Current Members
Appointed members have voting responsibilities and serve a three-year term beginning on August 1. They attend monthly Council meetings for approximately two hours which typically occur during normal University hours and are considered University business. USAC members also serve on at least one sub-committee within the larger Council to focus on specific goals and tasks.
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Rachel Galloway This year’s USAC chair, Rachel Galloway, is the current Assistant Director of the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center. She is serving her fifth year on the Council and has previously served as a co-chair of the Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Committee and the Secretary of USAC. She has been a Penn State Student Affairs employee since August 2012 and previously worked for the Office of Student Activities and the Office of Residence Life at Penn State. Rachel has a bachelor of arts degree in music from Lebanon Valley College and a master of science degree in clinical and counseling psychology from Chestnut Hill College. She advises student acapella group Blue in the FACE at Penn State, and is also the president of a local town and gown chamber choir, the Orpheus Singers. |
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Elizabeth Fegert As a Business Consultant for the Penn State SBDC, Elizabeth Fegert uses her experience in marketing and program design to provide educational programming and consulting that helps clients achieve their small business goals. She holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from The Pennsylvania State University, where she serves as adjunct professor in the Smeal College of Business. With a passion for serving aspiring entrepreneurs, she also coaches students in various entrepreneurship programs hosted by university and ecosystem partners. |
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Terra Ingram Terra Ingram works for the newly created Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science Institute (SAFES) as the Administrative Staff Coordinator/Business Manager. She and her team are working hard to build collaboration across the various departments in the College of Agricultural Sciences and the University to integrate teaching and research while working external partners to determine industry needs. She has worked for the University since December of 2006 and was previously employed by the Smeal College of Business and Penn State’s World Campus. She has an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration-Management & Marketing from South Hills School of Business & Technology, her Bachelor of Science from Saint Francis University where she majored in Organizational Leadership and her Master’s Degree in the Psychology of Leadership from Penn State. She is an alumna of Pennsylvania’s Leadership Program, RULE Class XIII, and has served as part of the management team to help mentor and develop subsequent classes. |
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Dr. Nivedita Nagachar After a decade of research and teaching at Penn State, Nivedita Nagachar is now a counselor at the office of Undergraduate Admissions. Nivedita is the Co-Chair of the Inclusion, Equity and Diversity Committee and the Secretary. This is her third year serving on USAC. |
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Crystal Barna Crystal Barna is a Grants Officer for Subawards in the Office of Research Affairs at the College of Medicine. She has been with Penn State since 2009. Crystal received her Honorable Discharge from the Army in 2007 and began her commission as a Notary Public in 2015. She has completed the Administrative Professional Series 1 and 2 certification programs, the Project Management certification program, the Penn State Commission for Women Mentoring program and the Penn State ACOR Certification & Education Series (ACES). Crystal currently serves as the Committee Chair for the Office of the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Staff Advisory Council; Chair of Marketing & Communications Committee and website team lead for Penn State Commission for Women Hershey campus. This is her third year on USAC, where she will serve as Co-Chair for the Communications Committee and Co-Secretary-Elect for the council. |
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Erin Loy Erin Loy is a Research Engineer at the Applied Research Laboratory. She has been at Penn State since 2009 and holds a BA in Environmental Geosciences and a Masters degree in Civil Engineering/Environmental Fluid Mechanics. This is her fourth year on USAC, where she will serve as Co-Chair for the Communications Committee and Co-Secretary-Elect for the council. |
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Stephanie Andaloro Stephanie Andaloro has worked at the Wilkes-Barre Campus since 2007. She currently serves as the Assistant Registrar/Assistant to the Advising Center. She collaborated alongside other staff members with determination and commitment for the initiation and implementation of the Staff Advisory Council at the Wilkes-Barre campus where she completed her service as Chair. Stephanie is serving her second year on USAC. |
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Susan Bedsworth Warner Susan Bedsworth Warner is the Development Communications Specialist with the College of Agricultural Sciences. She has been with the University since 2009, serving in various public relations roles. Susan has a bachelor of arts degree in public relations from Penn State and master of arts degree in communications from Johns Hopkins. This is her second year on USAC. |
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Amy Bockis Amy Bockis is excited to be joining the USAC team this year. She was hired by the Public Health Sciences team at the College of Medicine in Hershey after 14 years working with medical students in the Office of Student Affairs also at the College of Medicine. She has been a part of the Penn State family since graduate school in 2003. Amy has a BS in Anthropology and an M.Ed. in College Student Affairs: College Counseling. Her professional interests include understanding and enhancing advising relationships, evaluation & performance feedback, and the improvement of institutional structures in higher education. Her personal interests include any activity that is in the great outdoors, specifically kayaking and hiking, latin music (viva la salsa), and raising three kids and four cats. |
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Mary Ohashi Mary Ohashi is the Survivor Advocate and Case Manager for the Gender Equity Center. She has worked for the University since November 2019 and was previously employed by Outreach and Online Education's Office of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity and with World Campus Student Affairs. Mary has over 20 years of experience providing legal advocacy to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She is a Penn State Alum with a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Education with a minor in Chemical Dependency Counseling. This is her second year serving on USAC. |
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Tiffany Valdes-Madera Tiffany is a distinguished alumna of City University of New York (CUNY) City College, holding a Bachelor's degree in Communications complemented by a minor in Cultural Studies. Her journey with the esteemed Penn State family started in June 2021, when she assumed the pivotal role of Faculty Affairs Coordinator at the Lehigh Valley Campus. Demonstrating exceptional acumen and dedication, Tiffany swiftly ascended within the organization, achieving a notable promotion in August 2023 to the position of Business Development Coordinator for the Lehigh Valley LaunchBox program. Notably, Tiffany's contributions extend beyond her core responsibilities, as she proudly embarks on her second year as a valuable member of USAC, while also displaying leadership as co-chair of the USAC DEIB committee. |
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Leah Carraway-Justice As a Change Management (CM) Consultant for Penn State Finance and Business Office of Change Management & Organizational Excellence, Leah serves on a wide-range of University projects. Leah is a 2x graduate of Penn State World Campus holding a B.A. in Labor and Employment Relations and Organizational Leadership and M.P.S. in Organization Development (OD) & Change. Leah sees staff as the glue to our organization and is excited to bring her background in OD & CM to USAC where she will continue to encourage the strategic separation of "the people" from "the process" as she believes this is when we truly get the biggest return on any investment - both people and process focused. |
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Lisa DeGregorio Senior Student Services Assistant Veterans Certifying Official Lisa joined Penn State Mont Alto in July 2017 as Student Affairs Administrative Support Assistant and serves as the campus Veterans Affairs School Certifying Official. Her primary focus is the student veteran population, serving as the department’s budget coordinator, and assisting student clubs with their financial endeavors. She currently represents Penn State Mont Alto as a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard Association Education Action Council. Being married to a veteran who served 30 years in the Army Reserves and National Guard attracted her to the current position which she thoroughly embraces. She also enjoys any family time with her daughter, son-in-law and grandpug and can be seen on all fall Saturdays cheering on her son at his college football games. Lisa is very excited to be a new member of the USAC organization! |
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Jill Dickun Jill holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Penn State, and is currently pursuing a Master of Education in Higher Education. Jill’s an academic advisor at Penn State New Kensington and has been with the University since 2017. She served as chair of Staff Senate at the New Kensington Campus for several years. Jill is a mom of four very active children, and when she is not working, she is attending soccer practice and spending time on her farm with her family and dogs. |
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Jackie Dillon-Fast A lifelong lover of libraries, Jackie Dillon-Fast (she/her) received her Master of Library Science from the University of Arizona and has been employed in the Penn State Libraries for over 17 years, currently as supervisor for the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Global News Center in the Paterno Library on the University Park campus. Jackie has been active in the Pennsylvania State Library Association in a number of leadership roles and has served as Co-chair of the University Libraries Diversity Community of Advocacy . She is currently a member of the University Libraries Staff Advisory Council. This is Jackie's first year serving on USAC. |
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Patrick Dunne Patrick Dunne is the Director of Strategic Communications and Community Engagement at Penn State Abington. He and his team lead marketing and public relations efforts that help Abington's campus achieve it's strategic goals. He and his team work with faculty, staff, and students to tell Abington’s story through engaging and insightful content. Prior to his work at Penn State, he led communications, marketing, and member engagement at national associations around Washington, D.C. Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State. |
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Matthew Heller Matt Heller is an IT Project Manager in Penn State IT and takes an active role across the University and within the local community. Besides being an IT Project Manager and supporting enterprise IT projects at Penn State, he also supports our students as an adjunct instructor in The College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). When he's not wearing a University hat, Matt shares his time in the local community as a Ferguson Township Supervisor and serves on multiple committees within the Centre Region Council of Governments. In his spare time, he enjoys camping, sailing, motorcycling and spending time with his family. He holds a B.S. in Earth Sciences and a M.P.S. in Enterprise Architecture from Penn State. He is also a retired member of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. |
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Teresa McCloskey Teresa is Unit Coordinator overseeing the student auxiliary officers who support University Police and Public Safety. This is her first year serving on USAC, and she just completed her first year as chair of the UPPS Employee Engagement Team. She has participated in the Finance & Business Mentorship program since 2019, and she's part of both the Gender Equity Center's Ambassador program and the Safer People Safer Places program to support the LGTBQ+ community. Teresa also participates with the Student Engagement Network, has joined the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance, and has been a member of Strategies for Justice. She is passionate about being of service to others and never hesitates to speak up. She's also very passionate about advocacy for persons with invisible disabilities. |
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Jody McCullough Jody is a research project manager at the College of Medicine. Her tenure with the University spans more than 25 years and she is excited to share her experience with USAC and the Penn State Community. Throughout her career, she has been proactive in advocating for staff and is eager to connect with colleagues across the University, letting them know that they are supported and heard. Jody is a proactive change-maker and will use her time on USAC to continue championing staff. |
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Melissa Meyer Melissa Meyer is the executive assistant and lead for business operations in the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research. Melissa started at Penn State in 1999 and has experience in various offices across the University; She’s worked with students, faculty, administrators, and executives in her roles. She is excited to join the University Staff Advisory Council in support of all University community members. |
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Nathaniel Reed Geyer Nathaniel Reed Geyer, DrPH, CPH, GISP, has over ten years of experience in public health research in areas of obesity, HIV, epilepsy, autism, public health workforce, cancer, transplantation, and genetics, as well as advanced knowledge of statistical, software, and spatial analyses. He holds a Doctor of Public Health with two Master's degrees in Epidemiology and Geographical Information Systems and has published 20+ articles and presented at national conferences. He currently serves on the Autism Society of Greater Harrisburg Board and is President of Capital Region Civitan Club. This is his first year in the University Staff Advisory Council. |
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Ashley Stauffer Ashley Stauffer is an analyst in the Office of Research Information Systems (ORIS), a unit reporting to the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research (OSVPR). In her role, Ashley analyzes business processes to inform the development of data products for external reporting, operational excellence, and decision-making. Ashley also develops reports and recommendations for executive leaders to help enhance the $1 billion research enterprise. Ashley is the founder and the director of the Research Professionals Network (ResearchPros). ResearchPros is a grass-roots effort that enhances inclusion and collaboration between research and IT professionals to strengthen research operations and advance science. For more information about Ashley or to connect, see her LinkedIn profile. |
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Alice Puzarowski Alice Puzarowski is a pre-award research administrator at Penn State Behrend. She has been with the University since 2015 and previously worked for the School of Business, focusing on course scheduling, curriculum, and master support. She is a proud Behrend Alumna with a B.A. in General Arts and Sciences, Science/Mathematics option. Alice completed the Administrative Professional Series Level I and Level II certificate programs and recently completed the ACOR Certification and Education Series (ACES) program. She is currently pursuing a Master of Project Management through World Campus. Alice is the chapter advisor for the Epsilon Theta of Alpha Sigma Alpha in her free time. She joined USAC in August 2022. |
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Chris Adams Chris Adams (she/her) is an Associate Director with the Prospect Management and Analytics department within the Division of Development and Alumni Relations (DDAR). Chris provides strategic support and data analysis to front-line fundraisers and related DDAR staff for the management and identification of prospects to assist with the cultivation and solicitation of donors. Chris has a BS degree in Finance from Penn State University and a MBA degree from Temple University. Chris joined USAC in August 2022 and serves on the Awards & Recognition and History Committees. |
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Craig Praul Craig Praul is the Director of the Penn State Genomics Core Facility in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. Craig received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Penn State and has since then spent more than 25 years working at University Park in various life science research positions. This is his second year serving on USAC. |
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Emily Kissinger Emily is the marketing manager for the College of Medicine. She started at Penn State in 2010 in the Office of Strategic Communications, and has 20 years of experience in higher education and health care marketing. Emily has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Evansville and a graduate certificate in organization development and change operational excellence from Penn State. This is her second year on USAC. |
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Ilhan Kucukaydin Ilhan Kucukaydin is the web manager with Marketing and Strategic Communications at Penn State Harrisburg. Ilhan has been with the University since 2002, serving in various web and digital media roles. He has been an active member of the Harrisburg Campus’ diversity committees including Outreach and Programming and Training. Ilhan has a doctoral degree in adult education from Penn State. |