Janine Santimauro and David Deming are guided by their central goal: to make Kirkland House a welcoming, supportive home for all students.
Santimauro and Deming first met while completing their master’s degrees in public policy at University of California, Berkeley. Now, as a Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, an appointed professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Director of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, and a column writer for the New York Times Economic Review, Deming teaches, writes, and researches on topics related to higher education, economic inequality, skills, technology, and the future of the labor market.
“I am interested in how we educate people for jobs of the future,” Deming said. “Some of my current work is centered around the growing importance of teamwork, social interaction, and the labor market, and how important it is, and will be, to be able to work as part of a group.”
As the vice president of network development and strategic partnerships at Boston Children’s Hospital, Santimauro ensures that children, regardless of their individual situations, have access to high quality health care.
“During the pandemic, we have been trying to expand Telehealth in a meaningful way so that people continue to get the care that they need, when they need it,” Santimauro said. “We continue to develop innovative ways to expand access to care for patients all throughout New England, as well as meet the growing behavioral health needs of our children and young adults.”
As Faculty Deans of Kirkland House, they have already begun to foster the Kirkland community. Santimauro writes individual birthday cards for each resident, and both have been sending care packages to students learning remotely. They have maintained important Kirkland traditions, such as Secret Santa and the Kirkland Drama Society, while also creating new experiences, such as Faculty Deans’ challenges, lip sync contests, and chocolate tastings over Zoom.
“Kirkland is a quirky house, and I think we fit right in,” Santimauro said. “At Harvard, students are constantly pushing their own limits, so it can be beneficial for them to have a place to relax. We hope to create a space in which students feel comfortable letting their guards down, where they can feel like they are at home. Here, everyone can be their true selves.”
Outside of their work in the classroom, hospital, and Kirkland House, both Santimauro and Deming are avid runners currently training for their next marathon. Most of their free time is spent with their two daughters, ages 9 and 11, as well as their 9-month-old puppy. As they begin to reflect on their first year in Kirkland House and look forward to the next, they express their gratitude for their new community.
“We really won the lottery with Kirkland. The House is so community-focused, and because of its physical structure around the courtyard, you really get to know everyone in an intimate setting,” Deming said. “Here, in Kirkland, we really feel as if we are a part of something special.”