Meet Our Team

Amy Pieper, Director

Exploratory students that are suspended or dismissed from the university or have a tuition appeal should contact Amy Pieper.
UC 210C
piepera3@nku.edu

As the Director of the First-Year Student Success Hub, Amy provides leadership to ensure excellence in advising and coordinated care to first-year students. She brings many years of higher education experience from a variety of settings, including Ohio University, University of Houston, and the University of Central Florida. Amy has had the pleasure of working at NKU since 2013. She has been recognized with the Outstanding Academic Advisor Award (2021), the Academic Affairs Outstanding Staff Member Award (2020), and was recognized as one of NKU's "Wise Women" (2023). She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication, and a Master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Ohio University. When she is not at work, you will find her at a baseball field, basketball court, or soccer field, cheering for her kids!

Susan Watson; Fine Arts Majors, Last Names A-Z
UC 210
watsons12@nku.edu

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Susan comes to NKU with 15 years’ experience in academic advising.  She has previously worked as an Advising Manager at EKU and an Online Advisor at the KCTCS System Office working with three KCTCS Colleges.  Susan holds a M.A. in College Student Personnel from EKU, a M.A. in Religious Education from Anderson University in Indiana, and a B.S. in Vocal Music from Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City, OK.  Susan enjoys spending time with her family and is head-chauffer to her daughter’s cheer and softball practices and games.  Besides parenting, Susan enjoys crafting, singing in choir, hanging out with friends, and various activities with her faith community.

Jennifer Davis; Business Majors, Last Names A-K
UC 210
davisj21@nku.edu

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Jen Davis is the Team Lead Advisor for the Business Cluster in the First Year Student Success Hub. She began her career at NKU in Admissions in 2017 before moving to the College of Business in 2020, and is thrilled to be part of the team in the Hub! Jen earned both her BA in theatre and her MA in English from NKU, and has never felt more at home anywhere than on this campus. She loves working with first-year/freshman students to help build a stable foundation and offer guidance as they become more confident and independent in their own paths. In her free time, Jen is active in community theatre and is the co-editor-in-chief of Many Nice Donkeys literary magazine. Her first love, aside from her two super awesome children, is poetry, and she will begin her MFA in poetry with Spalding University in Fall 2024. She’s an excellent speller and a terrible typist.

Lauren Elliott; Business Majors, Last Names L-Z
UC 210
elliottl6@nku.edu

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Lauren is a proud first-generation graduate of NKU. Originally hailing from South Eastern Kentucky, she made the transition to Northern Kentucky in 2019 to pursue her bachelor's degree in Social Work. During her undergraduate experience at NKU, Lauren was actively involved in various campus organizations, including NKU Campus Recreation, TRIO, LGBTQ+ Initiatives, and Norse Violence Prevention, among others. Following her experience as a counselor, she decided to shift her focus and embark on her Master's degree in Public Administration at NKU. Lauren is enthusiastic about advising and impacting the NKU student experience, with the goal of easing some of the anxieties that often accompany the freshman year. She aims to inspire students and show them that they have the potential to achieve anything they set their minds to. Outside of her academic pursuits, Lauren enjoys her leisure time with her partner and their three cats - Mabel, Rose, and Sadie - as well as their pet snake, William Snakespeare.

Edward Thorton; Education Majors, Last Names A-Z
UC 210
thorntone3@nku.edu

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Ed Thornton is the Team Lead Advisor for the College of Education, and provides support for Exploratory Studies majors. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Ed made the trip to NKY where he attended Thomas More College (now University). He received his Bachelor’s degree in Communications, and started his higher education career as an admissions counselor. He recently received his Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Lincoln Christian University, which led him to the advising position at NKU. In his free time, Ed coaches basketball and is a huge fan of March Madness! He also enjoys music and spending time with his family.

Thomas Liauba; Exploratory, Team Lead
UC 210
liaubat1@nku.edu

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Tom’s a Cincinnati native who’s been with NKU for 5 years now. While he earned his Bachelor’s in AYA Social Studies Education at Ohio University and Master’s in School Counseling at Xavier University (both on the Ohio side), he absolutely loves NKU as if it were his second home. He brings advising experience from all sorts of Major areas (Allied Health, Nursing, Education, Humanities, Social Sciences, etc.) to his role as our ‘Exploratory Studies’ First-Year Advisor/Team Lead. Plus, he started off in his first year of college as an ‘Undecided student’ so he’s been in the same boat as those students he advises. His favorite way to spend his downtime is outdoors with his family (1 wife, 2 kids). And a few other things he enjoys are coffee, geography, music, and tattoos.

Casey Thompson; Pathfinder Students 

UC 210
thompsonc@nku.edu

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Casey is a Cincinnati, Ohio native that started at NKU in
July of 2014. Prior to arriving at NKU Casey was the Academic Exploration Coordinator at his undergraduate alma mater, The College of Mount Saint Joseph. Casey earned his Master’s Degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Miami University in May of 2013. Casey has eight years of higher education experience that includes residence life, academic advising, and teaching first year experience courses. 

Amanda Johnston; Healthcare Majors, Last Names A-K
UC 210
johnstona11@nku.edu

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Amanda is a proud two time graduate of NKU, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership in 2020 and her Master’s Degree in Public Administration in 2022. She is originally from Central Kentucky, but has called Northern Kentucky home since college. During her free time, Amanda can be found with her nose in a book, exploring local parks and coffee shops, or catching up on the latest women’s gymnastics meet.

Mark Dvornak; Healthcare Majors, Last Names L-Z
UC 210
dvornakm2@nku.edu

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Mark Dvornak is originally from Corvallis, Oregon but has spent time living in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Washington all before moving to northern Kentucky. Mark attended Eastern Kentucky University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and attended the University of Louisville where he got his Master’s in Higher Education Administration. While working on his Master’s, Mark worked in the College of Education and Human Development’s Office of Undergraduate Advising and Student Success where he created academic programs for first year students and at-risk students. In his free time, you can find Mark outside hiking, skateboarding, or trying to find new coffee shops.

Andrew Pendleton; Humanities and Social Science Majors, Last Names A-Z 
UC 210
pendletona4@nku.edu

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Andrew is the Team Lead Advisor for Humanities and Social Sciences majors. Andrew is a Lexington, KY native that started at NKU in March of 2022. Prior to arriving at NKU, Andrew was an Admissions Counselor at Midway University. Andrew holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Student Personnel Services, both from Eastern Kentucky University. Andrew is currently in the Ed.D in Educational Leadership program at University of the Cumberlands and hopes to finish the degree by the end of 2023. Andrew has five years of higher education experience that includes student activity program, first-year experience, and admissions. . 

Emma Kramer; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Majors , Last Names A-L 
UC 210
kramere2@nku.edu

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Emma is a proud NKU alumna with a degree in Business Management and is a Northern Kentucky native. During her time in undergrad, Emma was an Orientation Leader and discovered her passion for helping freshmen navigate college life. She loves the NKU community and is thrilled to be advising current students. When Emma isn't working you can find her reading a good book, trying new coffee shops, or spending time in nature. . 

David Sandmann; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Majors, Last Names M-Z 
UC 210
sandmannd1@nku.edu

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David Sandmann is a First Year Advisor in the First Year
Student Success HUB.  He earned a B.A. in Classical Humanities from Xavier University with minors in Mathematics, Philosophy, and Theatre.  He later earned an M.Ed. from Xavier University as well.

Before Northern Kentucky University, David spent 12 years working as a high school teacher and coach in Cincinnati, Ohio.  While he has lived in Cincinnati his entire life, he likes travel and visit new places.  When not working David enjoys spending time outdoors, sampling new coffee shops, and exploring local restaurants all with his wife.  He also enjoys coaching soccer, playing
games, and working on puzzles.