Staff
Meet Our Team
Our PROSPERAR Team consists of diverse, enthusiastic, & mindful individuals who aspire to create a comprehensive support network that speaks to our students' needs, both in & outside of the classroom, as well as within our campus & the larger surrounding communities.
Interested in learning more about the PROSPERAR team? Click the drop-down menus below to meet our wonderful staff!
Director
Gabriella Ammiano: PROSPERAR Program Director
Gabriella Ammiano is the Program Director for PROSPERAR under the Title V Grant. She is a first-generation college graduate, with parents who immigrated from South America, to provide a life of opportunity for her & her sister. Her spirit shines through the work she does with young people everywhere.
Gabriella has experience as an educator from New York City, having worked many years in Harlem, servicing the local community to & through college, bridging connections from education to career.
Gabriella is the product of the SUNY & CUNY system, a product of parents who assimilated to this country while staying true to their traditions, culture & core values. Her appreciation & respect for diversity transcends the higher education setting & uses it as an opportunity to help young people thrive.
Her passion for working with the Hispanic/Latinx/Chicanx population is a direct reflection of her upbringing & desire to give back. She specifically hopes to contribute & make a positive impact on the growing Hispanic population enrolling in college, one that channels her belief in our young people & a cradle to career approach to education.
Pathway Coaches
Through our Title V Grant, our team has taken holistic support a step further & brought on Pathway Coaches to reinforce available services & resources to our entire student population, starting with you. Pathway Coaches are SUNY Orange navigators, operating as an extension of the Center for Student Success, & are committed to your growth personally, professionally, & academically. Pathway Coaches also partner with various other departments & offices across the college to create a comprehensive, campus-wide safety net to provide academic, social & cultural programs designed to enrich your college experience through a community-specific lens.
Jessica Schreiner: Arts & Media
Jessica (Jess) Schreiner is the Pathway Coach for the Arts & Media Community. This community consists of students pursing their education in New Media, Visual Communications: Graphic Arts & Printing, & Floriculture.
Jess was born & raised in Goshen, NY & is very familiar with Orange County. She graduated from University of Hartford - Hartt School in 2019 with her Bachelor in Music in Musicology - Performance Practices Emphasis on clarinet. She obtained her Masters in Musicology in January 2023, specializing in auxiliary clarinet organology. Jess regularly performed in the SUNY Orange Symphonic Band on bass clarinet & currently performs with the SUNY Orange Orchestra on clarinet & bass clarinet. Jess has experience as a teaching assistant during the first year of her masters & a teaching fellow for the second year for the music history department at the University of Hartford. She was involved in all aspects of campus life from residential hall association, student government, planning committees for graduation, spirit week, & much more.
Jess' favorite part of SUNY Orange is performing with the orchestra & feeling a sense of community. In her free time she enjoys watching hockey (Rangers) & football (Seahawks), & spending time with her cat, Charlie.
Access Orange Connect to schedule a Coaching session with Jess!
Mouhamed Toure: Business
Mouhamed Toure is the Pathway Coach for the Business Community. This community consists
of students pursuing their education in Accounting (A.S.), Accounting (A.A.S.), Accounting Procedures, Business Administration, Business Management, & Healthcare Administration.
Mouhamed completed his earned his Bachelors of Science (B.S.) in Business Administration, Concentration: International Business at SUNY Buffalo State University, followed by his Master of Science (M.S.) in Sports Management at Adelphi University. Mouhamed uses his first-hand experiences throughout his own higher education journey to in all of his student-facing work, notably as former Program Counselor for Upward Bound Program at SUNY Buffalo. Mouhamed strongly believes in the importance of being open minded when working with students and others in our campus community, embracing the uniqueness of individuals.
Mouhamed's favorite things about SUNY Orange is the small, close knit campus & how friendly our community is. Two fun facts about Mouhamed: he speaks fluent French & is an avid sports fan (Barcelona⚽, Giants🏈, Celtics🏀, Yankees⚾).
Access Orange Connect to schedule a Coaching session with Mouhamed!
Nadia Kemp: Culture, Society, & the Mind
Nadia Kemp is the Pathway Coach for the Culture, Society & the Mind Community. This community consists of students pursuing transfer degrees in International Studies, Liberal Arts: Individual Studies & Liberal Arts: Humanities & Social Science. Nadia is passionate about helping students from diverse backgrounds navigate the
college experience.
Nadia was born & raised in the Hudson Valley. She attended North Carolina State University for one year & transferred to Providence College, where she earned her Bachelors of Arts (B.A). in Psychology. Throughout college, Nadia was a Division I athlete in Softball. She was named team captain during her senior year. For three consecutive summers, she interned at the nationally acclaimed Summer Treatment Program (STP) through Florida International University's Center for Children & Families, located in Miami, Florida. She has experience working with students with ADHD & related behavioral, emotional, & learning challenges. Upon graduating from Providence College, she was accepted into the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program at St. John’s University. While attending graduate school, Nadia was the Graduate Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs & Office of Student Conduct for four years. Nadia earned her M.S. degree in School Psychology from St. John’s University in 2021. She is currently a doctoral candidate & is completing her dissertation research focused on REBT.
Nadia’s favorite part of SUNY Orange is the close knit community. Two fun facts: Nadia loves music & enjoys baking in her free time.
Access Orange Connect to schedule a Coaching session with Nadia!
Alyssa Walrad: Health Sciences & Wellness
Alyssa Walrad is the Pathway Coach for the Health Sciences & Wellness Community. This community consists of students pursuing career & transfer degrees in Dental Hygiene, Exercise Studies, Medical Laboratory Technician, Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapy Assistant, Public Health, & Radiologic Technology. Alyssa is a passionate higher education professional, driven to create equitable
access in education & the healthcare industry.
As a Newburgh resident most of her life, & a fellow alumna, Alyssa's love for the campuses runs deep & finds immense joy in giving back to the students of the neighboring communities through her work.
Alyssa's collegiate career began at this beloved institution, where she completed her Associates in Science (A.S.) in 2018. Her extensive student involvement in the Board of Activities as Community Service Captain & Student Senate introduced how to bridge her love of human biologies/healthcare & education. Alyssa briefly transferred to Binghamton University & came back home to Mount Saint Mary College, where she completed a Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) in Pre-Medical Interdisciplinary Studies in May 2021. She has recently completed a Master’s of Arts (M.A.) in Higher Education Administration at Stony Brook University in 2023.
Alyssa's favorite part of SUNY Orange is how integrated our institution is into the local communities (Newburgh & Middletown). Alyssa's favorite activities are hiking around the Hudson Valley with her handsome pitbull & his three-legged cat brother, crocheting, or binge watching the latest trendy TV show.
Access Orange Connect to schedule a Coaching session with Alyssa!
Bob Conflitti: Justice & Community Engagement
Bob Conflitti is the Pathway Coach for the Justice & Community Engagement Community; consists of students pursuing career & transfer degrees in Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice-Police, Law Enforcement/Security, & Security Guard. Bob also works as an Adjunct Professor in the Criminal Justice Department, currently
teaching Constitutional Law (CRJ115) & Criminal Law (CRJ211). He also has experience teaching basic Criminal Justice (CRJ101) & Juvenile Offender (CRJ103) courses.
Bob has an abundance of professional experience in the legal field across the United States, starting as a prosecutor in New York County (Manhattan) & in Orange County, California. His experience led him toward serving as an Executive Assistant District Attorney & Counsel to the District Attorney in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office through February 2022. Bob also has specialized experience with special victims cases as a staff attorney for the New York Prosecutors Training Institute in Albany, & mental hygiene proceedings as an Assistant Attorney General in the Attorney General’s Poughkeepsie Regional Office.
Though Bob is retired, he continues working part time as Counsel to the District Attorney’s Association of the State of New York (DAASNY). He assists the Executive Director in supporting New York’s district attorneys & their staff, in developing DAASNY’s response to legislation affecting criminal justice, & in responding to issues affecting the criminal justice system statewide.
Bob is a 1984 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, & a 1981 graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, representing the Detroit area proudly.
Fun facts: Bob thoroughly enjoys serving the public & SUNY Orange campus community through his three part-time "retirement" jobs, as well as working on his 200-year-old house in the Town of Wallkill. He is an avid, amateur astrophotographer who enjoys the night sky with his telescope.
Bob's career’s worth of service in a relevant field is a unique trait he brings to the Pathway Coaching role, & is eager to help SUNY Orange students to navigate their way through their college experience while nurturing the next generation of government servants.
John Maniscalco: STEM
John Maniscalco is the Pathway Coach for the STEM Community. This community consists of students pursuing Architectural Technology, Computer Networking, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Engineering Science, Liberal Arts: Mathematics & Natural Science, & Web Development. Through his professional experiences, John has become very passionate about education
& learning.
John is an alumni of SUNY Orange where he completed his Associates in Science (A.S) in 2017. During his time here, John was heavily involved with the Board of Activities. He transferred to SUNY Stony Brook (SBU) where he received a Bachelor of Science (B.S) in Marine Vertebrate Biology. John currently attends Dominican University, where he is pursuing his Master’s degree in Education (M.Ed).
Upon graduating from SBU in 2019, John returned to SUNY Orange & he began tutoring at the Center for Student Success. As a tutor, he enjoyed helping students understand STEM concepts. John combines his skills from CSS to help elevate the student experience by helping our campus community navigate personal, professional, & academic challenges, as well as life beyond our institution. John’s favorite place at SUNY Orange is the BATCAVERN, located on the third floor of the Rowley Center for Science & Engineering on the Middletown Campus. In John’s words “it has the best views on the entire campus.”
Two fun facts about John: he is a Guinness World Record holder & in high school, he performed in an off-Broadway play.
Access Orange Connect to schedule a Coaching session with John!
Support Staff
Our PROSPERAR Support Staff aid our Pathway Coaches in events, caseload management, & building connections with students. Click on the menus below to meet the rest of our team!
Anderson Estrella: Learning Pathways Coordinator
Anderson Estrella is the Learning Pathways Coordinator for PROSPERAR & the Center for Student Success. Anderson holds a Bachelors of Science (B.S.) in Criminal Justice & has a plethora of experience working with CUNY & SUNY students throughout their higher education journey. Anderson enjoys working in a team dynamic to bring support resources directly to students to be #SOsuccessful.
Caleb Mason: Multimedia Specialist
Caleb Mason is the Multimedia Specialist for PROSPERAR. He specializes in personifying the efforts of the PROSPERAR team into visual designs that represent our campus community.
An alum of SUNY Orange, Caleb is a proud 2018 graduate of the New Media program. He pursued his undergraduate education at Nyack College & graduated with a Bachelors of Communication in 2020. He has worked freelance in audio & video production for over five years.
His favorite memory from his time as a SUNY Orange student was his time serving as President of the All 4 Jesus Christian Club. When not at work he enjoys hiking, reading, & (in the winter) snowmobiling.
Peer Orientation Leaders
Peer Orientation Leaders are passionate student leaders who lend support to PROSPERAR programming to create a sense of community amongst peers, give a platform to student voices, & increase awareness to our team.
Peer Orientation Leaders:
- Lead small group discussions with new students
- Create focus groups to highlight student voices & advocate for change
- Facilitate campus tours with Pathway Coaches for new students & families to familiarize them with campus resources & locations
- Encourage student engagement & involvement through clubs.
Interested in becoming a Peer Orientation Leader? Give our team a call at (845)-341-9060 or email us at pathwaycoach@sunyorange.edu.