Sarah Kutten will join UO Portland on Sept. 4 as director of student services. The position supports UO Portland students and provides career advising and programming.

“We are excited to have Sarah join us in this crucial role of student support and career advising,” said Jane Gordon, vice provost for UO Portland. “She will be able to support our students through attention to their individual needs, problem-solve and address difficult situations that may arise. Through a variety of programming, she will continue to build the UO Portland student community across programs.”

Kutten comes from Willamette University, where she was the assistant director of career management as well as a contributing assistant professor in the university’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management. Previously she worked in student affairs at Portland State University.

She has a master’s degree in education and leadership and is working on doctoral dissertation, “Adulting While Black: Using Critical Race Theory – Informed Counterstories to Explore Identity Development in Higher Education,” at PSU.

“Sarah brings a variety of experiences that will serves this role well,” Gordon said. “She has provided customized career advising to diverse populations of graduate students and alumni, supported student organizations, worked as a process advisor in student conduct and launched a graduate internship program. She has experience working with FERPA, Title IX and First Amendment issues. Diversity and social justice are central to her professional and personal practice, and she views fostering collaborative partnerships as critical.”