The A-Team

The A-Team is made up of our wonderful Magisters and RAs, adult members of our college that support us in making this a great community!

The Magisters

Leonardo & Cassy

Welcome to Baker! We (Leonardo and Cassy) look forward to getting to know you and helping you achieve your goals!

Leonardo was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. He was destined to be a nerd from an early age and never really left college since he went straight from undergrad to grad schools to teaching and research. He started at Rice as a Professor of Civil Engineering in 2006. In his free time, Leonardo reads fiction with his book club, and science- and math-based nonfiction with his colleagues. He aspires to run more half-marathons and hopes that some Bakerites will join him! 

As Leonardo will tell anyone within hearing, he met Cassy during a French language class many years ago. Cassy was born and raised in Georgia. She went to law school in Texas and spent several years as a corporate transactional attorney. Cassy is a committed bookworm and aspires to write creatively more often. She can be shy at first, but she wants to hear from you! 

We have three young daughters. They thoroughly enjoy living on campus, especially eating at the servery, filling water ballons during Beer Bike Week, and feeling super cool when a college student says “hi” to them.

We also have two pets. Our dog, Ruby, enjoys barking at the squirrels and cuddling with students on the couch. On the other hand, our elderly cat, Muisca, is a weirdo and rarely spotted. 

We encourage you to visit our home and share conversations about college and life in general. We host many study breaks, such as ice cream socials, monthly book club meetings, wine tastings and more. Let’s make memories together!

The RAs (Residential Associates)

Sophie & Patrick

We’re Sophie and Patrick, your RAs on 2nd Floor Old Wing, and we’re so glad you’re here.

Patrick is a renaissance man. He’s a professional musician (guitar, bass, mandolin, fiddle, vocals), a cat dad, an armchair economist, yoga enthusiast, builder, startup mentor, auto + aero geek, a mechanical engineer, a pilot, homebrewer, DIYer, and spreadsheet magician. 

Sophie is an athlete, crafter, plant whisperer, teacher, (recovering) startup founder, multilinguist, kind of obsessed cat mom, home chef (specializing in veggies and desserts), prolific reader, and equal parts goofy and serious. She believes a good conversation and/or a great snack can fix just about anything.

We met on Tinder in 2018 (very Millennial of us), bonded over tacos and travel, got married in 2022 and now live just down the hall with our two cats, Charlie and The Beast. Sophie teaches at Rice’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Lilie), where she helps students turn big ideas into real-world impact. Patrick teaches a FWIS on Country Music. He also advises and does fractional work for various startup organizations. If you're ever scheming something cool (a startup, a club, an event, or a side quest), we’d love to chat.

Around Baker, you can find us chatting it up at Life Office Hours, getting creative at Crafternoon, roasting marshmallows at S’mores Night, or debating the best flavor of Buldak at Midnight RAmen. We also eat almost all our meals in Baker Commons; feel free to say hi or join us for a meal! You can also join Hallway Time on Old Wing 2nd Floor where Charlie and The Beast meow door to door soliciting affection – come say hi!

We’re here to support you in the fun, the messy, and the everything-in-between of life. Don’t be a stranger!

Danielle & Branden

Hi Bakerites! We (Danielle and Branden) are thrilled to join the incredible Baker community as new RAs (cause Baker comes first!) and look forward to lots of learning, exploration, and growth as we get to know you and serve as trusted mentors.

Our story began in Atlanta, Georgia in 2010, where we first met during undergrad (Danielle while at Spelman College, Branden at Morehouse College). Though our introduction during undergrad was brief, we kept “in touch” via Instagram until 2019 when we had our first date. We tied the knot on New Year’s Day 2025 here in Houston and together, we share a deep love for our families, our 2 dogs King and Lily, and goofy moments filled with laughter. As RAs, some of our top priorities will be ensuring student wellbeing, helping to build safe and supportive communities, and being available to offer guidance to all Bakerites.

Danielle was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and began her Rice career in 2018. She is an associate professor of Organizational Psychology and the associate dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Her research and teaching focuses on promoting motivation, leadership, resilience, thriving, and belonging and she finds great fulfillment in helping others realize their potential. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from Michigan State University.

Outside of work, Danielle loves tending to her house plants, socializing with friends, trying new workouts, and painting. She looks forward to hosting stress-relief study breaks, sharing meals in the servery, and introducing everyone to her pups for pet therapy and fun together.

Branden was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to Houston in 2019. He is a Commercial Relationship Manager at PNC Bank, where he is responsible for managing the banking relationships of Houston-based companies and advising them towards achieving their financial goals. Branden earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance at Morehouse College and started his commercial banking career as an analyst/underwriter before transitioning to managing clients ranging from startups to long-established companies. Branden is an Eagle Scout and in his spare time, he enjoys volunteering, video games, biking, googling random topics, and learning new things. He looks forward to becoming a part of the Baker family, the many laughs & memories to be made/shared, and getting to know you all!

Together, we are excited to get to know you and support you in any way we can!

The College Coordinator

Kristen

Hey Baker! I’m Kristen, your College Coordinator, and I am so excited to have you here!

I was born and raised in Texas, spending most of my life in Houston. I attended The University of Texas at Austin and received my bachelor’s in biology (hook ‘em). There, I was a Resident Assistant in a 1,800-student residence hall, so with that and my time here, I hope to make Baker feel a little bit like home!

At UT, I also met my now-husband, Matthew, who was an RA in the same residence hall! He went back to UT for law school and is currently clerking for a federal judge. You may see him from time to time at some Baker events, so don’t hesitate to come up and say hi! He’s an honorary Bakerite.