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.

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.

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.

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. 

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!

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).

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

 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.

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.

Lauren Sjulin

Academic Advisor I

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

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.