Meier/Naranja

This informational house page provides details regarding Meier/Naranja. Lagunita Court epitomizes the laid-back quality of life on west campus – it’s beautiful and calm, and fun is right around the corner. Across the street, you can find AOERC (climbing walls, basketball courts, and Avery Recreational Pool), Roble Arts Gym (theater performances, yoga studios, dance classes), a playing field on top of the new Roble underground garage.

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About the Community, Meier/Naranja

Explore more details about each house below.

Meier Hall opened in the 2016-17 academic year, as part of the Lagunita Court complex. It is named in honor of Stanford alumni Linda Meier '61 and Tony Meier '57. Linda is a longstanding community and civic leader, and Tony is a professional real estate developer and principal of The Meier Group.

About the Meiers - The Meiers have been volunteers at Stanford for decades, having served the university through several major fundraising campaigns as well as in the areas of undergraduate education, the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford Health Care, the Department of Athletics, and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.

Naranja, also known as Casa Naranja, is also part of the Lagunita Court housing complex. Built around a lush central courtyard and dining hall, Lagunita was modeled in a Spanish style of architecture. Residents dine at the local dining hall, Lakeside Dining. Naranja is near Lake Lagunita and the Stanford Dish, with several walking trails located near the house. Oftentimes, many native animals can be spotted while exploring the area. Naranja is roughly 10 minutes walking distance from central campus with many Marguerite bus stops located near the residence, allowing students easy access to downtown Palo Alto.

Meet the Meier/Naranja Resident Fellows

Resident Fellows, or RFs, are Stanford faculty and senior administrative staff who live in apartments or cottages adjacent to student residences and serve as leaders for their communities. Bryan Brown and Cheryl Brown are both California natives and met while in grad school working on a research project at UCLA. Weeks after getting married in 2003, they joined the Stanford community. Bryan and Cheryl have two children, Cameron and Simone. Cameron loves science, engineering and baseball. Simone loves writing, soccer, and dance. They are both fans of music and theater.

Bryan is a Professor in the School of Education. He joined Stanford after working as a professor of science education at Michigan State University. He earned a B.A. in Biology from Hampton University, M.A. in Educational Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Education from UC Santa Barbara. As a former high school science teacher, Bryan’s research is focused on improving science teaching and learning in urban communities. Over the past few years Bryan has hosted a “Science in the City” summer camp for 4th and 5th graders from underrepresented groups to help spark their love for science. Most recently he served as a co-chair for the long-range planning education area steering group. Bryan enjoys being able to support students and excellence in education at every level.

Cheryl is the Assistant Vice Provost for Residential Education. She previously worked as the Director of Frosh 101, a new program developed in VPUE in partnership with faculty across campus and staff in VPSA. She joined Stanford in 2009 as the Associate Director for the Program of African and African American Studies after working at Santa Clara University where she was a university advisor and ran a program for first generation college students. Cheryl earned her B.A. in African American Studies from UC Santa Barbara, two M.A. degrees (African American Studies and Education) and a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from UCLA. Since being at Stanford, Cheryl has received two awards chosen by students on campus. In 2011, Cheryl received the “Faculty/Staff Mentor Award” at the black community services center award ceremony. In 2012, she received the “Teacher of the Year” award from the ASSU.

Bryan and Cheryl enjoy fine dining, plays, concerts, movies and traveling. Bryan has great interest in sports and has played basketball, baseball, and football. He has also coached high school baseball and more recently little league. He enjoys watching most sports. Cheryl is growing to appreciate sports and enjoys supporting Stanford’s athletes. She played softball in high school but took up running as a passion in college and has run two marathons during her time as a RF.

The Browns also value service. They and their children serve at their church and through various non-profits. Bryan and Cheryl have mentored high school and college students for nearly two decades and truly enjoy spending time with students and supporting them as they grow. They also enjoy exposing students to the things they enjoy such as the arts, education, and sports.