Meet the University Honors Programs Staff!

Catherine Sherman, PhD, MFA, is the Assistant Dean for University Honors Programs in the Division of Undergraduate Education.  In this role, she provides strategic oversight for Honors College, University Scholars, and the  WISE Honors Program.

Dr. Sherman deeply values honors education and has twenty-five years of experience in the field of higher education.  She brings expertise in academic advising and administration, educational policy, and student services to her role and has taught and held leadership positions in colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and Ohio.  She is a member of the National Academic Advising Association and National Collegiate Honors Council. 

Fabio, the operations manager for all four honors programs at Stony Brook University, has a passion for creating meaningful student experiences, office operations, and budgets. He earned his MBA and Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Adelphi University. Prior to his current role, Fabio served as the Assistant Director of Student Experience at Hofstra and the Operations Administrator at Adelphi, where he focused on international student logistics and success. 

Kirshani  is the Lead Academic Advisor & Thesis Coordinator for the Honors College. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Science, Technology, and Society from Farmingdale State College and a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from Stony Brook University.

A proud Seawolf since 2019, Kirshani has had the pleasure of supporting Stony Brook students since beginning her graduate studies. As a Graduate Assistant, she worked with the Offices of Student Orientation and Family Programs and the Career Center. At the Career Center, she advanced to the role of Career Coach for the Technology and Engineering Career Community, where she guided CEAS and WISE Honors students in achieving career readiness.

In her current role with the University Honors Programs, Kirshani is dedicated to providing holistic academic advising, helping students navigate a fulfilling academic journey and preparing them for success beyond graduation.

Jessie Frevola, MA, serves as the Director of University Scholars, where she provides  program leadership and renders holistic advising and support to students.  Jessie has had the pleasure of working at Stony Brook since 2015 in a variety of professional roles, including with the Undergraduate Colleges and Residential Programs, and values Stony Brook's commitment to student success. She earned her BA in Psychology and   Sociology and her MA in Higher Education Administration from Stony Brook University  and loves that she gets to continue at Stony Brook as a "forever Seawolf.”  When Jessie isn't working, she enjoys reading, Zumba, creative arts (painting, writing, etc.), hiking with her husband and her dog, and community service. 

Helen-Margaret Nasser, MA, is the inaugural director of the Yardi Scholars Program where she works with First Generation college students majoring in business to create pathways from their time at SBU to careers or further study. Prior to this role, Helen worked for 17 years at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, NY as the Director of the Student Union and Intercultural Center and previously as the Associate Director of the Honors Program. She holds a bachelor’s degree from McGill University in political science and international development studies and a master’s degree in political science from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York where she concentrated on Middle East identity and civil society politics. She is working towards her PhD in Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center where she will focus on voting and political participation among first generation immigrant youth in America. 

Helen believes in the power of higher education to propel students into society and the workplace in impactful ways. She is an advocate for student empowerment and a champion of innovation and collaboration.