meet the grad center staff

Zeina Barakeh implements and directs all graduate academic events that occur throughout the year, including reviews, the Graduate Catalogue, co-curricular projects, graduate exhibitions, studio visits, curatorial week, and open studios. Zeina co-teaches the professional practices course Art Worlds: History, Theory, and Practice, and she is the founder of the No Reservations Art program—a professional practices, extra-curricular program of the Graduate Division. Zeina is a multimedia artist whose work examines political divisions. She has most recently exhibited at SOHO20 Chelsea (New York); Bernstein Gallery, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University (New Jersey), and Ictus Gallery (San Francisco). She is available to address all graduate academic issues and is the liaison between Academic Affairs, the faculty, and the students.

Vera Kachouh coordinates graduate administrative functions related to the overall flow of academic events, programs, and extracurricular and off-campus initiatives. Her role also encompasses editorial endeavors, including work on the annual Graduate Catalogue. Vera is an artist and writer, with a professional background in copyediting and arts administration. Her artwork has been shown at venues in the Bay Area, including Southern Exposure, Meridian Gallery, and the Headlands Center for the Arts. She holds an MFA from SFAI and, in 2009, was the recipient of the Headlands Graduate Fellowship Award. At the Graduate Center, Vera is available to help students with general questions and to facilitate communication between students, faculty, and other institutional departments.

Ian Kimmerly oversees and guides the function of all Graduate Center resources and services. He is the contact for health and safety policies, emergency procedures, and other issues related to the Graduate Center, including special events connected with the Graduate Division.

Milton Freitas Gouveia contributes to the management of Graduate Center resources and improvements. He also supervises the A/V Checkout and oversees the film and video resources at the Graduate Center. During the evening hours, he is the emergency contact and student-worker supervisor, and he is available to assist with any issues related to student projects, workspaces, and other Graduate Center affairs.