Meet Student Affairs staff member Jonette Suiter.
Walk into the Student Affairs office on any given day and you are likely to see a smiling, friendly face welcoming you from behind the reception desk. That warm smile belongs to Jonette Suiter, administrative coordinator, who joined the school three years ago during the height of the pandemic, when most offices were still fully remote and there were few, if any, students roaming the halls. In the intervening years, Suiter has become one of the most recognizable faces at Pitt Public Health.
Suiter takes on a variety of roles in her ever-evolving position. When hired, she was told that the position would change over time and that it would take at least three years to become acclimated. She doesn’t disagree.
“Every day is different,” she says. “I'm still learning and I'm still trying to understand how things work and which departments do what. It’s been a learning experience, but I'm meeting so many people because everybody comes through [this office].”
That wasn’t always the case. While the country was in lockdown, students were anxious and uncertain how their educational experience was going to change, and they were not coming into the building for classes. Once people were allowed to return to campus, Suiter was at the frontlines – welcoming everyone back with her characteristic cheerfulness. She was elated to see how comfortable the students were in her space – coming to visit and speak with her whenever they had the chance. The experience made her feel confident and proud of her role.
Suiter assists with many of the school’s events, helps students find their way – literally and figuratively – and occasionally answers calls from people with questions about the new Jonas Salk Legacy Exhibit. Even when she doesn’t know the answer offhand, she is quick to explain where the information can be found. She truly is a “Jane of all trades.”
A native of Pittsburgh, Suiter returned in 2019 to care for her mother after twenty years residing in New York City. As a New Yorker, she worked for Rockefeller University, a small biomedical research university focused on biological and medical sciences, which was her first exposure to postdoctoral researchers and students. The experience helped her find a place in academia, and led to her eventual move to Pitt Public Health, where she found her work family, led by Student Affairs Director, Mike Dolinger. “It’s really nice because of how much Mike cares about Student Affairs being like a family unit and working together to get the job done,” she shares.
Rediscovering her hometown with family and friends has also been a joy for Suiter. An avid outdoors person, she loves to camp and hike in her free time. Nature is her happy place, she says, recalling her favorite monthlong trip before the wide use of cell phones.
“The best [trip] I ever took was camping across the country with my friend,” she says. “We flew to Denver and hit all of the national parks. The Canadian Rockies, all the way to San Diego.”
For now, Suiter is happy to focus on her job and what lies ahead for the new academic year, as well as her own personal well-being. Considering herself fortunate to have landed in Student Affairs, Suiter feels as though Pitt Public Health has a lot to say and do – it’s home to the next generation of public health leaders, after all.
- Amber Curtaccio
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You can find Jonette Suiter and the rest of the Student Affairs staff in Suite 1100, located on the first floor of Pitt Public Health. Student Affairs encompasses a variety of areas that are dedicated to enhancing the holistic educational experience of students and support their academic, personal and social growth. There are many opportunities to engage at the School of Public Health. If at any time you want to learn more about these experiences, please visit the office to find out more.