Meet Our Staff

Director, Student Support and Wellness

Rebecca is delighted to be a part of the vibrant and talented Ithaca College community. A Rochester native, Rebecca is a proud graduate of SUNY Geneseo and St. John Fisher College, where she received her graduate degree in Mental Health Counseling. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Rebecca's professional work is rooted in community mental health services, and she has worked extensively as a therapist with youth, adults, and families.

Rebecca and her husband relocated to the Ithaca area in 2016, drawn to the area's community-oriented focus, natural beauty, and extensive homemade ice cream offerings. Rebecca joined the Ithaca College team as Director for the Office of ICare and Student Support in 2019. She is honored to have the chance to work with brilliant professionals across all divisions of the college and is continually awed by the resilience and kindness of Ithaca College students. Often introduced to students in high-stress circumstances, Rebecca values the opportunity to connect with students, to understand their perspectives, and to navigate challenging situations together in a collaborative partnership.

When time allows, Rebecca seeks opportunities to immerse herself in IC's culture, whether it be chaperoning students at Cortaca, attending campus events, or popping up in places where delicious food is available. Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys chasing around her four year-old daughter, attempting to keep the flowers in her garden alive, and talking to anyone who will listen about her puppy, Freddie.

To connect further, please email Rebecca at rcogan@ithaca.edu or call the Office of ICare and Student Support at (607) 274-7731.

Health Promotion Specialist, Center for Health Promotion

I started working for Ithaca College in August of 2024. My interest in health promotion started in my undergrad when I was a peer educator for the Health and Wellness Prevention office at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. After graduating with my BS in Community Health, I worked in several non-profits providing drug and alcohol education to high school, middle school, and elementary school students. After working with community collations, I realized how much I loved working with college students, and I decided to go back to school and get my Master's in Public Health to work in higher education. I started at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and was able to have a graduate assistantship in the wellness promotion office. I gained incredible valuable skills that I apply to this job every day.

I am passionate about well-being and the different facets it entails. I am a public health nerd have studied the effects drugs and alcohol can have on your body and mental health during both my undergrad and graduate careers.

Health Promotion specialist, center for health promotion  

I was hired at Ithaca College in January 2024 and was previously working as a mental health counselor at CAPS before transitioning to my new position at the Center for Health Promotion. I attended SUNY New Paltz for both my undergraduate degree in psychology, with a minor in sociology, and my graduate degree in clinical mental health counseling. I returned to the Ithaca area in 2020 and worked for three years at an outpatient substance use clinic; during this time, I shaped my values of harm reduction, dismantling systemic barriers to wellness, and addressing the needs of the whole person rather than just the symptoms. I consider myself to be an intersectional feminist, an anticapitalist, an advocate, and a humanist. My professional interest areas include: sexual violence, domestic violence, substance use & harm reduction, chronic mental health disorders, the relationship between alienation and mental health, sociological barriers to wellness, and existential philosophy and theory.

In my personal time I love spending time with animals (especially cats), reading excessively long historical fiction novels, yoga and meditation, and video games (I just can’t get away from Night City!).

(From left to right)

Anastasiia Gubina, Jacquelyn Reaves, Asata Rothblatt