By Julie Mana-Ay
News Editor
Associated Student Inc. welcomes a new ASI executive director to its team.
ASI’s previous director was Taren Mulhause who announced she was retiring February of last year. Mulhause has been director of five years.
Ilaria Pesco is a graduate from University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif. Ilaria graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government and English and received her master’s degree in higher education and administration.
Pesco left her job at the University of Redlands as a director of student leadership and involvements in Spring 2014 after attending school there from 1992-1996 and working as a director from 1996-2014.
As director of student leadership and involvement, she oversaw clubs and organizations, Greek life, student government, new student orientation, and campus wide programs.
After she left January 2014, she sailed a semester at sea to Asia and Africa and she was in charge of 100 students while organizing programs and was in charge of a Model UN (United Nations).
“After I finished a semester at sea, I was really looking at what long term jobs I wanted to do and what was next for me,” Pesco said. “I met students from CSUB at circle of change leadership conference.”
Pesco said one of the things that stood out to her was that the CSUB staff talked about their students being their number one focus.
Before Pesco took the position, Emile Callahan, student union director, was interim executive director for the remaining of the school year.
Pesco has been involved in student government since her freshman year of college and was a graduate student advisor for ASI at the University of Redlands.
“Students are my number one focus. I want to be at an institution where students are first and help center programs for students to succeed and graduate,” Pesco said. “That’s what I love doing. I want to be at a place that fosters that.
Pesco said she’s excited for the first day of school.
“I want to hear students what they want from ASI and what I can do to help and make things happen,” she said.
