Jeanne Banks is a Program Advisor for Centenary’s School of Professional Studies and one of its newest members. She has brought a wealth of knowledge with her to Centenary after maintaining several positions at Caldwell College for nearly 23 years.   She worked 12 years with the adult and external degree population and 11 years with the traditional population as Senior Academic Advisor, PLA Coordinator, Standardized Exam Coordinator and Assistant Registrar.

Jeanne earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Caldwell College when she returned to school after her children graduated high school. At Caldwell, she was also very instrumental in the acquisition and programming of their new Student Management System, writing system queries, and student retention. For Jeanne, her position at Centenary is challenging, rewarding, and invigorating. The greatest moment for Jeanne is hearing students say, "I could not do this without you".  She understands their struggles and thrives on helping them achieve their goals.

Lisa Haskins has been with Centenary College since 2009. She began her career at the college as a Transfer Enrollment Counselor working with traditional transfer students. She herself was a transfer student and could relate to the difficulties of transitioning to a new college and new degree.

Lisa began as a Program Advisor for Centenary College School of Professional Studies in February 2012. Her goal is to continue to provide the support to students transitioning from one phase of life to another. "Becoming a student again, sometimes after many years, can be quite daunting. I help our adult students by providing the support, encouragement and the services they need to help make the transition as smooth as possible."

Lisa earned her BA in Psychology from William Paterson University in 2005 and is currently working on her MA in Counseling from Centenary College. She hopes to complete her new degree in 2013. "Being an adult student myself, I understand the challenges of juggling work, family and school."

Stephanie Melick joined the SPS staff in June 2011. She brings with her almost 30 years of experience as a teacher, counselor and administrator in the NJ public school system and clinical settings. As an administrator, Stephanie facilitated programs for alternate-route teachers as well as creating professional development programs for the district’s faculty. She holds teaching certifications in Special Education and Elementary Education and is a highly-qualified teacher in Mathematics, Social Studies and English. Stephanie is also certified in School Personnel with a Director of Student Personnel as well as Supervision and Administration licenses. She holds a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology, with a concentration in counseling.

As a recent student herself, Stephanie completed the Child Advocacy certification program at Montclair State University. Volunteerism is a significant part of her life: transition-counseling with the homeless; Literacy Volunteer; grief-counselor with the Traumatic Loss Coalition; and she also serves on the advisory committee for the Morris County Violence Prevention Coalition.

With a 'second' career here at Centenary, Stephanie can easily relate to the stressors of juggling life: career, family and school. As one of the instructors for Academic Foundations, Stephanie works to help the students acclimate to the SPS accelerated program. "Helping to ease some of the anxiety and angst that the adult student inevitably faces is my daily goal. I am always looking for ways to make it ‘just a little easier’ for my students; whether that be providing support or helping them navigate through their course work. I want my students to know that I am here for each and every one of them."

Toni S. Taylor is the newest Program Advisor at Centenary College. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, she brings a unique perspective to her role, having worked with various social service agencies prior to taking on responsibilities as a faculty member and administrator in academia. As an adult student who worked full time and maintained a family throughout undergraduate and graduate school, Toni fully understands the delicate work-life balance that students must accomplish in order to attain academic success.

Toni earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Medgar Evers College/CUNY in 2005 and her Master of Social Work degree from Hunter College School of Social Work/CUNY in 2008. She is also near completion of a Master of Arts degree in Language and Literacy from City College/CUNY. In her spare time, Toni enjoys shopping, weight lifting at her local gym and traveling with her family.

Brian Williams advises Undergraduate, Graduate and Online students through their academic programs by scheduling classes, advising on academic policies, and addressing student concerns.

When he’s not advising students, Brian serves as Adjunct Professor of Business Statistics – BUS3020.  Brian has a B.A. in Psychology from Oberlin College, an M.B.A. in Management Information Systems from Point Park University, and completed Doctoral studies in Organizational Leadership from Argosy University.

"My experience in advising adult online and accelerated students comes from having been an adult online, accelerated student myself.  I understand the rigors adult students face as they manage their families, jobs, and academics.  I use my own experiences to make my advising more relevant to the adult educational experience."