Master of Professional Accountancy | Meet Our Team

Nadine Abu-Seraj is the Senior Recruitment and Admissions Associate for the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) program. She joined the Merage School team in 2018 to assist with recruitment and admissions.

Rick Callender originally hails from the East Coast, having moved to the California coast in 2011 to get married. After receiving his BFA in Graphic Design from Indiana University in 1988, he spent nearly 20 years as a professional designer, working in numerous commercial, educational, and non-profit environments, including the campus of Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) in Washington, D.C. Working to find a home on the UCI campus, and having spent time with the UCI International Center, Rick is excited to now be part of the Specialty Masters Program at the Paul Merage School of Business.

Jana Cheng is the Programs Director of Recruitment and Admissions for the Specialty Masters Programs at UC Irvine’s Merage School of Business. In this role, Jana oversees recruitment strategies, enrollment management and marketing lead for 4 programs including the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA), Master of Finance (MFIN), Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) and Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MIE) programs.

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Melanie Coburn is a seasoned admissions, recruiting and marketing professional with expertise in recruiting business professionals into an MBA program. She has over 20 years of progressive management experience in higher education and has worked in many diverse work environments, including four different institutions across the country. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in Literature and Rhetoric as well as a master of arts degree in English from Binghamton University in New York and an MBA from University of Baltimore in Maryland. Most recently, she is the Sr. Director of Recruitment & Admissions for all MBA and Specialty Masters Programs at University of California, Irvine’s Merage School of Business.

Erica Espejo is the Recruitment and Admissions Officer for the Master of Finance (MFin) and Master of Professional Accountancy (MPac) programs. She joined the UCI Paul Merage School of Business in 2023. Erica comes from a background of 10 years of experience in college and career counseling and admissions enrollment services. She is thrilled to meet with prospective students in the Specialty Masters Programs. She manages reading applications and cannot wait to welcome incoming students to the Merage School!

Before joining the Merage School, Erica served as a college & career counselor at Capistrano Unified assisting high school students in their college applications. She has also worked in graduate and undergraduate admissions at Soka University. In addition, Erica holds a Master’s Education in School Counseling from Loyola Marymount University. In her free time, Erica enjoys exploring California’s hidden gems, enjoying new restaurants and food, and writing.

Joina Hsiao is the Associate Director of Career Services for the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) program. She joined The Paul Merage School of Business in 2016 to provide individual career coaching to MPAc students and help them develop and refine professional business writing skills, effective interviewing capabilities, and targeted job-search strategies.

Florence Lam is the Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator in the Specialty Masters Programs department. In her role, Florence oversees student application processing for the Master of Finance (MFin) and Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) programs, manage the SMP KFS reimbursements, organize graduate fairs, and oversee student assistants. She is a recent graduate from UCI, holding two bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration, and Public Health Policy. In her senior year, she was a Peer Councilor for the Merage UG Program. In her spare time, she likes to try new coffee shops, read, and garden.

Quincy Lim is the Assistant Director for the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) program as well as the Master of Finance (MFIN). In his role, he assists students with their academic needs and guides them through their time in the program.

Lisa Shulman is the Manager of MBA and Specialty Masters Programs, Strategic Initiatives. She manages all aspects of building graduate school pipelines, community initiatives, and supports current affinity groups with the focus of supporting our increasingly globally diverse graduate student population. She also works in creating partnerships with the Merage School and UCI community to ensure we have spaces for our diverse graduate student population.

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Burt Alvaro Slusher is the Assistant Dean of MBA and Specialty Masters Programs at the University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business. In this role, Burt oversees the School's current portfolio of graduate programs consisting of three MBA Programs (State-supported Full-Time MBA, and self-supporting Fully Employed MBA and Executive MBA) and four self-supporting Specialty Masters Programs (Master of Finance, Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Master of Professional Accountancy and Master of Science in Business Analytics). In addition, this role also oversees the Master of Science in Biotech Management program in tandem with leaders from the School of Biological Sciences. Burt also serves as part of the School’s senior leadership team.