Nicole K. Mayo

Director

Nicole grew up in Philadelphia, PA, until she was 14 years old and her family moved to Centerville, OH. In high school, Nicole was very involved in athletics, playing basketball and softball. She attended Ohio University in 1999 and received a degree in journalism/public relations. In college, Nicole was very involved in a variety of activities, including Delta Zeta Sorority, Rho Gamma, Order of Omega, Rho Lambda, and Student Leadership Advisors.  She also worked in the Dean of Students office, which ultimately propelled her into her career in higher educaiton.

From there, she worked for the American Heart Association and then returned to OU for a master's degree in College Student Personnel. Nicole then came to UC in the summer of 2006 and has enjoyed being a Bearcat ever since!

Nicole enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, reading and is an avid sports fan. She married her husband Brian in June of 2010, and they recently adopted a dog named Sam.  Nicole is in the process of becoming a proud UC alumna, as she is a doctoral candidate in the urban educational leadership program.  She is working on her dissertation which focuses on work/life balance of university administrators and the presence of role conflict through feminist perspectives. 

Dr. Nicole Ausmer

Assistant Director

Nicole is a native of Lorain, Ohio. She began her bearcat journey in 2001 as a freshman and received her bachelor of arts in psychology in 2005, from our great institution, the University of Cincinnati. In 2006, Nicole completed her master’s of education in educational foundations and in 2009 she accomplished her Doctorate in Educational Studies from the University.  Nicole is very passionate about student leadership and women’s leadership. She has served as an adjunct instructor at UC and Cincinnati State and really enjoys educating students.

Personally, Nicole is a proud alumnus of UC and glad to be a bearcat for life. In her spare time, she enjoys laughing with her friends, and takes pleasure in spending quality time with her wonderful husband Lionell, daughter Avery and her fur-baby (dog) Euclid. Nicole is a fervent sports fan and cheers loud and proud for her teams. 

Russell Best

Assistant Director

Russell was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, and is a second generation UC Bearcat. He graduated from Oak Hills High School and received his Bachelor of Urban Planning and Master of Community Planning degrees from UC’s School of Planning in the College of DAAP. As an undergraduate, he served as chapter president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and president of the Interfraternity Council, among other student organizations and student government. As a graduate student, he travelled to India with the UC Honors Program, and Brazil for his graduate internship, and served as the Graduate Student Governance Association Campus Representative.

In January 2010, he accepted the position of Graduate Assistant for Fraternity & Sorority Life for the remainder of the 2009-2010 academic year, then was hired as the full-time Program Coordinator for Fraternity & Sorority Life.

Russell enjoys traveling, ice hockey and soccer. He hopes to continue research in the field of urban and community planning, including contributing to UC’s President’s Advisory Council for Environmental Sustainability, and is considering pursuing a foreign language (Spanish) certificate.

Terri M. Hurdle

Program Coordinator for Student Organizations

Terri is a Cincinnati native. She graduated from Purcell-Marian High School in 1988. After graduation, Terri began her collegiate academic pursuit initially at Tuskegee University in Alabama; however, due to unforeseen circumstances, she returned home and completed both her bachelor's and master's degree at Xavier University. She is currently working on her doctorate at the University of Cincinnati in the area of urban educational leadership. In 2004, she wrote a chapter in the book Our Stories II, "From Disappointment to Purpose: The Professional Progress of a Black Professional on a Predominantly White Campus."

Rebecca Lehman

Program Coordinator for the Racial Awareness Program (RAPP)

Rebecca came to UC in 1998 and dove headfirst into Bearcat life. Along with participating in multiple student groups — largely focusing on LGBTQ, race and women's issues — she worked at various times as an RA, a student worker in Graduate Family Housing and a peer educator at the UC Wellness Center. She graduated in 2002 with a BA in English literature, with a concentration in linguistics and as a distinguished honors scholar.

She began studying for an MEd in health promotion and education in 2002 while working as an assistant residence coordinator for Resident Education and Development and a columnist on sexuality and sexual health for The News Record. A few days into 2004, Rebecca left UC for the People's Republic of China, where she spent several years living and working in education and publishing in Jinan city, Shandong province.

In 2006, Rebecca returned to UC to complete her graduate degree and to work in residence life as a graduate assistant. In her first year back, she joined RAPP XXII (earning the Terence L. Jones Diversity Award) and worked in the newly defined CRC-Dabney complex. The next year she volunteered as a facilitator for RAPP XXIII and worked in residence life as the first central office graduate assistant. She completed an MS in community health promotion and education with a research focus on body modification, earned a Just Community Award for her work throughout UC and fervently studied Português.

In October 2008, Rebecca was hired as the program coordinator of RAPP. She has excitedly undertaken the task of elevating RAPP and re-energizing RAPPORT. She continues her Português studies and hopes to begin work on a graduate certificate in professional writing.

Dr. Susie Mahoney

Program Coordinator for Club Sports

Susie hails from College Park, MD where home was until going south for college. In high school, Susie was heavily involved in athletics, cheering and playing volleyball and basketball. She attended Elon University and received a degree in psychology in 2000. At Elon, Susie interned with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and was involved in the chartering a chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. on campus. After Elon, Susie attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and gained experience as a graduate assistant in the Campus Recreation department. Prior to graduating from UNCG in 2002, Susie interned at University of Maryland’s Department of Campus Recreation Services. Following graduation, Susie was employed in Campus Recreational Sports at Indiana University (IU) and earned her doctorate in the Higher Education program while employed at IU. Since 2010, Susie has been working in Campus Recreation at Missouri State University overseeing programming and planning for the opening of a new recreation center. At Missouri State, she also taught in the Student Affairs Master’s program.

She enjoys spending time with friends and family, exercising, the outdoors, attending sporting events, traveling, and new experiences.

Susie joined the SALD team in the spring of 2012. She is proud to be a Bearcat and aspires to be an active member of the Greater Cincinnati Community!

Courtney Cox & Ashley Townes

Graduate Assistants for Fraternity and Sorority Life

Marjorie Bledsoe

Public Ally for the Racial Awareness Program (RAPP)

Patty Speed

Administrative Assistant

Patty is a native of Cincinnati and she began working at UC in 1986.  She has worked in the Pruchasing Department, UC Hospital Facilities Management, Athletics, and now SALD.  She joined the SALD team in March of 2009.  Patty enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and arts & crafts projects.

Erin Carman

Administrative Coordinator, University Funding Board