Rebecca Jean, Esq. And Helen Skirchak Join LaGuardia’s Office Of Compliance And Diversity To Manage Title IX Inquiries And Investigations

Rebecca Jean, Esq. and Helen Skirchak Join LaGuardia’s Office of Compliance and Diversity to Manage Title IX Inquiries and Investigations

Rebecca Jean, Esq. (Left) and Helen Skirchak (Right)

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY— (September 18, 2024) – LaGuardia Community College has hired Rebecca Jean, Esq. as the college’s Interim Title IX Coordinator and Helen Skirchak as the college’s Title IX Investigator. Both staff members will join the college’s Office of Compliance and Diversity on September 16. They will report to Sabine Rospide, Esq., Interim Chief Diversity Officer, who reports to the president.

Jean and Skirchak will respond to complaints covered by Title IX, the federal civil rights law enacted in 1972 to protect people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX typically covers gender-based discrimination, harassment, dating and domestic violence, other forms of sexual misconduct, stalking, and retaliation. It requires colleges receiving federal funding to combat gender-based violence and harassment and respond to survivors’ needs to ensure all students have equal access to education. You can learn more about the Title IX-Sex Based Misconduct policy here.

Before joining LaGuardia, Rebecca Jean, Esq. served as an Agency Attorney with the New York City Department of Education, conducting legal investigations and administering meetings with special education specialists and clinical staff to analyze and evaluate the appropriateness of petitioners’ demands. Prior to this role, Rebecca served as a senior staff attorney with Brooklyn Defender Services, where she worked with parents to provide access to resources and services to restore their rights.

Rebecca earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Queens College. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Massachusetts School of Law, where she was the Lead Editor of the Law Review.

Helen Skirchak joins LaGuardia after serving as a Diversity and Inclusion Specialist with the New York Police Department. In this role, Helen managed comprehensive compliance and training on equal employment opportunity policy and developed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training to foster a more inclusive workplace. Previously, as the lead policy consultant with Care for the Homeless, they conducted in-depth policy analysis, leading to improved equitable service delivery for thousands of clients. Helen’s background also includes working as an investigator with the NYPD, where they conducted over 350 confidential investigations.

Helen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Stony Brook University and a Master of Science in Urban Policy and Leadership from Hunter College. They also have a certification in Equal Employment Opportunity Internal Investigations from Cornell University.

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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 associate degrees and academic certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to prepare New Yorkers for transfer to senior colleges and rewarding jobs and careers. An institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of the underserved. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students from Queens, NYC and beyond.

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