Southern States University’s administration is constantly growing and changing to better assist the student in gaining the knowledge they will need to succeed in the business community.
Robert S. Tepper - Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer
Robert has over 25 years of experience in operating and managing companies, and has been using that experience to strengthen the infrastructure, organization and programs at SSU. Prior to coming to SSU, Robert was the President of Day Elevator & Lift, a New York based company. Before Day, Robert was the President of the US operations of UR Group, a technical sales organization representing a variety of electronic component and test equipment manufacturers to customers throughout California. Prior to UR Group, Robert co-founded, raised money for, and was the first president of eBilities.com, an internet portal for people with disabilities, their caregivers, family and friends. Before founding eBilities.com, Robert held a variety of technical and management positions at AMCC and Bell Laboratories (then the research arm of AT&T). Robert holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Duke University.
Dr. Stephanie L. Dieringer - Assistant Vice Chancellor - Academic Affairs
Dr. Stephanie L. Dieringer has held a variety of academic and administrative appointments in higher education, in both private and public institutions. She has been a member of the faculty at Loyola College in Maryland, Northern Arizona University and Western State College of Colorado, where she held an appointment as a tenured professor of Economics and served as the founding Director of the College’s faculty development program, The Center for Teaching Excellence. She has also worked as an attorney for a complex business and class action litigation firm in San Diego and as a research analyst and economic consultant. As a consultant she designed micro- and macroeconometric forecasting models for governmental institutions including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Human Resources Administration of the City of NY, and the Central Bank of Turkey. Stephanie holds a BBA in Economics from Baruch College, CUNY, a PhD in Economics from The Graduate Center, CUNY, and a JD from UC Davis.
William Amoke - Administrative Director of Degree Programs
William Amoke has 10 years of professional experience working in various capacities at institutions of higher learning. Positions William has held include: Academic Dean, Director of Admissions and Records and Designated School Official. His responsibilities have included student records management, student counseling and advising, immigration advising and providing leadership and management of a variety of administrative operations. William holds an MBA in Strategic Management from United States International University, San Diego, CA and a BA in Economics and Business from Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA.
Sean Sell, University Registrar / Chief Compliance Officer
Sean Sell completed the UCSD Teacher Education Program, and he has a BA in English from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where he also obtained his law degree. He taught English and history for ten years in the San Diego Unified School District. He then taught ESL for a year in San Juan del Rio, Queretaro, Mexico, before joining the staff as an English teacher at SSU’s sister school International Academy of English. After teaching for 16 months, Sean took the position of Registrar and Chief Compliance Officer at SSU. He is also currently working on a masters in comparative literature at San Diego State University.
Denise Mastro - Administrative Director and DSO
Denise Mastro has 10 years of professional experience working in assorted roles at the International Academy of English, where she has held roles including: Director of Admissions and Records, Designated School Official, Office Manager, Vendor Relations and Purchasing Manager. She has been with SSU since 2005 and has held similar roles, with responsibilities including records management, student services counseling and advising, immigration advising and providing leadership and management of a variety of administrative operations. Denise holds a Master of Physical Education degree from Universidade Santana e Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and a Bachelor of Physical Education from De Mogi Das Cruzes in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Wendy Du - Site Director, La Jolla & Pacific Beach
Wendy Du has over six years of professional experience working in assorted roles at the International Academy of English, where she has held roles including: Director of Admissions and Records, Designated School Official and Office Manager. She has been with SSU since 2008 and has held similar roles, with responsibilities including records management, student services counseling and advising, immigration advising and providing leadership and management of a variety of administrative operations. Wendy holds a B.S. in Accounting and Hotel Management from a respected University in China.
Eric Payton - Site Director & Designated School Official (DSO), San Marcos Campus
Eric joined Southern States University as Site Director for the San Marcos campus in July 2010. He comes to SSU with experience as an Operations Manager and Customer Service Representative in San Diego, as well as a Customs Broker Representative in Dallas, Texas. A native of Texas, Eric attended the Business Administration Program at Texas A&M University.
Svetlana Kondratenko - University Librarian
Svetlana Kondratenko holds a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Journalism Degree from Moscow State University (Russia). Svetlana’s professional experience in an academic library includes providing reference and readers’ advisory services to students and faculty, cataloging, and digital asset management. Before joining Southern States University in 2009, Svetlana worked at the San Diego State University Library.
Interim Director of Admissions/Designated School Official (DSO)
Hoda Mardani has over seven years of professional IT experience working in the well-known Pharmacy Industry Bayer-Schering Pharma in Berlin, Germany. In 2008 she decided to come to the US to pursue full-time studies for an MBA degree at Southern States University. In December 2009 she graduated from the MBA program, and in July 2010 was appointed as Interim Director of Admissions / Designated School Official (DSO). Hoda speaks 5 languages: German, Farsi, Arabic, English, as well as basic French. In addition to her MBA, she also holds a Computer Engineer Degree.
Barbara Smerzi, Project Manager
Barbara has 10 years of experience in Marketing in various fields including financial services and software, both in the US and Italy. Currently, Barbara is the Executive Assistant to the Chancellor & Chief Operating Officer (Robert Tepper) and to the Chief Academic Officer (John Tucker). She is bi-lingual in Italian and English, and speaks French and Spanish fluently. Barbara holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business in Torino, Italy.