About the Staff
Jeffrey S. Putman, Ed.D.
Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs
Dr. Putman serves as the Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs for all five
of the SUNY Downstate schools and colleges. In his role, he provides overall coordination
of services for students (supervising the Offices of Student Affairs, Admissions,
Financial Aid, the Registrar, Student Life and Student Activities, International Student
Services, and Accessibility Services) and serves as the deputy Chief Academic Officer.
He also serves as the Co-Chair of the Downstate Middle States Accreditation Self-Study
Process. In addition, Dr. Putman also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in
the Department of Psychiatry.
Dr. Putman previously served as Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students (2013–2017) and as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs (2006–2013) at SUNY Downstate. Prior to coming to Downstate, Dr. Putman served from 1996–2006 in multiple Student Affairs roles at Purchase College, SUNY, including as Interim Dean of Students and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs & Ombudsperson.
Dr. Putman is the recipient of the Pillar of the Student Affairs Profession Award from the NASPA Foundation (2020), the Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Dean from Region II of NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (2019), the Outstanding Contribution to the Student Personnel Profession Award from the College Student Personnel Association of New York State (2017), the Mid-Level Student Affairs Professional Award from Region II of NASPA (2007), and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service (2001). He was also awarded the inaugural Resiliency Award for Leadership from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in May 2023, the Teachers College, Columbia University Alumni Award for Outstanding Service from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2021 and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) National Medical Honor Society by the SUNY Downstate Eta Chapter in March 2022 and into the Gold Humanism Honor Society in May 2023.
Dr. Putman earned his Doctor of Education in Higher & Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2011. He also holds a Master of Education and Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Purchase College, The State University of New York. He was inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education Kappa Chapter at Teachers College, Columbia University in December 1998.
In addition to his role at Downstate, Dr. Putman serves in leadership roles as Past Regional Director and Regional Historian for NASPA Region II, after having served a two year term (2023-2025) as a Regional Director and member of the Board of Directors for NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. He has served as a member of the NASPA Region II Advisory Board since 1997. Dr. Putman also serves as Past-President of the SUNY Council of Senior Student Affairs Officers (served as President from 2019–2021); as President Emeritus of the Purchase College Alumni Association Inc. (having served two different terms as President); as Co-Chair of the Alumni Engagement Committee of the Teachers College, Columbia University Alumni Council and Alumni Association; and as Doctoral Campus Liaison and member of the Executive Committee of the SUNY Chief Academic Officers Association. From 2015-2017, Dr. Putman served as the 26th leader and first elected President of the Teachers College, Columbia University Alumni Council and Association.
Prior to his work in Student Affairs, Dr. Putman served as a Legislative Aide for the NYC Council and interned with CBS News – CBS This Morning and with the promotions & news departments of WPLJ-FM, New York City. In 2013, Dr. Putman was appointed an Official City of New York (@NYCgov) Instagram Photo Ambassador by the City of New York after winning the 2013 #LoveNYC Photo Contest sponsored by the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment and in 2014 was appointed a #SeeYourCity Social Media Ambassador by NYC & Company, the City of New York's official marketing, tourism and partnership organization.
You can follow the Division of Student Affairs on Facebook (DownstateSLS) and X (@DownstateSLS). You can also follow Dr. Putman on X at @DrJeffreyP.
Patricia Napolitano, M.S.Ed.
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs
patricia.napolitano@downstate.edu
Patricia Napolitano has spent more than 30 years in higher education. She started her career at Alfred University in Residence Life and continued to advance in her 25 years there. At the time of her departure from Alfred University she oversaw Student Activities, the Center for Academic Success, Career Services, Student Diversity Initiatives and the Student Leadership Center and was the Associate Dean of Students.
While at Alfred she redesigned orientation programs, directed a collaborative downtown street festival for two colleges, served as the primary liaison with academic deans for numerous initiatives, personally courted trustee support for exciting investments, and implementing new assessment software systems. She was a key member of the Student Retention team assisting in building benchmarks and advocating for additional student advising support. She was a key member of the Scholastic Standards committee that reviewed student academic records and made recommendations on probations, suspensions and expulsions.
Ms. Napolitano transitioned to the role of Associate Dean of Students at New York Institute of Technology. She was responsible for both the Manhattan and Long Island campuses. In her role there she supervised and managed the Office of Student Engagement and the Office of Residence Life. She was responsible for managing the student conduct system which included Academic Integrity cases and student outreaches based on reports from the campus community. She assisted with Title IX investigations and with student crises. In her role she worked with many campus partners from the advising office to the Bursar and Registrar to assist students and provide support to the departments as issues came up.
In Ms. Napolitano's current role she is assisting Dr. Putman with International student needs, accessibility and providing support with all the programs and events under the Office of Student Affairs. She is becoming involved in multiple committees on campus and is excited to be a part of the Downstate community.
Ms. Napolitano also holds a Master of Science in Education, College Student Development from Alfred University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Mount Saint Mary College.
Sophie Christoforou, M.S.Ed.
Associate Dean for Student & Curricular Affairs
sophie.christoforou@downstate.edu
Dean Christoforou wears many hats at our school. She considers her most important
and fulfilling hat the counseling of students in academic, personal and career matters.
She advises students in "life" scheduling (a.k.a. the Wedding and Family Planner!).
Dean Christoforou’s favorite 3 days of the year are Graduation, Match Day and new
Student Orientation.
Dean Christoforou has been in medical education since 1985. She began her career in Student Affairs at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and joined SUNY Downstate in 1994. She has served on numerous national and regional Student Affairs committees of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and has presented sessions at both the regional and national conferences. In 2002, Dean Christoforou was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence for Professional Service. However, her most prized awards come directly from the students for recognition in Student Service.
Nicholas Cromie, M.A.
Director, Accessibility Services and Resources
Mr. Nick Cromie is Director of Accessibility Services and Resources at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. He is an experienced educator who has spent 15 years working with students and administrators in faculty and advisement roles.
Throughout his career, Mr. Cromie has contributed significantly to the success of many engineering, nursing, pre-health, pre-medical, and physical therapy undergraduate and graduate students. Mr. Cromie takes a strengths-based approach while assisting students in achieving their academic goals.
Mr. Cromie is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center in the Policy, Oversight & Administration Program finalizing his dissertation on Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Principle of Distinction and Proportionality. He earned a M.A. degree in psychology from John Jay College and a BA degree in communication from the University of Scranton. His areas of interests focus on community-centered policymaking and researching current trends in higher education. He is excited to use his experience to best help SUNY Downstate students thrive academically.
Susan Vaughan
Assistant to the Vice President
Lynzee Daniel
Student Affairs Assistant