Troy Alexander
Third Cook
Years of Service at Yale: 6
Time in Branford: 1.5 years
Lives in: Newhallville
Fun Fact: Troy loves to listen to music, especially rap, hip and hop, and R&B. He also loves to dance so watch out for some moves and great songs in the dining hall! Feel free to dance along with him while waiting in line!
Joyce Brown
Desk Attendant/Pantry Worker
Years of Service at Yale: 12
Time in Branford: 7 years
Lives in: Hamden
Fun Fact: Joyce used to own an amazing soul food restaurant in New Haven for three years! She loves to cook and bake for special events, and she has made some cakes that are better than Cake Boss! She loves to share her amazing work so ask her to show you her great cakes.
Naimah Covington
Transit/Fellow Cooks Helper
Years of Service at Yale: 13 years
Time in Branford: 1.5 years
Lives in: New Haven-Hamden town line
Fun Fact: Naimah has been in the international society of poets for over 22 years now. She is also an accomplished poet with her very own published poem! If you ever want to discuss poetry, make sure to reach out to her.
Pamela Dear
Pantry/Desk Attendant
Years of Service at Yale: 17
Time in Branford: All of her time has been in Branford! She is a Branford lover through and through!
Lives in: New Haven
Fun Fact: Pam’s an artist, and she focuses primarily on abstract paintings! In 2009, the YDN published an article on her amazing paintings and her artistry. She loves talking about art so feel free to ask about her paintings whenever you see her in the dining hall!
Sharcola Osborn
Cooks Helper
Years of Service at Yale: 7
Time in Branford: A few months
Lives in: West Haven
Fun Fact: Sharcola loves to learn new things and expand her knowledge, especially in the culinary arts. She loves being able to develop her own skills to help people later develop their own, a true leader!
Willie Charles
GSA: General Service Assistant
Years of Service at Yale: 4
Time in Branford: All of Willie’s time has been in Branford!
Lives in: West Haven
Fun Fact: Willie can be quite humorous! He loves comedy and participates himself, since he is a pretty comedical person. He also loves helping the community of New Haven through any means, especially at soup kitchens. If you see him, ask for a joke!
Geoff Raab
Manager
Years of Service at Yale: 3 years
Time in Branford: 6+ months
Lives in: North Branford, a true Branfordian at heart!
Fun Fact: If you need to talk to someone about sports, this is the guy! Geoff loves sports, especially baseball. He has been to over 20 major baseball stadiums and his favorite team is the Baltimore Orioles. When you see him, tell him thanks for his work to keep our dining hall going!
Malcolm Pina
GSA: General Service Assistant
Years of Service at Yale: 14
Time at Branford: 12 years
Lives in: Whalley Avenue, New Haven
Fun Fact: Malcolm loves music of any genre! His only requirement for songs is that they have a good rhythm and beat. In middle school, he was a musician in the mello percussion session. He was selected to be a student in a musical program with free private lessons to further hone his skills. He is our in house DJ at the dining hall! If you ever enjoy a song, tell him thanks for his impeccable music taste!
Love Monk
Cooks Helper
Years of Service at Yale: 10 years
Time in Branford: 4 years
Lives in: Hamden
Fun Fact: Love is a self admitted gambler and she’s proud of it! Her favorite games are blackjack and poker, and she is a consistent winner. In terms of dining, she did not expect to fall in love with it, but she absolutely loves being here! She loves helping Branford students (and students in general) and helping to make sure we have the best dining experience. Whenever you see her, say hi and tell her thank you for her dedication!
Semaj Duddley
GSA: General Service Assistant
Years of Service at Yale: 4 years
Time at Branford: 1 year, but Branford is his favorite!
Lives in: New Haven
Fun Fact: Semaj is from New Haven and he grew up loving Yale vs. whomever football games! He still goes to the games as much as possible. He currently has a 4 year old and 6 year old that he dearly loves. He also played football in New Haven as a talented quarterback and is now in the flag football league based in Danbury! If you ever want to discuss football or any sport in general, make sure to start a conversation with Semaj!
Alvira Levine
Manager
Years of Service at Yale: 1 year
Time at Branford: She’s been in Branford the entire time!
Lives in: New Haven
Fun Fact: Alvira loves cooking, reading and traveling. Her favorite genre of books are murder mysteries and fantasy books. She just went back to school for her masters in sustainable food systems! Make sure you congratulate her if you see her! One of her favorite travel experiences is when she went to Peru for 3 weeks on a cultural tour.
Mytisha Spencer
Cooks Helper
Years of Service at Yale: 8 years
Time in Branford: Just started this year!
Lives in: New Haven
Fun Fact: Mytisha is a cosmetic artist! She does various cosmetics/makeup on the side because she loves it. Maybe reach out to her if you’re interested in having her help you! Mytisha is also an entrepreneur and has started her very own cosmetic line! She currently has hair products out for purchase and she’s starting a makeup line. All of her makeup will be gluten free too! If you’re interested in helping one of our very own Branford entrepreneurs, check out her cosmetic line called She Glow!
Heather Tapper
General Manager
Years of Service at Yale: 4
Time in Branford: 3.5 years
Lives in: Clinton
Fun Fact: Heather was interested and explored the realm of archaeology in college. She applied to an internship through UCLA to become part of an excavation team in Guatemala. They worked on a Mayan campsite and unearthed skeletons, artifacts and even charcoal from old fires! All of these artifacts can be found in the Belize Museum! If you ever want to discuss archaeology, feel free to reach out!
Admo Gyamtso
Cooks Helper
Years of Service at Yale: 7
Time in Branford: 1 year
Lives in: Hamden
Fun Fact: Admo loves working with Yale University! He enjoys helping our students and providing them with healthy, delicious meals. He also believes that out of all the colleges that Branford is the absolute best college! If you see him, tell him thank you for his help and support of Branford!
Robin Ings
Pantry Worker/Desk Attendant
Years of Service at Yale: 4 years casual, just under a year permanent
Time in Branford: Her entire time at Yale!
Lives in: New Haven
Fun Fact: Robin loves to cook! When she’s home, she loves to cook in large quantities for lots of people, which is why she loves working in Branford Dining Hall so much. She has some amazing home-made recipes from potato salad to banana pudding (her favorite dessert!) If you ever want to spice up your recipes or need some delicious new meals, reach out to Robin!
Employee Spotlights:
Mike Cofrancesco
Linda Felder
Anne Leggett
Jimmie Moore