Dr. Silas H. Abrego
Acting Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Silas Abrego joined the campus in August of 1985 overseeing student retention programs and outreach strategies, serving as a visionary leader in the planning and implementation of highly successful outreach and retention programs. He has a Master's degree and doctorate in Higher Education, Governance and Management from the University of Southern California. Most recently, Dr. Abrego oversaw several Student Affairs units as the Associate Vice President, including Student Academic Services, International Education and Exchange, the Women's Center/Adult Re-entry, the University Learning Center and the Career Center, as well as office of Educational Partnerships which include several federal funded programs.

Dr. Abrego is involved in numerous community organizations. These organizations include the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE), the Orange County Hispanic Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). He is also involved in National and Statewide higher education advisory Boards, and is actively involved in a number of collaborative projects with local K-12 school districts. In recognition of his outstanding educational leadership, Dr. Abrego has been honored by the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Orange County’s United Way, the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County, the Hispanic Outreach Taskforce, Union Hispana, the Santa Ana College Foundation, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education and other numerous organizations.

Dr. Howard Wang
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Howard Wang has over 30 years experience in Student Affairs work and has been on campus since January, 2003. Previously, he was the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at CSU San Bernardino, overseeing the Career Center, Services for Students with Disabilities, ASI, Student Union, Student Leadership & Development, Housing and Residential Life, Events Management, and Recreational Sports. Dr. Wang holds a Master's degree in Clinical Microbiology (University of Wisconsin-Madison), and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration (UCLA). At Fullerton, he oversees Housing and Residence Life, Disabled Student Services, Student Health and Counseling Center, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the Guardian Scholars Program. He was recognized by NASPA with the “Pillar of the Profession Award,” and by ACPA with the “Outstanding Contribution to Asian Pacific Islander Americans Mentoring Award” in 2010. He co-authored a chapter, and edited a book titled “Internationalization of Student Affairs: An Emerging Global Perspective,” published by NASPA (2008). He was an Assistant Editor of “Student Affairs and Services in Higher Education: Global Foundations, Issues and Best Practices,” published by UNESCO (2009). Dr. Wang is involved in several community based organizations, and serves as a member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Advisory Board to Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. He is a member of the CSU Chancellor’s Office AAPI Outreach Initiative charged to improve college access for Asian American and Pacific Islander students from underserved communities. He is frequently invited to lecture on U.S. higher education system and student affairs administration by universities in China (e.g. Fudan University) and Japan (e.g. Doshisha University).

Dr. Kandy Mink Salas
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Kandy Mink Salas has been a University Student Affairs professional for 24 years working in the areas of Student Affairs administration, Student Life, and Leadership Training and Development. She served as the Dean of Students at Cal State Fullerton from 2001 – 2010 where she had oversight responsibility for Judicial Affairs, Student Life, New Student Programs, Leadership and Multicultural Education, and the Assistant Deans for Student Affairs. She continues to serve on the campus WASC Accreditation Steering Committee. Prior to these responsibilities, Dr. Mink Salas served as the Acting Associate Vice President, the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and the Associate Director of Student Life. She currently administers policies affecting the academic and developmental needs of students, and has direct responsibility for overseeing the Directors of specific units (Student Academic Services, International Education and Exchange, University Learning Center, Woman’s Center/Adult Re-entry/Veteran’s Services, Career Center, and Athletic Academic Advisement) and various State and Federal grants (Upward Bound, Gear Up, McNair, Enlace, and Student Support Services). Dr. Mink Salas received her B.A. in English with a specialization in Women’s Student from UCLA, her M.S. in Counseling and Human Development from Minnesota State University, Moorhead and her Ph.D in Education from Claremont Graduate University studying Higher Education Administration.

Ryan Alcantara
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs

Dr. Ryan Alcantara joined the campus in August of 1997 as the Coordinator for Greek Life and Student Development, where he advised several student programs out of the then Office of Student Life. Since then, he has held several other positions on campus including Coordinator of the Volunteer and Service Center, Director of Honors & Scholars Support Services, and Associate Dean of Students for New Student Programs. In January 2008, Dr. Alcantara joined the Vice President’s Office as Assistant Vice President. In his current role, his portfolio includes oversight of budget, human resources, staff development, and technology functions within the Division of Student Affairs, as well as responsibility for the Office of Financial Aid and the CSUF Student Employment Program. In addition to membership on several professional organizations, he is a former member of the EdFund Board of Directors, and serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern California. He earned a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut, where he worked in the Department of Student Activities and Union Programs, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Jeremiah W. Moore
Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs

Dr. Jeremiah Moore joined the campus in 1975 as the Assistant Dean, Educational Opportunity Program in the Division of Academic Affairs, where he coordinated the delivery of academic support services to first generation, educationally disadvantaged students. In 1984, Dr. Moore served as one of the first Student Affairs Assistant Deans in what was then known as the school for Human Development and Community Service. Since then, he has served as the Associate Director of Student Academic Services and University Outreach where he was responsible for advising the Director in the management of the Educational Opportunity Program, the Learning Assistance Resource Center, Student Retention Services counseling office, as well as unit budget and database offices. In 1998 he was appointed Director of that program with additional responsibilities for University Testing, Student Diversity Program, Center for Academic Support in Engineering and Computer Science; Intensive Learning Experience, Student Support Services and Summer Bridge. In January 2011, Jeremiah joined the Vice President’s office and currently develops, manages and implements division-wide projects. He serves on various committees, and task forces representing the Vice President, provides leadership in the areas of divisional communications efforts, administers university and system-wide policies and procedures and supports a broad and complex set of assignments related to the duties of the Vice President. In addition he will also provide leadership for the Educational Opportunity Program Admissions office, Student Diversity Programs and the University Testing Center. Jeremiah earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Southern California and a Doctorate in Education Psychology with an emphasis in Institutional Management from Pepperdine University.

Elahe Amani
Director, Technology Services for Student Affairs

Elahe Amani joined the campus in August of 1999 as Associate Director of Student Financial Services after working at CSULB for 11 years supervising the Financial Aid Disbursement Office. She became director in 2001, where she worked on many technology related projects such as on-line payment, on-line billing, direct deposit of financial aid, on-line Deferred Payment Plan, as well as the Financial Literacy website. Elahe joined Student Affairs in January 2006, where she oversees technology related projects within the Division, including the design and implementation of on-line applications, and the promotion of new and emerging technologies. She also serves as the liaison between Student Affairs and other entities on campus on technology related issues. Elahe has taught in the Women Studies program at both CSU Fullerton and CSU Long Beach, and is active on campus and beyond on gender related issues.

Stacia Herold
Associate Director of Development Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics

Stacia Herold was appointed as the Associate Director of Development for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics in December 2009.  She is in charge of fundraising and volunteer programs for all intercollegiate sports as well as identified priorities within Student Affairs.  Stacia has six years of experience in higher education fundraising from both UC Irvine and Chapman University.  In her most recent position at Chapman, Stacia served as Assistant Director of Annual Giving, overseeing programs such as phonathon, young alumni outreach, and stewardship.  Stacia holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UCLA, where she was an active member of the Student Alumni Association, and has a certificate in fundraising from UC Irvine.  She is a native of Orange County, where she currently resides.

Rachel Lynch
Budget Analyst

Rachel Lynch came to CSUF in February of 2002 as a Budget Analyst in Budget Operations within the division of Administration and Finance, after spending 3 years at the Chancellor’s Office as the Budget Operations Assistant. In November of 2003 Rachel moved to the Vice President for Student Affairs Office to serve in the role of divisional Budget Analyst. In her role, Rachel works closely with the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Finance and Human Resources as well as the managers and departmental budget coordinators within the division.

Kappy Ruzzi
Administrative Support Coordinator

Kappy has been an administrative assistant in the Office of the Vice President for 9 years. While raising her family she worked part time in various customer service positions before coming to CSUF in 1996. Her most important duty is serving the students here on campus. In addition to assisting students, Kappy supports Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Howard Wang, the Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Committee and the Academic Appeals Board.

Quynh Nguyen
Administrative Support Coordinator

Quynh Nguyen joined the Vice President’s Office staff team in December 2006. She provides coordination and direct support to the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. In her role, Quynh works closely with the AVP with the coordination of HR processes and division-wide with Human Resources inquiries. She also provides a full range of support to the Director of Technology Services for Student Affairs. An alumnus of Cal State Fullerton, she has a degree in Business Administration in Marketing and a certificate in Human Resources Management.