Meet our Advisors and Staff
Academic Advising Center Leadership
Bio
Beth joined the Academic Advising Center in September, 2015. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology/Psychology from Skidmore College and a PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from Rutgers University/University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She taught a variety of courses in the Biology Department at Rutgers before moving to academic advising and advising administration. She believes that effective advising plays a pivotal role in student success.
Bio
John has been an academic advisor since 2001, when he was a graduate student in history at the University of Washington. In 2003, he started working in the Academic Advising Center. John received his BA in history from Brigham Young University and his MA in history from the University of Utah. He enjoys helping students discover their strengths and create plans for their future success.
Bio
Julia joined the AAC team in 2012. She is an alumna of the University of Utah with undergraduate studies in Mass Communication and Leadership Studies. She also earned her Master’s degree in Information Systems from the U. Julia is passionate about working with first year students, exploring students, and underrepresented students. She finds joy in the classroom and can often be found teaching UGS 1050: Major Exploration. In her free time, Julia enjoys gardening, renovating her home, spending time with her two black cats, and sewing.
Academic Advising Center Full Time Advisors
Bio
Jason joined the Academic Advising Center team in March 2015. He received his BA in Communication from Humboldt State University and his MA degree in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University.
Stephanie Begaye
Academic Advising Coordinator
Assistant Director of
Major Exploration Program
Bio
Stephanie joined the Academic Advising Center in July 2015 as part of the Major Exploration Program team. She graduated from the U in 2010, double majoring in Psychology and Behavioral Science & Health.
Bio
Anna is originally from Alabama and completed both her B.S. in Human Resource Management and her M.A. in Communication Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is passionate about helping students achieve their goals and has been advising college students for 6 years prior to joining the AAC in June 2021. Anna loves spending time outside, curating new recipes, and spending time with her cat, DK.
Tricia Cook
Academic Advising Coordinator
Assistant Director of Advisor Education and Professional Development
Bio
Tricia is a Utah native and has spent her academic and professional careers learning and working in multiple Utah higher education institutions. She began advising in 2016 and was immediately hooked! She loves nurturing others by helping them to reach their highest potential through teaching, advising, and training. During her freetime, Tricia can be found running, woodworking, bargain hunting, or hugging strangers' dogs.
Bio
Heather enjoys advising students and helping them reach their academic goals. She graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. degree in Human Development and a M. Ed degree in School Counseling.
Ashley Glenn
Assistant Director
Director of Orientation and Outreach
Bio
Ashley joined the AAC team in January 2020 after 5 years in International and Area Studies. As an undergraduate, she double majored in English and History before continuing on to earn a Master’s degree in History at the U. Having been a first-gen student, Ashley is passionate about working with students during orientation in finding their place at the U and in identifying the possibilities that come through learning.
Steve Hadley
Assistant Director
Director of Advisor Education and Professional Development
Bio
Steve is originally from Hurricane, Utah and has worked in the AAC for over 15 years. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Sociology from Utah State University.
Quentin Hodges
Academic Advising Coordinator
Assistant Director of PreProfessional Advising
Bio
Quentin is a proud alum of the University of Utah. He graduated in 2011 with a degree in Exercise Physiology (now called Kinesiology). Quentin obtained his Masters of Education degree from Clemson University in South Carolina. After moving back to Utah in 2019, he has been an academic advisor on campus dedicated to helping students as they navigate their academics. Additionally, Quentin is fanatical about movies, musical theater and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Bio
Alessandra was born and raised in Salt Lake City and is a U alum twice over. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies in 2017 and her Master’s degree in Education, Culture, and Society in 2019 before joining Preprofessional Advising in May 2021. As a first generation Latina, she is passionate and committed to helping students navigate higher education. She is a new mom and loves spending time with her family. An avid cook and baker, she loves to decorate cakes and is a huge foodie.
Nichole Hutchins
Academic Advising Coordinator
Assistant Director of Major Exploration Program
Bio
Nichole completed her B.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management in NC in 2012 and her M.A. in Education and Human Development in D.C. in 2020. Nichole is passionate about helping students discover their unique paths. Prior to advising, she spent a number of years working internationally in Thailand, Ecuador, Mexico, Germany, and Jordan. In her free time, Nichole enjoys rock climbing and art in all of its forms.
Lisa Hutton
Assistant Director
Director of Major Exploration Program
Bio
Lisa joined the AAC team in Sept. 2019 after advising for 7 years in the College of Humanities. She graduated from the U in 2008 with a BA in International Studies & minor in German, & in 2015 earned an MEd in Adult Learning & Global Change from the University of British Columbia. She loves college football, gymnastics, & all dogs, & is excited to promote the value of major exploration to the university campus.
Bio
Jon is originally from the Washington D.C. area but moved to Japan after completing his undergraduate program in Communications. He has since earned MA degrees in TESOL/Applied Linguistics and Sports Administration. Jon strives to help students achieve their full potential and have tremendously positive experiences at the U. Outside of higher education, Jon has served as a basketball official for 20 years and enjoys traveling.
Shelley Nicholson
Assistant Director
Director of PreProfessional Advising
Bio
College is hard! Shelley's role as Director of PPA is to help students navigate the complexities of how to be a competitive applicant for professional health programs, and also simply just how to be a successful college student. She currently teaches two courses, UGS 1020: Intro to PreMed/PrePA and UGS 1021: Applying to Med School.
Bio
Terese has enjoyed working with students in academic advising and orientation at the University of Utah for over 15 years. Terese is an alumna of the U of U, receiving a BA in English and MA in Linguistics.
Madeline Rencher
Academic Advising Coordinator
Assistant Director of Orientation and Outreach
Bio
Madeline graduated from the U with an Honors B.S. degrees in Psychology & Health, Society & Policy, & a B.S. in International Studies with Minors in Leadership Studies & Health. She graduated in 2018 with her Master’s Degree in International Relations from Royal Holloway, University of London.
Amy Urbanek
Senior Advisor
Assistant Director of PreProfessional Advising
Bio
Amy joined her alma mater as an advisor in 1998, eleven years after earning her BS degree in Psychology from the University of Utah. Amy earned a Master of Counseling degree from Arizona State University.
April Vrtis-Curran
Academic Advising Coordinator
Assistant Director of Orientation and Outreach
Bio
April began her time at the U as an Undecided Advisor for the College of Engineering in 2016. In 2022, she joined the Academic Advising Center. April hails from the Midwest where she obtained her B.A. in Psychology and Master’s in Leadership in Higher Education from North Central College. She is a bit of a homebody and enjoys spending time with her husband, dog, cat and kid.
Academic Advising Center Peer Advisors
Bio
Sage is a student at the University of Utah and a peer advisor at the Academic Advising Center. She grew up in the small town of Hanksville, Utah. Currently she is exploring a variety of majors that interest her the most, and is minoring in French.
Bio
Erica is from Seattle Washington, and is majoring in Biochemistry here at the University of Utah. When Erica is not working or at school, you can find her performing with the Marching Utes, watching old movies, or reading Shakespeare.
What is a peer advisor?
Bridge Advisors & College Liaisons
Bio
Lauren is originally from Southern California where she worked in higher education before moving to Utah in 2018. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of La Verne and her Masters of Science in Academic Advising from Kansas State. As a first generation Latina she is passionate about helping students achieve college success. Her personal motto is “Si, Se Puede!”.
Angelica Dennis
Bridge Advisor
Advisor, College of Social and Behavioral Science
Bio
Angelica is originally from Toronto, Canada where she worked in the creative industry! There she merged her love for people and the art of makeup. As an advisor at the U, she is passionate about empowering students to take the lead in their own academic journey with enthusiasm and care. Angelica is also a student pursuing her business degree in Operations and Supply Cha in Management.
Bio
A graduate of Utah State University with a degree in Physical Sciences Ed., Cyri also has minors in physics & chemistry teaching. She is working on a Masters of Public Administration degree at the U. She loves camping, sports, Wonder Woman, & her dog, Roka.
Bio
Andrew is a bridge advisor in the College of Fine Arts. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, and Doctorate in English. The first one was from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. The other two were from the University of Oregon.
Bio
Sara is an advisor in the College of Education, and she enjoys working with students to help them be successful in reaching their academic goals. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from Utah Valley University. She enjoys reading books and eating chocolate.
Bio
Emily hails from the Grand Canyon state. She is a photographer, artist, and freelance writer for KSL.com and Deseret News. She loves cats, and traveling – but not traveling with cats. Emily enjoys connecting students to opportunities.
Bio
Elirissa is a first-generation college graduate and earned her Bachelor of Science in Family & Human Services from the University of Oregon and her Master’s of Education in College Student Services Administration from Oregon State University. She has been an academic advisor in the College of Health since January 2021. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting and finding good restaurants to try with her partner.
Bio
Jenn is a bridge advisor in the College of Fine Arts. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Anthropology in 2012 and her Master’s Degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration in 2014, both from the State University of New York, Buffalo State.
Bio
Sonia was raised in Sparks, Nevada where she worked in study abroad, advising underrepresented students and helping them prepare for their programs, before joining CSBS in 2021. She is a first-generation graduate and earned her B.A. in Hispanic Studies and Psychology from Dartmouth College. Her favorite part of advising is encouraging students to step out of their comfort zone and watching them grow more confident in their experiences and skills.
Bio
Justin has been advising in the College of Humanities since November of 2016 & has loved every minute of it. Originally from Audubon, Minnesota, Justin relocated to Utah at the end of 2015 to chase his love of mountains and all of the adventures they provide.
Bio
Marissa Smith
Bio
Marissa worked for six years at Weber State University in Access & Diversity, advising low-income, unrepresented, first generation students while also serving inner city Ogden communities in a variety of capacities including: youth programming and development, education equity and access, community and academic program development and management, and community partnerships management. She did both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Weber State University.
Bio
Ali is a Utah native and received her B.A. in Psychology from Weber State and her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Utah. She is currently a Business advisor and enjoys working with students to help them excel at their personal and academic goals. Outside of work Ali enjoys spending time with her wife, watching Netflix, and training her dogs, Juno and Willow.
Bio
Josh has been an academic advisor since 2014 and began working at the U in 2021. Although he has primarily advised students majoring in the sciences, he had a brief tenure in athletics working in student-athlete academics and eligibility. He graduated from Utah State University with a B.S. in Health Science and from Southern Utah University with an M.A. in Professional Communication. Josh enjoys being physically active and attending concerts and sporting events.
Bio
Brenda moved from Minnesota to Utah in 2014. She is the academic advisor for the Department of Metallurgical Engineering & the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. She enjoys working with students that are pursuing degrees & careers in the STEM fields. Brenda treasures her faith, family, friends & the beautiful mountains of Utah.
Academic Advising Center Admin Team
Bio
Joseph has a BS from Clemson University in Materials Science in 2008, and is currently studying Computer Science at Weber State University. He loves cooking, the outdoors, and his family.
Bio
David has been with the Academic Advising Center since March 1996. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in French (plus a Secretarial Certificate) from the University of Utah and attended the University of Washington for one year.
Bio
Cassidy is earning her associates in social work from SLCC, hoping to transfer to the University of Utah next fall to continue with my bachelor's and master's degree. I enjoy helping people, and giving them a voice.
Bio
Tammy joined the Academic Advising Center in January of 2012. Tammy is a Hoosier, hailing from Indiana originally but has lived in Utah for the last 31 years. She earned her Bachelor of Science degrees in both Psychology and Communication and a Master of Science degree in Gerontology.
Bio
I am a transfer student with an Associate Degree in American Sign Language from California. I moved to Salt Lake two years ago to obtain a Bachelors in Speech, Language, and Hearing Pathology. I will graduate in Spring of 2022 with future plans to pursue a master's degree in Speech Pathology in Fall of 2023.
Bio
Ruby joined the AAC in 2019 after graduating from the U with a BA in International Studies and a BFA in Modern Dance. Moving from Orange County, California, Ruby fell in love with Salt Lake City and decided to stay at the U, with the goal of one day becoming an academic advisor. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Education in Global Education and hopes to continue helping students in their journey here at the University of Utah.