Since its launch in 2026, the Disability Support Leadership Institute has supported one cohort and 5 SUNY faculty and administrative professionals. DSLI Fellows represent 5 SUNY campuses across all four sectors and System Administration, bringing a broad range of experiences, roles, and perspectives from across the university system.
Jennifer Forni is the College Director of Disability Services at Suffolk County Community College, the largest community college in the SUNY system. With over a decade of leadership at Suffolk, she oversees college-wide programs serving over 1,400 students annually and directs a multidisciplinary team across three campuses. Jennifer also co-founded and now co-chairs Suffolk’s CARE Team to provide proactive, coordinated support for students of concern. In addition to her work at Suffolk, Jennifer serves as an adjunct faculty member in Hofstra University’s Rehabilitation Counseling master’s program, where she teaches courses on vocational rehabilitation, disability studies, and counseling.
Before joining Suffolk, Jennifer held progressively responsible roles in Disability Services at Columbia University, where she managed services for students across multiple professional schools, including on the medical campus, chaired the University Disability Housing Committee, and supervised a multidisciplinary staff. Her early career includes roles in vocational rehabilitation, independent living, counseling, and K–12 education, giving her a deep understanding of the continuum of disability support from childhood through adulthood.
Jennifer holds an M.S.Ed. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Hofstra University and a B.A. in Counseling and Human Services from the University of Scranton. She is an active member of AHEAD, the New York State Disability Services Council, and NABITA.
Dr. Kelly Gorman is the Director of the Office of Health Promotion at the University at Albany. Her leadership and scholarship focus on creating health promoting systems and settings, and with this compass, the Office of Health Promotion provides resources and services for the campus of 17,000 students on topics such as sexual violence prevention and survivor support and advocacy, mental health promotion, sexual health promotion, substance misuse prevention, as well as the Collegiate Recovery Program to support students in recovery from addiction. In addition, Dr. Gorman also co-leads the Well-Being Collective, which is tasked with implementing the Okanagan Charter at the University at Albany as a Health Promoting University.
Dr. Gorman brings a wide range of experience to her role spanning various functional areas throughout student affairs, Title IX, college health and higher education at small and large private and Ivy League institutions. She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at William & Mary and completed her master's in public health with a specialization in health promotion at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Gorman earned her doctorate in educational policy, planning and leadership at William & Mary where her dissertation explored executive leadership decision-making and organizational change surrounding adoption of the Okanagan Charter.
Nazely Kurkjian is the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategy. Previously she served as the president's chief of staff. Nazely plays an instrumental role in shaping enrollment and retention initiatives at SUNY Delhi. In addition to administrative responsibilities, she has taught several courses on campus.
Ms. Kurkjian has worked within the SUNY System for over ten years, beginning her career with a focus on advancing equity for students with disabilities, at Binghamton University. As an individual with disabilities, Nazely is acutely aware of the barriers persons with disabilities face navigating postsecondary education. During her tenure at SUNY System Administration, her expertise and advocacy led to key accomplishments including increasing state funding for college students with disabilities and establishing SUNY's EIT Accessibility policy. Nazely completed her bachelor's degree in philosophy and master's degree in student affairs administration at Binghamton University.
Guy Linton is the Director of the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) at Onondaga Community College. In his previous roles at Onondaga, he served as the Assistant Director for the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and before that role as the Student Advisor for the School of Computing and Applied Technologies, now officially known as the School of Technology, Engineering, and Computing.
Prior to his arrival at Onondaga Community College, Guy held a 21-year career in K-12 education, where he began as a teaching assistant before progressing to become a special education teacher, and then finally ascending into the role of a principal for several Special Needs programs. He also coached Varsity Cross Country and Track for 8 seasons and served as an advisor for the student council.
Guy Linton received his Bachelor's degree in History, his MST in Teaching with a dual certification in History and Special Education 7-12, and his Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in School Building and School District Leadership, from LeMoyne College.
Dr. Beth Richards serves as the Assistant Dean for Inclusion and Belonging at SUNY Broome Community College, where she provides strategic leadership to advance equitable student success, inclusive campus culture, and institutional accountability. In this role, she collaborates across academic and student affairs to design, implement, and assess initiatives that remove systemic barriers and strengthen persistence and completion, particularly for historically underserved student populations.
With nearly a decade of experience in higher education administration and ten years of teaching mathematics at the high school and community college levels, Dr. Richards has led campus-wide student success initiatives while overseeing essential student support services. Her work is grounded in evidence-based student development and equity-minded frameworks and includes serving in Title VI and Title IX investigative roles, co-chairing the President’s Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, and chairing the Bias Incident Response Team. She also contributes to institutional initiatives focused on fostering student belonging, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and improving student success outcomes.
Dr. Richards earned her Ph.D. in Community College Leadership from Old Dominion University, where her research examined the relationship between tutoring and student success and retention among men of color in STEM gateway courses at Upstate New York community colleges. She also holds a master’s degree in Mathematics Education and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and is actively engaged in mentorship, presenting at conferences, participating in professional development, and working to publish her research.
Known for her collaborative and equity-minded leadership style, attention to detail, and strong commitment to inclusive excellence, Dr. Richards brings a systems-level approach to institutional change. She is particularly passionate about building sustainable, data-informed structures that promote student success, strengthen sense of belonging, and advance equitable outcomes across academic and student support systems. Through mentorship, cross-campus collaboration, and evidence-based practice, her work centers on applying best practices to create inclusive learning environments where all students can thrive.
If you have any questions, or would like to know more about whether the SUNY AANHPILI Fellowship program is for you, please contact Zulaika Rodriguez, Executive Director, at Zulaika.Rodriguez@suny.edu or 518-320-1538.