Academic Advising Staff
Jaime Ortiz
Director of Academic Advising
[email protected]
Ext. 249
Jaime Ortiz earned his licenciatura in English philology from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. He also has a background in translation, and he received a dual degree — a Master of Arts in English from Saint Louis University and a Master of Arts in Estudios literarios anglo-norteamericanos from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Jaime has over 20 years of experience in customer service. He joined the SLU-Madrid advising staff in 2011 and has served as academic advisor and assistant dean. He is the director of Academic Advising. His primary responsibilities include supervising student advising, working closely with the other student-support services on campus, and coordinating with academic departments and the academic leadership on academic planning and student-success initiatives; he also advises graduate students, and coordinates undergraduate degree candidacy review, as well as commencement-participation eligibility.
Jessica Alcorn
Academic advisor
[email protected]
Ext. 212
Jessica Alcorn earned her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in history and Spanish. In 2009, she moved to Spain as an assistant English teacher at public and charter schools in Madrid. After working in tourism and a nonprofit organization, Jessica joined the SLU-Madrid staff in March 2024 as an admissions assistant and transitioned to the advising team in August of that year. Her primary responsibilities include advising students studying in the business program with majors in economics, international business, and marketing, along with working with transfer students.
Sam Manka
Academic advisor and international academic programs coordinator
[email protected]
Ext. 289
Sam Manka earned his bachelor's degree in international affairs and peace studies from Marquette University. In 2015, he moved to Spain, where he taught English in public and private schools throughout the Madrid region. He later completed a master's degree in international education at the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares during the 2017-18 academic year.
Before joining Saint Louis University-Madrid in 2023, Sam worked as a program coordinator at IE University. As an academic advisor and international academic programs coordinator, he advises visiting students, honors students, and permanent outgoing exchange students. He also serves as the primary academic liaison with partner institutions and supports the development and administration of international academic programs.
Inspired by his own experience living and working abroad, Sam is committed to helping students pursue meaningful international opportunities and transformative educational experiences.
Amanda Nodorft
Academic advisor
[email protected]
Ext. 242
Amanda Nodorft graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Spanish after spending her junior year studying abroad at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She returned to Spain in 2013 to teach as an English language and culture assistant, and received a Máster de Profesorado de Secundaria y Bachillerato from Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. After that, she worked as an English teacher and the director of the dual diploma program at a high school in Madrid for four years. She joined SLU-Madrid's advising staff in 2022. Her primary responsibilities include advising students in programs from the College of Arts and Sciences (humanities and social sciences), including transfer students.
Zach Syrios
Academic advisor
[email protected]
Ext. 297
Zach Syrios earned his undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology, along with a minor in English literature, at Kansas State University. After spending a summer volunteering in France and a visit to Spain in 2017, he graduated and moved to Madrid, where he worked as an assistant English teacher for several years. In 2024, he joined the SLU-Madrid staff as a receptionist before transitioning to the advising team in 2025. His primary responsibilities include advising students in science and engineering, health sciences, nursing, psychology and public health, including transfer students.