Meet the Staff

Syracuse Florence’s highly qualified staff is committed to helping students make the most of their study abroad experiences in Florence.


Sasha Perugini

Program Director

VR-Rm 23

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-336

Dr. Sasha Perugini manages and leads the Syracuse Florence program and its staff and faculty. She conducts strategic business planning and curriculum development; acts as the program’s legal representative; regularly consults and communicates with the home campus and the center’s legal team; represents the institution both locally and abroad; and fosters communication inside and outside the institution. As a member of the SU Florence faculty, Dr. Perugini teaches a 3-credit course in cross-cultural management and communication.


Gaia Banchelli

HR & Business Office Assistant

VR-Rm 25

Email: gbanchel@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-333

Gaia Banchelli assists with daily operations in the Human Resources and Business Office, providing support to faculty and staff.


Kevin Barnett

IT Services Manager

VR-Rm 20

Email: jkbarnet@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-355

Kevin Barnett provides oversight for all technology operations in collaboration with and reporting to ITS and Syracuse Abroad. This includes technology architecture and design, hardware and software life-cycle management as well as the initiation of new projects. He is also responsible for ensuring compliance with data security and privacy regulations.


Andressa Bavaresco

Student Health and Wellness Support

VR-Rm 26

Email: abavares@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-324

Andressa Bavaresco is responsible for student health and wellness services. She helps students with the kinds of personal, social, and cultural concerns that can arise during their time in Italy. She keeps the 24/7 student emergency phone on an occasional rotating basis.


Stefania Berutti

Field Studies Program

VR-Rm 21

Email: florencefieldtrips@syr.edu; sberutti@syr.edu

Work phone: +39 055-5031-331

Stefania Berutti organizes and oversees all Syracuse Florence iExplore trips and assists faculty with the organization and logistics of their course-related trips. She is an archeologist and teaches courses at Syracuse Florence in archeology and classical mythology.


Olimpia Bozza

Internship Programs and Experiential Learning

VR-Rm 24

Email: flrinternships@syr.eduobozza@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-332

Olimpia Bozza is in charge of  the Syracuse Florence Internship Program. She also manages course fees and budgeting for site visits and course related field trips and handles matters related to acquisitions for studio arts courses. She keeps the 24/7 student emergency phone on an occasional rotating basis.


Silvia Brandi (currently on leave)

Field Studies Program

VR-Rm 21

Email: florencefieldtrips@syr.edu; sbrandi@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-331

Silvia Brandi is in charge of planning, scheduling and budgeting field trips for Syracuse Florence’s I-Explore program and manages the logistics of the course-related field studies. She also handles budgets and logistics for the signature seminars and assists with faculty-led summer programs.


Andrea Colombo

Facilities and Operations Assistant

Email: acolombo@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-337

Andrea Colombo assists the Operations Manager with campus-wide facilities maintenance and operations management and provides assistance to the Housing Office. He also keeps the 24/7 student emergency phone on an occasional rotating basis.


Claudia Delli

Business and Operations Manager

VR-Rm 33

Email: cdelli@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-337

Claudia Delli is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the budget as well as ensuring compliance with all health and safety protocols relating to facilities and general operations throughout the Syracuse Florence campus, including oversight and enforcement of student health and welfare protocols. She also keeps the 24/7 student emergency phone on an occasional rotating basis.


Alice Gini

Student Life Office Assistant

VR-Rm 10

Email: algini@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-352

Alice Gini provides general information and assistance to students in the Student Life Office, including scheduling students’ doctor appointments and taking sign-ups for student life activities. As a member of the student emergency team, she keeps the 24/7 student emergency phone on an occasional rotating basis. As a licensed tour guide, Alice also leads a number of the iExplore field trips.


Jennifer Haag

Assistant to the School of Architecture

Donatello 25

Email: jrhaag@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-345

Jennifer Haag handles budget transactions and bookkeeping operations for the Architecture department in cooperation with the Business Manager. She is responsible for organizing the architecture field study trips, cataloging new acquisitions, and maintaining updated files in the Faculty Research Library. She also coordinates office operations and building maintenance for the Architecture Studios.


Sylvia Hetzel

Library Coordinator and Web Content Administrator

VL-Rm 14

Email: syhetzel@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-359

Sylvia Hetzel is responsible for all library operations, including circulation, reference assistance, cataloging and collections management. She oversees Syracuse Florence’s Villa Rossa Archive and makes content updates to the website. 


Melanie Honour

Student Life Advisor

VR-Rm 10

Email: mchonour@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-321

Melanie Honour provides general information and support to students in the Student Life Office, organizing events and weekly newsletters and sharing information on social media. She also deals with scheduling students’ doctor appointments and taking sign-ups for student life activities. As a member of the student emergency team, she keeps the 24/7 student emergency phone on an occasional rotating basis.


Fabio Landi

Network Systems Assistant

VR-Rm 20

Email: flandi@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-329

Fabio Landi assists the IT manager with maintaining the school’s extensive computer network and technical operations.


Silvia Landi

Building Maintenance

VR-Front Desk

Email: slandi@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-320

Silvia Landi is responsible for campus mail distribution, classroom and equipment upkeep, cleaning and maintenance services, and receptions for special events.


Simone Monaco

Student Life Office Assistant

VR-Rm 10

Email: smonaco@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-352

Simone Monaco’ provides general information and assistance to students in the Student Life Office, including sign-ups for the various activities offered at Syracuse Florence. As a member of the student emergency team, he keeps the 24/7 student emergency phone on an occasional rotating basis.


Mohamed Mousa

Academic Office Intern

Email: mmousa@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-359

Mohamed Mousa provides assistance to the offices for academics, internships, field trips, the library and student life helping mainly with special projects and events.


Rebecca Ricci

Business Office Assistant

VR-Rm 25

Email: rericci@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-326

Rebecca Ricci assists the Business and Operations Manager with administrative tasks related to the budget and expenditures.


Gelso Sassonia

Facilities & Grounds Maintenance

VR-Front Desk

Email: gsassoni@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-337

Gelso Sassonia assists with the upkeep of buildings and grounds as well as with audiovisual equipment operations and maintenance.


Rachael Smith

Academic Manager

VR-Rm 24

Email: rsmith81@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055 5031322

Rachael Smith is the Academic Manager responsible for coordinating academic operations and ensuring they run smoothly. She liaises closely with the Student Life and administrative teams, as well as providing support to faculty and students.


Erika Soncin

Assistant to the Director

VR-Rm 23

Email: esoncin@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-336

Erika Soncin provides administrative assistance to the director, including appointment scheduling, visitor itineraries, and events organization and promotion.


Christopher Staton

Front Desk Reception

VR-Front Desk

Email: csstaton@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-320

Christopher Staton provides information and logistical support to students and visitors upon entry to the Villa Rossa and provides other reception services such as receiving deliveries and answering calls to the central phone line.


Kamila Subko

Human Resources Administrator

VR-Rm 25

Email: ksubko@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-333

Kamila Subko is responsible for overseeing HR administration tasks and people management focusing on communication and effective teamwork.


Michelle Tarnopolsky

Academic Office Assistant

VR-Rm 24

Email: mtarnopo@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-381

Michelle Tarnopolsky provides program assistance to the Academic Office and is the contact person for students with accommodations. She also assists the Art History department with site visits and field trips and coordinates the Villa Rossa Voice newsletter.


Bob Vallier

Curriculum and Pedagogy Specialist

Email: rvallier@syr.edu

Bob Vallier has a D.E.A. from the Université de Paris and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from DePaul University, where he also served as the Assistant Director of the Honors Program.  He previously worked with international programs in Paris, where he taught courses in Philosophy and the Humanities at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences-Po), the Sorbonne, and Columbia University in Paris. At Syracuse University Florence, he is responsible for curricular development and pedagogy and teaches the CAS200 Mapping Italy course.


Alessandro Verri

Front Desk Receptionist and Facilities Assistant

VR-Front Desk

Email: averri@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-365

Alessandro Verri divides his time between front desk reception and providing support to operations management. He keeps the 24/7 student emergency phone on an occasional rotating basis.


Jessica Volpe

Assistant Director for Student Life

VR-Rm 29

Email: jbvolpe@syr.edu

Work Phone: +39 055-5031-327

Jessica oversees staff and operations within the Student Life team, including the Student Life Office, Health and Wellness, Community Engagement, and Housing. She is responsible for semester planning, budgeting, and housing protocols in collaboration with the business, risk management, and SUAbroad offices. She coordinates arrivals and orientation and serves as backup to Emergency Team staff outside of office hours. She also keeps the student 24/7 emergency phone on an occasional rotating basis.