Willamette University

Residence Life

Meet the Staff

Our current staff is listed below.

Elizabeth Trayner

Elizabeth Trayner

Elizabeth (or "Liz") is completing a doctorate in Education Administration from the University of Southern California. She has a masters degree in Vocal Performance and a bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of South Dakota. Liz is passionate about her family, Social Justice and Disney. She loves to travel and has been to 46 states, 6 countries and 4 continents. She is also an avid line dancer. She is happy to be returning to Oregon where she spent her middle school years.

Tori Ruiz

Tori Ruiz

A human development specialist, Tori Ruiz is the Office Coordinator for Res Life. She is the proud mother of five children and takes many more under her wings each year. Tori enjoys going to her children’s games and anything that involves sports and arts and crafts.

Janae Brewster

Janae Brewster

Janae earned her masters in higher education administration from Washington State University and double-majored in English and communication at Whitworth University. She enjoys self-serve frozen yogurt shops, farmers markets and leisurely bike-riding. She's looking forward to working with the students at Willamette!

Jess Varga

Jess Varga

Jess received a masters in leadership and management from York St. John University in the United Kingdom and a bachelors in criminal justice administration and sociology from Sonoma State University. She is from the Los Angeles area and has been living on and off in Sonoma County for the past eight years. She is excited about the opportunity to explore Salem and Oregon. When not working, you can usually find her watching movies, hanging out with friends, reading, crafting, and taking photographs.

Chris Toutain

Chris Toutain

After growing up in southern Minnesota, Chris made his first venture to Willamette as an undergraduate student, majoring in rhetoric and media studies. Upon graduating in 2008, he moved to Pennsylvania and completed an M.A. in communication arts & sciences at Penn State. Most recently, he has made the journey back to Willamette after finishing a student affairs administration M.Ed. program at Western Washington University. In his free time, Chris loves to ski at Mount Hood, and can also frequently be found exploring Portland's many coffee shops.

Heather Coakley

Heather Coakley

Heather studied higher education administration at Washington State University (M.A.) and speech communication and organizational leadership at North Central College (B.A.) in Illinois. Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, Heather moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2007. When not in her office, Heather can be found snowboarding , skating with the local roller derby league, reading, sewing, or playing with one of her many nerdy gadgets.

Megan Neish

Megan Neish

Megan is a Senior Psychology major. She's had multiple roles within her dorm over the last few years and enjoys putting in as many volunteer hours as she can into the neighboring elementary school (Bush Elementary). Relaxing usually means sitting down with a puzzle book, finding some craft project to work on, finding new ways to decorate or just hanging out with friends. Her passion shines through working with children and she is excited to one day soon have her own classroom.

Bradley Schultz

Bradley is a Senior Sociology major, who recently returned from a semester abroad improving his Spanish language skills in Spain. On campus he is actively involved in the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Campus Ambassadors, and in the Bistro coffeehouse. In his free time, he enjoys being spontaneous and adventuresome, often taking the time to go for a hike or enhancing his creative side through photography. He is very passionate about developing healthy relationships with people and empowering them to develop new perspectives in order to create a more socially just society.

Beatriz Leon-Gomez

Beatriz Leon-Gomez

Beatriz is a Senior Rhetoric and Media Studies and Spanish major with a minor in American Ethnic Studies. She is from Davis, California. On campus she is involved with the Panhellenic Council, The Willamette Collegian Newspaper and Delta Gamma Fraternity for Women. In her free time, she enjoys reading, photography, dancing, and traveling.