Staff
Zoe Ashmead
Associate Director, AME Student Affairs
Office: OHE 500C,D,F
Email: ashmead@usc.edu
Zoe Ashmead advises undergraduate and master’s students on course planning, campus resources, and university policies. Zoe earned a BA in Psychology and English Literature from Denison University and an MA in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University. In her free time, you can find Zoe reading a bunch of books, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.
Lynda Baza
Budget/Business Analyst
Office: OHE 400E
Tel. (213)740-6772
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: baza@usc.edu
Lynda joined AME in the Summer of 2022 as a Budget Analyst. In this position, she will be working closely with other Research Administrators and assisting the faculty and students at the Center for Advanced Manufacturing lab.
Lynda graduated from USC with a B.S. in Public Policy Management and Planning. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, swimming, and traveling.
Deise Benitez
Director, AME Student Services
Office: OHE 500F
Email: deiseben@usc.edu
Jorge Castilla
Business Manager
Office: OHE 400C
Tel. (213) 740-5324
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: castilla@usc.edu
Jorge Castilla joined the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department in January of 2009 as the Department Business Manager. Prior to 2009, he was the Payroll/Personnel Analyst at the Viterbi Business Affairs Office and the Administrative Services Coordinator at the Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC). At the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department, Jorge oversees faculty affairs, student affairs, and the daily financial operations of the department. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from USC and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Cal State University Dominguez Hills. When he is not keeping busy helping the faculty, staff and students make AME one of the best academic programs in the Viterbi School of Engineering and at USC, you can find him traveling to different parts of the world and attending live concerts and sporting events.
Valerie Childress
Research Administrator
Office: OHE 400E
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: vchild@usc.edu
Valerie Childress has been at USC for many years in various roles and departments. She first worked in AME as Administrative Assistant II from 2014 to 2017, after which she helped to recruit Tessa Yao as her replacement. Ironically Valerie and Tessa share the same February 9th birthdate!
Valerie left AME to work as Project Specialist Administrative in CAM, and then Keck School of Preventive Medicine. Valerie stayed connected as an Honorary AME Guest for social events, but missed working with the faculty and staff. A new opportunity opened to return in a new role, and Valerie couldn’t be happier to reconnect with everyone old and new!
Valerie is too busy trying to keep up with her ambitious quadruplets to have a hobby. Two of them are gainfully employed, and the remaining two are finishing graduate school at NYU, and starting a Master’s/Ph.D. program at Johns Hopkins University respectively.
Alina Coronado
Assistant Director, AME Student Services
Office: OHE 500C,D,F
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: alinacor@usc.edu
Alina Coronado (she/her/ella) is a Chicana/Latina, first-generation graduate and professional who will be serving as the new Assistant Director of Student Affairs in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering department. Her professional interests primarily focus on fostering a sense of community among college students, amplifying the needs of historically underserved communities, and bridging institutional knowledge gaps for first-generation students.
An advocate for her community, Alina has been involved in the Latinx/a/o Knowledge Community of NASPA at the national level and has been serving as Co-Chair of Communications for over 3 years.
In addition, Alina serves as a planning committee member of the 2023 NASPA Western Regional Conference as a Marketing Specialist. She has received recent recognition for her work in these areas and was awarded the 2023 Mena Valdez Award for Outstanding New Professional.
Alina earned her Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from the USC Rossier School of Education and her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Experimental MachinistRegina Gongoll
Research Administrator
Office: OHE 400E
Tel. (213) 821‑6508
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: gongoll@usc.edu
Regina Gongoll is AME’s Lead Research Administrator. She recently celebrated her 10th anniversary at USC and enjoys providing excellent customer service to faculty and staff. Regina received her BA from Fairfield University in Connecticut and her Master of Science in Gerontology from USC’s Davis School of Gerontology.
Kim Klotz
Research Administrator
Office: OHE 400E
Tel. (213) 740-5146
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: kklotz@usc.edu
Dennis Plocher
Research Engineer
Office: OHE 430N
Tel. (213) 740-7190
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: plocher@usc.edu
Sherin Samaan
Research Administrator
Office: OHE 400E
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: sherinsa@usc.edu
I Joined USC in June 2015 have five years of experience working as budget business analyst. My duties includes managing grant accounts, supporting faculties and their prospective staff with the research needs providing budget projection reports.
Lauren Terazawa
Associate Director, AME Student Affairs
Office: OHE 500C
Email: terazawa@usc.edu
Lauren Terazawa advises undergraduate and master’s students on course planning, campus resources, and university policies. She also coordinates department events and projects related to AME’s master’s student population (i.e. new student orientation, course enrollment management, applications to graduate, awards ceremony).
Lauren graduated from USC with a B.A. in English Literature and Narrative Studies, and an M.Ed. in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs. In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Usiel Ulloa
Instructional Lab Tech
Office: BHE 301
Tel. (213) 740-4304
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: uulloa@usc.edu
Usiel joined AME in May 2022 as an Instructional Lab Technician. In this position, he works in the lab space where students have some of their core classes like 101, 341, and 441. Usiel helps manage the lab and helps students use tools properly and safely. In 341 he works with professors, assistant teachers, and other technicians to teach engineering and science concepts. He also helps with 441 Projects, working closely with senior technicians and students. He helps inspect, repair, or modify engineering projects and different systems in the lab. In the process he builds and designs systems using 3D software where he then 3D prints or laser cuts parts. He is very happy to be a part of the AME department.
Before joining USC, Usiel worked as a cook assistant and a tutor. At USC, he has also worked as a USC Care Crew member before coming to the AME department. Usiel has an AS degree in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. He is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at California State University, Los Angeles.
Usiel enjoys weight training and learning more about science, and also likes to spend time doing long distance running. He lives in south central with his family, and has a Black lucky cat named Lala.
Jeffrey Vargas
Laboratory Manager
Office: BHE 301
Tel. (213) 740-4304
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: vargasje@usc.edu
Tessa Yao
Administrative Assistant II
Office: OHE 400A
Tel. (213) 740-8762
Fax. (213) 740-8071
Email: tessayao@usc.edu
Tessa Yao came to AME in 2018 with years of experience in finance and education. After college, she interned at Merrill Lynch, worked as a stock market analyst, and then as an administrator at Caltech. She has an M.B.A. in finance from Woodbury and a B.A. in economics from UCLA.
At AME, Tess plays a central role as the department administrative assistant. Her responsibilities include coordinating weekly seminars, supervising student employees, purchasing office supplies, and organizing major events. She schedules, hosts, and attends department and committee meetings, records the minutes, and tracks action items.
Tess grew up in Singapore, in Asia. She speaks Malaysian and a little Chinese. She enjoys sports, especially playing tennis and riding horses. She is an avid baseball fan and loves going to games at Dodger Stadium. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.