Academic Affairs

Ms. De Silva is the Director of Finance for Academic Affairs and Student Success at the University of South Florida, where she is entrusted with comprehensive fiscal oversight for approximately 20 administrative and academic units. In this capacity, she directs strategic budgeting, financial planning, and the management of contracts and grants, while ensuring compliance and fiscal integrity across diverse operational domains.

Since her appointment in 2008, Ms. De Silva has demonstrated exceptional leadership in shaping and implementing institutional financial policies, with measurable impacts on organizational efficiency and interdepartmental collaboration. Her role encompasses high-level analysis and data synthesis to inform decision-making, reflecting a deep expertise in accounting, reconciliation, and financial systems management. Reporting directly to Dr. Brett E. Kemker, Vice Provost and Regional Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Student Success, she plays a vital role in advancing the university’s mission through disciplined fiscal stewardship.

Ms. De Silva holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration, both conferred by the University of South Florida.

Jan Melnik combines a background in Fortune 100 leadership/corporate communications and executive coaching/career management with higher education experience. She has served as a course designer and instructor at Bay Path University for 15 years; she began her USF career as an adjunct and segued to Visiting Instructor of English before her promotion to Assistant Program Director, Office of Academic Affairs, managing strategic academic projects.

Melnik has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Career Thought Leaders since the organization’s founding in 2010. She was an elected Commissioner of the Durham Planning & Zoning Commission in her native Connecticut for 29 years. She founded the Middlesex County Mothers-of-Multiples club, serving as President for a decade.    

She has been featured in such media outlets as USA Today, Entrepreneur, LA Times, Investor’s Business Daily, Fox, and NBC as a top authority in executive career management. As principal of Absolute Advantage for 25+ years, Melnik has created powerful white papers, annual reports, and marketing collateral for finance, healthcare, and law enforcement agencies as well as universities nationwide.

The author of 11 books (Emerald Publishing, JIST, Globe Pequot, Amazon), including Modernize Your Executive Job Search and Resume & LinkedIn Strategies for New College Graduates, Melnik’s first novel, Telling Tales: On Merlin’s Island, was a top-100 Amazon winner selected from 10,000+ submissions.

Melnik is a summa cum laude graduate of both Wesleyan University (Master of Arts, Liberal Studies, humanities concentration) and the University of Maryland (B.S., Management, marketing concentration). She is a Master Resume Writer, Credentialed Career Manager, and Certified Professional Resume Writer and frequent keynote speaker at industry conferences.

Maria (Cary) Trujillo, M.A., serves as the Office Administrator for Academic Affairs and Student Success at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee campus. In this role, she provides comprehensive executive, administrative, and operational support to departments and units under the Office of Academic Affairs and Student Success, reporting directly to Dr. Brett E. Kemker, Vice Provost and Regional Chancellor (interim), ensuring the smooth operation of a wide range of university functions.

With over 20 years of experience in higher education administration, Trujillo specializes in executive operations, academic coordination, financial and budgetary oversight, and faculty affairs. At USF, she manages complex scheduling, coordinates faculty and staff recruitment processes, and serves as a key liaison between Academic Affairs and both internal departments and external community partners. Her leadership also extends to supervising office support staff and managing large-scale events for faculty, staff, and community stakeholders.

Prior to joining USF in 2019, she held several leadership roles at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida. From 2016 to 2018, she served as Executive Assistant to the Dean of the School of Leadership, Education & Communication, where she supported academic accreditation processes, managed departmental budgets, oversaw faculty contracts, and supported grant-funded programs. From 2004 to 2016, she was the Administrative Assistant for the School of Theology & Ministry, and earlier worked with the Human Rights Institute at the School of Law.

Her early career includes over a decade of experience in the legal field as a legal secretary, further enhancing her background in document management, client relations, and legal coordination.

She holds a Master of Arts in Executive Management (2015) and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (2011), both from St. Thomas University. A committed lifelong learner, she also holds a number of professional certifications in research administration, cybersecurity, interpersonal communication, and educational technology.