About Us
Meet the Staff
Dr. Jennifer Schneider, Student Ombuds
Serves all students on all USF campuses
Before coming to USF as student ombuds, Jennifer directed career services at Polk State College, worked with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (now called the Institute for Sport and Social Justice) at UCF, and was an academic advisor in USF's College of Education. She also spent 13 years teaching in the public school system. Jennifer has earned a B.A. in Deaf Education from Flagler College, an M.A. in Special Education from USF and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from USF. She has also earned the designation of Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner (CO-OP®) through the International Ombuds Association.
Serving students as the student ombuds allows Jennifer to share her knowledge of University
policies and procedures, empathically listen to students' concerns, and advocate for
a fair process for resolving issues that students encounter at USF.
Laura Zuppo, Student Ombuds Liaison - St. Petersburg campus
Laura Zuppo works on the St. Petersburg campus and serves as the Regional Assistant
Vice Chancellor of Student Success- Enrollment and Transitions, in addition to serving
students on the St. Petersburg campus as student ombuds liaison. She spent the last
20 years in higher education administration and consulting. Laura earned a B.A. in
Sociology from Cedar Crest College, an M.S. in Higher Education Administration from
Drexel University, and an M.B.A. from Keller Graduate School of Management.
Risa Blake, Administrative Specialist
Students from any USF campus can reach out to Risa to schedule an appointment.
*The USF Ombuds Office does not accept formal complaints or notice for the University. If you would like to make USF formally aware of a particular problem, the Ombuds Office staff can provide information on how to do so. Keep in mind that email messages to the Ombuds Office could be subject to Florida's Public Records Law (Ch.119, Florida Statute) and may not be confidential.