Faculty Chair: Karen Chou
The Faculty Chair is a senior faculty member who “guides the intellectual and programmatic life” of a residential college. In Slivka, they often take students to cultural and other unique events.
Karen Chou (aka KChou) is Slivka’s Faculty Chair. She is a Clinical Professor Emerita and former assistant department chair of Civil Engineering. Since retirement, she was able to catch up on some cooking, including cooking fireside events with the Slivkans, cross stitching, reading mystery books, and walking as much as she can. She can always talk about building, structures, infrastructures, EA 2 and 216 (you will find out what they are soon enough). You can learn more about KChou here!
Email: karen-chou@northwestern.edu
Associate Chair: Joe Kuechel
The Associate Chair shares responsibilities with the Faculty Chair.
Joe Kuechel is our Associate Faculty Chair. He is currently the Operations Director of the Ford Prototype Shop at the Segal Design Institute, a position he has held since 2016. He brings over 35 years of manufacturing experience in leadership, tool and die, and as a shop owner, where throughout his career, he did work for the medical, aerospace, defense and tooling industries. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and working collaboratively with students.
Outside of his professional life, Joe enjoys spending time with his best friend and love of his life, wife Lara, as well as with his adult son, daughter and son-in-law. Some of his greatest pleasure comes from trying new things, which includes time in the kitchen. Skiing, golfing and reading are among his favorite activities to which he also recently added surfing. Joe loves to laugh and looks forward to sharing good times with the Slivkans.
Assistant Chair: Aidan Burdick
The Assistant Chair is a graduate student who helps with the administrative duties of the residential college, such as organizing cross-RC events. They also act as a liaison between students and the Office of Residential Academic Initiatives.
Aidan Burdick is our assistant chair. He is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. He studies climate change in North America over the last 15,000 years through the study of lake sediments. His role at Slivka involves advising the executive board, helping with college programming, and hosting weekly office hours. In his spare time, you can find him playing chess, riding his bike, rock climbing, or nerding out about hockey.