The Office of the Dean is in 215 Jordan Hall of Science, which is located at the south end of the building. The dean's office is organized into the following areas:
- Dean of the College of Science
- Associate & Assistant Deans
- Development
- Facilities
- Finance & Administration
- Marketing Communications
- Ara Parseghian Medical Research Fund
View the dean's office organizational chart.
Dean of the College of Science
Santiago Schnell, D.Phil.
William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science
(574) 631-6456
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Santiago Schnell is the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame. He also holds a tenured appointment as professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and in the Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics. As dean of the College of Science, Schnell guides the college to fulfill its mission to prepare the scientific leaders of tomorrow, and its commitment to fostering advancements that answer the world’s toughest questions and solve its most enduring problems.
Schnell is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. He also received the Arthur Winfree Prize from the Society of Mathematical Biology, based on his seminal work on enzyme kinetics via the Schnell-Mendoza equation. Previously, Schnell led the University of Michigan Medical School’s Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, spearheading strong growth in the department’s operating revenue and investments as well as a significant increase in its endowment.
Schnell received his undergraduate degree in biology from Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela and earned his doctorate in mathematical biology from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. After completing his doctoral studies, he held two prestigious research positions at Oxford — junior research fellow at the Christ Church college and Wellcome Trust research fellow at the Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology.
Read Santiago Schnell's 2021 appointment announcement.
Lisa Mercurio
Executive Assistant
(574) 631-6456
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Lisa Mercurio is the executive assistant to the Dean of the College of Science. Lisa provides high-level administrative support including preparing essential correspondence and communications to internal and external audiences; conducting research and gathering data to inform the Dean's decision-making; managing daily administration to ensure efficient, effective operations; coordinating projects and special events related to donors and current and prospective faculty, staff, and students; and other administrative responsibilities in support of the Dean and the College of Science.
Lisa is a 1992 graduate of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force (having completed the AFROTC program at Notre Dame), Lisa was stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, where she worked in the digital exploitation branch of what was then the National Air Intelligence Center. After taking time off to raise a family, Lisa re-entered the workforce, taking a part-time position at the Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library. Lisa lives in Granger with her husband and three children.
Kim Kirkpatrick
Executive Administrator
(574) 631-3136
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Kim Kirkpatrick is the executive administrator for the College of Science. Her primary responsibilities include assisting with faculty appointments and providing administrative support to the dean, assistant deans, and dean’s office staff. Kim also plays a key role in managing the logistical side of student development programs, as well as coordinating many of the departmental outreach and showcase events.
An experienced professional in the area of supply chain management, customer service, and process management, Kim previously held positions at a number of major retail and service corporations, including: The Limited Corporation, American Hotel Registry, Avon Manufacturing, Aerial Communications, and 20th Century Fox. She graduated from Western Illinois University earning a Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management with honors.
Associate & Assistant Deans
Michael Hildreth, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies
(574) 631-2270
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Michael Hildreth previously served as interim dean of the College of Science from January 1 through August 31, 2021, and since 2016, he was Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Science. A professor in the Department of Physics and an experimental particle physicist, Hildreth leads the U.S. Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Group responsible for directing research and development for software and computational challenges faced at the CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
View Michael Hildreth's full biography.
J. Daniel Gezelter, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies
(574) 631-6375
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J. Daniel Gezelter is the associate dean for undergraduate studies and a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He directs the undergraduate affairs of the College of Science, serves as chair of the college undergraduate committee, and is liaison to the Registrar's Office and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
View Dan Gezelter's full biography.
Kevin Lannon, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
(574) 631-3308
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The Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs oversees programs and initiatives that span multiple departments and/or colleges, and is active in recruiting new interdisciplinary faculty. The Associate Dean develops new orientation and mentoring programs to position faculty for success, and is responsible for coordinating faculty reappointments and promotions.
Father James Foster, C.S.C, M.D.
Associate Dean
Center for Health Advising, 219 Jordan Hall of Science
(574) 631-4890
Email
Father Foster directs the Center for Health Sciences Advising and serves as chair of the preprofessional studies program. He closely monitors developments within the health profession admissions process including new schools, course requirements, and curriculum developments.
View Father Foster's complete biography.
Kathleen J. S. Kolberg, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean
Center for Health Advising, 219 Jordan Hall of Science
(574) 631-4890
Email
Kathleen Kolberg is an assistant dean for undergraduate studies. She is responsible for student advising, focusing on overloads, transfer credits, and graduation issues. She also advises science and engineering students on preparation and admission to health profession schools.
L. Arielle Phillips, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Collegiate Affairs
L. Arielle Phillips fills the role of director of undergraduate studies for and is responsible for advising all the collegiate sequence majors. She also oversees the study abroad program for the College of Science. As Associate Dean of Collegiate Affairs, Professor Phillips will also take on special projects as assigned by the Dean.
Phillips is associate professor of the practice of astrophysics and cosmology theory in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. She received her B.Sc. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and her Ph.D. from Princeton University. She joined the University of Notre Dame in 2009.
David J. Veselik, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Advising
319 Jordan Hall of Science
(574) 631-8502
Email
David Veselik is the assistant dean for undergraduate advising. He advises students in all science disciplines as they make their transition to college life, and during their first year.
Veselik earned his doctoral degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Georgetown University, and worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Notre Dame. He became an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University in 2009 and was promoted to associate teaching professor in 2016. He previously was the director of undergraduate studies in biology.
Lori Goffeney
Senior Administrative Assistant
(574) 631-6375
Email
Lori Goffeney is the senior administrative assistant to the associate and assistant deans for undergraduate studies. Lori works collaboratively to expedite student processes and has a detailed understanding of University policies and procedures. She provides assistance on issues such as graduation, registration, withdrawals, leaves of absence, and course building.
Lori has been with the University of Notre Dame for more than 25 years. She began her career at Notre Dame working in the Offices of Student Accounts, Financial Aid, and the Registrar. She has been with the College of Science since 1996.
Development
Allison Maddox Slabaugh, MNA
Academic Advancement Director
(574) 631-2425
Email
Allison serves as the development liaison for the College of Science, working closely with academic leadership and fundraisers to advance key priorities for the College. As a member of the College of Science senior leadership team, Allison advises on strategic initiatives and manages the Dean’s external engagement. Allison has catalyzed new collaborations with the Colleges of Engineering, Arts & Letters, and Notre Dame Athletics and played a key role in developing a number of new initiatives such as the Mary E. Galvin Science and Engineering Scholars Program, Sports Science Initiative, and Rare Disease Patient Advocacy Program. In the last 5 years, Allison has helped raise over $200 million for the University.
Allison has been a part of the Development team at Notre Dame since 2010. Prior to joining the University, Allison worked in a pediatric research laboratory at Saint Louis University. Allison received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and her Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame.
Facilities
Allen Utterback, MBA
Associate Director, Facilities
110 Jordan Hall of Science
(574) 631-2331
Email
Allen F. Utterback II, associate director of facilities, joined the College of Science in December of 2008. His responsibilities include facilities management for the Jordan Hall of Science and the Chemistry facilities, overall safety and security protocol, space management tracking, event planning, renovation planning, and sustainability/continuous improvement planning. In addition, Allen leads the College of Science Safety Committee.
Prior to working in the College of Science, Allen spent almost eleven years as the Administrator of Corby Hall at the University of Notre Dame and oversaw facilities, food service, housekeeping, and automobile fleet maintenance, and annual budgeting and analysis. He also has experience as a staff accountant performing investment monitoring, management of human resources, and accounts payable responsibilities. Allen earned a Bachelor of Science in Management with a major in accounting from Purdue University, West Lafayette and his Master of Business Administration from Purdue University at Westville.
Finance & Administration
William W. O'Hayer, MBA, CPA, CIA
Senior Director, Finance and Administration
(574) 631-2948
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William O’Hayer, senior director of finance and administration, joined the College of Science as its first business manager in 2004. He is responsible for budget and financial management, marketing communications, and human resources for the college. Bill is actively involved in strategic planning and goal setting, ongoing tracking of progress against goals, identifying appropriate resources in support of initiatives, and promoting continuous improvement across the college.
Prior to joining the University, Bill spent ten years in manufacturing, most recently at Bayer Diagnostics. He managed manufacturing accounting teams, performed capital budgeting and analysis, originated an internal audit function, and trained extensively in process improvement techniques, including Total Quality Management, Kepner-Tregoe process consulting, lean manufacturing techniques, and Six Sigma Black Belt tools. Bill holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN, and CPA and CIA designations.
Joseph Quinn, M.S., CPA
Program Director, Finance and Administration
(574) 631-2577
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Joseph Quinn, program director of finance and administration, is actively involved in the financial and human resources management for the college, including budgeting, forecasting, funds analysis, process improvement, hiring, and performance management.
Joseph has worked at the University since 2011, most recently as a senior accountant for sponsored programs. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame in 2009 in finance, he received his master's degree in accountancy-financial reporting from Notre Dame in 2011. Joseph obtained a CPA designation in 2013.
Marketing Communications
Tammi Freehling, M.S.
Director of Marketing Communications
(574) 631-5833
Email
Tammi Freehling, director of marketing communications, is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the college communications team, production and placement of assets, revising and refining the strategic communications plan for the college, and developing systems and tools to streamline marketing operations, among other duties. Tammi has more than 20 years of experience working on marketing communications teams in the for-profit and non-profit sectors.
Tammi earned her Master of Science in Strategic Communication from Purdue University in 2021 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Savannah College of Art and Design in 1997. In 2011, she completed Unleashing Your Leadership Potential, an executive education program at Mendoza College of Business. Prior to joining the Dean's Office, Tammi was editor and project manager at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Deanna Csomo Ferrell, M.A.
Marketing Communications Senior Assistant Director
(574) 631-0548
Email
Deanna Ferrell, marketing communications senior assistant director, has more than 20 years of experience as a writer and communications professional. She writes for the college’s print and online publications, develops content for social media, and assists with the strategic communications plan. Before joining the University, she worked for nearly 10 years as a freelance writer and technical editor. She has also worked as a public relations professional and as a newspaper reporter.
A graduate of Indiana University-Bloomington, Deanna earned her Master of Arts in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins University in 2018. She teaches science journalism as a term assistant teaching professor for Notre Dame's Journalism, Ethics and Democracy minor, is a member of the Notre Dame Toastmasters Club, and serves on the University's pastoral care committee.
Lotta Barnes
Visual Communications Senior Assistant Director
(574) 631-2272
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Lotta Barnes, visual communications senior assistant director, joined the College of Science in May 2012. Lotta designs a range of print and online marketing communications for the college, its six departments, and its graduate programs, including recruitment booklets, signature event invitations and booklets, conference postcards, online advertisements, and promotional products on behalf of the Office of the Dean.
Lotta earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising from Southern Methodist University in 2003. Prior to joining the College of Science, she worked for advertising agencies in Sweden and New York. She has designed for several national and international corporations. Lotta was also a competitive swimmer for 20 years and had the honor of representing Sweden in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Samantha Keller
Web & Social Media Specialist
(574) 631-9308
Email
Samantha Keller, web & social media specialist, joined the College of Science in October 2022. Samantha manages the college's social media channels and website and provides consulting support to the departments' web and social media administrators.
Prior to joining the College of Science, she worked as a social media manager at a nonprofit organization for eight years, managing content across multiple large-audience platforms, specializing in lifestyle product photography, and directing live social media coverage at annual conferences with 6,000+ attendees. She was editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper at the university she attended in South Carolina, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication in 2015.
Ara Parseghian Medical Research Fund
Sean Kassen, Ph.D.
Director
(574) 631-631-4689
Email
Sean Kassen, director, is responsible for administering all of the functions of the Fund which includes advancing Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease research, fundraising, managing the grants program, and raising awareness of NPC disease. Previously he was the Director of Academic Advancement for the College of Science where he worked to externally promote the priorities of the College of Science to individuals, companies, and foundations. He also coordinated several events including the Road to Discovery cross-country bike ride and the Parseghian Classic to raise awareness and funds for NPC disease.
Sean received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Alma College in Alma, Michigan, and his doctoral degree in cell and molecular biology from the University of Notre Dame. Prior to attending Notre Dame, Sean conducted research for Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Illinois, identifying causes of a rare premature infant disease called necrotizing enterocolitis. His research at Notre Dome ranged in topics from identifying the mechanisms behind retinal development and regeneration to using zebrafish as a model for developing genetic tools.
Jamie Boling
Engagement and Communications Coordinator
(574) 631-4651
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Jamie Boling, engagement and communications coordinator, brings more than 20 years of experience in public relations, donor development, fundraising, training and communications. Her primary role serves the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Fund through engaging with donors through event planning and strategic communications. She also participates in strategic communications initiatives with the Dean's Office communications team.
Jamie graduated with her Business Administration degree. Prior to joining the College of Science, Jamie worked for five years in various hospitality, training & guest relations roles throughout University Enterprises and Events at Notre Dame, most recently as the Communications Manager for Organizational Effectiveness/Employee Engagement.