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School of Data Science Welcomes New Staff Members in 2023
The School of Data Science welcomed 14 new staff members in 2023. From admissions to student affairs, development, marketing and more, they bring years of talent and experience. Learn more about them, including their backgrounds, hobbies, and fun facts.
Cooper Allen
Senior Writer & Editor
With a background in journalism and writer/editor roles at the Pew Charitable Trusts and the IMF, Cooper is experienced producing diverse content and communicating technical concepts to a variety of audiences. Cooper is excited to work with a passionate group of people from a variety of backgrounds who are committed to enhancing the growth and impact of a new school and an emerging field. “Everyone I’ve met so far has conveyed a genuine sense of excitement and optimism about the school’s future, which makes for a great working environment.”
Cooper and his family moved to Charlottesville in 2020. They enjoy hanging out at parks, at home watching ballgames, or at Chisholm Vineyards – for its scenery, wine and because “it’s very toddler friendly.”
Fun Fact: I have a VCR and a bunch of old VHS cassettes that I still enjoy watching even if it’s a movie I could just as easily access on a streaming service. I also love collecting baseball cards, which is something I was obsessed with when I was a kid, forgot about for about 25 years, then jumped back into about four years ago.
Contact Information: rsr9dc@virginia.edu | Elson 168
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Nikita Amanna
Data Scientist
A 2023 graduate of the M.S. Data Science residential program, Nikita is excited to join the SDS staff as a Data Scientist. Her role is within biomedical research, and she anticipates using all the techniques she learned as a student. Nikita says, “This school is truly the best, and I'm looking forward to finding out how I can support it just as it supported me.”
In her spare time, Nikita loves trying out new restaurants with friends (Charlottesville is a great place for that!). “My favorite place in Charlottesville is the Downtown Mall with all of the cool restaurants, bookstores, and lively scenes over the weekend.”
Fun Fact: I have lived in California, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.
Contact Information: vwr7bc@virginia.edu | Remote
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Jacob Angelo
Admissions Counselor
With an M.Ed in Counseling Education and more than five years of experience in higher education, Jacob previously served as Coordinator for Student Staff at James Madison University. Now, as an Admission Counselor, he draws from his experience to support prospective students, understand their needs, and assist their journey to SDS.
Jacob says he is excited to “be part of a growing community with the limitless potential for growth.” He looks forward to inspiring change and helping build on the work that has already made the School of Data Science the “first-of-its-kind.”
Fun Fact: I am a big sports fan! And I have three pets who provide a ton of excitement in my home: a Blue Heeler dog, named Riley, and two Tabby cats, Baker and Marnie.
Contact Information: sxc2hh@virginia.edu | Dell 2, 116
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Jen Boler
Director of Strategic Initiatives & Major Events
Jen is passionate about driving impactful initiatives and events that connect, engage, and inspire diverse audiences. Whether in higher education or the corporate world, she excels in collaborating with diverse teams to create purpose-driven programming. With the launch of the undergraduate degree and a new building, Jen is “eager to contribute my experience to elevate our signature events.”
No stranger to the University, Jen spent “five fantastic years” with the McIntire School of Commerce Advancement team overseeing strategic events and engagement. Her husband Brenden has strong ties with UVA: Ph.D. at Darden, Presidential Fellow for the School of Data Science, and current roles at the University Career Center and as an Assistant Professor at the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.
When she’s not working, Jen love spending time with her husband and their two kids, Molly and Bowen, who are at that fun age where everything is an adventure. When we're not racing to their various sports and activities on weekends, we love getting outdoors, hiking, and enjoying all that Charlottesville has to offer.
She really enjoys catching up with friends while taking long walks. Lately, the Saunders-Monticello Trail has become her favorite spot for a power walk and long chat.
Fun Fact: I’m originally from New Orleans, so I’ve got a real soft spot for live music and spicy cuisine. It’s in my blood!
Contact Information: jb4bw@virginia.edu | Elson, 192B
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Alyssa Brown
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Alyssa recently graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a double major in Communication + Digital Studies and English, and has worked as a Technical Supervisor for Mary Washington, and a Technical Expert for Apple’s Genius Bar. She cares deeply about topics such as human-machine interaction and obsolete machine preservation.
As Marketing and Communications Coordinator, she will use her love for content creation and STEM to promote opportunities and experiences within the School of Data Science. She says to be able to “contribute to the ever-evolving legacy of the SDS is a huge honor.”
Alyssa enjoys listening to multiple genres of music and consuming all kinds of sci-fi media. She is a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries audiobooks. New to Charlottesville, she’s been exploring and has discovered the Crocodile Pear smoothie at Corner Juice and looks forward to visiting Decades Arcade and playing Tetris.
Fun Fact: I collect vintage radios and computers (my favorite being my Power Mac G4), and I was featured in the University of Mary Washington's Lively Series, “Past Pixels,” for work in video game preservation.
Contact Information: gna5hu@virginia.edu | Elson 181
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Heather Corley
Student Success Advisor
With a B.A. in Communication Studies from Longwood University and an M.A. in Higher Education & Student Affairs from Virginia Tech, Heather most recently served as an academic advisor at Penn State, University Park. Her background includes roles at Marymount University, Virginia Tech, and Yale University.
In addition to assisting students navigate degree requirements, Heather says she’s “excited to assist the School in defining and developing a vision, philosophy, and approaches for academic advising and student success.”
For fun, Heather enjoys wine tasting at her two favorite vineyards, King Family and Early Mountain, and spending time at Carter Mountain Orchard.
Fun Fact: My favorite holiday is Halloween!
Contact Information: hlc3fd@virginia.edu | Dell 1, 110
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Shelley Moss
Research Administrative Coordinator
Shelley has a BS in Applied Mathematics and taught intro level mathematics courses at PVCC over the past 10 years. He also worked for three years at UVA Health System as an Event Coordinator, so joining SDS gives him a chance to combine his previous work experiences in a single place. Shelley says his position is “kind of jack of all trades” and his duties change frequently, which he truly enjoys.
I moved to Charlottesville in 2004 to be closer to the mountains and for the small-town feel. His wife is a graduate of UVA's school of nursing as a nurse practitioner.
Hiking is Shelley’s favorite activity (especially at Carter’s Mountain), but anything outdoors has always been his passion, and he’s been known to trail run, rock climb, kayak, skateboard, bike and surf.
Fun Fact: I once won a mustache contest as part of a “mustaches for kids” charity event. I used to give brewery tours at Starr Hill (Crozet) and appeared in the Washington Post in one of their weekend editions under travel.
Contact Information: swm2v@virginia.edu | Elson, 193B
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Jessica Otey
Research Computing Engineer
Jessica started her tech career at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, where she was a classic “rack-em-and-stack-em” system administrator. She then gained experience in software infrastructure at two different companies before joining the School of Data Science. She’s excited to be a part of the team because she likes “working where the rubber meets the road – and matching computational needs with appropriate resources is exactly that space.”
Jessica DJs at the local oldies station in town, 97.9 WREN. She loves that in Cville “you’re never far from some peace and quiet in the woods – I can walk to the woods from my house, in fact!”
Fun Fact: I tend to watch TV series 20 years or so after everyone else does. I watched MASH in grad school; it might just be time to watch Seinfeld now…
Contact Information: jlo6r@virginia.edu | Elson, 144E
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Katherine Perdue
IT Business Analyst
Katherine joined the team as a former librarian specializing in library IT and web development, first at the University of Mary Washington and then at Jefferson-Madison Regional Library here in Charlottesville. She joined SDS in January while she was finishing an online degree in Computer Science from Auburn University.
A UVA Linguistic grad, Katherine says her SDS colleagues are “a friendly and close-knit community” and she’s really happy to be here.
In her down time, Katherine enjoys hiking, especially hiking while birding. She’s been on many sections of the Rivanna Trail system, but she'd like to hike the whole thing.
Fun Fact: I’m a hydroponic gardening enthusiast; I'm growing about 45 hydroponic plants currently. The most outlandish one is probably asparagus.
Contact Information: krp5t@virginia.edu | Elson, 172
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Ali Rivera
Data Scientist
A 2023 graduate of the M.S. Data Science residential program, Ali also has undergrad degrees in Chemistry and Education, previously teaching high school Chemistry in New Jersey. She is “excited to be a part of a community that aligns with my own values for inclusion and student support, and to get to contribute to that environment for current and future students!”
Ali is a professed “Cville fan” since her first visit in 2014. From the nearby Shenandoah Mountains (Humpback at sunrise is her go-to hike when friends visit) to the Downtown Mall (Fitzroy or Sal's are food faves), she and her husband take advantage of all the area has to offer.
Fun Fact: I have an American Bully named Madame Curie after the Nobel Prize-winning Chemist/Physicist (and one of the OG women in STEM) Marie Curie. Also, I worked in the aquatic safety industry as a lifeguard trainer/aquatic facility auditor and have traveled to over 100 waterparks/pools across North America!
Contact Information: wat6sv@virginia.edu | Elson, 157
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Thomas Rowe
IT Technical Analyst
Thomas joined us from Western State Hospital where he worked in the IT Department. He’s been in the IT field for 12 years and loves helping folks find solutions. He’s excited to join UVA SDS for “the opportunities I will be given to learn and grow in this field. It presents a lot more open doors than I have had in previous jobs.”
Originally from Charlottesville, Thomas’s parents both attended the University and his mom worked for the UVA Budget office until she retired in 2019. Thomas and his wife like to explore new places, historical sites, and museums. He’s also a big fan of the Aberdeen Barn where his dad has worked for 50 years and “the staff have been my family since I was born.”
Fun Fact: I am a huge fan of sports in general, so I am always willing to talk about the latest game. I am a big history buff and have been to all the battlefields in Virginia from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
Contact Information: tr8k@virginia.edu | Elson 171
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Andrew Schwab
Administrative Coordinator
Andrew has more than 20 years’ experience in education in a variety of positions. Now, in the SDS Office of Student Affairs, he gets to enjoy working with both students and staff/faculty. Andrew is excited for the growth and changes to come at the School of Data Science.
Andrew likes to be outside “anyplace in nature.” He and his wife (who graduated from Darden and works at Advancement) love to spend time with their three children.
Fun Fact: I grew up in South Dakota.
Contact Information: zdr3ck@virginia.edu | Dell 1
Elliott Weinshenker
Software Engineer
Elliott is a Charlottesville local and an alumnus of UVA. When he’s not busy doing great things with the School of Data Science IT team, he can often be found hiking the Saunders Trail.
He also loves to review opensource repositories to help contribute. His interests are primarily in databases, and he works on personal projects in opensource code.
Fun Fact: I would one day like to do standup comedy but haven’t gathered the courage.
Contact Information: ejw2bz@virginia.edu | Elson, 175
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Bridget Xia
Lead Clinical Research Coordinator
As a former Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in neurogenic communication disorders and rehabilitation, Bridget’s clinical work with traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients sparked her passion for neurorehabilitation psychology and research. She’s excited to transition into the role of Clinical Research Coordinator in Dr. Perrin's REACH-TBI study at UVA SDS.
This opportunity allows Bridget to gain valuable research experience and explore her interests in TBI, caregiver burden, and behavioral interventions. Bridget is “thrilled to join UVA SDS Staff” and is eager to “to become an empirical researcher and develop scientific insights into the causes of experience and behavior.”
Fun Fact: I’m a backyard bird enthusiast and have different types of bird feeders to attract birds. I somehow managed to befriend the crows who come to my backyard multiple times a day for eggs and peanuts. I have grapheme-color synesthesia.
Contact Information: age2ry@virginia.edu | Remote
