Veterans Success Center Staff
Jamie Richards
Director
jamie@purdue.edu
Jamie Richards is the Director of Purdue University’s Veterans Success Center and an advisor for the Student Veterans Organization. He served for 20 years in the Navy, both active duty and the reserves with deployments on a submarine and boots on the ground in Iraq. Since 2009, he has supported veteran and military-connected students in achieving their educational goals and developing their career search skills. Jamie has a BA in Creative Writing and an MA in Strategic Leadership. Hobbies include; bicycling, being chased by dogs, reading, and traveling with his family.
Morgan Torres
Assistant Director
torre130@purdue.edu
Morgan Torres joined the Veteran Success Center as the Assistant Director in 2021. She is an alumna of Purdue University graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science as well as Law & Society. She currently serves in the Army Reserves and is in her 8th year of service. Morgan enjoys spending time with her dog, Peppercorn and loves traveling, cooking, gardening, and being outside.
Teresa Harris
Veterans Certifying Official
harri262@purdue.edu
765-494-7638
Teresa enjoys working with students face-to-face and helping them understand their benefits. She offers the following advice, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions, I’m always happy to help answer them.” As a huge Purdue football fan, Teresa may often be found with family and friends enjoying game day tailgates. She earned her certificate for the Department of Veterans Affairs Certifying Official Training in 2011. She also has actively served the National Association of Veteran Program Administrators since 2014.
Dawn Amato
Veterans Certifying Official
dmamato@purdue.edu
Dawn joined the Veterans Success Center in March 2020 and loves assisting those who have served our country and their families. Prior to joining the VSC team, she spent over 18 years employed at WorkOne as a Case Manager and Team Lead for the Employment and Training Division, where she assisted clients with employment barriers to help them find and obtain long-term employment. Several of her clients during that time were Veterans and she worked hand-in-hand with the Veterans Team. Dawn and her husband have three grown children and four grandchildren among them are a few Boilermakers. For fun they love going to zoos, family game nights, and spending time with their animals which consist of several cats, dogs and rabbits.
Wendy Mouser
Veterans Certifying Official
wmouser@purdue.edu
Wendy joined the Veterans Success Team in August of 2020. As a lifelong Boilermaker and married to an Army veteran, she is honored to be part of the Veterans Success Center team. When not at work, Wendy enjoys spending time with her husband, their daughter Kennedy, and her Golden Retriever Mackey.
Kimberly Heslin
Veterans Certifying Official
kheslin@purdue.edu
Kim joined the Veterans Success Center this year. She worked for the Tippecanoe School Corporation for 3 years. She is former a former Army Veteran having served 7.5 years as an Administrative Clerk for several companies. Her husband is a retired Army Veteran of 26 years. They have two children, Jessica and Chris. Kim enjoys spending time with her family. She also loves to hiking, traveling, biking, crafting. They also have two animals, Karmin and Pete.
