Meet Our Team
Residence Life Professional Staff
Dr. Mary F. Elliott
Director of Residence Life and Housing
pronouns: She/Her/Hers
mfelliot@mines.edu
(303) 869-5522
Campus Living Office
Oversees all functions of the Residence Life Department
About Mary.
My undergrad was spent at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa (next to Mines, the G.O.A.T.) where I majored in Secondary Education and History. My Masters degree, in Student Development and Higher Education Administration, is from the University of Iowa. I just completed my doctoral work in the summer of 2021. My research is on Autistic students and their experiences in the residence halls.
I have been at Mines since 2014, and I love working with the students and staff here. Mines people are special, there is just no other way to put it. I live north of Golden with my husband, our two dogs (Decker and Greta), and our cat, Kitty. I am a 5th generation Coloradan, and I love my state!
Vacant
Associate Director of Residence Life
(303) 273-3982
Campus Living Office
Oversees all aspects of Residence Life assets, building projects, and yearly procedures.
Dr. Sarah Friswold-Atwood
Associate Director of Residence Life
Residential Education
friswoldatwood@mines.edu
(303) 869-5529
Campus Living Office
Oversees Residence Life Coordinators and their student staffs, all programming initiatives, and Theme Learning Community development.
About Friz.
Devon Hopson
Assistant Director of Residence Life
pronouns: He/Him/His
dhopson@mines.edu
(303) 869-XXXX
Campus Living Office
Oversees Residence Life Coordinators and their student staffs, all programming initiatives, and Theme Learning Community development.
About Devon.
B.S., Marketing, Southern New Hampshire University
M.S., Student Affairs in Higher Education, Miami University
Hello! My name is Devon (he/him/his) and I am an Assistant Director in Residence Life. I am a passionate Anti-Deficit educator in student affairs. I believe that by striving to be an advocate, coach, and mentor to students I can assist them on their journeys to success at the Colorado School of Mines and beyond. It is important to me to support students as they define what success uniquely looks like for them during their time in college.
In my free time, I spend a lot of time with my dog, Daisy. You will see my goober of a dog around campus! I enjoy playing video games and playing tabletop games with friends! If you need an interesting trivia fact or ghost story, I got you covered!
Julie Thorpe
Assistant Director of Residence Life
pronouns: She/Her/Hers
jethorpe@mines.edu
(303) 869-5519
Campus Living Office
Oversees Residence Life Coordinators and their student staffs, all programming initiatives, and Theme Learning Community development.
About Julie.
B.A. – Liberal Studies with a Specialization in Math from Cal Poly Pomona
M.A. – Postsecondary Educational Leadership with a Specialization in Student Affairs from San Diego State University
Hello! My name is Julie (She, Her, Hers) and I am the Assistant Director of Residence Life. My favorite thing about working at Mines is the people and students I get to interact with every day. I love getting to help students in their journey here at Mines as they discover their passions and learn about themselves inside and outside of the classroom. When I am not at work, I enjoy playing tennis, trying new restaurants, and exploring beautiful Colorado. If I am not in my office, you can find me walking around campus with my English Bulldog, Paul. Feel free to come up and say hello!
Jackie Garramone
Assistant Director of Occupancy Management
jgarramo@mines.edu
(303) 273-3928
1795 Elm Street
Oversees housing assignments for the Residence Halls, Mines Park Apartments and Greek Housing.
About Jackie.
Kelsey Anders
Housing Operations and Marketing Coordinator
kelseyanders@mines.edu
(303) 869-5528
Campus Living Office
Oversees department website and social media; coordinates housing assignments and various processes for housing operations.
About Kels.
B.A., English, University of North Florida
M.A., Higher Education, University of Denver
Hi y’all! I’m Kels, and I come to Mines from my hometowns of Ft. Myers, Florida and Fairburn, Georgia (go Braves!). Mines is such a unique campus, with a strong sense of community and care among its students and staff, and I love learning alongside such ambitious students! I always look forward to seeing how much students grow between the day they move in and the day they move out! When I’m not at work, you can find me doing all things Colorado (hiking, camping, skiing), and I’m almost always accompanied by my dog, Bucket. When you see us on campus, come say hi!
Debi Pretz
Administrative Coordinator of Campus Living Office
pronouns: She/Her/Hers
dpretz@mines.edu
(303) 384-2576
Campus Living Office
Oversees administrative processes for the Campus Living Office.
About Debi.
My name is Debi Pretz, and I have been working at Mines in Residence Life since January 2006. Changes at Mines over the years makes me excited for the next class of students, as they, too, change with each incoming class. The joy of getting to know our students and what they bring to and expect from Mines is uplifting and “new.” Some end up working in our department for years – only to leave and continue to share with us their memories and how living and working with us is carried over into their fields of expertise and their lives post-Mines. This NEVER gets old, which is why I truly love – and stay in – Residence Life. Staff, faculty, colleagues, student staff: the absolute best and each day is busy, but joyous and truly rewarding!
Amy Hoppes
Administrative Coordinator of Residence Life
ahoppes@mines.edu
(303) 273-3181
Campus Living Office
Oversees administrative processes for Residence Life within the Campus Living Office.
About Amy.
Greg Foster
Residence Life Coordinator for Mines Park Apartments
pronouns: He/Him/His
foster@mines.edu
(303) 273-3922
2001 Infinity Circle
Supervises student staff and oversees programming. Serves on an on-call rotation for emergency response.
About Greg.
VACANT
Residence Life Coordinator for Randall, Morgan, Thomas, and Bradford Halls (The Traditional Halls)
pronouns:
(303) 273-3995
1222 West Campus Road
Supervises student staff and oversees programming. Serves on an on-call rotation for emergency response.
Alex Prusator
Residence Life Coordinator for Spruce Hall
pronouns: she/her/hers
aprusator@mines.edu
(303) 273-3276
Spruce Hall 153
Supervises student staff and oversees programming. Serves on an on-call rotation for emergency response.
About Alex.
Vacant
Residence Life Coordinator for Elm Hall and Weaver Towers
pronouns:
Supervises student staff and oversees programming. Serves on an on-call rotation for emergency response.
Zach King
Residence Life Coordinator for 1750 Jackson Street
pronouns: He/Him/His
Supervises student staff and oversees programming. Serves on an on-call rotation for emergency response.
About Zach.
B.S., Psychological Sciences, Purdue University – West Lafayette
M.S., College Student Affairs, Eastern Illinois University
Hello! My name is Zach and I come from the Midwest, specifically Northwest Indiana (The Region/Chicagoland). I completed my Bachelor’s in Psychological Sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN and completed my Master’s degree in College Student Affairs at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL.
As a person who formerly attended an institution known for STEM, I love the passion Orediggers have for their academics and careers. I’m down to talk coding with anyone since I originally wanted to be a Software Engineer myself! My hobbies/interests include: gaming (video and board), enjoying Marvel, Star Wars, and other nerdy/geeky things, hiking, Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, and finally learning how to cook.
Jacqueline Garcia
Residence Life Coordinator for Maple Hall
pronouns: She/Her/Ella
jrgarcia@mines.edu
(303)-869-5315
Maple Hall 101A
Supervises student staff and oversees programming. Serves on an on-call rotation for emergency response.
About Jacqueline.
B.A., Psychology, California State University – Sacramento
M.S., College Student Affairs, Eastern Illinois University
Hello! My name is Jacqueline and I am originally from the Bay Area of California. I completed my Bachelor’s in Psychology at California State University, Sacramento, and completed my Master’s degree in College Student Affairs in the Midwest. Being a first-generation student and American, I love helping residents find their place at Mines and build their homes here on campus. Beyond being an RLC, I love baking, cooking, hiking, kayaking, playing retro and current videogames, Pokémon, Marvel, and spending time with my dog Chewie (you can catch him in the back courtyard of Maple). Feel free to stop by at the Maple lobby to say hi!
Roles of Residence Life Staff
Residence Life Coordinators
Residence Life Coordinators are Master’s degree holding individuals who are directly responsible for managing multiple residential buildings, designing and implementing programs within halls, and overseeing the maintenance, housekeeping, safety and disciplinary standards within their residential communities.
Community Directors
Community Directors are paraprofessional staff members that live and work in the Residence Halls or Apartment Communities while attending school full time. They are responsible for the day-to-day operations of their assigned hall or community, including providing support services directly to students, supervising Resident Advisors (RAs), and overseeing all educational, social, and operational activities.
Resident Advisors
Resident Advisors (RAs) are full-time students who live in the Residence Halls or Apartment Communities and are responsible for a particular floor/building of residents. They provide support, act as a resource for students, coordinate social and educational programs, and work with one another as a group to enforce community rules and university policies within the halls.
