Advisor Bios

Kelly Vass, Academic Advisor (A-C)

Kelly Vass grew up smack dab in the middle of Connecticut and didn’t travel far to complete her undergraduate degree. She received her BA in English (and a love of college basketball!) from the University of Connecticut before moving to Pennsylvania to earn her Master's degree in English from Villanova University. This is Kelly's second year living in Philly and working at Drexel and she is excited to meet the new incoming students! Kelly is a bit of a foodie, so when she's not strolling through the farmer's markets or on the quest for Philly's best cupcake, she's probably spending time in her kitchen, dreaming up something sweet to bake!

Emily Bogunovich, Academic Advisor ( Freshmen: D-F | Transfers: D-K)

Emily Bogunovich  is excited to be working with the new Drexel Engineering students.  After graduating from Temple University, she completed a Masters degree from the University of Massachusetts. In addition to advising, Emily has experience in coordinating student programs, working with ESL students, and teaching writing.  She enjoys traveling, cycling (you will definitely see her riding around the city), running, lying around in our city's amazing parks, reading cookbooks and novels, trying out new recipes, and checking out new and old favorite Philly restaurants. She lives in the Graduate Hospital area of Philadelphia with her husband and cat, Steve. She is a big fan of pizza and is always willing to offer advice on where to go to get a slice.

Jeff Birou, Academic Advisor (G-K | Transfers: A-C)

Jeff Birou is a proud  native of the great, mitten-shaped state of Michigan. After getting his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Jeff came to Philadelphia to earn his M.S.Ed in Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania. With a background in student programs, Jeff is happy to continue to help students succeed as an advisor in Drexel Engineering. He also enjoys the following things, in no particular order: bacon, superheroes, coffee, gummi bears, going to the movies, ‘30 Rock’ and ‘Fringe.’

Rachael Switalski, Director (L)

Rachael is from the Empire State, but grew up on a dairy farm, not in New York City. Rachael earned a BA in English Literature & Rhetoric at Binghamton University and her Master's in Higher Ed Administration at Temple U. Rachael has been working in advising for many years and is always excited to greet a new freshman class. Rachael and her husband live in the Washington Square West neighborhood in Philly with a small but very determined terrier. In her free time, Rachael enjoys traveling to far away lands, learning about photography, knitting rather obsessively, wondering what would really happen during a zombie apocalypse, and  catching up on the latest Doctor Who episodes.

Jennifer Matthews, Academic Advisor (M-Q)

Jennifer Matthews, a native of South Jersey, graduated from Randolph-Macon  College located in Richmond, VA with a BA in Psychology.   Jenn has a true passion for sports and was a four-year starter on the RMC women’s soccer team. She went on to attend graduate school here at Drexel University (Go Dragons!) where she earned her MS in Education in 2006. Jenn has worked  as an Academic Advisor here at Drexel at both the graduate and undergraduate levels for over 8 years now and has a passion for helping students.   Jenn’s husband also works at Drexel as a Systems Administrator in the School of BioMedical Engineering and together they have two children: a son Carter (4) and a daughter Brynn (2)! Jenn is also currently pregnant with her third child (a little tie-breaker!) due in early September.  In her spare time, she enjoys drinking Dunkin Donuts coffee, spending time with family and friends, loving on her kiddos, and cheering on the Phillies, Union, Flyers and Eagles.

Terri Baker, Academic Advisor (R-U)

Terri Baker hails from the Commonwealth of Virginia where she attended Bridgewater College earning a bachelor's degree in Communications/Broadcast Journalism and Old Dominion University for a master's degree in Higher Education. Although she always dreamed of  being the next Oprah, Terri loves college students and campus life.  She has worked  in several areas of higher education including residence life, student affairs, athletic academic support, new student orientation, learning communities, and event planning. When she's not advising undergraduate Engineering students, she can usually be found knitting or doing something crafty around her house in Delaware, trying out new recipes or planning for her next running adventure.   She just finished a Rugged Maniac race and will start training for Tough Mudder 2013 this fall. A self-admitted country girl, Terri enjoys the outdoors and tries to get back to the mountains of Virginia every  chance she gets. She also enjoys cooking (without cheese!), watching sports (Go Celtics!), and retail therapy. To her  students, Terri's words of advice would be: "Freshman year marks the beginning of a new era in your life. It's not thirteenth grade. It's college! Work it. Live it. Love it. It'll be hard but so very worth it."

Noelle Palladino, Transfer Coordinator/Advisor (Freshmen: V-Z | Transfers: L-Z)

Noelle Palladino, a native of North Jersey, is the Transfer Coordinator for the College of Engineering. After graduating from Rutgers University in 1999 she moved to the South Jersey area and starting working for Drexel University. She has worked for the College of Engineering for almost 13 years and has been working with transfer students for the last 11years. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with her husband and children, Dominic and Gigi, going to the beach, and during hockey season, cheering on the New Jersey Devils – NJ pride!