Syracuse University Representatives to the Board
Mark J. Lodato
Academic Dean Representative to the Board, 2025 - 2027
Appointed dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2020, Mark J. Lodato leads a team of some 200 faculty and staff at a school with approximately 2,400 students.
Lodato has reinforced Newhouse’s reputation as the premier school in its field, a forward-thinking institution that pivots to align with the needs of the fast-moving media and communications industries. Recognized as a prominent voice in higher education journalism and communications, Lodato serves along with a select number of deans on the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education, among other leadership positions.
Tula Goenka
Faculty Representative to the Board, 2025 - 2027
Tula Goenka is a Professor of Television, Radio and Film at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the graduate program director for her department.
Goenka received her Master of Science in Television-Radio from Newhouse in 1986. She was a film editor for Mira Nair, Spike Lee, and James Ivor, among others, before focusing on producing and editing her own documentaries. As a filmmaker and public scholar, she believes in the power of storytelling to illuminate oppression, heal trauma, and create positive change, with a particular focus on women's rights, and social justice and the use of art and music to build awareness and preserve heritage. Goenka is currently working on the “Look Now Project” about those affected by breast cancer.
Andrea Rose Persin
Staff Representative to the Board, 2025-27
As the Assistant Dean of Budget, Finance, and Administration at Syracuse University’s College of Arts & Sciences, Andrea Rose Persin provides strategic financial oversight to support the goals of the college. She manages all aspects of the College’s budget and directs expenditures to align with actual revenues received. She also has the primary oversight for College’s HR related processes including, but not limited to, annual compensation review and implementation, performance partnerships, and College staffing and organizational planning.
Thomas Andrew Kehoe III
Graduate Student Representative to the Board, 2026–2027
Thomas Andrew Kehoe III is a master’s student in higher postsecondary education in the School of Education and a Graduate Assistant for Academic and Career Advising within the Office of Student Success for the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell. In this role, he advises undergraduate students on career readiness and connects them with resources to support their professional development.
Anthony J. Ruscitto
Law Student Representative to the Board, 2026–2027
Anthony J. Ruscitto is a third-year law student in the Syracuse University College of Law, a 2025 Tillman Scholar, and President of the Military and Veterans Law Society. He serves as a law student ambassador for the College of Law’s Admissions and Financial Aid Office and provides legal assistance to veterans as a student attorney in the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic. He has competed twice with the National Trial Team and completed an internship with the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, where he is returning as a 2L intern in summer 2026.
Emily Castillo-Melean
Undergraduate Student Representative to the Board, 2026–27
Emily Castillo-Melean is a first-generation student from Miami and a rising junior in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, pursuing a double major in policy studies and citizenship & civic engagement.
Asher Gonzalez
Undergraduate Student Representative to the Board, 2026–2027
Coming to Syracuse from Tampa, Florida, Asher Gonzalez is a rising senior at Syracuse University, pursuing a dual major in Television, Radio, and Film through the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and political science through the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.