About the Team

The Caltech CARE Team is guided by the values of safety, autonomy, and shared responsibility. By partnering with all members of the community, the CARE Team strives to promote individual well-being and success while prioritizing community safety.

2023-2024 CARE Team Members

Lesley Nye
Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students

Kristin Weyman
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Students

Darrell Peterson
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies

Denise Lin
Assistant Director of Counseling Services and Crisis Intervention Coordinator

Sean Cutting
Accessibility Services Specialist for Caltech Accessibility Services for Students (CASS)

Hima Vatti
Assistant Vice President Equity, Equity Investigations; Title IX Coordinator

Ryan Eskin
Associate General Counsel

Hampton Cantrell
Chief of Campus Security

Christopher Barragan
Case Manager, Student Affairs

Vanessa Tejada
Director of Residential Experience

The CARE Team meets weekly to review CARE Referrals, develop plans for intervention and support, plan training and outreach, and engage in professional development activities to continue to enhance the CARE Team's functioning.

When a CARE Referral is made, it is reviewed for any urgent concerns that require immediate attention. Most often, referrals are reviewed during weekly meetings, and the CARE Team considers the most appropriate way to manage each situation. In some cases, more information is required, and a CARE Team member will reach out to the referring party to gather additional details. Not every CARE Referral requires substantial action; in other cases, a series of action items may be developed with the eventual involvement of multiple CARE Team members. Typically, one team member will take the lead and reach out the student, staff, faculty or postdoctoral scholar who is the subject of the referral. When a CARE Team member reaches out, the contact is not disciplinary in nature; the goal is to communicate care and concern, and to connect the individual with resources that could be helpful. In a situation where concern arises about an individual's personal safety or the safety of the community, a CARE Team member will make contact with the individual, learn more about the situation, and perhaps ask that the individual talk with a professional staff member for a safety risk assessment. Again, these conversations are not punitive, and every effort is made to balance the autonomy of the individual with the safety of the community. In every case, the CARE Team strives to take a developmental approach that allows for individuals to access support and engage in activities that will reduce distress and further escalation or disruption to the community.