New Leaders Take the Helm in Administration

Stewart Uretsky
Stewart Uretsky

Over the past several months, Brandeis announced three key staff appointments. Stewart Uretsky became executive vice president for finance and administration. Robin Nelson-Bailey joined the university as vice president for human resources. And Madeleine Lopez was introduced as the director of the Intercultural Center.

In his new role, Uretsky oversees a variety of areas, including finance and accounting, audit, capital structure planning, cash and debt management, human resources, public safety, facilities and real estate, dining, information technology, and procurement.

“I am thrilled to be part of Brandeis, an institution with a tremendous legacy and reputation for academic excellence,” Uretsky says.

Previously, Uretsky was vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer at the Brookings Institution. Before that, he held high-level positions at Conservation International, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Institute for International Development. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics and management from New York University, and his master’s in international economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University.

Nelson-Bailey comes to Brandeis from Mass­achusetts Bay Community College, where she served as vice president for human resources, labor relations, compliance and affirmative action. Earlier in her career, she was director of community education for Dover-Sherborn Regional Schools, in Massachusetts.

“I am excited to be part of the Brandeis community, an institution where academic excellence and social justice are vital to its core mission,” says Nelson-Bailey. “I look forward to reaffirming and renewing Brandeis’ legacy of embracing our differences while recognizing our similarities and promoting an understanding of one another.”

She has a BA from Suffolk University and an MA in organizational communication and development, also from Suffolk. She holds certificates in affirmative action and diversity management from Cornell University.

Across campus, Lopez is extending the legacy of the Intercultural Center, which in April 2017 celebrates its 25th anniversary. The center — which encompasses the Gender and Sexuality Center, among other programs — fosters growth and awareness of the many cultures at Brandeis, and provides development and leadership opportunities for students and the community.

Lopez describes the work of the Intercultural Center this way: “When something happens, whether local, national or international, that furthers discussions of race and ethnicity, this is where you come to heal, to learn and to discuss with the entire community. With a renewed emphasis on education, learning and collaborating, students develop as strong leaders and informed globalized citizens.”

Lopez joined Brandeis in 2013 as a lecturer in Latina and Latino history. She formerly served as the founding director of Hamilton College’s Cultural Education Center. She earned a bachelor’s from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s in history from Princeton, where she is currently a PhD candidate in history.