Beyond the Desk: Q&A with Taryn Tessari about lifelong learning and her focus on faculty development

What led to your passion for faculty development?
I sort of fell into faculty affairs initially. When I first started at Northeastern as an administrative assistant for Bouvé College in 2017, I was fortunate to have really good mentors, both faculty and staff, some of whom had been at the university for over 30 years. I was in awe of my first boss’ passion for faculty affairs, specifically her passion for helping faculty succeed, and am truly grateful to have learned that from her.

Faculty are truly amazing—they persist through so many obstacles, especially in the early years of their career as they balance research, teaching, service, and many other things. So I became really passionate about working with faculty and guiding the process by which they advance their careers.

How has your position evolved since you first became manager of faculty affairs in 2019?
I feel really fortunate to be in Khoury, specifically because computer science as a field is growing so much. One way that my job has changed is that we’ve hired so many more faculty, which is amazing because then we can serve our student population better. With the significant growth of faculty, my position has expanded to assisting with faculty hiring and creating more faculty development programming. As we move into the network campuses, we need more faculty programming to continue to increase everyone’s sense of belonging and support.

I also went from learning how Khoury operates to identifying areas where we can improve processes and make them more efficient for faculty. I’m now in a position where I can really make suggestions for improvements and find ways we can connect faculty more with one another and the Northeastern community as a whole.

What has been your proudest accomplishment in this role so far?
My proudest and most favorite accomplishment has been helping faculty every year through the tenure and promotion process. There are 10 to 12 faculty that go through this process every year, and it is such a joy for me to assist them through this. Every year in May, it’s so great to see the faculty being tenured and promoted, and they can really see the fruitfulness of their work as they advance their careers. So if I can play a small role in ensuring effective communication and support, then it’s something I’m grateful for every year.

What sparked your career in higher education?
I joined higher education so that I could be a student forever. It sounds so cliché, but I really am a lifelong learner. So, to me, education was a natural progression as I was starting my undergraduate career. Originally, I thought I was going to be an elementary ed school teacher, so sometime after college, I ended up working for an elementary school where I managed a before-school/after-school program. But as I was in this program, I felt there was not as much creativity at this level in teaching because the curriculums can be so strict from the state.

Then I decided that I really wanted to go back to school to get my master’s, and so I thought, “How can I do this in a cost-effective way?” With my desire to pursue a master’s degree and continue as a life-long learner, Northeastern was a natural fit.

Why did you choose Northeastern?
I was really drawn to the Master of Education program because it marries education and real-world experience. That’s a big piece of what education should be: giving you the tools to succeed in the career that you want to have. That was a unique aspect of Northeastern that I didn’t find anywhere else. Also, my dad was a Northeastern alum, and I was always inspired by his drive to pursue future education while working full-time. So everything was pointing me to Northeastern in different ways.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Spending time with friends and family is the number one thing I love to do. I also have two ragdoll kitties, Ollie and Luna, that are floppy, fun, and still a little rambunctious. Pre-pandemic, I loved to travel, go to new places, and meet new people. I especially would want to go back to Greece at the earliest opportunity—I’m a huge history buff. Also, whole-body health, like working out, learning, and self-care, is definitely a passion of mine.

Finally, I’m hoping to start my doctorate of education in 2022. I want to dive into research, figure out what the best practices are, and learn what the obstacles are and how to combat them. I also definitely want to zero in on equity issues in faculty affairs. But I’m still in the application process, so fingers crossed!

Recently, you completed a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell and a Cultural Competence in Computing Fellows Program at Duke. What inspired you to pursue this?
Creating and cultivating authentic diversity, equity, and inclusion is vital to education. While it is collective work, it is also individual work. Decolonizing our own minds and taking accountability for our thoughts and actions can really help us connect better and more safely with everyone. Once we admit to the many privileges we benefit from, that is when we can begin to dismantle systems of oppression within our organizations. This is where the real work begins in creating authentic and equitable campus spaces.

In terms of faculty affairs, there is a huge focus on recruiting, developing, and retaining faculty, and that’s a priority for Khoury and Northeastern as a whole. But the only way we can do that is by increasing the sense of belonging for our faculty. Developing equitable and sustainable practices for our faculty is at the heart of why I chose to pursue these opportunities.

What have you learned from those two experiences?
Engaging in antiracism work and recognizing our own privileges is a step we should all be taking to be consciously aware of our own biases. In order to create faculty programming, we need to have self-awareness, as well as an awareness of others’ perspectives, to create safe spaces for faculty. That’s the biggest takeaway that I’ve come across.

Also, specifically when getting my certificate from Cornell, my professor, Dr. Mikaila Brown, was very affirming in the way she teaches and facilitates courageous conversation, and the number one thing that she taught me was how to be my authentic self.

What have you learned in the past school year in COVID-19 that has informed your work in the future?
The number one thing that I’ve thought about in relation to COVID-19 is accessibility. For example, providing closed captioning for meetings is something that I unfortunately didn’t include in pre-COVID times, and it is so important that we provide this moving forward. It provides transparency and also support for everyone. Ensuring everyone has access to materials, Zoom calls, and everything in between is a big focus of mine moving forward.

Relationships are another focus as well. Providing support for faculty mentors and mentees, while also giving folks guidance to be able to have successful relationships, is really important moving forward.

How do you hope to advance Khoury’s mission through your work?
“CS for all” isn’t just about admitting students from underrepresented groups, and same with faculty. It really begins at creating equitable processes for everyone to excel to their fullest potential and creating opportunities where it’s okay to ask for help or propose an idea. Creating that psychological safety in our community is really important and makes everybody better faculty, better students, and better people. And it’s through faculty programming and support where I’m pushing forth that mission.

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