2026 Staff Merit Awards Winners

Milena Cartusciello, BA ’16, has been an invaluable member of the Undergraduate Advising Support team for eight years. A Saint Joseph’s University alumnus, Cartusciello has embodied the mission of caring for the whole person through her work in advising. She has collaborated with countless students on their academic journey and offers unyielding guidance and assistance. She has demonstrated a true understanding of what it means to support students holistically.

In addition to championing students on a regular basis, she collaborates with faculty to ensure seamless delivery of academic curriculum and progression policies to students. Her meticulous attention to detail has been integral in guiding students through various curricular changes across several programs since the 2024 merger.

Cartusciello has been a huge support, not only to her teammates in advising, but to countless other offices at the Lancaster location. Her enthusiasm for SJU and its mission is not only abundant but also contagious. Her colleagues are incredibly grateful for her boundless energy, endless supply of new and exciting ideas, and unwavering positivity.

​Danielle Critelli lives the Jesuit mission through her exceptional work with community partner organizations in Philadelphia and through her commitment to strengthening the presence of Ignatian values at Saint Joseph’s University. Critelli is a long-time member of the Staff and Administrative Support (SAS) team and is always willing to share resources with her colleagues to enhance their SJU experience.

Critelli co-chairs the Hot Dogs for Haiti annual fundraiser for Foi et Joie partner schools and is co-facilitating the Just Universities Learning Community this year. Last spring, in an effort to better support the personal and academic development of our students, Critelli organized a dinner and discussion and a faculty/staff reading group based on the book “The Young Adult Playbook: Living Like It Matters.” In the fall, Critelli coordinated various efforts for students to support the Jesuits in Manressa Hall as they transitioned to a new home. Through her facilitation, occupational therapy students provided the Jesuits with resources and information on their respective strengths, interests and needs for the staff at their new communities.

Additionally, Critelli coordinated a thank you gathering for the Jesuits and Manressa Hall staff with an English Service-Learning course. It was a meaningful afternoon for all. Critelli doesn’t just work at SJU, she invests in our community members and in the lives of the people at our community partner organizations with gratitude and respect.

Matthew LeSuer joined Saint Joseph’s University as part of the merger with Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences (PA College) in 2024. LeSuer first joined PCHS in 2015 as an academic advisor and later served as director of academic advising from 2019-2022. Immediately prior to the merger with SJU, LeSuer was the coordinator for institutional effectiveness and operations. He currently serves as the associate director for SJU undergraduate advising support.

LeSuer is a caring leader, effective collaborator, skilled administrator, fierce student advocate and an essential “go-to” person in Lancaster. Since the merger in 2024, LeSuer quickly embraced being part of the St. Joe’s community and has focused on helping to build a culture in Lancaster that reflects the SJU spirit and mission.

LeSuer consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that students receive excellent advising and are supported in reaching their educational goals. He has effectively collaborated with campus partners and worked tirelessly to develop new systems and resources that target students’ needs and integrate with the larger SJU community. He advocates for Lancaster students to be represented/considered in communications, course planning and campus resources. He is proactive, thoughtful and balanced in his approach to his work, always assessing the needs of students and proposing ideas and new initiatives to enhance the student experience.

LeSuer’s work with students embodies the mission of SJU, in particular, cura personalis. LeSuer genuinely cares about each and every student. He consistently reminds all of us of the unique needs of the population in Lancaster, which is largely an adult learner population. It is not unusual for LeSuer to meet with and/or respond to emails in the early morning, evening and weekends, all in an effort to meet students where they are. LeSuer extends this ethos of cura personalis to his colleagues and teammates. He is an exceptional team member and community member — the first to raise his hand and offer support. Although LeSuer’s primary role has been in Lancaster, he has embraced the opportunity to support advising on Hawk Hill in addition to his many responsibilities in Lancaster. Many thanks to LeSuer for his service and commitment to SJU and our students.

Erika Lohbauer is a dedicated higher education professional whose career reflects more than two decades of steadfast service and leadership. Since the merger with the University of the Sciences, she has served as programming specialist for inclusive excellence, where she collaboratively plans and executes inclusive training, signature events such as Day of Dialogue, and campus-wide initiatives that advance inclusion and community engagement. As co-chair of The Alliance, she strives to build a stronger sense of community through social events and educational programming, and exemplifies sustained excellence through service.

Prior to the merger, Lohbauer served at the University of the Sciences as office manager for the president’s office. In that role, she coordinated major university ceremonies, chaired the MLK Day of Service Committee and managed the civic engagement component of the Federal Work Study program. Known for her integrity, collaborative spirit and sound judgment, Lohbauer consistently builds trusted relationships while serving her institutions with professionalism and care.

Erin Penater became the administrative assistant of the Department of History and of the Department of Mathematics in June 2024. During the summer of 2025, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies was added to this list. The number of students who take the courses offered by the three departments is staggeringly large, and the related tasks that hit Penater’s desk are numerous and often highly nontrivial. Penater shows excellent ability to manage these multiple tasks with great care and extraordinary efficiency. All her tasks are completed at the high competency level with creativity and problem solving abilities, which are to be admired. Although the amount of tasks is likely overwhelming, and different departments may submit multiple complex tasks simultaneously, there is never a delay in completion of tasks for one department because Penater is handling the tasks of another department.

Penater became very knowledgeable of using different SJU systems and applications astonishingly fast. She is also highly competent in the area of financial stewardship: Her attention to detail, her mindfulness of the budget restrictions and limitations, and her fiscal responsibility are highly impressive. In addition, Erin still finds time to engage in activities that benefit the campus as well as the wider community: From organizing the food collection to help those in need during Thanksgiving to initiating and organizing study sessions for students during final exams — Erin is always willing to help and to give to the community.

Her assistance, expertise, great problem solving abilities and her positive attitude are universally appreciated by the faculty of all three departments. She quickly became an invaluable and irreplaceable member of the three departments, as well as of the SJU community.

Trish Shafer has exemplified superior and exceptional job performance for her entire tenure at Saint Joseph’s University. She provides outstanding service to students, faculty, staff, employers and community partners across three locations, always ensuring their needs are met with professionalism, warmth and efficiency. Her work significantly enhances the University’s image by cultivating strong employer relationships, elevating career readiness initiatives and representing SJU with integrity. Shafer’s dedication, strategic vision and genuine care for the staff has had a transformative impact on the department. She challenges her staff to grow, encourages them to expand their skills and actively provides opportunities for their professional advancement while keeping budget constraints in mind. Her belief in her team’s potential contributes to a thriving, high-performing Career Center.

PeggyAnn Matusiak is an experienced higher education professional with over two decades of experience in the field. After graduating from Hofstra University in New York, Matusiak returned to her alma mater to provide administrative support and management expertise in the Office of Advancement and later in the Honors College. In July 2024, Matusiak took on a new challenge as the senior administrator, Lancaster operations, at Saint Joseph's University Lancaster. In this role, Matusiak primarily supports the academic leadership team, faculty and programs within the School of Nursing and Allied Health. By extension, she also supports campus events, Commencement activities and advancement opportunities.

Her exceptional organizational skills, positive attitude and contagious energy have fostered efficient operations and stewardship of our resources. Having earned her Bachelor of Arts in history as an adult learner while balancing children and employment responsibilities, Matusiak has a natural ability to engage with our adult learners in the School of Nursing and Allied Health. She is an excellent role model and mentor to our students. Matusiak’s deep commitment to education, student success and community building remain at the core of her professional journey. Thank you, Matusiak!

Evangelos “Evan” Regas is completing his fourth year on Hawk Hill and is currently the associate head strength and conditioning coach. Regas can be seen (and heard) throughout the Athletics facilities and campus. When he’s not increasing our student-athlete’s physical development on the field or in the weight room, he’s engaging and caring about their school and personal life. He helps Hawks grow into their true selves.

Regas also runs the Strength and Conditioning Internship Program in athletics and has provided many students from Saint Joseph’s, and schools in the surrounding area, with career-building experience. Not only does it help the students doing the internship, but it also helps the strength and conditioning staff and student-athletes. Also, Regas has been a great professional colleague, be it filling interim positions within the strength and conditioning staff, to volunteering at special athletics events, to volunteering for graduation.

Since Eric Morton joined the Saint Joseph’s University community in 2022 as a residential area manager, he has cemented his mark on the campus community. In this role, he encourages all students to be active participants of their community by taking accountability for their own education. Morton is always the first staff member to volunteer and is always looking for more ways to be involved with the community. He consistently encourages students to be more involved and informed about what is happening in their community. Morton recently became an INT instructor, with a course that focuses on educating students on the inequalities in America. Thank you, Morton, for all of your hard work supporting and encouraging our community! seminars.

For over two decades, Jill Welsh has brought enthusiasm, creativity and a deep commitment to social justice to her work in the Faith-Justice Institute. Her development of the service scholar model within the service-learning program has made a lasting contribution to our Jesuit educational mission, and she has personally mentored hundreds of students in this role. In addition to her direct work with students, she has also brought dozens of outside speakers to campus through the Joseph William and Madeline Eberle Klein Lecture series, which fosters greater inclusion in the Roman Catholic Church.

In 2023, she was appointed director of the Faith/Justice Institute and has continued to grow and expand the service learning program and nurture and support community partnerships, including our long-standing relationship with Samuel Gompers Elementary School. She has brought the same high level of commitment to the Day of Dialogue, serving as a member of the steering committee for multiple years. Most recently, she chaired the accreditation process for SJU’s Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement with great success. Her work with students, faculty, staff and dozens of community partners exemplifies the Jesuit ideal of working in service “with and for others,” and her contributions help us to better realize our mission every day.