Gabriel Ting, Acting Chief of Police, Amherst Police Department

In his 26th year with the Amherst Police Department, Acting Chief of Police Gabriel Ting has extensive experience with town-gown relationships within the town of Amherst, in which the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst College, and Hampshire College all call home.  While beginning as a patrol officer, Chief Ting had worked his way through the ranks to experience every layer of partnership from directly dealing with problems on the street level, to developing administrative policies to find solutions.   During his time as the Captain of Operations commanding the patrol division, Chief Ting had an active roll in collaborating with his academic partners and allowing inclusivity from the student body to help change the destructive party culture in Amherst to one where social life can be accomplished responsibly within their respective campuses and off-campus locations.  Chief Ting is committed to the mission of transforming the town and gown relationship in Amherst into becoming one community.

Chief Ting is a native of Amherst and a University of Massachusetts at Amherst alumna, having received a bachelor degree and a masters degree from nearby Western New England University. 

Dr. Michael Fox has been working in the field of university-community relations, post-secondary teaching, research, and administration for over 40 years. Michael holds an undergraduate honours degree and Master’s degree in housing and urban development from Western University and an education degree and PhD in geography and education from McGill University. His teaching and research have focused on campus-community relations, community planning, and municipal affairs, including a wide range of consultation work on municipal strategic planning processes, town and gown relations committee work, housing issues, and small town economic development and sustainability projects. Michael is an active member of the Town and Gown Association of Ontario and was a long-serving Member of the Board of the International Town and Gown Association (ITGA). He is a regular presenter and consultant on his work in university-community relations and he has provided many community-based consultations based on his book entitled Town & Gown: From Conflict to Cooperation. 

Greg McDanel has served as the City Manager of Maryville, Missouri since 2012. McDanel had worked for the City of Independence, Missouri and served as the City Administrator of Cherryvale, Kansas prior to returning to Maryville as City Manager. McDanel is an ICMA-Credentialed Manager and received the 2016 Public Service Award from the Northwest Missouri State University Alumni Association. McDanel was named one of the “50 Missourians You Should Know” and in the “40 Under Forty” 2020 class by Ingram’s Magazine. McDanel currently serves on the ITGA Board of Directors and National League of Cities (NLC) University Communities Council (UCC).

Sally Linowski has 30 years of experience in substance abuse prevention, community building and teaching in higher education. She serves as a consultant to campuses nationally on the strategic implementation of comprehensive prevention programs, including extensive experience ensuring compliance with federal mandates and planning and implementing individual and environment prevention approaches. She has expertise in building meaningful campus and town partnerships and engaging students in addressing off campus student concerns as peer leaders. Currently, she is a Lecturer in Health Promotion and Policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Until January 2023, Sally served as Senior Director, Off Campus Student Life and Community Engagement at UMass Amherst, where she oversaw the Off Campus Student Center, Sorority and Fraternity Life, and Student Parent Programs. Sally is committed to public health strategies that improve living conditions and health for all community members and will continue to serve as founder/co-chair of the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High Risk Drinking.

Dr. Randall Edouard is the Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students at  SUNY Old Westbury. Before moving to SUNY Old Westbury, Dr. Edouard spent the last 15 years at Binghamton University, and his role included being Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students.  As the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Dr. Edouard supervised the areas of Student Activities, the University Student Union, Off-Campus Programs and Services, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Parent and Family Programs, the Parent Leadership Council, New Student Programs and Orientation, TRiO Programs, Student Affairs Compliance, Veterans and Military Services, the Consultation, Advocacy, Referral and Education (CARE) Team, the Students of Concern (SOC) committee, the Threat Assessment Team (TAT), the Workplace Violence (WV) committee, the Binghamton University Interfaith Council (BUIC), and the Violence, Abuse and Rape Crisis Center (VARCC). Dr. Edouard also created, implemented, developed, and lead the Binghamton University Town Gown Advisory Board (TGAB) as Chair, which we will hear about today.

With over twenty years' experience in higher education and community relations, Dilnavaz has extensive experience cultivating town-gown relationships, bringing innovative solutions to unique community challenges, and developing and supporting students at various stages throughout their college career. As part of the Residential Experience, Dilnavaz leads Student Life Willie J. Young, Sr. Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement at The Ohio State University. She and her team work with a variety of university, community and city partners/stakeholders to provide a wide range of resources, education and support for The Ohio State University community. From enhancing town-gown relationships, promoting safe and healthy behaviors, to advancing student learning and engagement and providing a premier residential experience, the final objective is student success. 

Dilnavaz is an OSU alumna, having received her bachelors degree and masters degree at The Ohio State University.

Kerri and her team work to address the basic needs of students at Rutgers, with a particular focus on food, safety and shelter. She oversees all of the basic needs initiatives on campus (food pantry, emergency funding, meal plan scholarships, etc.) and her team works to bridge the gap between off-campus students and the community where they reside, educating students about being a good neighbor- understanding their rights and responsibilities. Additionally, Kerri manages faith and spirituality initiatives on campus. Kerri has over 25 years of experience in Student affairs including residence life, student conduct, and student involvement. Kerri earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Sacred Heart University and a Masters of Education in Counseling from Bridgewater State College.

Tom O’Donnell has over 35 years of law enforcement experience with the University of Massachusetts Amherst Police Department. He currently serves as the Administrative Lieutenant with direct supervision of accreditation, overtime and community outreach. Lieutenant O’Donnell has developed strategies and tactics to address emerging trends, reduce crime, and improve quality of life in the community so Amherst residents and UMass students can coexist and thrive. Tom works collaboratively with students, faculty, and staff to foster a relationship built on respect and trust, emphasizing the needs of marginalized and underrepresented communities. 

Tom is a member of the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High Risk Drinking, he helped create Walk this Way, a program to reduce neighborhood nuisance behavior. Tom is a proud alum of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

In his 26th year with the Amherst Police Department, Acting Chief of Police Gabriel Ting has extensive experience with town-gown relationships within the town of Amherst, in which the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst College, and Hampshire College all call home.  While beginning as a patrol officer, Chief Ting had worked his way through the ranks to experience every layer of partnership from directly dealing with problems on the street level, to developing administrative policies to find solutions.   During his time as the Captain of Operations commanding the patrol division, Chief Ting had an active roll in collaborating with his academic partners and allowing inclusivity from the student body to help change the destructive party culture in Amherst to one where social life can be accomplished responsibly within their respective campuses and off-campus locations.  Chief Ting is committed to the mission of transforming the town and gown relationship in Amherst into becoming one community.

Chief Ting is a native of Amherst and a University of Massachusetts at Amherst alumna, having received a bachelor degree and a masters degree from nearby Western New England University.