Melinda Starmer

Melinda Starmer, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies (SPS), oversees all aspects of the faculty lifecycle process, including policy compliance, recruitment, onboarding, assessment, and development. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for centralized faculty affairs functions for over sixteen master’s degree and non-degree programs, working closely with the Dean’s Office, Office of the Executive Vice President in Arts and Sciences, Provost’s Office, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office, and the Office of General Counsel. Together with her team, Melinda works to continuously improve faculty success and satisfaction through the recruitment and retention of outstanding and diverse faculty; development and assessment of instructional practices through tailored teaching effectiveness workshops, pedagogical forums, and coaching observations; and dedicated support through the management of academic appointments, reappointments, and promotion reviews, orientations, community engagement, and mentorship.

Before joining Columbia SPS, Melinda worked as the Director of Faculty Planning at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), advising the dean on strategic planning goals related to faculty affairs, including recruitment, onboarding, policy compliance, appointment and promotion reviews, mentorship, and communication strategies across three departments and two centers. Prior to the GSD, she served as the Assistant Director of Administration in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she oversaw faculty affairs, human resources, communications, and operations. Melinda is also an experienced copy editor and co-founder of Starmer Communications, where she primarily works with clients in higher education.

Melinda is currently a doctoral candidate at Columbia University Teachers College in the field of adult education and organizational leadership, where she is researching faculty motivations and attitudes towards interdisciplinary research and collaboration. She received an MA in Psychology from Harvard University, conducting her research at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership on the association between personality and political attitudes—as well as a BS in Music Industry from Northeastern University. In her free time, Melinda enjoys music, singing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.