Announcing 2020-2021 New Faculty In Residence

Tulane Housing and Residence Life is very excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Courtney Baker, Professor of Psychology, and Dr. Izabela Steflja, Professor of Practice in Political Science, to the positions of Faculty in Residence in Greenbaum and Wall Residence Halls respectively beginning in August 2020. The Faculty in Residence (FIR) is a full-time faculty member who lives in a residence hall on campus and serves as a positive and visible leader, teacher, and mentor to students living in the residence halls. FIRs facilitate, promote, and encourage intellectual, social, and cultural development, as well as provide assistance to students seeking academic support and guidance through programming, one on one relationship building, and the sharing of academic resources. FIRs work with our Housing and Residence Life staff to provide supportive environments where students can learn and develop.

Dr. Courtney Baker

Dr. Baker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Tulane. She joined the faculty in 2012 after completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Baker earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and earned bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and English from Oberlin College. Dr. Baker is an implementation scientist who studies the translation of effective mental health services into community settings serving children and families. Being a mentor, a teacher, and a leader in her academic community are critical aspects of Dr. Baker’s identity. As Faculty in Residence in Greenbaum, Dr. Baker is excited to bring information and resources, build a sense of community and belongingness, empower students to engage in socially just and ethical behavior, and support residents to reach their fullest potential. Dr. Baker enjoys traveling with her family, scuba diving, reading, learning and trying new things, cooking and baking, and doing yoga. Dr. Baker will be joined by her family, including Dr. Mike Hoerger, faculty in the Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Medicine, and their son Henry.

Dr. Izabela Steflja

Dr. Izabela Steflja spent her childhood in the former Yugoslavia and completed her secondary and post-secondary education in Canada. A political scientist by training, she holds a BA and a PhD from the University of Toronto, as well as an MA from McGill University. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in international law and human security at Simon Fraser University, Dr. Steflja joined the Faculty at Tulane in 2016. She is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Political Science and her teaching and research interests lie at the intersection of international criminal law and international development. Most recently, she coauthored a book entitled Women as War Criminals: Gender, Agency and Justice (forthcoming, 2020, SUP). Dr. Steflja has conducted extensive fieldwork in East and Central Africa, and the Balkans, and lived on three continents. She hopes to utilize her professional and personal, international experiences to inspire students to be active and reflective global citizens committed to equity and inclusion. She sees her FIR role as a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between faculty and students, and looks forward to joining the Wall Residence community with her partner and six-month-old baby.