Undergraduate Student Services Staff | College of Business and Analytics | SIU

Rachel is a two-time alumna from SIU Carbondale (Bachelor’s in Business and Master’s in Education). She is responsible for the recruitment and retention of College of Business and Analytics students. She is passionate about helping students from application to graduation and beyond, and navigating all the steps in between. Her role is to work with prospective students and their families, teachers and business professionals to help them learn more about the college. She also works with current students in providing retention support and much more.

Ivan Vargas joined the College of Business and Analytics in January 2019. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in finance and criminology. A trombonist with the SIU Symphonic Band and a financial analyst for the Saluki Student Investment Fund (SSIF).

Before his role as an academic advisor, he was a GA for SIU Admissions, a Student Representative for SIU Admissions Call Center, an Economics Tutor for Student Support Services, and a former Resident Assistant for University Housing.

A business student himself, he can understand and connect with his students during advisement appointments. He has an open-door policy to all students; prospective, current, and alumni.

His research interest is in economics, criminology, and law.

From Brooklyn, New York.

Jasmine Winters joined the College of Business and Analytics as the Chief Academic Advisor in 2019. She graduated from the College of Business in 2005 with her degree in marketing followed by her MBA in 2008. She has been with the SIU for over 18 years serving as an academic advisor. Before coming to the CoBA she worked with the School of Architecture. In addition to the positions that she has held on campus, Winters has also served on a number of university committees.

Leslee Hammers began working in the Online Undergraduate Program in Spring 2017. She has a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems Technologies and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in Instructional Technology. Leslee was a non-traditional student for both of these degrees, working and attending school part-time. She had one daughter before she started working on her bachelor’s degree and another daughter before she finished. Leslee felt like she needed to obtain an education to be better able to stress the importance of a college education to her daughters.

Leslee has been interested in adult education, especially online education, since she began working on her bachelor’s degree. Having worked in different roles in the College of Business and Analytics since 2004, she is excited for the opportunity to utilize her education and years of institutional knowledge to assist students and faculty with online education.

Nicholas G. Hoffman came to SIU from Rockford, Illinois. Formerly a Teaching Assistant for the College’s oM.B.A. program, he also brings his expertise in data management, evaluation and program development to expanding the College’s career services to graduate students, providing advisement to current M.B.A. graduate students, and overseeing the teaching assistantship experience for the online M.B.A. program. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Applied Psychology.

Michelle Johanson joined the College of Business and Analytics as an accountant in the Dean’s Office in 2015. She was quickly promoted to business manager and is currently the online undergraduate program manager. Managing the online program is a perfect fit for Johanson. She has experience working with online programs in the College of Business and Analytics and in the Workforce Education and Development Off Campus Degree Program as a teaching assistant and a research assistant.

Johanson is a three-degree Saluki. She earned her bachelor’s degree in finance, master’s degree with a major in workforce education and development focusing on instructional design and E-learning and a Master of Accountancy, all from SIU Carbondale. 

Kimberly joined the College of Business and Analytics online undergraduate programs in fall of 2014. With an impressive 28-years of experience in higher education, her extensive background includes diverse roles such as Director of Undergraduate Online Student Services within the College of Business and Analytics, Chief Academic Advisor in the College of Education and Human Services, Interim Director and Advisor in the former Pre-Major Advisement Center, and Learning Support Specialist collaborating with university and community college TRIO programs.

Having obtained both her bachelor's (1993) and master's (1995) degrees from SIU, Kimberly is deeply rooted in the academic community. She actively contributes to various initiatives and committees, including her involvement with Saluki Cares, Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Assurance Review, and the Campus Wide Assessment Committee. Kimberly's commitment extends beyond administrative roles, as she has also engaged directly with students through teaching UNIV 101 and chairing the First-Year Advisement Action Team. Her dedication to student success is further underscored by her participation in core curriculum redesign efforts, retention task forces, co-curricular assessment committees, and chancellor's campus life and safety task forces.

She is a member of NACADA and is a founding member of the Illinois Academic Advising Association (ILACADA), in which she held several offices.