VITAL Faculty Mentors

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.

2025-2026 VITAL Faculty Mentors


Assistant Teaching Professor
Mathematics & Statistics
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 434

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Vianney Gimeniz-Pingto, Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor, Physics
Dr. Leena Jaydeep Shevade, Assistant Teaching Professor
Sustainable Engineering Program



Associate Professor
Economics 
Bartley Hall Rm 2065

Faculty Mentees: 
Prof. Ruiyang Qin, Assistant Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Dr. Angel Antoun, Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences


Assistant Teaching Professor
Economics 
Bartley Hall Rm 3061

Faculty Mentees: 
Prof. Divine Narkotey Aboagye, Assistant Professor, Communication
Prof. Gianna Stella, Visiting Assistant Instructor, Chemistry & Biochemistry


Dr. James Bierstaker
Professor
Accounting & Information Systems
Bartley Hall, Rm 2052
Email: james.bierstaker@villanova.edu

Faculty Mentees:
Dr. Liang Du, Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Dr. Michael Povelones, Associate Professor, Biology



Dr. Jeremy Carlo
Associate Professor
Physics
Mendel Hall, Rm 365D
Email: jeremy.carlo@villanova.edu

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Nicholas Miller, Visiting Assistant Research Professor, Mathematics & Statistics
Dr. Gesse Roure, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering


Associate Professor 
Mathematics & Statistics 
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 373 

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Andrew Lynn, Assistant Professor, Humanities
Prof. Gayoung Park, Assistant Professor, Marketing & Business Law




Dr. Bryan Eigenbrodt
Associate Professor
Chemistry
Mendel Hall, Rm 216E
Email: bryan.eigenbrodt@villanova.edu

Faculty Mentee:
Dr. Ekta Patel, Assistant Professor, Astrophysics & Planetary Science




Assistant Professor
Geography and the Environment
Mendel Hall Rm G67B

Faculty Mentees:
Dr. Oscar Mauricio Aponte Moreno, Assistant Professor, History
Dr. Jeanna Kenney, Assistant Professor, Economics




Assistant Professor
Theology & Religious Studies 
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 231 

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Mitchell Kooh, Postdoctoral Scholar, Humanities
Dr. Cesar Salgado Portillo, Assistant Professor, Spanish




Assistant Teaching Professor
French & Francophone Studies
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 338 

Faculty Mentee: 
Dr. Alyvia Walters, Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor, Communication





Dr. Christopher Kilby
James Joo-Jin Kim Endowed Chair of Economics
Economics
Bartley Hall Rm 2006

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. John McFadden, Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Dr. Omar Quiñonez, Assistant Professor, Philosophy

Associate Teaching Professor 
Marketing & Business Law
Bartley Hall Rm 1006

Faculty Mentee: 
Ms. Erin Wiggins, Assistant Teaching Instructor, Communication Director, American Sign Language Institute




Clinical Assistant Professor
M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Driscoll Hall Rm 349

Faculty Mentees: 
Prof. Kelly Barren, Assistant Instructor, Biology
Prof. Vonja Womack, Visiting Assistant Instructor, Political Science



Dr. Dron M. Mandhana
Associate Professor
Communication
Garey Hall Rm 15
Email: dron.mandhana@villanova.edu

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Max Richard Harleman, Assistant Professor, Public Administration
Dr. Konstantinos Gatsis, Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering


Clinical Associate Professor
Dean-M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing
Driscoll Hall Rm 336800

Faculty Mentees:
Dr. Cory Ng, Associate Teaching Professor, Accountancy & Information Systems
Dr. Behzad Tahmasebzadeh, Postdoctoral Scholar, Astrophysics & Planetary Science


The Michelle and Sean Traynor '91 Assistant Professor
Marketing & Business Law 
Bartley Hall Rm 3066

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. David Burnett, Assistant Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Dr. Nathaniel Greene, Assistant Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences


Dr. Stephen Napier
Professor
Philosophy
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts, Rm 165
Email: stephen.napier@villanova.edu

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Kaitlyn Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor, Mathematics & Statistics
Dr. Nicole D. Kliewer, Assistant Professor, Political Science





Dr. Matthew O'Reilly
Assistant Professor
Chemistry
Mendel Hall Rm 300D

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Adeline Guthrie, Assistant Professor, Mathematics & Statistics
Dr. Bradley Hughes, Assistant Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences



Dr. Elizabeth Pantesco
Assistant Professor
Psychology & Brain Sciences
Tolentine Hall Rm 347

Faculty Mentees:
Dr. Spencer Andrews, Assistant Professor, Finance & Real Estate
Dr. Theodore Kareta, Assistant Professor, Astrophysics & Planetary Science





Dr. Cristina Percoco
Associate Teaching Professor
Spanish
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts, Rm 344
Email: cristina.percoco@villanova.edu

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Catherine Mary Moon, Postdoctoral Scholar - Ennis, Augustine & Culture Seminar Program
Dr. Ashley Williams, Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences



Director of Laboratory for the Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research (LAIR)
The Diana & James Yacobucci '73 Assistant Professor
Marketing & Business Law 
Bartley Hall Rm 3044

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Daniel Owusu Adu, Assistant Professor, Mathematics & Statistics
Dr. Chuangchuang Sun, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering


Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Drosdick Hall

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Drew McLaughlin, Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences
Dr. Cara Jill Sulyok, Assistant Professor, Mathematics & Statistics



Assistant Teaching Professor 
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Drosdick Hall Rm 358C

Faculty Mentees:
Dr. Benjamin Adenbaum, Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor, Mathematics & Statistics
Dr. Ludwig Noya, Postdoctoral Scholar, Augustine & Culture Seminar Program


The Vincent B. DiDomenico, Jr. ‘88 Assistant Professor
Accounting & Information Systems
Bartley Hall Rm 3065

Faculty Mentees:
Dr. Nadia Niknami, Assistant Professor, Computing Sciences
Dr. Byron Wratee, Assistant Professor, Theology & Religious Studies
 



Dr. Kevin A. Waters
Associate Teaching Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Drosdick Hall
Email: kevin.waters@villanova.edu

Faculty Mentees:
Dr. Lakeetra Josey, Cinical Associate Professor, Nursing
Dr. Yiben Wang, Assistant Teaching Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry


Assistant Teaching Professor
Biology
St Augustine Ctr Liberal Arts Rm 187

Faculty Mentees: 
Dr. Silvia Guslandi, Assistant Teaching Professor, Italian Studies
Dr. Bernadette S. Guthrie, Assistant Teaching Professor, Augustine & Culture Seminar Program




Teaching Professor, Chinese Studies
Director, Asian Studies
Global Interdisciplinary Studies
Garey Hall Rm 34

Faculty Mentees:
Dr. Evelyn Boyden, Postdoctoral Scholar, Humanities &
Honors Program
Dr. Siyu Wang, Associate Professor, Economics
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