Office of the Dean

Mark serves as Chief of Staff to the Dean at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. He is an experienced organizational leader, consultant, and problem solver with experience in education, public policy, and nonprofit sectors. Mark’s work has focused on strengthening and developing equity-focused educational and policy organizations in an array of areas including fundraising, finance, operations, policy, marketing, governance, and program management. He began his career as a middle school teacher in Baltimore City where his passion and commitment to working with communities to achieve equality, access, and opportunity for all was stoked.

Before joining the School of Nursing, Mark served as Senior Associate for Strategic Initiatives at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining the University, he consulted with a variety of advocacy organizations, philanthropies, political campaigns, and nonprofits on organizational development, management, and policy. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Director of FreeState Justice, Maryland’s statewide LGBTQ+ civil right advocacy and legal aid nonprofit where he led the organization to double in size, pass 13 pro-LGBTQ+ bills, and secure appropriations for expanding services to youth experiencing homelessness. His diverse experience also includes leadership positions with KIPP Baltimore Schools charter network and Teach for America.

Mark obtained a Resident Teacher Certificate through Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education and holds BS and BA degrees in International Finance and International Economics from The Catholic University, respectively. He is a Maryland State Public Policy Conflict Resolution Fellow from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and a Baltimore Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 recipient.

Natalia Barolín, BA, BSN, RN is the Senior Health Policy Advisor in the Office of the Dean at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON). Working closely with Institute Director, Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, and the JHSON Dean, Sarah Szanton, Natalia is the conduit between the scholarly work and leadership at the JHSON and the Institute for Policy Solutions. She brings together her second career as a public health and oncology Registered Nurse with nearly 20 years of experience in strategic communications and media advocacy in health care and policy. Natalia began her nursing career in a federally qualified health center serving a primarily Latino immigrant population in Washington, DC and later worked in oncology care navigation with the Lombardi Cancer Center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital before joining the CMS Innovation Center in 2019. Prior to becoming an RN, she worked as a project director in strategic and policy communications providing support and technical assistance to a range of government and nonprofit clients including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Institute of Medicine, the FDA Tobacco Regulatory Science Fellowship, and the Office of Training and Diversity in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Natalia received her nursing degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and has a bachelor’s degree in Latin American and Women’s Studies from the University of Richmond. Natalia’s family is originally from Uruguay and she speaks Spanish fluently. Natalia’s experience helping her family fulfill their potential in the U.S. and navigate the U.S. health system, shaped her passion for social and health justice.

Cierra Greene is Executive Assistant to Dean Sarah Szanton. In this role, Cierra provides high-level support to the Dean, the Dean’s Office, and SON leadership. She leads administrative support, plays a pivotal role in organizing and facilitating communication and meetings within the Dean’s Office and across other SON functions. She also assists with special projects and initiatives led by the Dean.

Before joining the Dean’s Office team, she served as Development Coordinator for SON’s Development and Alumni Relations office. In this role, she spearheaded the gift processing assisted with the coordination of the operations and logistics of in-person and virtual events, redesigned and distributed the JHNAA Newsletter, and provided support to DAR team. Prior to coming to the Hopkins community, Cierra worked in public and private accounting. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island and her Master’s degrees from North Caroline A&T University.

Erika serves as the Director of Experience Design. In this role, she creates events, programs, and initiatives that enhance the experience of SON’s faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders. Prior to this position, Erika worked on Dean Szanton’s research team, applying design thinking principles to the design and growth of CAPABLE and other older adult research projects. She is grateful to have the opportunity to apply her skillset at JHSON, a beacon of health leadership and equity for the country and world.

Erika’s previous work experience includes management consulting, product development, and healthy housing. She completed MBA/MA degrees in Design Leadership from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and the Maryland Institute College of Art and a BBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Erika serves as president of the Jewish Museum of Maryland, is a volunteer for Thread, and loves going on adventures with her husband and two children in Baltimore

Meredith is the Senior Events Planner in the Dean’s Office at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Leveraging her extensive experience, she expertly orchestrates special events, managing every detail from planning to execution, including procurement, vendor collaboration, and budget oversight. Meredith facilitates seamless communication with SON Facilities, Marketing and Communications, and IT teams to optimize event setups and promotional materials. She has spearheaded process improvements and implemented policies to enhance event efficiency and consistency. Additionally, she leads a Professional Learning Community to foster collaboration among event organizers.

Meredith began her events career at Syracuse University in the alumni office, where she assisted in coordinating homecoming weekend, on-campus sesquicentennial events, and alumni engagement events nationwide. Following her tenure at Syracuse, she moved to Salt Lake City and served as the Events and Communications Coordinator for the International and Area Studies (IAS) program at the University of Utah. In this role, she collaborated with faculty to create successful gatherings for the four Centers/Programs and managed content dissemination across social media, email platforms, and campus advertisements. She also enhanced the IAS website and maintained event advertising and calendars. Meredith holds a BA in Sociology from North Carolina State University.

In the Dean’s office, Kira works with the Dean, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and faculty candidates for the organization and execution of all faculty appointments and promotions. She oversees the administrative operations of key committees such as the Appointment and Promotions Committee (APC) and the Academic Council (AC), including staffing, meeting schedules, agenda preparing, and facilitating communication of policy changes. She also works with the Dean and Chief of Staff to create and refine processes and policies to enhance organizational efficiency.

Kira received a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and French from Tulane University and a Master’s in communication and Nonprofit Management from Johns Hopkins University. Professionally she enjoys streamlining processes and integrating systems to achieve maximum efficiency and allocate resources properly. She currently serves as the head of the Events and Recognition Committee for the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Staff Assembly. She loves the Baltimore community, enjoys visiting art museums, exploring new restaurants, and teaching yoga.