Dr. Hector E. Flores is a plant biologist specializing in the biochemistry and physiology of plant roots and storage organs and in the biology and culture of plant-people interactions. Dr. Flores was born and raised in Lima, Peru, where he obtained a B.S.in Biology from the Universidad Nacional de San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas. Dr. Flores earned a M.S. in Horticulture from the University of Puerto Rico (Mayaguez, 1978) and a Ph.D. in Biology from Yale University (1983). During a research and academic career spanning over 25 years, Dr. Flores has served in faculty and administrative roles at Louisiana State University, Pennsylvania State University, Arkansas State University, and most recently as Dean of Science at Texas State University.

Dr. Flores is nationally and internationally recognized for his work in plant biochemistry and root biology, having published about 100 technical papers, edited five books, and received over $5 M in funding for his research from Federal agencies and private foundations. At Penn State, Dr. Flores was the principal investigator for eleven years of a graduate training grant funded by NSF/USDA/DOE, and PI for five years of an international training grant funded by the McKnight Foundation. He has trained numerous undergraduate students and been graduate advisor of 14 M.S. and Ph.D. students.

Throughout his career, Dr. Flores has made a strong commitment to Honors education, to the mentoring and recruitment of minorities in higher education, and to international collaborations. Dr. Flores has also been active in service to the Federal Government as program director at the National Science Foundation, service to various professional societies and journal editorial boards, and as a consultant to the U.S. Dept. of State. He is also recipient of an award from the Health Science Foundation of Japan. Dr. Flores is an honorary professor of Biology at the Universidad Nacional de San Marcos in Lima, Peru, his alma mater. Dr. Flores joined the Rochester Institute of Technology on September 1, 2011, as Dean of Graduate Studies.

Laurence “Rauncie” Ryan joined the Office of Graduate Studies as the Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Success in December 2012. Rauncie started her career at RIT as a customer service supervisor in the Office of Parking and Transportation. She then transferred to the College of Liberal Arts where she began working as a Senior Staff Assistant and after two years was promoted to an Academic Advisor. Prior to joining RIT, she worked at Ithaca College in Continuing Education as a Programs Assistant. Before that she was employed in Richmond, Indiana at Genesis of the YWCA as a victim advocate for women escaping domestic violence. She has a passion for working with students and is an RIT alumnus, having earned her BA degree with honors in applied arts and sciences; she is currently pursuing an MS degree in Professional Studies. Rauncie is the 2012 recipient of the Isaac L. Jordan Staff Pluralism Award and a 2012 team Presidential award for Outstanding Staff for being part of the Campus Advocacy, Response and Support Team (CARES). She is the creator and producer of the Voices of Survivors art show and a staff advisor for Tangent.

Susan Phillips is the Administrative Assistant for the Dean’s Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies at RIT. Susan has been in this position since March, 2007 and has been with RIT since November, 2000. Prior to her career at RIT, Susan worked at Bausch & Lomb Inc. for over twenty years, mainly as the Executive Assistant for the Sr. Vice President of Human Resources. She has an A.A.S. degree in Liberal Arts from M.C.C., attended S.U.N.Y. Brockport and received her Bachelor's Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from RIT in 2011.