Meet your Admissions Counselor

Marjorie Ahearn
Admissions Coordinator

Margie is the admission coordinator responsible for answering students' questions on-line. She has worked for undergraduate admissions for the last ten years. Have a question? Ask Margie!

Tiffany Dallas
Admissions Coordinator

Territory: Southern Illinois High Schools

Email: tiffanydallas@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Recreation Management, 2006;
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Master of Public Administration, 2010

Hobbies: Spending time with family, friends & my pets, hiking, shopping, traveling, scrapbooking & crafting, playing cards, fishing, step aerobics, kick boxing, and volunteering with the local animal shelter.

Best of SIU: SIU offers endless opportunities for academic, personal, social, and professional growth. The education offered at SIUC prepares students for life-long success beyond the classroom.

Advice for choosing a college: It’s the people that make college memorable and ensure that you will be successful in your academic career. Get to know your peers, professors and staff.

Rey Diaz
Admissions Coordinator

(hablo español)

Territory: Illinois Community Colleges

Email: rdiaz@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Speech Communication, 1992

Hobbies: Fishing, Hiking, Biking, and Hunting

Best of SIU: The people, the school spirit, and the weather.

Advice for choosing a college: A campus visit is so important in the process of selecting the right college or university for yourself; please be sure to visit your top schools.

Rachel Harvel
Admissions Coordinator

Territory: Central Illinois and Indianapolis area

Email: rachelmh@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Marketing, 2010

Hobbies: Running, Reading, Traveling, Spending time with family

Best of SIU: Southern offers such a plethora of programs it would be hard not to find something that interests you. Also, I love that you can enjoy all four seasons in Southern Illinois.

Advice for choosing a college: Start looking at your college options early! Don't wait until the last minute. This will make the process a lot less stressful. When you find the colleges that interest you the most, visit them.

Tedgie Morgan
Admissions Coordinator

Territory: Campus Visit Program and Saluki Ambassadors

Email: tedgie@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Organizational/Intercultural Communication with Psychology minor, 2004

Hobbies: Traveling, music, sports, family, friends, new experiences and new people

Best of SIU: Realizing at graduation how many different and wonderful people I had met in such a short time, and how each of them made their own impact on my life and my college experience. It was an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and accomplishment.

Advice for choosing a college: Choose a college that makes you the most happy. Make sure you feel comfortable with the size, pace, and overall feel of the student body. Be excited to attend the college of your choice - your alma mater will be a proud part of you for the rest of your life!

Chester Hood
Admissions Coordinator

Territory: Chicagoland High Schools

Email: chester.hood@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Workforce Education/Development (Education, Training and Development), 2006;
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Masters of Science in Education, Workforce Education/Development (E-Learning and Human Resources Development), 2010

Hobbies: Spending time with family, volunteering in ministry, singing, swimming, teaching, and traveling. I also enjoy attending comedy shows, concerts and stage plays.

Best of SIU: SIU has given me the opportunity to interact with some of the best faculty and staff a school can offer. They are vested in their area of expertise, and they work diligently to transfer their knowledge into the learning environment. I have been able to apply what I’ve learned at SIU to professional, personal and social opportunities. SIU has helped my entire family to succeed.

Advice for choosing a college: Choosing a college should be based on three things: 1.) The college should offer a major that will allow you to reach your educational and career goals. 2.) The college should offer provide a safe and supportive environment that promotes success. 3.) The college should offer students the opportunity build a network of friends and professionals. SIUC has all three covered and more!! I hope you make us your choice, and remember: The only limit in the sky is the one you create.

Ryan Moore
Admissions Coordinator

Territory: Veterans Recruitment, Indiana, Kentucky & Tennessee

Email: rmoore@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, University Studies with a minor in Psychology, 1998

Hobbies: Daydreaming and listening to music

Best of SIU: The fact that SIU is a comprehensive research extensive university with over 200 degree options creates opportunity for a very diverse campus. The various cultures and ethnic groups, the various political and religious backgrounds, and the differing interests of our society makes for a realistic environment of what "our" world is today. Exercise an open mind, grow from your experiences, and never compromise what you know to be good and true.

Advice for choosing a college: 1. Find your passion. 2. Appraise your academic strengths and weaknesses. 3. Visit your schools and satisfy what is important to you, i.e., beauty of campus, distance from home, safety, affordability. Choose based on fair assessments of each, then surmount an unconquerable will in achieving your goals.

Tanisha Orr
Admissions Coordinator

Territory: St. Louis area and other Missouri High Schools

Email: torr@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Workforce Education and Development, 2010

Hobbies: Shopping, spending time w/ family & friends, traveling, karaoke, and experiencing different cultures through fine cuisine.

Best of SIU: Small hometown feel, like a home away from home. The campus is a small community within itself. Everyone is friendly and always willing to help. Come for a visit, the school sells itself!

Advice for choosing a college: It's never too early to start looking. Make sure that you research each school of interest, their programs, activities, etc. to find a school that best suits your needs. Also, visit your top choices. This will help in your decision making process. College is a once in a lifetime experience, so make the best choice for YOU!.

Bob Quane
Assistant Director - Chicago

Territory: Suburban Chicago and Northern Illinois

Email: quane@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Speech-Public Relations, 1981;
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Workforce Education/Development, 1997;
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Master of Science, Education, 2005

Hobbies: When you have an 11 year old daughter busy with the school band, swing choir, and Irish dance there is not much time to pursue a hobby. Most of my free time is consumed by my duties as President of the Board of Education of my local school district.

Best of SIU: I was first attracted to SIU by their top flight Zoology program but also by the setting. The rolling hills and bluffs of the Shawnee National Forest blanket the region. If you are active and like a change of scenery, this is the place to be.

Advice for choosing a college: A real temptation is to choose a college because your friends are going there or because it is close to home or because you saw one of their sports teams on ESPN. Take the time to find out what is best for you and all of the relevant factors such as: programs of study, internships, research opportunities, cost, study abroad, facilities, student life, the campus, town, and surrounding area. If you do, you diminish the risk of missing out.

Sarita Robinson
Service Center Coordinator

Territory: Shawnee Community College

Email: saritaf@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Speech Communication (Interpersonal Communication), 2008

Hobbies: Shopping and working out. Spending time with my husband, friends and family.

Best of SIU: What I love about SIU is the quality of education. When I earned my degree, I felt confident in the knowledge I had received and well prepared to enter into the workforce.

Advice for choosing a college: Choose a college that best fits your needs. A college with well educated teachers who know what they are teaching will definitely put you on the right track!

Amber Short
Admissions Coordinator

Territory: Special Events

Email: ashort@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Science, Business Marketing, 2004;
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Master of Business Administration, 2006

Hobbies: Traveling, running and vintage motoring

Best of SIU: I appreciated my professors' passion and dedication to teaching and their students, the natural beauty of the campus and surrounding area as well as having access to an active international student body.

Advice for choosing a college: Visit the colleges you are interested in as well as the areas surrounding the campuses. Every campus and town has a personality. Start your search early and find the one that fits.

Sheri Sussler
Service Center Coordinator

Territory: Rend Lake College

Email: ashort@siu.edu

Education: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 2006;
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Masters of Science in Education, School Counseling, 2009

Hobbies: Reading, watching movies, fishing, boating, swimming, playing cards and board games and spending time with my family, friends and dog.

Best of SIU: While I loved meeting new people and spending time with friends and classmates, I would have to say the best things are the hands-on training and professional opportunities available through the numerous majors here at SIU. I was extremely lucky to be able to participate in the College of Education and Human Services’ Teaching Fellows Program. Through the program, I was able to work at Carbondale Middle School as a Co-Counselor for two years while pursuing my Master’s Degree. My experience there helped me grow personally and professionally.

My advice for choosing a college centers around one key piece of advice: set clear career goals. Before starting college, try out the careers you are interested in through job shadowing and internships. Then build your education around that career. Choose a college that not only offers the major you are interested in, but also offers opportunities for professional development in that area. Be sure to mention your career goals to advisors and professors and ask for their advice on how to prepare for that career.