Meet our Staff
College Advisors
Stella Vay
Assistant Director of CAL Advising and Student Services
stella.vay@utoledo.edu
Stella Vay received her B.S. degrees in Biology and Biochemistry from the University of North Texas in 2015. With her collegiate experiences in working with her peers, Stella earned her M.A. degree in Higher Education Administration with a graduate certificate in Academic Advising in 2017 from Sam Houston State University.
She is a strong advocate for student success with years of working with different populations at Sam Houston. At the College of Arts and Letters, Stella is responsible for overseeing the academic advising services offered by the college, which includes advisor training, teaching AR 1000, advising students in a holistic manner, and working collaboratively with campus partners and department chairs to ensure our students’ success.
Michelle Sullivan
Program Manager and Advisor
michelle.sullivan@utoledo.edu
Michelle is a UToledo grad and majored in Theatre and English. She earned her master’s degree in Theatre from Illinois State University. She is a married mother of 2.
Michelle is responsible for advising students in the College of Arts and Letters (CAL). She assists students with course selection, career/major exploration, understanding college requirements, and teaches a 1000 Orientation course. In addition, she processes and advises change of college students, readmits, and prospective high school students.
Department Professional Advisors
Lisa Bollman
Academic Advisor for the Department of Communication and Media
lisa.bollman@utoledo.edu
Lisa provides academic advising for students pursuing their Bachelor of Arts degree in either Communication or Media Communication. In addition to course selection and registration, she helps students understand general university and college requirements, read and understand a degree audit, evaluate and elect changes in catalog term, and major/minor/career exploration. She calculates athletic eligibility for athletes pursuing a degree from the Department of Communication, teaches the college orientation course for Communication majors, assists with developing degree check sheets and course sequencing; implements intervention programs for probationary students during their first year, and works to ensure the accuracy of degree audit reports/enters program exceptions. She also assists students majoring in the Communication field with obtaining and earning academic credit for internship experiences.
Tom Avery
Academic Advisor for the Department of Psychology
thomas.avery@utoledo.edu
Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration (B.B.A.) from The University of Toledo and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Bowling Green State University. He has almost 20 years of experience working in higher education. Having worked with students across a wide variety of majors both on campus and online, he has a unique breadth of understanding of the challenges students face.
Before Tom's career in higher education, he worked for years in businesses ranging from retail to manufacturing. As someone who switched careers to become a non-traditional student, he realizes the value of academic and career planning. He understands how to utilize all the resources available to students and alumni and is a lifelong learner who wants to apply his experience to help all those he works with.
As the Department of Psychology advisor, Tom guides students as they pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He can advise you on psychology degrees and program requirements. In addition, he also tracks students’ academic progress, helps students facing academic probation to improve their performance, assists with internships, and makes sure students have an optimal educational experience.
Devan Church
Academic Advisor for Social Sciences Majors