Arizona State University is committed to establishing and growing partnerships with community colleges and other institutions and organizations that help support the academic success and ultimate college degree completion for today’s students.

A unit of the Office of the University Provost, Academic Alliances serves as a resource for community college employees, as well as ASU faculty and staff, regarding student preparation for university success, partnership programs, community college relations, and issues resolution.

We strive to create a student-centered “culture of transfer”, which is accomplished through innovative, research-based strategies designed to significantly increase the number of students who complete an associate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree. Our Arizona and out-of-state partnership programs can be accessed on the ASU Transfer Page.

In addition, Academic Alliances has responsibility for relationships with a variety of other institutions and organizations, as determined by the University Provost.

Please contact us if we can be of assistance.

Our team

Cheryl Hyman
Vice Provost for Academic Alliances

Hyman is Vice Provost for Academic Alliances at ASU. She is leading academic partnerships between ASU and the community colleges and other educational institutions both locally and nationally, ensuring that students who wish to pursue an undergraduate degree have the resources and a pathway to successfully transition to ASU. Prior to joining ASU Hyman served as the Chancellor of the City Colleges. Following her tenure as chancellor, Ms. Hyman authored Reinvention: The Promise and Challenge of Transforming a Community College System (Harvard Education Press, 2018).

Melanie Evanoff
Executive Assistant to Vice Provost

Melanie is the Assistant to the Vice Provost for Academic Alliances. She manages administrative duties and partner relations for the Academic Alliances team, as well as provides technical and logistical support for multiple projects, meetings and conferences. Melanie joined ASU in 2015, previously working for the Dean of Students Office and the Office of Human Resources. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Toledo and a Master’s in Higher and Postsecondary Education from ASU..

Alka Arora Singh
Assistant Vice Provost, Academic Alliances

Alka develops, directs and oversees Academic Alliance strategies, internal and external partnerships, marketing and communication, and staff development. More recently, she provided leadership as AVP for Institutional Effectiveness at Glendale Community College, and as VP for Guided Pathways and Integrated Student Support at the Maricopa district office. Prior to her tenure at Maricopa, Alka held various research and consulting positions with ASU, Arizona State Department of Education, and the World Bank. Alka holds an MBA from ASU and a PhD in Higher Education Policy from SUNY Buffalo.

Katherine Antonucci
Senior Director, Academic Alliances

Katherine serves as one of the design architects identifying scalable solutions and seamless pathways for students to map their journey into and through ASU. She has a dual report, maintaining oversight of transfer curriculum operations. Her teams are responsible for facilitating the curriculum evaluation of over 150,000 courses from domestic, international, and study abroad institutions annually. With over 700,000 course equivalencies displayed through the Transfer Guide, Katherine supports student success through the design and implementation of innovative and student friendly technology.

Amber Covington
Senior Director, Collaboration and Partnership Integration

Amber serves as Senior Director of Collaboration and Partnership Integration for Academic Alliances in the Office of the University Provost at Arizona State University. In this leadership role she manages the development, integration, and expansion of the Academic Alliance's partnership model which includes making decisions on how we leverage technology tools to support partnership student success in Arizona and beyond. Amber holds a Master's in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Miami University (Ohio).

Renee Beauchamp
Director, Transfer Operations

Renee is responsible for overseeing university transfer operations, leads Academic Alliances communication and marketing strategies, and the integration of innovative student success technologies for our partners across the United States. Renee is passionate about building awareness and support for transfer programs and our partners. Renee has been a part of ASU since 2015 previously working on the corporate partnership, business development, and marketing operation teams for EdPlus at ASU.

Marjorie DeRubeis
Director, Academic Alliances

Marjorie is excited for her new role at ASU where she will be maintaining and cultivating new relationships with community colleges throughout the state and nationally. She is excited to bring the efficiency that ASU has developed to students through its Pathway Programs. She has worked in academia since graduating from Fordham University in New York. Marjorie worked in Fordham’s financial aid office following graduation. In 2000 she moved to Arizona and her first job was at Arizona State University’s financial aid office. She most recently was at College Success Arizona for 11 years as the Director of Partnership Development and Student Success Services.

Kalani Rice
Program Manager, ASU Academic Alliances

Kalani is the Program Manager for the Pathways for the Future Program, a generous investment by State Farm which is aimed at creating and enriching tomorrow's workforce. She is leading the partnership with State Farm which will target high school and community college students as well as adults in the workforce who need to update their skills and would benefit from flexible ways to access higher education. More recently, Kalani managed Federal and Private grants aimed at increasing STEM competencies among underrepresented youth. Prior to her tenure at Arizona State University, she held an Assistant Vice President of Academic Policy position with Zenith Education. Kalani holds a Master's in Adult Education and an MBA with an emphasis in Human Resource Management.

Melanie Pshaenich
Coordinator, Sr Academic Alliances

As an employee of ASU for almost the entirety of her career, Melanie has acquired a diversified level of experience in the field of higher education and community relations. Originally coming to ASU to attend graduate school, she has had the opportunity to work in public affairs, enrollment services communications, and academic partnerships. Through these experiences, she has gained a strong understanding of the importance of providing educational opportunities to all segments of the community. Melanie develops marketing and communications and manages operations within the department.

Brittney Paulk
Projects Director, Office of the University Provost

Brittney provides support and leadership in project management, research analysis and evaluation, and external/internal partnership development. Prior to her appointment with Academic Alliances, Brittney was the Projects Director of Provost Strategic Initiatives. Under the director of the Deputy Provost, Brittney planned, developed, and executed strategic projects and initiatives to advance academic affairs, degree programming, and student success at ASU. Brittney holds a B.S. in Public Health, Health Administration and a Master’s in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management from Indiana University in Bloomington.