Admissions Staff Directory

Please feel free to contact us by phone or email

Phone: (217) 206-4847
Toll Free: (888) 977-4847

Contact one of our Admissions Staff:

Our admissions staff are dedicated to helping incoming students navigate the admissions process. We have counselors for incoming freshmen, as well as a dedicated counselor for transfer students and international students.

Click on a name to see more information:

Aaron Boettcher (aboet1@uis.edu) – City of Chicago/North Chicago Suburbs
Anna Bradford (alight2@uis.edu) – International
Leigh Brannan (lbran3@uis.edu) – Assistant Director of Admissions
Jillian Helmer-Briggs (jhelm3@uis.edu) – On-campus Counselor
Kathryn Kleeman (kklee1@uis.edu) – Interim Director of Admissions
Carly Leffel (cweso2@uis.edu) – South and West Suburbs and Parts of Greater Chicago area
Lisa McGuire (lmcgu2@uis.edu) – Director of New Student Orientation and Parent Relations
Andrew Nicol (anico2@uis.edu) – Sangamon County and Southern Illinois

Meet our Student Ambassadors:

Cambry Bennett
Alice Caceres
Katie Coultas
Rosie Dawoud
Sydney Duncan
Jackson Knope
Kassandra Mruk
Kyle Murphy
Trenton Newberry
Aimee Rabeler
Vanessa Salinas

Aaron Boettcher

You can call me:

Coach B, Aaron

Hometown:

McHenry, IL

Alma Maters:

BA Finance, Millikin University, 2003

MBA University of Illinois at Springfield, 2005

Advice for College Students:

Enjoy it!!! This is your chance in life to get 4 years to really discover where you want to take you passions, interests, and goals in life. There are so many things you will discover about who you are and what is important to you. There is a reason you worked so hard in high school because college is a ton of fun!!!

Best Thing About Springfield:

Diversity. There are so many different types of people and so many things to do.

Favorite Place on Campus:

The old Student Life Gym, or Assembly Closet as we used to call it when I coached basketball, since that is where I met my wife!

About Aaron:

Huge Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Cardinals Fan, played college baseball and coached college basketball, and my biggest weaknesses are spelling and art of any kind.

Anna Bradford

You Can Call me:

Anna

Hometown:

Woodstock, IL

Alma Mater:

BA Linguistics, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2009

Advice for College Students:

Befriend an international student – explore the globe, a friend at a time! And take advantage of the Study Abroad opportunities.

Best Thing About Springfield:

I enjoy downtown Springfield. The Abraham Lincoln sites and the Dana Thomas house are excellent. I definitely recommend going to the Farmer’s Market as well!

Favorite Place on Campus:

Campus Lake is a relaxing and peaceful spot to refresh.

About Anna:

I lived in Japan for 5 1/2 years teaching English as a Second Language, and I enjoy to travel/explore whenever I can. I love to swap travel stories, hearing food recommendations, and speaking about traditional handicrafts!

Leigh Brannan

You Can Call Me:

Leigh

Hometown:

Jacksonville, IL

Alma Mater:

BA English, Philosophy, and Religion, MacMurray College, 2004

Advice for College Students:

Go to class and sit in the front row!

Best Thing About Springfield:

UIS!

Favorite Place on Campus:

The Shakespeare Garden

About Leigh:

I was a gymnast for a long time and was a competitive diver in college, I read around 60 books a year, and I love to workout.

Jillian Helmer-Briggs

You Can Call Me:

Jill, Jillian

Hometown:

Cary, IL

Alma Maters:

BA Journalism, Columbia College Chicago, 2002

MA Communication, Western Illinois University, 2005

Advice for College Students:

Get involved so you get the most out of your college experience.

Favorite Thing About Springfield:

I love Springfield because there are lots of things to do–shopping, restaurants, festivals–and it’s small enough where it’s not hectic and congested like in a big city.

Favorite Place on Campus:

The UIS Pond

About Jillian:

I love Harry Potter, I like to crochet in my spare time, and I have pet sugar gliders.