Academic Advising Staff
Jaime Ortiz
Director of academic advising
jaime.ortiz@slu.edu
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 currently 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; he also advises juniors and seniors, and ensures students meet all requirements for graduation.
Jessica Alcorn
Academic advisor
jessica.alcorn@slu.edu
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 new students studying business, computer science, and engineering along with working with transfer students.
Sam Manka
Academic advisor
sam.manka@slu.edu
Ext. 289
Sam Manka earned his bachelor's degree from Marquette University in international affairs and peace studies. In 2015, he moved to Spain and began teaching English in public and private schools around Madrid, and in 2017-18, he completed his master's degree in international education at the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares. He most recently worked as a program coordinator at IE University before joining the advising team at SLU-Madrid in 2023. His primary responsibilities include advising visiting students and permanent outgoing exchange students and supporting the Advising Department and academic dean.
Amanda Nodorft
Academic advisor
amanda.nodorft@slu.edu
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 new students, including transfer students.