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 BarnettKevin 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.edu; obozza@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.
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.