Daemen College : Student Life : Residence Life : Residence Life Staff
Meet the Staff!
Sara C. Alexanderson, Director of Residence Life
Sara came to Daemen in 2001 as the Assistant Director of Residence Life. After leaving Daemen in 2003 for volunteering in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, she returned as an International Admissions counselor. Sara has been in her current position as the Director of Residence Life since 2006. Sara graduated with her BA in Psychology from Wittenberg University and her MS in Student Personnel Administration from Buffalo State College.
Sara oversees campus housing and the entire Residence Life program at Daemen College. The best part of her job according to her is getting to know students and working closely with all the resident assistants on campus. In addition to her responsibilities in Residence Life, Sara also actively serves on the Retention Committee, Woodhull Selection Committee and the Veterans Affairs Council. Sara is also involved with the Diversity Plan at Daemen College and helps with Orientation and the LEADS Leadership Workshop series.
In her free time, Sara likes to run (past participant of Team in Training), ski, hike and go camping, travel, attend local festivals and concerts, boating, and reading.
Daniel Nilsson, Director of Housing & Special Initiatives
Daniel (originally from Hemlock, NY near Livonia) came to Daemen in 2006 and is now the Director of Housing and Special Initiatives. Dan graduated with his BA in Early Childhood Education and earned his M.Ed in Student Affairs Administration from the University at Buffalo.
Daniel is responsible for housing placements for all students on campus and supervises Graduate Resident Coordinators responsible for overseeing all residence halls on campus as well as all Resident Assistants. Also at Daemen, Daniel helps with Orientation, DC Blue-Crew Athletics and is part of the Equity and Diversity Council, Diversity Action Committee, Retention Council, and is the Student Affairs Liason to the Global Programs Office.
Daniel’s hobbies including running and training for marathons, all sports including participating in Daemen Intramurals, and spending time with his animals at home. He is currently training to run his 5th marathon in as many states.
Charlene Kasinski, Resident Coordinator – Campus Village Apartments
Josh Coyne, Resident Coordinator – Canavan Hall
Resident Assistants (RAs) are responsible for establishing a comfortable rapport with each student in the hall or on the floor. This includes being aware of the personal and academic needs of each individual student. Through programming and community development, the RAs promote an atmosphere conducive to studying and personal growth. In addition the RAs are a main resource for students at Daemen. As a resource, RAs assist both residents and parents in acclimating to Daemen's campus, answer questions on a wide variety of topics, and refer students to other departments as needed.