Meet Dr. Cailyn Green, Faculty Speaker for Winter Commencement 2023

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- November 29, 2023) Cailyn Green’s path to Empire State University was filled with twists and turns her mentors helped her navigate along the way — just as she does for her students today.  

Green, an assistant professor of addiction studies and mentor in the School of Human Services, completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Western New England University with the goal of becoming a lawyer. She went on to pursue a master’s degree in forensic mental health at Russell Sage College. It was here that she participated in a graduate externship at Albany County Drug Court, which changed the course of her career.   

“In my four months there, I ended up not enjoying the legal piece and falling in love with the clinical case management piece,” said Green. 

Green then became a master's-level supervisory credentialed alcoholism and substance abuse counselor, working with recently incarcerated individuals in inpatient and outpatient settings. 

Next came an opportunity she didn’t expect: a colleague who worked for SUNY encouraged Green to consider teaching. 

“I was lucky enough to have people to guide me and help me find out what I really wanted,” Green said. “Being a mentor to students, I can provide some guidance to them — not just for their degree, but their life in general.” 

And she’s been doing just that for the last nine years at SUNY Empire.  

“Everyone I work with has always been so supportive,” Green said. “I want to be here at the institution that supported me through everything.” 

Green has set her sights on creating free, accessible resources — Open Educational Resources, or OER — for other counselors. She’s collaborating with fellow assistant professors in the School of Human Services, Bernadet DeJonge and Carrie Steinman, on a social justice textbook. 

As this year’s faculty speaker at winter commencement, Green said she is excited to watch her first mentee cross the stage. 

“It's crazy to think about what students go through to get this piece of paper, but it's because we don't see it as just a piece of paper,” she said. “It's so much more. This is what's going to get them to their career and to be able build the life that they want — and we're able to help them do that.”