Meet the Team

Members of Student Development support the mission of The King’s College by creating wholesome conditions for student life, including an abiding focus on intellectual curiosity and honor fortified by spiritual discipline. Furthermore, we summon students to discover their vocations and the best ways to build from what they’ve learned during their college experience to their personal pursuit to transform society.

	Eric Bennett Dean of Students  212-659-7290      Eric Bennett has served as the Dean of Students at The King's College since the summer 2006. He began at The King's College in 2003 as Director of Student Services. Prior to Kings, he served as the Director of Enrollment Services at Alliance Theological Seminary in New York, Director of Enrollment Management at Simpson College in California and Director of Enrollment Management at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia for more than two decades of service in Christian higher education. Eric and his wife Kathy have four children: Nathaniel, Laura, Anna and Isaiah; they currently reside in Nyack, New York.   Word from the Dean
	David Leedy Associate Dean of Students  212-659-0741    B.A. Speech Communication, Indiana University M.Div., Trinity International University   David Leedy has been serving The King’s College student body since July of 2000. Originally from Indianapolis, David came to The King’s College from the Chicago area, where he earned his master’s degree. Prior to that, he spent eight years at Kansas State University working as a college chaplain. David has been married to his wife Kathy for ten years. In his free time, he loves to train for triathlons, garden, and travel internationally. One of his goals is to climb each of the 14,000 foot peaks of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
	Verna Hamilton Director of Career Services  212-659-7284    B.S. Business Administration, Florida A & M University Master of Marketing Research, The University of Georgia   Verna Hamilton, a native Philadelphian, joined The King’s College August 2006 as the Director of Student Services. As the Director of Career Services, Ms. Hamilton shares her broad experience in all aspects of financial operations, marketing, sales, and professional development. Prior to King’s, she spent over a decade with Ford Motor Company in various management roles as well as working within the non-profit and government sectors. Ms. Hamilton is an alumna of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) and received her Master of Marketing Research from The University of Georgia’s Coca-Cola Center for Marketing Studies.   An unapologetic tea aficionado, Verna Hamilton enjoys bringing buried personal talents to the surface.
	Shelli Cline Director of Student Development  212-659-0746    B.A. English and Liberal Studies, California State University, San Bernardino   Shelli Cline began working at The King’s College as the Administrative Director of Student Development in May of 2007. Before coming to King’s, she worked for two years as the Marketing and Development Specialist at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh, NY. Shelli has spent over 15 years in various administrative roles in Christian higher education, including Advancement Operations Manager at Nyack College and Director of Admissions at Simpson University. In her free time, Shelli likes to ride her bike, read, travel, spend time with friends, and generally have fun.
	Shawn Best Director of Residence Life  212-659-7292    B.A. Political Science, University of Vermont M.A. Higher Education Administration, New York University   Shawn Best began working at The King’s College as Director of Residence Life in May of 2007. Before coming to The King's College, he served as Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Vermont. He also has a passion for making music and has faithfully served in music ministry for over twenty years. Shawn enjoys sports, can hold his own in Scrabble, and loves spending time with family, friends and students.
	Jacinda Basinger Assistant Director of Residence Life   212-659-0742    B.A. in Theatre and Theology, Seattle Pacific University Elementary Education Certification, Seattle Pacific University M.A. Clinical Counseling, Alliance Graduate School of Counseling   Jacinda Basinger joined the residence life team at The King’s College in August of 2007. She grew up in Indonesia, lived in Seattle for seven years, and moved to New York in 2005 to pursue further education with her husband, Matthew. Jacinda enjoys working to shape the campus culture into a place where students thrive and continually learn to better serve God and others. She is passionate about traveling, scuba diving, photography, embracing the diversity of New York City, and spending time with students.
	Stacey Chen Resident Director  646-237-8905    B.A. Economics, Trinity College (Hartford) M.A. Counseling, Nyack College   Stacey Chen joined the Residence Life team in September 2009. Prior to King’s, she worked in the corporate and nonprofit sectors with a primary focus on IT consulting (systems implementations). In addition to her work at King’s, Stacey is a counselor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church where her experience has involved counseling individuals and facilitating support groups. She is a native New Yorker who enjoys traveling, hiking/nature, reading, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family.
	Sean Horan Athletic Director  212-659-7218
	Jennifer Tharp Director of Student Services  212-659-7289    B.S. Sociology and Family Studies, Union University M.Ed. in Student Affairs, Regent University   Jennifer Tharp began working at The King’s College as the Office Coordinator for Student Development in June of 2009. Before joining the team at King’s, Jennifer served in the Office of Residence Life at Union University, where she graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Family Studies. She considers it a pleasure to work with students at King’s, and especially enjoys meeting to discuss goals, plans, and other life ventures. She is a proponent of traveling, hospitality, learning, and personal style.
	Ray East Director of Student Life  212-659-0744    J.D., Columbia University School of Law M.A.in International Relations, The Johns Hopkins University B.A. in Economics, Vassar College   Ray joined the Student Development team in July of 2009. Prior to this, he founded Horizon East Inc., an executive coaching practice, wrote a book on leadership called The Life of Manny, and spoke at conferences on the topic of confident humility in leadership. He has also been an attorney with White and Case LLP in Washington DC, a pro bono staff attorney with The International Justice Mission, and a Management Associate with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.   Ray enjoys travel, experiencing true community, living in New York City and empowering student leaders.