Housing Policy Committee

Sen. Steven Chaikelson is Professor of Professional Practice in Theatre Arts in the School of the Arts, where he runs the MFA Theatre Management and Producing Program, and serves as Co-Director of the T Fellowship for Creative Producers. He also teaches in Columbia Law School and Barnard College.

Through his company, Snug Harbor Productions, Steven general manages and/or produces on and off Broadway, around the United States, and internationally. His most recent producing credits include the Broadway and touring productions of The Band’s Visit, winner of 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical, the Off-Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, and Death of a Salesman in London. Steven has consulted for numerous not-for-profit arts institutions, including the Apollo Theatre, Cambodian Living Arts, and Peter Brook’s CICT.

Steven is a member of the New York State Bar, the Broadway League and Treasurer of the Off-Broadway League. He is a co-author of Theatre Law: Cases and Materials, the first law school textbook specifically devoted to theatre law, and has contributed to the theatre volumes of Entertainment Industry Contracts, published by LexisNexis. 

Sen. Nachum Sicherman is the Carson Family Professor of Business and the Chair of the Economics Division at the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University. He is an expert in the fields of labor economics, applied microeconomics, cost-benefit-analysis of medical procedures, and behavioral economics. His work has been published widely in top economic journals. Prior to Columbia, Prof. Sicherman taught at Rutgers University and the University of Chicago. He earned his PhD in economics at Columbia University.

Sen. Liane Bdair is a student at Columbia College, studying economics and political science on a pre-law track. She serves on the executive board of Turath, the Arab Students Association, where she helps foster community and cultural pride among Arab-identifying students. Additionally, Liane’s Palestinian- American Background makes her deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and student advocacy. As a University Senator, Liane is focused on promoting shared governance, increasing transparency from the administration, and ensuring that student perspectives are meaningfully included in decision-making processes. With a new perspective and a dedication to building bridges between administration and student groups, she is passionate about amplifying voices that are often overlooked in university policy and governance conversations.

Sen. Kwamina Vandyke is an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School and former Creative Marketing Manager at Amazon. He spent six years in consulting with Deloitte and Accenture, during which he founded The Mayhem Collection, a luxury fashion brand based out of Ghana. He also founded New Home Football Academy in Ghana, helping to introduce and develop American football in the region. Vandyke holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Virginia Tech and a master’s in Sports Management from Hampton University.

Diego Rivera serves as deputy vice president to Columbia Residential and oversees all operational aspects of the Columbia University residential portfolio which includes 150 buildings (6.7 million GSF) and over 5,800 residential apartments. 

As the Deputy Vice President of Columbia Residential, Diego is responsible for the financial performance of the portfolio, property maintenance, the entire leasing process and residents’ satisfaction. He determines and ensures that annual budgets for the portfolio are met, that operating plans are effectively and efficiently monitored and that capital improvement projects are accomplished.   

Diego's extensive knowledge and experience comes from holding executive positions on some of the largest Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) in the country, such as AvalonBay Communities, Equity Residential, Archstone-Smith and LCOR. With over 20 years of experience in Multifamily Real Estate, Diego has developed significant strengths in leadership and team building, marketing and promotions, as well as in customer relationship management, new business development, operations and profit and loss management. Diego holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the Universidad Mayor de San Simon, Bolivia.

As Senior Associate Provost for Administration and Planning, Carrie Marlin’s portfolio includes key areas of academic management—faculty housing, K–12 schooling priorities, domestic and international emergency response, space planning, and policy development. She oversees Tompkins Hall Nursery and Childcare Center, guides The School at Columbia University, and directs initiatives for Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science, and Engineering. In partnership with the Office of International Risk Management, she develops and manages international travel policies and protocols. Carrie is also the primary liaison to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to these responsibilities, at the Provost’s request, Carrie has served in interim roles as Executive Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and Director of the Office of Work/Life.

Prior to joining the Office of the Provost in 2015, she worked in education and public service in New York City and Washington, D.C., as Senior Director of Strategy and Policy at the New York City Department of Education, Chief of Staff in the New York State Assembly, an English and Journalism teacher in District of Columbia Public Schools, and as a senior advisor on local and national political campaigns. 

Carrie received her BA in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, her MA in Education from Trinity Washington University, and her MPA from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.