Ten employee representatives were announced as winners of the Spring 2025 Employee Assembly election selected to represent the voices of the University’s colleges and schools, divisions, units and identity-based campus communities on Wednesday.
The Employee Assembly is a 35-member group representing staff from Cornell’s Ithaca, Geneva and Cornell Tech campuses. Advocating for staff interests, the assembly promotes collaboration with University leadership and works to enhance the staff experience.
This spring election used a ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to rank candidates by preference.
Nickey Williams, a recent addition to the Cornell staff, is the assistant director for the Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program. She was elected as the less than five years service representative, with a term ending in 2028. Williams was inspired to run to ensure the voices of newer employees within the assembly are amplified and heard.
“I aim to ensure that the voices of newer employees are represented and addressed in assembly discussions, focusing on their unique needs and experiences,” Williams wrote in a statement to The Sun.
In order to help identify areas for improvement and inform decision-making within the Employee Assembly, she intends to “create opportunities for newer employees to share their insights and feedback,” Williams wrote. She also hopes to “promote and expand training programs, workshops, and mentorship initiatives that support the growth and skill-building of employees in their early years at Cornell.”
Jennifer Best ’21, has been at Cornell for 13 years and is currently the School of Industrial and Labor Relations Operations Administrator on the ILR School Human Resources Team. She was elected as the representative for ILR, with a term ending in 2026.
Best believes the Assembly is a valuable platform that enables collaboration with colleagues and the exchange of ideas to contribute meaningful change. She emphasized the importance of effective representation for the ILR school and fostering meaningful relationships across campus.
“My priority is to serve as a positive ambassador for the ILR School while exploring initiatives and ideas from other areas within Cornell,” Best wrote. “I aim to bring back valuable insights to ILR and highlight the outstanding contributions and achievements of the school.”
Carl Cornell, who was re-elected for his second term as the LGBTQ+ at-large representative, echoed a continued commitment to building community and advocating for inclusivity.
“In times of change, it's more important than ever that we come together, support one another, and find strength in our shared experiences and goals," Cornell wrote in a statement to The Sun. “My goal is to help create a workplace environment where every staff member feels valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.”
During his first term, Cornell was elected to the executive committee as parliamentarian for the Assembly. In this role, Cornell ensures that Assembly meetings follow the rules outlined in the charter and bylaws, interprets and resolves any questions or disputes about those rules and works with the Office of the Assemblies to keep governing documents accurate and publicly available.
“I’ve found genuine joy in advocating not just for LGBTQIA+ staff, but for all Cornell staff community members,” Cornell said.
Matthew Snyder, an academic advisor at the School of Hotel Administration, was elected to represent the division of Student and Campus Life.
Snyder's first priorities as an employee representative are to “listen to senior members of Assembly, support my fellow colleagues, and do what’s necessary to improve the environment and communication here at Cornell,” according to an email sent to The Sun.
Victoria Bell, a recent graduate and one of the youngest full-time staff members in the Graduate School, was elected as the representative for the Graduate School and Law School. Bell hopes to learn from her peers while also contributing her strong suit practices.
“My top priorities during my term are to join our committees to extend my reach, assist in my strong suit practices (such as communications work, program planning, and tangible organizing efforts), and learn from my peers,” Bell said. “I am extremely excited to work with the E.A. [Employee Assembly] team and promise to work hard to well represent all Cornell staff!”
Bethany Dixon, who currently serves as the Less than Five Years Service Representative, was newly elected as the College of Arts and Sciences representative.
“Employee Assembly provides a collective platform to explore and foster the curiosity and connection needed to allow people to feel authentically valued, heard, and included in a large community/institution such as Cornell,” Dixon wrote in her candidate profile.
Alysia Ericsson, the business development specialist for the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture, was elected as the Cornell AgriTech representative. Ericsson expressed eagerness to create a “workplace culture of respect and community, where everyone feels valued and heard.”
Danialle Hill, who currently serves as the events coordinator for the School of Integrative Plant Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was elected as the non-exempt employees representative at-Large. Hill hopes to provide a voice for the unique needs of non-exempt employees.
“I believe that by focusing on the important issues of job security, benefits, and barriers to career progression we can continue to thrive as a community,” Hill wrote in her profile.
Pia Mengers was re-elected to serve as the SC Johnson College of Business representative and Ellie Krumm-Powers was re-elected to her position as the research, technology transfer and information technology representative.
Michael Ferreira ’28 is a Sun contributor and can be reached at mm3447@cornell.edu.
