Community in the spirit of Augustine is a hallmark of the Villanova experience and an integral part of how we support each other’s growth and academic professional development. You will have the wonderful opportunity to engage in a collegial, informal, confidential mentoring relationship with a full-time faculty colleague outside your discipline.
The VITAL Faculty Mentor will offer collegial support by providing guidance, feedback, information, and/or opportunities to you to facilitate your transition to our campus and your faculty role. The mentors are looking forward to serving as a sounding board, navigator of institutional culture, resource, and supportive and responsive colleague. You will be paired with a mentor outside your department to support confidential, non-evaluative interactions during the upcoming academic year. You will meet with your mentor and another newly-appointed faculty colleague 2-3 times during the semester.
We are delighted to be able to offer this special, cross-disciplinary mentoring opportunity to you that is made possible by the VITAL Faculty Mentors’ care, concern, and commitment to supporting their colleagues as they join Villanova’s teaching community. Link to program details
VITAL Faculty Mentors 2022-2023
Director
VITAL
Vasey Hall Rm 106
Email: gabriele.bauer@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Scott Grapin, Theology and Religious Studies, CLAS
• Dr. Laura Thierer, Chemistry, CLAS
• Dr. Anuja Gupta, Management and Operations, VSB
Mathematics and Statistics, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 323
Email: paul.bernhardt@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Martina Ferrari, Philosophy, CLAS
• Dr. Tyler Milfeld, Marketing and Business Law, VSB
Professor
Accounting & Information Systems, VSB
Bartley Hall Rm 2052
Email: james.bierstaker@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Caitlyn Yantis, Psychological and Brain Sciences, CLAS
• Prof. Caroline Murphy, History, CLAS
Faculty
Communication, CLAS
Garey Hall Rm 18
Email: jared.bishop@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. David Mesing, Ethics, CLAS
• Prof. Patrick Roche, Accountancy and Information Systems, VSB
Assistant Professor
M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Driscoll Hall Rm 310
Email: sherry.burrell@villanova.eduFaculty Mentees:
• Dr. Helen (Betsy) Mesard, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program, CLAS
• Dr. Laura Bracaglia, Chemical and Biological Engineering, COE
Associate Professor,
Theology and Religious Studies, CLAS
Email: francis.caponi@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Sachin Modi, Management and Operations, VSB
• Dr. Veronika Ryjik, Spanish, CLAS
Dr. Jeremy Carlo
Associate Professor
Physics, CLAS
Mendel Hall Rm 365D
Email: jeremy.carlo@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
Associate Professor
Physics, CLAS
Mendel Hall Rm 365D
Email: jeremy.carlo@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Leila Malekmotiei, Mechanical Engineering, COE
• Prof. Eric Compton, VSB
Assistant Professor
French and Francophone Studies, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 340
Email: roderick.cooke@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Daniel Smith, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
• Dr. Isabel Hong, Geography and the Environment, CLAS
Continuing Assistant Professor
Mathematics & Statistics, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 377
Email: nathan.corwin@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Eli Cohen, Spanish, CLAS
• Prof. Susan Naylor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, CLAS
Assistant Teaching Professor
Spanish, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 329
Email: john.cunicelli@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Anne Marie Thompson, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program, CLAS
• Dr. Alysha Meloche, Management and Operations, VSB
Spanish, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 348
Email: jill.gonzalez@villanova.eduFaculty Mentees:
• Prof. Keegan Lutek, Biology, CLAS
• Dr. Rebecca McGill, Mechanical Engineering, COE
Teaching Professor
Center for Peace and Justice Education
Augustine and Culture Seminar Program, CLAS
Email: timothy.horner@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Anne Marie Gregor, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
• Prof. Frederick Chandler, Mathematics and Statistics, CLAS
Assistant Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering, COE
Tolentine Hall Rm 137
Email: jonathan.hubler@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
Continuing Assistant Professor
Mathematics and Statistics, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 332
Email: vikram.kamat@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
Assistant Professor
Philosophy, CLASCivil and Environmental Engineering, COE
Tolentine Hall Rm 137
Email: jonathan.hubler@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Christopher Herdelin, Economics, VSB
• Dr. Ida Marie Alcantara, Mathematics and Statistics, CLAS
Mathematics and Statistics, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 332
Email: vikram.kamat@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Jennifer Muner, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
• Dr. Christopher Kitchens, Chemical and Biological Engineering, COE
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 166
Email: peter.koch@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Kimberly Trout, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
• Dr. Stephanie Campos, Biology, CLAS
Assistant Teaching Professor
Communication, CLAS
Email: allyson.levin@villanova.edu
Email: allyson.levin@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Yasemin Akis, Theology and Religious Studies, CLAS
• Prof. Wendi Smith, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Assistant Teaching Professor
Marketing & Business Law, VSB
Email: jeanne.liedtka@villanova.edu
Email: jeanne.liedtka@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Deborah King, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
• Dr. Collen Mitchell, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program, CLAS
Communication, CLAS
Garey Hall Rm 15
Email: dron.mandhana@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Elena Kazakova, French and Francophone Studies, CLAS
• Prof. Serene Tai, Chemistry, CLAS
Professor of the Practice
Church Management
Email: matthew.manion@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Stephen McGill, Mechanical Engineering, COE
• Dr. Michael Dowdy, English, CLAS
Associate Professor
Philosophy, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 166
Email: Stephen.napier@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Megan Cardwell, Communication, CLAS
• Prof. Max Osborn, Sociology and Criminology, CLAS
Associate Teaching Professor
Spanish, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 344
Email: cristina.percoco@villanova.eduFaculty Mentees:
• Dr. Christine Kalleeny, Global Interdisciplinary Studies, CLAS
• Dr. Liesl Klein, Electrical and Computer Engineering, COE
Associate Professor
Sociology & Criminology, CLAS
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 283
Email: brianna.remster@villanova.eduFaculty Mentees:
• Dr. Tresa Kaur, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
• Dr. Holly Ferraro, Management and Operations, VSB
Instructor
Spanish
Spanish
Faculty Advisor, Office of Undergraduate Studies (OUS), CLAS
Email: larisa.colon-rodriguez@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Beth Davidson, Mathematics and Statistics, CLAS
• Prof. LeRai Martin, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Associate Professor
M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Driscoll Hall Rm 346
Email: jennifer.ross@villanova.eduFaculty Mentees:
• Prof. Venkata Siva Kumari Margapuri, Computing Sciences, CLAS
• Dr. Jaisy Joseph, Theology and Religious Studies, CLAS
Assistant Teaching Professor 
Spanish, CLAS
Email: brendan.w.spinelli@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Sarada Gochhayat, Electrical and Computer Engineering, COE
• Prof. Jahdiel Perez, Humanities, CLAS
Assistant Professor of the Practice
Finance & Real Estate, VSB
Email: monika.sywak@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Sarah Heck, Geography and the Environment, CLAS
• Prof. Jingchao Ma, Augustine and Culture Seminar Program, CLAS
Assistant Teaching Professor 
Chemistry, CLAS
Mendel Hall Rm 318
Email: thomas.umile@villanova.eduFaculty Mentees:
• Prof. Javier Cabezas Zapata, Spanish, CLAS
• Prof. Luis Diego Granera, Economics, VSB
The Swift Family Assistant Professor
Finance & Real Estate, VSB
Bartley Hall Rm 2085
Email: raisa.velthuis@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Prof. Sarah Cooney, Computing Sciences, CLAS
• Dr. Chenfeng Xiong, Civil and Environmental Engineering, COE
Associate Professor
Communication, CLAS
Garey Hall Rm 16
Email: q.wang@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Stephanie Wong, Theology and Religious Studies, CLAS
• Dr. Karen Ton, Accountancy and Information Systems, VSB
Associate Professor
Communication, CLAS
Garey Hall Rm 20
Email: jie.xu@villanova.edu
Faculty Mentees:
• Dr. Julia Mansfield, History, CLAS
• Dr. Erinn Lauterbach, Political Science, CLAS
