House Directors

Each College House has its own House Director, a resident of the House and the head of its administrative office. She or he is the person in charge of supervising the people and programs that make the College House work. The Director is always there to provide "first response" advice and support to students, referring them as necessary to the variety of academic advising resources offered by Penn's undergraduate schools. The Director will also refer students, as necessary, to other offices in the University where specialized counseling, tutoring, and other services are available.

Please refer to the House Director Position Description and the House Director Addendum for detailed descriptions.

In 2011 the Almanac, Penn's weekly journal of record and opinion, published an overview of the role of the House Directors (then called House Deans) at the University. Click here to view.

College House Directors

Ebonish Lamar
Fisher Hassenfeld College House

Ms. Lamar earned a B.A in Philosophy from Cal Poly Pomona University and a M.Ed in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from the University of Southern California. She currently pursuing her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and Management at Drexel University. Ebonish has 13 years of Higher Education experience in residence life, conference services and residential learning communities. Ebonish's most recent position was at Syracuse University as the Assistant Director of Learning Communities. She also has worked as adjunct faculty facilitating course sessions around college transition, first-generation college student success and socially just residential communities.

Gwendolyn Stevens
Gregory College House

Gwendolyn is a proud graduate from the first HBCU, Lincoln University, and has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from University of Pittsburgh. Over her past 8 years of work experience in Higher Education, she has provided leadership in Residence Life, First-Year Orientation, Student Activities, DEI Initiatives, and Academic Advising. It is her determination and authenticity that has led her colleagues to affectionately call her an engaging, thoughtful leader, with an eye for innovation and inclusion. Her students describe her as courageous, encouraging, and influential. Guided by the Latin phrase “cura personalis”, care for the entire person, Gwendolyn’s philosophy is leading with empathy and grace to ensure care is being exercised for all aspects of one’s being. It is her commitment and belief in holistic student development and embracing your authentic self that is instrumental in helping individuals reach phenomenal levels of personal and professional growth.

As House Director, Gwendolyn is committed to cultivating vibrant living and learning experiences reflective of the diversity and uniqueness of every Penn student. She also works to ensure her advisees are equipped with the resources, knowledge, and support to be successful in college. She is a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and is affiliated with several leadership and professional organizations. Gwendolyn loves being a mommy, ice coffee, traveling, OrangeTheory Fitness, and shopping on Amazon.

Kathryn McDonald
Gutmann College House

Ms. McDonald earned her B.A. in American History and African History at Southern Oregon University and her M.A. in Higher Education and Student Personnel at Kent State. Her focuses in the residential life field include training and development; student leadership and supervision, teaching at the college level. Joining CHAS in 2016 after serving as an Associate Director of Residential Education at Tulane, she now serves the upperclass population of Rodin College House as House Director.

Eric Cottrell
Harrison College House

Eric Cottrell earned his Master of Education in Student Affairs from Clemson University and his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Rider University. Prior to joining College Houses and Academic Services, Eric served as a Resident Director and Adjunct Faculty Member at Temple University where he also completed a Graduate Certificate in Teaching In Higher Education. Eric is excited to bring his passion for creating inclusive living-learning environments to Harrison College House. In addition to his work, Eric is an active member of NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. He also is a lover of college football, iced tea, and playing in Stonewall Sports Leagues with his friends.

Dr. Mhamed Bokreta
Kings Court English College House

Dr. Bokreta received three advanced degrees in geology at the University of Algiers during the years 1974-1976. In 1992, he completed a Ph.D. in Geology at Penn. Among his honors are a National Council for Research Fellowship in Italy in 1986 and in 1989, and a Research Fellowship from the Geology Institute of Poland in 1975. With a working knowledge of six languages, he has written for American Mineralogist and is researching an article on the properties of garnet. Dr. Bokreta has been closely involved in residential housing, academic programs and student advising at Penn since 1985. In 1990, he began serving as Assistant Dean for Residence at Kings Court English House and was instrumental in building four model living-learning programs there. At the 1997 Frontiers in Education conference in Pittsburgh, Dr. Bokreta and Penn colleagues presented "The Partnership Between the Science and Technology Wing and the School of Engineering and Applied Science: An Experiment in Living and Learning" that was subsequently published in the IEEE Catalog of 1997. In 1998 at the inception of the Penn-wide College House System, he became the first House Dean of KCECH and has served as the director of the House ever since.

Mitchell Holston
Lauder College House

Mitchell Holston (he/him/his) serves as the House Director for Lauder College House. He graduated with his B.S.B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Leadership Studies from Auburn University and a M.A.Ed. in Higher Education from Virginia Tech. Mitchell's time in higher eduction has led him to develop his own personal philosophy, which is that higher education professionals should prepare students to make the world a better place by serving and leading through their unique talents. He enacts this philosophy through his focus areas, which include student development, student leadership, and social justice. Before arriving at UPenn, Mitchell worked at Georgia Tech, Texas A&M University, and Colorado State University. In his spare time, Mitchell enjoys watching college football, traveling, DJing, Pokemon GO, and anything Beyonce.

Amber Williams
Stouffer College House

Amber holds a dual B.A. in Elementary (K-4) and Special (K-8) Education from Arcadia University, and a M.A. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of San Diego. Amber is an experienced and energized professional having worked in Residence Life, Leadership Development, and Multicultural Affairs. Amber is a strong, flexible, life-long learner with a passion for student development and group relations work. Their most recent role was at Villanova University as an Area Coordinator for Residence Management, an Adjunct Professor for courses using intergroup dialogue for social change, and a workshop facilitator for a multitude of trainings including LGBTQ+ identities, race relations, and healthy relationships. Amber is a Philadelphia native and in their free time they enjoy watching basketball and Eagles games, exercising, trying new food/restaurants, listening to R&B music, podcasting, and spending time with loved ones.