Meet the Staff in Undergraduate Advising

Contact all staff through 615 Goodell, 413-545-2191

 

Academic Advisors

Vanessa Blais

Assistant Director,  Academic Advisor Services, <vblais@german.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: ABD and MA in German, UMass Amherst; BA in German, Wells College, NY, with minors in Music and Secondary Education
LIKES BEST:  Getting to know so many students and helping them figure out what they're passionate about.
ADVICE:  Wait until at least mid-October before going home for the first time--
you need to start building a life here, plus going home too soon can make
homesickness worse.  "Get adjusted" by getting involved!

Tonya Blundon

Academic Advisor, <tblundon@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: M.Ed. (in progress) in Educational Policy, Research, and Administration, UMass Amherst; B.A. in English & Psychology, UMass Amherst.
LIKES BEST:  Getting to know the students and watching them progress through experiences that will shape their futures at UMass and beyond.  There is nothing like witnessing a student's ideas unfold right in front of you!
ADVICE:  Be adventurous, both socially and academically!  UMass and the Amherst area have lots to offer, so take advantage of your time here by exploring a class or two in a subject you've never heard of, attend an event at the Fine Arts Center, or spend an afternoon lounging in the downtown common.

Greg Boisseau

Academic Advisor, <gregb@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION:  MEd, Bowling Green State University ; BS, Physical Education, Norwich University .
LIKES BEST:  The intrinsic satisfaction of working with & mentoring young adults as they strive to achieve their goals.
ADVICE:  Enjoy your experience here at UMass, stay focused on the goal of earning a Degree, follow your heart, and study what interests you!  Let us help; see us early and see us often!

 

Chanti Chanthavong

Academic Advisor, <chanti@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: MA in Multicultural/Bilingual Education, UMass Amherst; BA in Elementary Education, UMass Amherst.
LIKES BEST:  Helping students to reach their personal and academic goals by guiding them through their individual learning process.
ADVICE:  Procrastination is the worst enemy.

Alex Cuellar  

Graduate Advisor, <acuellar@english.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) in progress, UMass Amherst; BA American and Latin American Studies and Literature, Hampshire College.
LIKES BEST:  Being able to help students 'decode' the language and requirements of the University, and hopefully, relieve some of the stress that the 'code' can induce.
ADVICE:  Be nice to any dept. staff! They can be just as helpful, if not more so at times, than anyone else here.  

 

Julie de Chantal

Graduate Advisor, <julied@history.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: Ph.D. (in progress) in History, and a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Feminist Studies from UMass Amherst;  BA and MA in History at the Université de Montréal.
LIKES BEST:  Helping students link their personal interests to academic paths
that they may not have originally considered.
ADVICE:  Explore every interest you have!  Try everything at least once, and sample all that our education system has to offer. Go, discover, learn!

Juan Florencia

Academic Advisor, <jflorenc@anthro.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: PhD (in progress) in Cultural Anthropology from UMass Amherst; MA in Cultural Anthropology, Western Michigan University;  BS in Anthropology with History minor, Eastern Michigan University.
LIKES BEST:  Teaching and working with students directly; I love the rewards of seeing a student connect with new information for the first time and helping them to become critical thinkers.
ADVICE:  1. Become well acquainted with UMass resources (organizations, help centers, and opportunities for learning outside of the traditional classroom). A good place to start is online at the UMass homepage. 2. Don't be afraid to talk with and meet with your instructors, both professors and teaching assistants. The social networking you'll gain is invaluable, particularly when it comes time to choose/learn more about majors, apply to graduate schools or seek employment.  

 

Tamatha Gaumnitz

Academic Advisor, <tagaumni@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: M.Ed. in Higher Education, UMass Amherst; B.A. in Women's Studies, Mount Holyoke College.
LIKES BEST:  Connecting with students as individuals and working together to figure out what their next steps should be: whether it is finding the right courses, thinking about different majors, or pursuing other areas of interest like study abroad, internships, etc.
ADVICE:  Go to class.  And take your own notes.

 

Robin Luberoff

Sophomore & Transfer Advisor, <luberoff@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: JD, University of Michigan; BA in Philosophy and Psychology, Yale University.
LIKES BEST:  Working with students who have their academic life in front of them and are just starting to explore their new-found interests.
ADVICE:  Ignore what other people are saying you ought to study and seek out your own interests and passions.

 

Susan Machala

Senior Academic Advisor, <smachala@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Johns Hopkins University; B.A. in English from SUNY at Buffalo.
LIKES BEST: That "eureka moment" when I realize a student I've worked with has learned how to assume responsibility for his or her own education and take the next steps solo.
ADVICE: See an academic advisor early and often. Be sure to join an extracurricular activity that is meaningful to you as a way of meeting kindred spirits. Use the add/drop period to reevaluate and refine your academic schedule.

Stephen Mahood

Graduate Advisor, <mahood@lrrc.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: Ed.D (in progress)  in Higher Education from UMASS Amherst; MS in Labor Research and Relations from UMASS Amherst; BS in Political Science from Northeastern University.
LIKES BEST:  Seeing the hope and vision of a making the world a better place.  Helping students find their path to achieve their interests and passions.
ADVICE:  Do not hide your weaknesses.  Confront them and overcome them by seeking the necessary help through campus resources.

Henk Rossouw

Graduate Advisor, <hrossouw@english.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: MFA Poetry, in progress, UMass, Amherst; BA (Hons), Journalism, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
LIKES BEST: Listening to the stories of your lives unfold.
ADVICE:  Advocate for yourself. Talk to faculty. Get what you pay for.

Stephen Sadlier

Graduate Advisor, <ssadlier@educ.umass.edu

EDUCATION: Ed.D. (in progress) in Language Literacy and Culture, UMass Amherst; MAT in Spanish and ESOL, School for International Training;
BA in Economic Geography, Clark University.
LIKES BEST:  Undergrads are exploring new areas of who they are and thus challenge me to be open and ever flexible in my own learning.
ADVICE:  Strive to be away from your comfort zone!  Go abroad once during your experience here.

Undergraduate Advising Staff

 

Sheila Brennan

Associate Director, Undergraduate Advising, <sbrennan@casiac.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: Work toward PhD in Anthropology, UMass Amherst; B.A. Anthropology, Hartwick College.
LIKES BEST: Matching students with educational opportunities that expand learning beyond the UMass campus. I also really enjoy working with ourmany Peer Advisors who have gone on to wonderful careers, many in Higher Education.
ADVICE: Do not limit your educational experiences to only what you have heard through the grapevine.  Investigate all opportunities because an internship, community service, taking courses at one of the Five Colleges or going for a semester to a state where you have never been on National Student Exchange contributes significantly to your educational and life experiences.

Joyce Grabon

Office Manager, <jgrabon@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: in progress
LIKES BEST:  I find it rewarding to be able to help students and watch their progress as they move forward towards graduation.
ADVICE: Make sure you see an advisor a couple of times through out each semester.  Advisors are one of the best contacts a student can have to help with courses, majors, and other resources available to them on campus. 

A.J. LeBlanc

Administrative Assistant,  <leblanc@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: M.Ed in Secondary English Education, UMass Amherst; BA in English and Secondary Education, Marymount College.
LIKES BEST:  Hearing about students' favorite classes.  It's great to watch them get excited about the work they are doing.
ADVICE:  Ask for help as soon as you need it.  Putting off talking to a professor or TA is going to add to your stress and make catching up that much harder.  Take advantage of the Learning Resource Center!

KD Maynard

Director of Academic Advising, <kdm@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: MA in Liberal Studies (focus: women's studies), Dartmouth College; BA in Linguistics with minor in Classics, Brown University
LIKES BEST:  Witnessing students discover themselves.  I also learn something new from pretty much every student I meet.
ADVICE:  ENGAGE!  If you're passive about getting involved in your classes, going to office hours, meeting friends, joining student organizations, seeking assistance and support when you need it . . . you're only cheating yourself.  Get involved!

Kregg Strehorn

Academic Dean, <strehorn@acad.umass.edu>

EDUCATION: PhD in Counseling Psychology, UMass Amherst; BA in Psychology, University of California Berkeley
LIKES BEST:  Watching some students discover that their personal interests and academic paths are not mutually exclusive.
ADVICE:  Go to class, even when you don't want to.  Go abroad as often as possible.