Profile: Hunter Gillis
Hunter Gillis, one of Emerson College’s residence directors, has been overseeing the vibrant first-year community in the Little Building for two years. He plays a vital role in creating an inclusive, supportive environment where 1,035 first-year students can thrive. As residence director, he supervises a team of 14 student leaders, including Resident Assistants (RAs) and International Student Peer Mentors (ISPMs). These students are key contributors to Gillis’s vision, which emphasizes community building, safety, and student success. Through their work, they help their fellow students find a sense of belonging and support during their early days at Emerson.
Gillis is actively involved in recruiting and hiring RAs and ISPMs. Serving on the departmental Student Staff Hiring and Recruitment Committee, he is currently gathering applications for the next cohort of student leaders. Once hired, RAs participate in extensive training programs, which include sessions on conflict resolution, emergency on-call response, and fostering connections with residents.
Gillis facilitates sessions during these trainings, focusing on roommate agreements, conflict mediation, and building student connections. These sessions occur during summer and winter breaks, as well as two mid-semester “In-Services” designed to meet evolving student needs. Weekly staff meetings with the student leaders further support ongoing development and communication.
Through regular one-on-one meetings with his RAs, Gillis supports them in managing the unique needs of each resident. The RAs maintain close relationships with the residents in their charge, ensuring each student has the resources needed to succeed academically and socially. Gillis also manages the Little Building’s two ISPMs, who offer specialized support to international students as they transition into both the Emerson and Boston communities.
Beyond supervising student leaders, Gillis participates in the College’s on-call rotation with six other staff, responding to emergencies across campus. These shifts vary from a day to an entire week, depending on staffing and campus needs. As an on-call responder, Gillis supports all residence halls at Emerson, addressing issues ranging from mental health concerns to facilities problems to access to immediate resources and accommodations.
Gillis works closely with multiple campus departments. He describes the Housing and Residential Education (HRE) department as the “nucleus of campus,” serving as a central hub that connects students with resources across Emerson’s urban setting. Through HRE, he maintains partnerships with Student Care and Support to help students address academic and mental health needs, and with the Career Development Center, which offers workshops for RAs who pass on career resources to residents. Additionally, Gillis collaborates with HRE colleagues to conduct RA evaluations, plan recruitment initiatives, and participate in professional development sessions.
Before joining Emerson, Gillis held a similar position at Endicott College, where he earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. During his undergraduate years, he crafted a unique degree in student services, blending psychology and education courses. He later completed a Master of Education in social-emotional learning, which equipped him with a holistic perspective on student well-being.
Outside of his professional responsibilities, Gillis is passionate about fitness, a pursuit he’s embraced since playing football and lacrosse as a youth. He currently teaches group fitness classes at EverybodyFights in the Financial District, where he leads sessions focused on weight training and general fitness. His experience as a spin instructor in college sparked his interest in group exercise, and today, as a certified trainer, he enjoys helping others reach their fitness goals.
Gillis grew up near Boston, in Winthrop, Massachusetts, but didn’t experience city life until he began working at Emerson. Living on campus, he is deeply immersed in the college environment. Although balancing work and life in the same space has its challenges, he finds great satisfaction in his role, especially through the relationships he builds with students. He finds the opportunity to work with such passionate and thoughtful individuals to be deeply rewarding, as their drive to create positive change on campus and beyond inspires him each day.
Bhavana Rao, MA ’25