culture of belonging. Elizabeth oversees the Office of Institutional Equity and Access (OIEA), Student Accessibility Services (SAS), and the Office of LGBTQ Resources. Since January 2022, Elizabeth also serves as the University Title IX Coordinator and oversees the Title IX Office, providing leadership and oversight for Yale’s Title IX programs and staff. Elizabeth’s work focuses on ensuring appropriate response to incidents of discrimination and harassment as well as training for university community members on responding to discrimination and harassment and creating a culture that prevents such behaviors. 

Prior to joining Yale, Elizabeth worked at UConn for ten years, including serving for nearly nine years as Associate Vice President for the Office of Institutional Equity, Title IX Coordinator and ADA Coordinator. Before her time in higher education administration, Elizabeth was an associate attorney with a midsize Hartford law firm practicing labor and employment law.

Nina Fattore joined the office in November 2022 as the associate director for university life. She is the governing administrator for Yale Connect, coordinates Yale’s voting initiatives, and works with Pilar Montalvo in supporting student life at the university level, particularly responses to student and campus crises. Nina is the second resource behind Pilar regarding the university’s protocol in event of a student’s death or serious injury.

Nina began her career at Yale in 2018 at the President’s House as an event coordinator. She also worked in the dean’s offices of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Law School, as well as the Office of the President. Her experience in a variety of offices gives her unique insight into the many perspectives at Yale.

She is a Branford local and enjoys traveling, fishing and Formula One.

Julia Hsieh joined the Office of the Secretary in February 2023. In this role, she supports Secretary Goff-Crews as a senior advisor and creates and implements strategic plans to advance the university’s goals and priorities. Julia partners closely with administrative, faculty, student, and alumni leaders as well as with colleagues from across Yale on various university-wide initiatives and projects, such as the emerging Cultivating Conversation effort under Belonging at Yale. Julia manages a portfolio of programs and prizes, including the Woodbridge Fellowship program, the Dwight H. Terry Lectureship series, and the Theron Rockwell Field and the John Addison Porter prize competitions.

Prior to her current role, Julia worked in Yale development for almost a decade, most recently as senior director for campaign and advancement strategy managing the For Humanity capital campaign at the Yale School of Management. She earned a M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Egyptology from Yale and has published academic works including a monograph on Letters to the Dead. In her past life as an academic, she taught beginning hieroglyphs, worked as a paleographic artist, and excavated various sites in Egypt. Julia is a fellow of Pierson College.

Pilar Montalvo joined the Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life in October 2021. In this role, she will lead and support student life at the university level. Pilar will assist in furthering collaborations between Yale Public Safety and student life, Mental Health & Counseling, and will convene colleagues from across departments and schools who support safety and wellness. She will maintain awareness of a wide range of campus needs and concerns involving students, adding capacity, and taking an essential role—if the situation requires—in supporting responses to student and campus crises. Pilar will continue to lead the university’s protocol in event of a student’s death or serious injury.

Pilar began her Yale career in 2002 in what is now the Yale School of the Environment. As an assistant dean, she managed every aspect of academic administration and assisted the dean in the development and implementation of strategic initiatives and programs. As the school’s inaugural diversity coordinator, she created and coordinated a range of initiatives that enhanced community building and strengthened the learning environment. Pilar was recruited to the Office of the President in 2012 to assist the president on special projects. In 2013, she was appointed the director of administrative affairs to work with faculty and staff across the university on major initiatives and advance the president’s goals and priorities. As the public face of the Office of the President, Pilar was the point of contact for students, faculty, and staff on a broad array of emerging matters.

She is a fellow of Branford College.