Meet the Staff

The Center for Student Engagement is led by full-time professional staff and part-time graduate assistants who have extensive experience and expertise working with student engagement. We work collaboratively with undergraduate students and colleagues across campus to create an engaging and vibrant co-curricular experience. By empowering current Georgetown students to create the campus community and culture, we encourage students to be inspired, get involved, and stay engaged!

CSE Professional Staff & Advisors

Contact your CSE advisor directly via email or click below to make an appointment during their office hours.

Patrick Ledesma

Director of the Center for Student Engagement

Patrick guides the vision and collaborative work of the CSE, advises a number of student organizations (GUSA, Senior Class Committee, student media groups, and others), and leads the professional team whose work supports co-curricular life from NSO to intercollegiate debate, outdoor education, leadership programs, clubs sports, to student organizations.

pel17@georgetown.edu

Associate Director – Vacant

Associate Director

The Associate Director of the CSE leads the CSE’s work on collaborative advising across departments and advisory boards; advising SAC, Lecture Fund and several student organizations; overseeing student leader training; our Speech and Expression response team; and supporting student organization technology, specifically CampusGroups.

Ana Gutierrez-Perez

Director of Orientation, Transition & Family Engagement

The Director of Orientation, Transition & Family Engagement oversees the design of programs and experiences for new students in their transition to college, including the implementation of the New Student Orientation (NSO), Georgetown Weeks of Welcome Program (GWOW), Cornerstone, and the Transfer Council. She also leads parent and family engagement activities.

akg81@georgetown.edu

Brandon Kelley

Director of Debate

Brandon directs Policy Debate at Georgetown and oversees the award-winning Georgetown Debate program. This includes operations, traveling with the team and providing one-on-one coaching to students.

bwk9@georgetown.edu

Gabriel Lewis

Assistant Director of Debate

Gabe has been involved in competitive policy debate for over a decade and became the Assistant Director of Debate in July of 2022. During his time in debate, Gabe has been a successful competitor, coach, and administrator.

Gabe debated at the University of Mary Washington from 2015-2019. During his time as a college debater, he qualified to the National Debate Tournament three times and reached the elimination rounds of the National Debate Tournament in 2019. Since graduating, Gabe has been a tournament administrator at several high school and college tournaments including the Tournament of Champions and the National Debate Tournament. Gabe was also recognized as the Mid-Atlantic Critic of the Year by CEDA in 2023.

Gabe is currently a graduate student in Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies.

Kris Nessler

Director of Outdoor Education

Kris oversee’s Georgetown’s Outdoor Education program. He runs more than 40 trips a year for Georgetown students including GOPOP, a pre-orientation program. He trains, advises, and supervises student guides that lead these trips.

kwn6@georgetown.edu

Office Hours

Administrative Assistant

The Administrative Assistant supports CSE operations. They oversee a team of Student Office Assistants in event and organizational support for CSE staff members and Access to Benefits student organizations. They maintain reservation calendars for CSE spaces, Declining Balance Card and equipment checkout, office supply maintenance, approving purchasing and travel forms for students, and managing compliance with the Student Organization Standards.

getinvolved@georgetown.edu

Madeline Tagaloa

Senior Program Coordinator

The Senior Program Coordinator works with staff in the CSE to advise students and student organizations in programming, organizational, and leadership development. She designs programs to involve students in campus life and co-curricular learning experiences and is responsible for oversight of the Georgetown Program Board and a subset of Student Activities Commission (SAC) organizations, and their associated activities.

mt1497@georgetown.edu

Aaron Elder

Program Coordinator

The Program Coordinator works with CSE staff to advise students and student organizations in programming, organizational, and leadership development and will design programs to involve students in campus life and co-curricular learning experiences. He is responsible for oversight of the Advisory Board for Club Sports, the Georgetown Opportunities for Leadership Development, and a subset of Student Activities Commission (SAC) organizations, and their associated activities.

Aakansha Chacko

Graduate Assistant, Orientation Programs

Aakansha works closely with the implementation of New Student Orientation (NSO), including supporting the NSO student staff and working on communications and logistics projects. She also supports parent and family orientation and communication projects.

asc167@georgetown.edu

Angelica Warsaw

Graduate Assistant, Programming

Angelica Warsaw is an Addiction Policy and Practice Master’s student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She is originally from Birmingham, AL, but has lived in DC since beginning her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Social Work at the Catholic University of America. She works as the Graduate Assistant for Programming in the Center for Student Engagement, where she plays a critical role in supporting the advising and educational efforts of the department. In conjunction with the Program Coordinator, Angelica advises and support the Georgetown Program Board, as well as approximately 20-25 other cultural and pre-professional Student Activities Commission groups. She uses a student-centered approach to facilitate the learning and development of undergraduate students in leadership roles. She also assists in the planning and facilitation of campus-wide programming, and helps with late night and weekend programs throughout the academic year.

aew144@georgetown.edu

Office Hours

Lucas Pires de Freitas

Graduate Assistant for Student Activities Commission (SAC) & Special Projects

Lucas Pires de Freitas is a Latin American and Caribbean Studies Master’s candidate at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS). He was born in São Paulo, Brazil, but has lived in South Florida for the past nine years, before moving to D.C. He graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Nova Southeastern University during the Spring of 2023. Lucas now works as the Graduate Assistant for Student Activities Commission (SAC) and Special Projects in the Center for Student Engagement. In this role, he plays a critical role in supporting the advising, educational, and leadership efforts of student leaders across campus. In conjunction with the Assistant Director, Lucas provides advising and support to SAC —a funding and governance advisory board for more than 130 registered student organizations— and about 20 various cultural and pre-professional SAC organizations. Lucas assists in the development and execution of workshops and trainings to help develop skills student leaders will carry on during their careers. Using a student-centered approach to facilitate the learning and development of undergraduate students as they serve in leadership roles for student organizations and student-run programs. He also supports the department in implementing large- and small scale campus events.

To contact Lucas, please email lp916@georgetown.edu (new window)

Sharon Nguyen

Graduate Assistant for Leadership, Club Sports, and eSports

The Graduate Assistant for Leadership, Club Sports, and eSports in the Center for Student Engagement plays a critical role in supporting the advising, educational, and leadership efforts of the department. In conjunction with the Program Coordinator, Sharon provides guidance and support to various Advisory Board for Club Sports organizations. She assists in advising the Georgetown Opportunities for Leadership Development (GOLD) program, while working collaboratively with the student board in charge of the Leadership and Beyond pre-orientation program and the Emerging Leaders Program as an advisor, mentor, and consultant. She also assists in the development and implementation of the eSports program, using a student-centered approach to develop new initiatives and student-run programs and supports the department in implementing large and small-scale campus events.

Office Hours

Justine Rae Talamayan

Graduate Assistant for Student Media and Marketing

The Graduate Assistant for Student Media and Marketing in the Center for Student Engagement play a critical role in supporting the advising, educational, and leadership efforts of the department. In conjunction with the Director of the CSE and the Student Media Advisor, Justine provides advising and administrative support to the Media Board — a governance and funding advisory board for more than 20 access-to-benefits student organizations—and to various departmental admin organization, including the Yearbook, Senior Class Committee, Farmers Market, Transfer Council, Lecture Fund, etc. Justine works with the Administrative Assistant and the student staff team to assist in the management of the department’s websites and social media accounts, develop print marketing materials, and support the “What’s Happening at the Hilltop” e-newsletter. She develops and implements marketing and brand strategies for the department to target student engagement in large- and small-scale programs. She also support the department in implementing large- and small scale campus events, as needed.

If you have a general question, contact us at getinvolved@georgetown.edu.