Profile: Josh Hamlin

Josh Hamlin is the person responsible for keeping the activities on the three floors of the Max Mutchnick Campus Center running smoothly year-round. As director of the Campus Center, he oversees the operations of spaces on Levels 1, 2, and Lower Level 1 of Piano Row. The spaces consist of conference rooms, piano practice rooms, student organization offices, student lounges, and the Reflection Room, as well as the Multipurpose Room. Hamlin also oversees the operation of the Cabaret in the Little Building.

He receives the reservation requests for these spaces and ensures that events are supported, including room setup and audiovisual technology needs. He supervises 40 student employees, some of whom provide technical setup for events in the Cabaret and some of whom staff the Campus Center’s information booth.

Hamlin said that the Multipurpose Room hosts 500+ events per year and the Cabaret hosts 200+ events per year. Overall, the Campus Center hosts 7,800+ events per year. One of his favorite events is one that he has planned for the past five years: the Haunted House at Halloween. With more than 40 students involved in the planning and execution of the event, the Cabaret is transformed into a walk-through production featuring multiple rooms and scenes centered on a unique theme each year, such as a mythological Greek labyrinth and Grimms’ fairytales in the past.

In June, Hamlin will have been employed at the College for nine and a half years. He started out as a program coordinator for the Office of Student Activities and the Campus Center. The office eventually split and he became the assistant director of the Campus Center. He became director in 2013.

His favorite thing about Emerson is “working with the student population, because of their creativity, drive, and passion…which I also find in my colleagues,” he said. Outside of his job responsibilities, Hamlin is an engaged community member, holding membership on the Human Resources Advisory Council and the Student Conduct Committee. He is also an advisor to the Orientation program as well as several student organizations.

He arrived at Emerson with experience as a grad assistant in the student activities office at Northeastern University, where he graduated with an MS in applied psychology with a concentration in college student development and counseling. He attended Boston University to obtain a BS in human physiology.

Hamlin was born in Iceland and lived in a number of Northeastern states, including Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York. Once he arrived in Massachusetts for college, he declared it home. He lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts, with his wife, Julie, and son, Connor.

He enjoys hiking and visiting local beaches with his family in the summertime, and they spend time at a family cabin in Maine. He is also an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, and enjoys discussing the works of Tolkien, Martin, King, and Rowling, as well as television, movies, and tech developments.

Nancy Howell (Creative Services)