Budget Committee

Sen. Michael Thaddeus was brought up in Morningside Heights.  He spent his student years at Harvard College and the University of Oxford and was then a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows.  He has been a faculty member at Columbia since 1997, first as Associate Professor, then as Professor of Mathematics.  He has served on the Executive Committee of GSAS and the Committee on Science Instruction.  In the Department of Mathematics, he served as Director of Graduate Studies in 2009–12 and as Department Chair in 2017–20.

He has long advocated for transparency in University affairs, especially regarding enrollments, staffing, and finances, and for a powerful faculty role in decision-making.  A motion that he presented to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 2021 has led to the annual release of Arts and Sciences operating budgets to the Faculty.  Likewise, his 2022 investigation of Columbia's U.S. News ranking has led to the annual release of Common Data Sets by our undergraduate schools, making public a wealth of numerical information.

In 2023, he was elected to a two-year term as vice-president of the Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors.  In that role, and as a University Senator, he continues to advocate for transparency, shared governance, academic freedom, and the rule of law.

Sen. Jolee A. Cobb is a rising senior in the School of General Studies pursuing a B.A. in Urban Studies. Originally from Orange County, California, she moved to New York City at 17 and brings more than a decade of experience to her academic and civic work. Before returning to higher education, Jolee spent ten years in the food and beverage industry, a background that informs her research into developing urban systems and balancing competing interests. Jolee previously served on the General Studies Student Council as the First‑Generation, Low‑Income, Working Student Representative, where she advocated for resource expansion and policy transparency. Beyond Columbia, she has held leadership roles in local governance serving as a Board Member and later the Housing Committee Chair for Brooklyn Community Board 9. 

As University Senator, Jolee is committed to strengthening GS representation within the broader university governance structure. Her priorities include improving communication channels between GS students and university leadership, ensuring student experiences inform policy decisions, and advancing resource distribution that reflects the realities of nontraditional, working, and justice‑impacted students. She aims to build bridges across the schools and elevate student‑driven solutions for a more equitable Columbia.

Sen. John Hunt joined the Department of Biological Sciences in 1997 after completing an A.B. in Biochemical Sciences at Harvard, a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale, and a postdoc at the University of Texas. His laboratory's research uses biophysical, biochemical, and computational methods to understand the structural and thermodynamic mechanisms underlying the function of protein nanomachines. He teaches two GU courses annually and have mentored over 40 undergraduates in independent study projects. He served for 6 years as Co-DGS and director of admissions for Columbia University's PhD program.

Sen. Jeanine D’Armiento, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Medicine in Anesthesiology, Director of the Center for Molecular Pulmonary Disease in Anesthesiology and Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, and Director of the Center for Lymphangiomyomatosis (LAM) and Rare Lung Disease. On the University Senate, Dr. D’Armiento chairs the Executive Committee and serves on a number of other committees. In 2008, Dr. D’Armiento completed a two-year appointment as Associate Dean for Gender Equity and Faculty Development, where she concentrated on professional development programs for women faculty. Dr. D’Armiento served as Executive Director of the Summer Program for Under-Represented Students at CUIMC for close to two decades. She serves on the Executive Board of the Alpha-1 Foundation, which she has chaired. Dr. D’Armiento also serves as a consultant to the Director of the Office of Rare Disease at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. 

Sen. Holger A. Klein is the Lisa and Bernard Selz Professor of Medieval Art History and Archaeology. He was educated in Art History, Early Christian Archaeology, and German Literature at the universities of Freiburg, Munich, London, and Bonn. His research focuses on the history and historiography of Late Antique, Early Medieval, and Byzantine art and architecture, especially the cult of relics and issues of cultural and artistic exchange in the Medieval Mediterranean. Professor Klein joined Columbia in 2000 and served the university in various academic leadership positions, namely as Chairman of the Department of Art History and Archaeology, Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Art Humanities, Director of the Sakıp Sabancı Center for Turkish Studies, and Faculty Director of Casa Muraro. He is the recipient of the 50th annual Mark Van Doren Award, the Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award, and the Wm. Theodore de Bary Award for Distinguished Service to the Core Curriculum.

On the University Senate, Sen. Klein is Vice Chair of the Executive Committee. He co-chairs the Faculty Affairs, Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee and serves on the Budget Committee. 

Sen. Elisa E. Konofagou designs and develops ultrasound-based technologies for automated estimation of tissue mechanics as well as drug delivery and therapeutics. Her group has worked on the design of algorithms that can estimate minute deformation as a result of physiological function, such as in the heart and vessels, and displacements induced by the ultrasound wave itself, such as in tumors and nerves, while she maintains several collaborations with physicians in order to translate these technologies to the clinical setting. She has also developed novel techniques in order to facilitate noninvasive brain drug delivery as well as modulation of both the central and peripheral nervous systems. 

Dr. Konofagou received a B.S. in chemical physics from Université de Paris 6 in 1992, an M.S. in biomedical engineering from Imperial College (London, U.K.) in 1993 and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Houston in 1999. She is a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and in 2007 she received the NSF CAREER Award. In 2021, Dr. Konofagou was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. On the University Senate, Dr. Konofagou serves on the Budget Committee.

Sen. Daniel Wolf Savin is Senior Research Scientist in the Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory. Dr. Savin's work addresses cutting-edge questions in astrophysics, planetary science, and solar physics through observations coupled with laboratory astrophysics studies in atomic, molecular, condensed matter, and plasma physics. On the University Senate, he represents Professional Research Officers and chairs the Research Officers Committee. He serves on the Executive Committee, co-chairs the Structure and Operations Committee, and serves on the Budget Committee. Dr. Savin is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Astronomical Society, and the American Physical Society. In 2026 Dr. Savin was awarded the Laboratory Astrophysics Prize of the Laboratory Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society.

Sen. Clarisa Long’s current research focuses on the intersection of intellectual property law and competition policy. She serves on the committee of The Center for Cybersecurity at Columbia University’s Data Science Institute and is a former faculty director of Columbia Law School’s Program on Law and Technology. She is a registered patent prosecutor with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to joining the Columbia Law faculty in 2005, Professor Long was the Class of 1966 Research Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law. She has been a clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a fellow at Harvard Law School, and an associate at Wiley, Rein & Fielding in Washington, D.C.

Before becoming an academic, Long was a molecular biologist who conducted research in New Zealand and the United States, including at the National Institutes of Health. Her books include Genetic Testing and the Use of Information (AEI Press, 1999) and Intellectual Property Rights in Emerging Markets (AEI Press, 2000).

Sen. Christopher Munsell is the Glascock Associate Professor of Professional Practice of Real Estate Development Finance at Columbia GSAPP. Chris has been featured for his innovations in the hybrid learning environment and for his research on artificial intelligence. He is a regular speaker on capital markets, climate finance, structured finance, and real estate pedagogy with organizations that include PropTech Norway, the Asian Real Estate Association of America, Boston University, the American Real Estate Society, Women in Real Estate Development (WiRED), the Penn Club of New York, Opal Group, MSRED Alumni Inc. and the Center for Teaching and Learning at Columbia University.

Chris has over fifteen years of real estate finance experience working for large institutions and middle-market investors. He has structured and managed more than $3 billion in real estate across all asset types and in more than 20 states. Chris is an Executive Board Member of the Real Estate Network of the Columbia Alumni Association, as well as a member of the Urban Land Institute, the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Columbia Alumni Global Sustainability Network. Chris holds a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University.

Sen. Carlos V. Cruz ’88CC was raised in the Marcy Avenue projects in Brooklyn and in South Texas by immigrants from Panama and Mexico and learned the beauty of bringing diverse people together and the power of community, an outlook that he put into practice in his vast extracurricular involvement at Columbia.  As multi-year President of Columbia Pride, and Vice President, Development, and Communications Chairs of the Latino Alumni Association, sometimes simultaneously, he takes great pride in helping amplify and support everyone in the Columbia community.  In his many interactions with Columbians, he is always inspired by our ideas, accomplishments, and character.  After a few great years working with the wonderful team at Columbia Undergraduate Admissions right after graduation with a concentration in Economics, Carlos embarked on a career in supply chain, product development, sourcing, and merchandising where he has risen to positions of leadership at Gap, Inc. and Target, helped structure startups, and consulted. Carlos currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Columbia College Alumni Association and the 1754 Society and the Columbia Alumni Association Board.

Sen. Amir Ziv is James L. Dohr Professor of Professional Practice of Accounting in the Accounting Division of Columbia Business School. Amir Ziv first joined Columbia Business School in 1994. In 2006 he became Vice Dean of the Business School, where, among other responsibilities, he oversaw the MBA and Executive MBA programs (Admission, Students Affairs, Career Management and the Samberg Institute for Teaching Excellence). In 2013 he was appointed Professor of Professional Practice. His current responsibilities include serving as faculty director of the Mendelson Center for Undergraduate Business and of the Master of Science in Accounting and Fundamental Analysis (MSAFA) Program. 

Over the years, Amir has taught in degree and executive education programs and is a recipient of multiple (19 in total) teaching awards, including the Columbia Business School’s Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence. He has also developed and participated in management training and executive development programs at major corporations. Over his career he also served on the faculties of Yale School of Management, and Reichman University, where he founded and headed the executive education division.

Professor Ziv served for over 10 years on the editorial board of the Review of Accounting Studies. His research deals with the effects of accounting regimes and alternatives on economic environments. Specifically, he has studied the role of accounting information in organizational design, financial disclosure, performance evaluation, auditing, and information transmission among strategic players. Dr. Ziv received his Ph.D. from Stanford University, 1990; his M.Sc. from the University of Haifa and Technion, 1986; and his B.A. from the University of Haifa, 1984. He also passed the CPA Examinations, 1985.