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Joan Tsacalis
CFAC
Director
Joan Tsacalis, originally from Buffalo, New York, earned her
M.Ed. in Counseling with an emphasis in Student Affairs from Texas
State University in San Marcos. Joan has been with UTSA since
2001, but has worked 12 years in student affairs, with 7 years in
advising or advising administration. Joan oversees advising
activity in the CFAC. She enjoys playing the flute, reading, and
being a mom. |
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Barbara Lamont
Associate Director
Barbara Lamont, originally from Enfield, Connecticut, earned a
B.A. in English from The University of Maryland and a M.H.R.
(Master of Human Relations) from the University of Oklahoma. Prior
to making her home in San Antonio, Barbara and her family lived in
England where she worked for City Colleges of Chicago and OU. She
has been employed at UTSA since 1998. In her free time, Barbara
and her husband Bill enjoy traveling and walking; she also likes
to garden, read, and embroider.
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Margaret Garcia
Administrative Associate II
Margaret Garcia was born in San Antonio and raised in
Von Ormy, a small town south of San Antonio. She has a B.A. degree in
Liberal Studies with a Communication emphasis from Our Lady of the
Lake University. Her background is in Student Activities and
Freshmen Orientation. She values time with her husband and two
daughters and loves to scrapbook, play volleyball and take
pictures. She also enjoys cooking for family and friends and
listening to country music. |
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Rhonda O'Cana
Academic Advisor II
Rhonda O’Cana, a San Antonio native, earned both her B.A. in
Interdisciplinary Studies and her M.A. in Counseling from UTSA. A
Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.), she also works at Palo
Alto College teaching student development classes. Rhonda enjoys
assisting students in realizing their academic dreams. Her area of
specialization is the College of Business. |
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Jennifer Uranga
Academic Advisor I
Jennifer Uranga is originally from the Rio Grande Valley. She
earned a Bachelor of Healthcare Administration from Texas State
University. Prior to making her move to San Antonio, Jennifer's
experience with students included Advising and Tutoring Programs
for Coastal Bend College in Beeville, Texas and coordinating
Healthcare Programs, Grants and Customized Training for Del Mar
College, in Corpus Christi, Texas. She has been employed at UTSA
since March 2008 and her area of specialization is in the
College of Education and Human Development. In her free
time, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her 3 year old
daughter, Iza, hanging out with friends and family and exploring
San Antonio!
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Sherree Kessler
Academic Advisor II
Sherree Kessler is a Texas native. She earned both her B.A. in
English and her M.S. in Educational Administration (SAAHE) from
Texas A&M University. Sherree worked in Student Activities for
four years. Her areas of specialization in CFAC are the College
of Science and College of Engineering. In her spare
time, Sherree enjoys spending time with her husband and their five
furry children (four cats and a Chihuahua). |
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Dainon Deviney
Academic Advisor II
Dainon Deviney, a native Texan, earned both his B.S. in
Geography and his M.Ed. in Student Affairs from Texas State
University. His background is in Student Activities and Academic
Advising, and his areas of specialization in CFAC are the
College of Science and College of Engineering. In his
spare time, Dainon enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to
live music of all kinds (especially Texas Music), cooking, and
traveling. |
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Sara Grafton
Academic Advisor II
Sara Grafton, originally from Ohio, earned her B.A. in
Psychology from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH)
and her M.S.Ed in College Student Personnel from the University of
Dayton. She worked in the Office of Student Activities at UTSA for
two years before joining the CFAC team. In her spare time, Sara
enjoys scrapbooking and reading. Her areas of specialization are
the College of Science and the College of
Engineering. |
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Moonsun Chong
Academic Advisor II
Moonsun Chong earned both a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in
Counseling from UTSA. Originally from California, she has lived in
San Antonio since high school. In her spare time, she is learning
to knit and enjoys sampling cuisine from around the world. She
spends her free time reading, connecting with friends and running.
Her area of specialization is the College of Liberal and Fine
Arts. |
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Jim Aviles
Academic Advisor II
Jim Aviles was born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York and
moved to Iowa. He received a B.B.A. in Management Information
Systems from Iowa State University and his M.A. in Counselor
Education with an emphasis in Student Development from the
University of Iowa. Before moving to Texas courtesy of Hurricane
Katrina, Jim worked at the University of Southern Mississippi as a
career counselor for seven and a half years. Jim enjoys reading
about military history and the supernatural. His area of
specialization is the College of Education and Human
Development. |
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Kerith Stanton
Academic Advisor I
Kerith Stanton is originally from Corpus Christi, Texas. She
earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at
Austin and her M.Ed from Texas State University. She has just
recently moved to San Antonio and enjoys the rich culture that the
city has to offer. Her areas of specialization are the College
of Science and College of Engineering. In her spare
time she enjoys visiting the beach, running and spending time with
friends and family.
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Melissa Zepeda
Academic Advisor I
Melissa Zepeda was born and raised in San Antonio. She
earned a B.A. in Psychology and is currently pursuing her M.A. in
Counseling at UTSA. She has worked for UTSA for over 5 years in
the Registrar's Office, Admissions, Fiscal Services and Enrollment
Services Center. Melissa is the CFAC advisor at the Downtown
Campus. |
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Sharis Slocum
Academic Advisor I
Sharis Slocum was raised in San Antonio.
She earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at
San Antonio and her M.S. in Educational Administration (SAAHE)
from Texas A&M University. She worked in the Office of Student
Activities at UTSA for seven years before joining CFAC. Her area
of specialization is the College of Liberal and Fine Arts.
In her spare time Sharis enjoys traveling, watching movies and
scrapbooking. |
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Vanessa Davalos
Academic Advisor I
Vanessa Davalos was born and raised in San Antonio. She
earned her B.A. in Speech Communications from Texas A&M
University, and is currently pursuing her M.Ed. in Educational
Leadership and Policy Studies at UTSA. She first began working for
UTSA in Outreach Programs, and has also worked for Northside
Independent School District, as an Afterschool Coordinator. Her
area of specialization is the College of Liberal and Fine Arts.
In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys spending time with family
and friends.
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Donna Ware
Academic Advisor I
Donna Ware was raised in San Antonio. She earned both your B.A.
in Criminal Justice and her M.A. in Counseling from UTSA. She has
been employed at UTSA for over 16 years with both UTSAPD & PTS
offices before joining the CFAC team. She enjoys spending time
with family and friends as well as reading and watching old
movies. Her area of specialization is the College of Business.
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Lauren Sjulin
Academic Advisor I
Lauren Sjulin is from Anadarko, Oklahoma. She earned
her M.Ed. in Adult and Higher Education with an emphasis in
Student Personnel from the University of Oklahoma and her
Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Central
Oklahoma. She worked at Tulsa Community College for 3 1/2 years
as a Testing Specialist and an Academic Advisor. She relocated
to San Antonio with her husband so he could begin his residency
program at Brook Army Medical Center in Internal Medicine. She
enjoys spending time with friends, shopping and watching movies.
Her area of specialization is the College of
Liberal and Fine Arts.
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Kristi Benne
Academic Advisor I
Kristi Benne received her B.S. in
Psychology from Missouri State University and a M.A. in
Counseling from UTSA. Through her background in community
counseling, Kristi saw the impact and real difference that
higher education can make in the lives of the families she
worked with. She was able to transition into academic advising
with the hope of helping students meet their academic and
subsequent life goals. Kristi is currently a Licensed
Professional Counselor – Intern, working toward becoming an LPC
in the great state of Texas. In her free time, she enjoys
hanging out with family, friends and paying special attention to
her husband and two, four-legged furry children. Her areas of
specialization include the
College of Architecture and the College of Public Policy
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Front Desk Staff
The CFAC front desk staff schedule appointments,
check students in for walk-in advising, answer general questions,
and keep the office running smoothly. Olivia Gonzalez is an
Administrative Assistant and the Student Assistants include: Alex
Fuentes, Crystal Lucero, Rick Rodriguez, Anthony Phillips, and
Erik Amaro. |