Admission

Andrew B. Sison
Dean of Undergraduate Admission
sisonan@lewisu.edu

Born in the Philippines, Andrew grew up as the seventh of eight children in Los Angeles, California, where he earned a B.S. in Chemistry at Loyola Marymount University and an M.A. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from UCLA. Over his college admission career, he has worked at Loyola Marymount University, Mount St. Mary’s College (both in Los Angeles), Saint Mary’s College of California (a Lasallian institution), and most recently at Elmhurst College before being appointed Dean of Admission at Lewis University in October 2005.

He also serves as chair of the National College Fairs Committee of the National Association for College Admission Counseling which administers large college fairs like the Chicago National College Fair, which annually takes place in October at Navy Pier. Andrew resides in Oak Park and enjoys playing alto saxophone, being a great uncle, and singing tenor for his local parish choir.

Ryan Cockerill
Director of Freshman Admission
cockerry@lewisu.edu

Ryan graduated with a B.S. in Speech Communication from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and also earned an M.S. in Communication Studies from Northern Illinois University. He has been involved in college/university admission for the past thirteen years; he has been with Lewis for the past seven years.

Ryan is originally from the Quad-Cities and is a transplanted suburbanite. In his free time, he enjoys watching independent films, playing the drums, and “hanging out” with his son, Quinlan.

Sheree Stilwell
Associate Director of Admission – Operations
stilwesh@lewisu.edu

Sheree has been employed with Lewis University since 1993. She previously worked as the Accounts Payable Coordinator in the Business Office, as a Freshman Admission Counselor, and currently as the Associate Director of Admission-Operation. While employed at Lewis, Sheree earned her B.A. in Business Administration and her M.A. in Leadership Studies with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior. She loves to travel, read and spend time with family and friends. Sheree is also a life long resident of the area, residing in Shorewood with husband Bob. Sons, Kyle and Chad both attended Lewis. Kyle received his B.A. in 2003 & M.A. in 2006.

Ashley Skidmore
Director of Transfer Admission
skidmoas@lewisu.edu

Ashley graduated from Quincy University with a B.S. in Marketing. She has worked in college admissions for over 10 years, with the last 6 years at Lewis University.

Ashley lives with her family in Plainfield. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her kids, watching sports with her husband, and traveling across the country to see her family and friends.

Liseth Chavez
Freshman Admission Counselor
chavezli@lewisu.edu

Liseth is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago where she earned her Bachelor of Arts and Science in Political Science and Criminal Justice. As an undergrad she studied abroad in Italy and was fortunate enough to witness an important moment in history – the election of a new pope. During her spare time, Liseth loves spending time with her family, honing her cooking skills, and working out. She also enjoys exploring different cultures, traveling, shopping and reading.

Sarah Bottger
Freshman Admission Counselor
bottgesa@lewisu.edu

Sarah is a 2004 graduate of Valparaiso University where she received her B.A. in church music and spent three years working as an Ambassador in Admission. She also earned a Master of Arts Management degree from Columbia College Chicago in 2007. She has worked as a volunteer for the Valparaiso Admission Network and as a substitute high school music teacher in Northwest Indiana. She is very excited to start her career in collegiate admissions at Lewis University.

Sarah is a lover of the arts. She has played the piano since she was four years old and frequently sings at church. In her free time she enjoys going to plays, watching television, reading historical fiction, and spending time with her husband, Chris, in their Orland Park apartment.

Stacy Hubacek
Freshman Admission Counselor
hubacest@lewisu.edu

Stacy is a graduate of Aurora University where she received her Bachelor of Art in Communication. As an undergrad she was a student employee / intern in the Office of Admission for four years.

She joined the Lewis University Admission staff in September of 2008 and enjoys building relationships with students and their families.  In her free time, Stacy enjoys spending time with her family, her boyfriend, Bryan, and her golden retriever, Haven.  She also loves cooking, spending time in Michigan at her family’s summer home and traveling.  Her most recent trip was to Ireland this past October, with her boyfriend, where they traveled all over Southern Ireland.

Kerry Meunier
Transfer Admission Counselor – Nursing
meunieke@lewisu.edu

Kerry is a graduate of Quincy University earning a BA in Communications. This is her fourth year with the Lewis University Office of Admission, but has 15 years of admission experience. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with her family.

Katie Moran
Transfer Counselor
moranka@lewisu.edu

Katie is a graduate of Illinois State University where she earned her B.S. in Speech Communication. She is also a graduate of Lewis University where she earned an M.A. in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Training and Development.

She has been employed as a transfer admission counselor since February 2005. In her free time, Katie enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, hanging out with friends and traveling to her hometown of Peoria to visit her family.

Dave Shafron
Assistant Director of Freshman Admission shafroda@lewisu.edu

Dave received his bachelor's degree in Physical Education from North Central College and has been working in college admissions since the summer of 2003. He joined the team at Lewis in 2007 and is currently pursuing a Master's in School Guidance Counseling. Dave is also an active member in the Illinois Assocation for College Admission Counseling. He has worked on a number of committees and is currently the Director for Professional Development in the northern region of Illinois.

Dave is also a dedicated endurance athlete. He ran cross country and track throughout high school and college and still dedicates himself to achieving competitive goals. He has run both the Chicago and Boston marathons, competed in triathlon and duathlon events, and actively runs in local road races. During the winter months, Dave finds challenge in racing up the stairs of the world's tallest buildings in both a competitive and fundraising effort. In 2007, he was the second place finisher in the famous "Hustle up the Hancock" event.

Gretchen Snape
Assistant Director of Admission/Financial Aid Services
snapegr@lewisu.edu

You’ll most likely meet Gretchen when it comes time to talk about financial aid.  She is the financial aid counselor for all new students during the months leading up to their first term at Lewis.  For three years, she was an admission counselor at Lewis, and now she enjoys counseling students and families in financial aid matters.  A graduate of Lewis University’s MA in School Counseling and Guidance, Gretchen thoroughly enjoys recruiting for her alma mater.

During her undergraduate years at Valparaiso University, she studied abroad for a semester in Germany and traveled all over Europe.  Her advice to all undergraduate students: study abroad! It’s an irreplaceable experience. 

In her free time, Gretchen enjoys playing fantasy football, going to movies, reading, camping, and hiking. One of her life goals is to hike the Appalachian Trail. Her favorite TV shows are Scrubs, Lost, and So You Think You Can Dance.

Chevonne Totten-Garner
Assistant Director-Freshman Admission
tottench@lewisu.edu  

Chevonne is a graduate of Bradley University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Art-Graphic Design. She also earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from University of Illinois at Chicago. As she has made a career in college admission and has a passion for the pursuit of education for everyone, her background also includes working as a graphic designer and art professor.

Chevonne and her husband are kept quite busy with their young twin daughters and they relish every moment. She also enjoys socializing with friends and family, perusing magazine publications and listening to a variety of music styles.