Staff
USAC staff are here to provide you with personalized support throughout your study abroad experience. Our team spans the globe, with staff located not only in our Central Office in Reno, Nevada, but also across more than 15 U.S. states, as well as on-site staff or support available for our program locations around the world.
Departments
- Academic and Enrollment Services
- Accounting
- USAC Administration
- Advising
- Health and Safety
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Institutional Relations
- Marketing and Communications
- Staff Abroad
Central Office Staff
The USAC Central Office is located in Reno, Nevada on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno. The office is composed of Program Advisors, Institutional Relations Officers, Enrollment Representatives, Accounting Specialists, and other staff who are here to provide personalized pre-departure advising and support you throughout your study abroad experience.
USAC Administration
Alyssa Nota, Ph.D.
(she/her)
President/CEO
Strategic Initiatives/Special Projects
Jeremy Doughty, Ph.D.
(he/him)
Academic Innovation & Research Specialist
Amanda Stewart
Special Projects & Alumni Development Officer, Director of Institutional Relations
Advising
USAC Program Advisors serve as the primary point of contact for enrolled students seeking guidance on various aspects of their study abroad experience. This includes inquiries related to program location, housing arrangements, the student visa process, travel arrangements, pre-departure and arrival details, and more.
Cami Alfaro, M.S.
(she/her)
Director of Advising
Justine Manuel
(she/her)
Manager of Advising
Bonnie Woolrich
(she/her)
Partnership Program Coordinator
Alissa Qualheim, M.Ed.
(she/her)
Partnership Program Coordinator
(she/her)
Program Advisor
Programs: Australia, Italy (Viterbo), Ireland (Cork), and New Zealand
Program Advisor
Programs: Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Israel, Korea (Gwangju), and Uruguay
(she/her)
Program Advisor II
Programs: Spain (Alicante and San Sebastián)
(they/them)
Program Advisor
Programs: Czech Republic, France, and Portugal
(she/her)
Program Advisor II
Programs: England and Scotland
(she/her)
Program Advisor
Programs: India, Ireland (Galway), South Africa, Thailand, The Netherlands, and Vietnam
phoebe.stears-macauley@usac.edu
(she/her)
Program Advisor II
Programs: Germany and Spain (Madrid and Valencia)
Program Advisor
Programs: Italy (Reggio Emilia, Torino, Verona) and Sweden
USAC/UNR Advising
Institutional Relations
The Institutional Relations team is ready to answer any questions you may have about USAC or our programs. The team works with universities, colleges, and other institutions around the country and travel to many study abroad fairs.
Amanda Stewart
Director of Institutional Relations
(he/him)
Senior Lead Institutional Relations Officer
States: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont
Thomas Phillips II, M.A., Ph.D.
(he/him)
Senior Institutional Relations Officer
States: Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia
(he/him)
Lead Institutional Relations Officer & Trainer
States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Oregon
(she/her)
Institutional Relations Officer
States: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin
Institutional Relations Officer
States: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming
Health and Safety
The Health and Safety team is your primary resource for questions regarding your health, safety, and security on USAC programs. Contact the Health and Safety Team with questions and concerns regarding travel, insurance, and other well-being abroad inquiries.
Elizabeth Rice
(she/her)
Senior Health and Safety Manager
Christine Sieben, Ph.D.
(she/her)
Health and Safety Manager & Support Officer
Victoria West
(she/her)
Health and Safety Assistant
Academic and Enrollment Services
Academic and Enrollment Services is your best resource for questions about your application or our admissions process, internship placements, course registration, syllabi, and academic records (i.e., transcripts and grades.)
Kara Bingham, M.A.
(she/her)
Director of Academic Affairs
Justus Watt, M.A.
(he/him)
Registrar
Stacey Arnsdorff
(she/her)
Assistant Registrar
Valentina Ossio-Marin
(she/her)
Registration Assistant
Jillian Kent, M.A.
(she/her)
International Student Coordinator/
Scholarship Administration
(she/her)
Lead Enrollment Specialist
Programs: China, India, Spain, South Africa, and Thailand
Schedule an Appointment
(he/him)
Enrollment Specialist
Programs: Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Uruguay, and Virtual Internships
(she/her)
Enrollment Specialist
Programs: England, Japan, New Zealand, and Scotland
Schedule an Appointment
(she/her)
Enrollment Specialist
Programs: Australia, France, Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden
Schedule an Appointment
Marketing and Communications
The Marketing and Communications Department comprises five key areas of focus — marketing, creative and web, alumni relations, external/internal communications, and PR/media relations.
The team provides strategic and creative counsel, facilitates connections across our target audiences, and enhances the engagements and experiences others have with USAC with the ultimate goals of advancing USAC's mission by enhancing its brand, reputation, visibility, and audience engagement.
This is accomplished through integrated and innovative approaches to marketing and creative communications. Contact us at marketing@usac.edu
Kat Raenell, M.Ed.
(she/her)
Director of Marketing, Communications & Engagement
Bill Goloski
(he/him)
Content Marketing Manager
Allie Crichton
(she/her)
Website Strategist
Colette Horton
(she/her)
Creative Content Specialist
Tiffany N'Dry
(she/her)
Communications Specialist
Accounting
The Accounting Department is ready to help you with billing, payment, budget sheets, and financial aid consortium agreements.
David Mustard, CPA
Director of Finance
Shelly Bass
Accounting Operations Manager
Leah Radcliffe
Accounting Supervisor
Bonnie Hardy
Accounting Administrator
Schyler Tune
Staff Accountant I
Jessica Perez
Staff Accountant I
Tim Smith
Financial Planning & Analysis
Jason Connolly
Lead Student Accounting Specialist
Ricci Curren
Student Accounting Specialist
Jeadene Solberg
(she/her)
Student Accounting Specialist
Nicholas Steiner
(he/him)
Student Accounting Specialist
Trystan Swetkovich
Student Accounting Specialist
Human Resources
Human Resources supports USAC's world-wide employees empowering them to serve students participating in our programs abroad.
Virginia Dunn
(she/her)
Director of Human Resources
Stacey Puentes
Senior Human Resources Representative
Information Technology
The Information Technology Department oversees network administration and application development, and supports users of the USAC Gateway and Global online portals.
Fritz Roske
Director of Information Technology
Josh Black
Software Development Manager
Francisco Becerra-Ortiz
(he/him)
Software Developer I
Yasiel Sanchez
(he/him)
Software Developer II
Jaroan Tatum
Software Developer I
Ognjen Grubor
Information Architect
Caleb Davie
(he/him)
Server and Cloud Systems Administrator
Mason Najima
(he/him)
CRM Analyst
Hunter Noël
(he/him)
Support Specialist II
Staff abroad
USAC programs offer on-site staff and support at varying levels depending on the program. Learn more about on-site staff on the program pages.
USAC Specialty Programs
Specialty Programs feature full-time, on-site support from USAC Resident Directors, staff, and faculty. Resident Directors run and manage the entire program on-site including academics, hiring, planning, emergency support, and more.
| Country | Program | Resident Directors |
|---|---|---|
| Chile | Santiago | Jorge Molina (he/him) |
| China | Chengdu | Wentao Song (she/her) |
| Shanghai | Jessica Wang | |
| Costa Rica | Heredia | Carlos Oviedo |
| Cuba | La Habana | Sebastian Bombi |
| Czech Republic | Prague | Jan Stodola |
| France | Lyon | Olga Grebeshkova, Ph.D. |
| Pau | Robina Müller | |
| Germany | Lüneburg | David Gilland, Ph.D. |
| India | Bengaluru | |
| Ireland | Cork | Patrick O’Donnell |
| Galway (Summer) | Mark Quigley, Ph.D. | |
| Italy | Reggio Emilia | Simona Lai |
| Torino | Eliana Silvestro | |
| Verona | Interim Program Director | |
| Viterbo | Francesca Del Giudice | |
| Spain | Alicante | Luis Fernández Rellán |
| Bilbao/Getxo | Ibon Zamanillo Elguezabal, Ph.D. | |
| Madrid | Sara Elso, Ph.D. | |
| San Sebastián | Miriam Diaz Granado, Ph.D. | |
| Thailand | Chiang Mai | Chaidarun "Jum" Tippawan (she/her) |
| Uruguay | Montevideo | Sebastian Bombi |
USAC Partnership Programs
Partnership Programs feature support from the host university and international programs offices.