Meet the Team

An Academic Advisor is assigned to each undergraduate business student based on the first letter of their last name (see the letters in parenthesis next to the advisor’s name).

Albert Royo
Mr. Alberto “Albert” Royo (advises last name A–I), Senior Academic Advisor, joined the College of Business in 1994. He received a BBA in General Business from Corpus Christi State University (now Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi). Albert manages the Undergraduate Advising Center and advises all business majors. He represents the College of Business on a number of college and university committees. Outside of the office, Albert enjoys watching sports (soccer in particular), traveling, listening to music, movies and playing the guitar. Albert can be reached at Alberto.Royo@tamucc.edu.
Douglas Smith
Mr. Douglas Smith (advises last name J–R), Academic Advisor, Douglas holds undergraduate degrees from Murray State College in Oklahoma and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He earned his Master’s Degree in Public Policy from UTSA and is currently pursuing a Licensed Professional Counseling credential at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC). Since joining TAMU-CC as an Academic Advisor in 2023, Douglas has actively contributed to the Veterans Success and Student Engagement Committees, demonstrating his commitment to supporting student achievement and well-being. When he’s not working or studying on The Island, Douglas enjoys kayaking, fishing, cooking, and road trips exploring the Texas Hill Country and Big Bend regions.Douglas can be reached at Douglas.Smith@tamucc.edu.
1Jennifer Mahan

Mrs. Jennifer Mahan (advises last name from S-Z), Academic Advisor, is an Islander alumna who graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in History. Jennifer has over ten years of experience in finance at Rally Credit Union (formerly Navy Army Community Credit Union), has worked as a substitute teacher with Gregory-Portland Independent School District, and served as a Librarian at the School of Science and Technology. She joined the TAMUCC CAAPS Academic Advising team in 2023. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys writing and has contributed to the Coastal Bend Mom Collective website since 2018. She also loves reading, watching her kids play sports, and spending time at home with her family, including her two dogs and two guinea pigs. Please feel free to contact her at jennifer.mahan@tamucc.edu.

Katherine Fischer
Mrs. Katharine Perez (advises Online BBA), Academic Advisor with the College of Business since 2002. She has worked on campus in other capacities since 1996 and holds a BBA in General Business, MBA and MS degrees in Educational Technology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Her hobbies include traveling, spending time with her dogs, and Country music and dancing.  Please feel free to contact her at katharine.perez@tamucc.edu.
Patricia Hill

Dr. Patricia Hill (online program student support). Dr. Hill began working at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi after earning an Associate in Applied Science Degree from Del Mar College. Each semester she met students who were working, had families, and graduated within a time frame that worked with their busy schedules.  Students were an inspiration for Dr. Hill to complete her bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. programs at TAMU-CC.  Professionally, Dr. Hill had the opportunity to teach high school, and at the University held positions of Certification Officer, Transfer Counselor, Director of the Islander Transition Center, and Director of Transfer Admissions Services.  Dr. Hill retired from TAMU-CC in August of 2018 and had the privilege of returning part-time to TAMU-CC, College of Business, as Academic Success Coordinator for the BBA online program January of 2019.  Personal Philosophy: Life will have ups and downs, but the secret to success is “Persistence” and success is defined by one’s own passion. Patricia.Hill@tamucc.edu.

Russell Ramirez

Mr. Russell Ramirez, RELLIS Academic Advisor for business. Please feel free to contact him at russell.ramirez@tamucc.edu