People
Staff

Photo of Deborah Cundiff

Deborah Cundiff

Business Administrator
Phone: 847-491-5635
Office: Tech E310
Email Deborah
Back-up: Asta Stekovic
  • Oversees operations and finance for the department
  • Primary payroll approver, backup level 2 NUFinancials approver
  • Manages faculty salary and effort
  • Manages BME administrative staff
  • Coordinates effort reporting, annual report, annual space survey, etc.
Photo of Sophia  Andalajao

Sophia Andalajao

Sr. Financial Specialist
Office: Tech E322
Email Sophia
 Back-up: Justin Mills, Joey Riley-Sabaj
  • Places orders (purchase orders), expense reports, vouchers, etc.
  • Journals and other financial tasks for assigned accounts
  • Monthly budget statement distribution and reconciliation
  • Supports Research Administrator
  • Sponsored account closeout
  • Monitor subcontracts, including invoicing
Photo of Brianna Bullock

Brianna Bullock

Program Coordinator (Mrksich Group)
Phone: 847-467-0710
Email Brianna
Back-up: Yael Mayer
  • Assists with general Mrksich Group operations
  • Processes orders, expense reports, vouchers
  • Manuscript submission
  • Website updates
Photo of Carol Schwermin Govern

Carol Schwermin Govern

Senior Research Administrator
Phone: 847-467-4162
Email Carol
Back-up: Rebecca Kell
  • Manages pre-award (proposal) activities
  • Liaison with Office for Sponsored Research (OSR)
  • Local subject matter expert and compliance monitor for all sponsored research activities
Photo of Sarah Hamilton

Sarah Hamilton

Student Program Assistant
Phone: 847-491-4370
Office: Tech M318
Email Sarah

Back-up: Mike Okun-Perlin

  • BME graduate and undergraduate program coordinator (recruitment, applications, and admissions)
  • Oversees PhD and MS Recruitment and Orientation
  • Course description, tracking students, graduation
Photo of Jaime Harris

Jaime Harris

Assistant to the Chair
Phone: 847-491-7644
Office: Tech E310
Email Jaime
Back-up: Naomi Vasciannie (primary), Rachel Jones
  • Administrative support to BME Chair, Assistant Chair and BA
  • Assists with Faculty Recruitment and P & T
  • Coordinates monthly faculty meetings
  • Registration and enrollment (permission number waitlists, quarter schedule, and room assignment)
Photo of Rachel Jones

Rachel Jones

Student Program Assistant
Phone: 847-467-7483
Office: Tech M318
Email Rachel

Back-up: Mike Okun-Perlin, Sarah Hamilton

  • BME graduate and undergraduate program coordinator (recruitment, applications, and admissions)
  • Oversees PhD and MS Recruitment and Orientation
  • Course description, tracking students, graduation
Photo of Barbara Kassner

Barbara Kassner

Program Coordinator
Phone: 847-491-8178
Email Barbara
  • Supports Prof. Guillermo Ameer and the CARE Center
  • Supports Prof. Hao Zhang, including administrative and financial support
  • Manages CARE NIH T32 Training Grant
Photo of Rebecca Kell

Rebecca Kell

Research Administrator
Phone: 847-491-7341
Email Rebecca
Back-up: Carol Govern
  • Manages all pre-award (proposal) activities
  • Liaison with Office for Sponsored Research (OSR)
  • Local subject matter expert and compliance monitor for all sponsored research activities
Photo of Cole Lopardo

Cole Lopardo

Financial Assistant
Phone: 847-491-7426
Office: Tech E322
Email Cole
Back-up: Asta Stekovic (primary), Deborah Cundiff
  • Payroll and tuition management (including grad students)
  • Appointments and hiring
  • Serves as liason with McCormick Customer Service Center for visas and hiring paperwork
  • Payroll tracking - monitor suspense account, process payroll journals
  • Level 1 approver in NU Financials
Photo of Justin Mills

Justin Mills

Accounting Specialist
Phone: 847-467-9126
Email Justin
Back-up: Laura Motyka (primary), Joey Riley-Sabaj
  • Places orders (purchase orders), expense reports, voucher, etc.
  • Journals and other financial tasks for assigned accounts
  • Monthly budget statement distribution and reconciliation
  • Conference registration and travel arrangements
  • Monitors subcontracts, including invoicing
  • Holds and manages department p-card
Photo of Laura Motyka

Laura Motyka

Financial Administrator 1
Office: Tech E310
Email Laura

Back-up: Asta Stekovic 

  • Primary backup to Business Administrator
  • Primary Level 2 NUFinancials approver, backup payroll approver
  • Processes payroll funding and appointments, assists with faculty salary planning and effort reporting
  • Annual budget planning, space survey, and misc. reporting
  • Assists with BME administrative staff hiring and manages BME financial staff
Photo of Mike Okun-Perlin

Mike Okun-Perlin

Sr. Student Program Coordinator
Phone: 847-467-3130
Office: Tech M318
Email Mike
 Back-up: Sarah Hamilton
  • Leads administration of BME PhD, MS, and undergraduate programs
  • Assists with student registration, recruitment, milestone tracking, and graduation
  • Helps BME Financial Assistant with management of PhD student funding (stipend and tuition)
Photo of Joey Riley-Sabaj

Joey Riley-Sabaj

Accounting Specialist
Phone: 847-491-8178
Office: Tech E322
Email Joey
Back-up: Laura Motyka, Justin Mills
  • Places orders (purchase orders), expense reports, vouchers, etc.
  • Journals and other financial tasks for assigned accounts
  • Monthly budget statement distribution and reconciliation
  • Supports Falk Center financial administration
Photo of Asta  Stekovic

Asta Stekovic

Financial Administrator 2
Phone: 847-467-3821
Office: Tech E310
Email Asta

Back-up: Deb Cundiff

  • Primary backup to Business Administrator
  • Primary Level 2 NUFinancials approver, backup payroll approver
  • Processes payroll funding and appointments, assists with faculty salary planning and effort reporting
  • Annual budget planning, space survey, and misc. reporting
  • Assists with BME administrative staff hiring and manages BME financial staff
Photo of Allie Trueb

Allie Trueb

Program Assistant
Phone: 312-503-6816
Office: SQBRC 11th floor
Email Allie

Back-up: Naomi Vasciannie, Jaime Harris

  • General inquiries
  • Event planning and bulletin board maintenance
  • Room Reservations
  • Mail and packages, keys, and parking passes
  • Facilities Management repairs and maintenance
Photo of Shreevidya Vardhan

Shreevidya Vardhan

Administrative Assistant (Backman Group)
Phone: 847-467-1870
Office: Silverman 3625
Email Shreevidya
  • General clerical and administrative support for Backman lab
  • Manages calendars, organizes travel arrangements for Backman and Backman lab members
  • Schedules meetings, orders food for meetings and special events
  • Updates group's website
  • Internal and external interdisciplinary collaboration manager
Photo of Naomi Vasciannie

Naomi Vasciannie

Program Assistant
Phone: 847-467-1213
Office: Tech E310
Email Naomi

Back-up: Jaime Harris (primary), Rachel Jones

  • Seminar Series planning
  • General inquiries: Chair, Asst. Chair and BA support; Listservs
  • Event planning, bulletin board maintenance, advisory board meetings, seminars, travel arrangements, conference room scheduling, and faculty search coordination
  • Monthly staff meeting coordination
  • BME website updates
  • Mail and packages, keys, meal vouchers and parking passes
  • Facilities Management: repairs and maintenance
Photo of Vacant  Position

Vacant Position

Administrative Assistant
Office: Tech E310

Back-up: Naomi Vasciannie (primary), Jaime Harris

  • General clerical and administrative support for faculty (Scott, Szleifer, Efimov, and Rivnay)
  • Maintains laboratory websites
  • BME department website updates
  • Schedules meetings, order food for meetings and special events
  • Conference registration and travel arrangements
  • Communicates with Accounting Specialists on financial matters