Our Team

Melissa C. Thompson, MA

Assistant Vice Provost for Educational Effectiveness
mcthompson3@usfca.edu, ext. 4349

Melissa joined the University of San Francisco in August 2019 as Associate Director of Research & Assessment in the Office of Assessment & Accreditation Support and was appointed Assistant Vice Provost for Educational Effectiveness in April 2026. As the Associate Director of Research & Assessment, she led the university’s survey program, co-led core graduation competency assessments, and supported campus-wide accreditation and assessment initiatives. Melissa partnered closely with academic programs to close the loop on program reviews and annual assessments, fostering a culture of data-informed continuous improvement. 

Melissa has contributed to key institutional initiatives at USF, including serving as president of the university’s inaugural Staff Council and participating in strategic planning efforts to advance an equitable and exceptional workplace. She is a graduate of the WSCUC Accreditation Leadership Academy and serves as a WSCUC review team member.

Prior to USF, Melissa was Director of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs at Alliant International University, where she advanced a culture of compliance and institutional best practices. She began her career at Expression College as Manager of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs, leading accreditation efforts, securing approvals, and supporting strategic planning and assessment initiatives.

Melissa holds a Master of Arts in Organization and Leadership from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College. Her graduate work focused on attribution theory, organizational change, and leadership dynamics.

Marisa C. McCarthy, MA

Associate Director of Curriculum Management
mcmccarthy2@usfca.edu, ext. 2091

Marisa C. McCarthy joined USF as the Project Manager in October 2017. Prior to joining USF, Marisa spent seven years working at Stanford University in the Office of the Provost and the Office of Community Standards. In the Office of Community Standards, Marisa served as an Assistant Dean of Students, managing the university’s judicial process. Marisa’s work in the Office of the Provost included helping to secure Stanford’s re-accreditation by WSCUC, supporting the Board of Trustees Committee on Academic Policy, Planning and Management, and staffing both the Provost’s Task Force and Advisory Group on Sexual Assault Policies and Practices.

Marisa currently manages the University's Curriculum Management process, overseeing all curriculum change proposals, the Curricular Change Calendar and the runway for new programs and program closures, in addition to running USF's curriculum management program, Curriculog. Marisa previously supported USF’s accreditation and assessment efforts on campus, including organizing the 2019 WSCUC site visit.

Marisa organizes the University Assessment Committee's ongoing Series on Addressing Bias and Racism in Assessment. She also serves on the Bias Education Response Team (BERT), the REPS (Response Education Prevention Support) Advisory Board, and will be an investigator for the Title IX Office for the 2023-2024 Academic Year. 

Marisa received a BA in English from Boston College, and an MA in Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies, with a focus on Higher Education, from the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Her graduate work examined sexual violence and higher education. Marisa is a San Francisco native and a graduate of St. Ignatius College Preparatory and San Francisco Day School.

Katie F. Hoffman, MFA

Project Manager
khoffman@usfca.edu, ext. 6296

Katie Hoffman joined the OAAS team in April of 2019 after working for five years as a Program Assistant with the Tracy Seeley Center for Teaching Excellence. Katie enjoyed working with USF faculty to design workshops and programming dedicated to improving teaching and learning through researched-based practices and community-sourced expertise. As a project manager with OAAS, Katie's goal is to work closely with USF faculty and staff to promote two campus cultures of collaboration and support: one in the field of assessment and one in the field of compliance with state and federal regulations.

Katie has a passion for teaching and she has worked with learners of various backgrounds and ages, from tutoring elementary and middle school students in San Francisco's public schools, to substitute-teaching at a college preparatory girls’ school, to teaching the reading and writing of poetry and fiction to undergraduate and continuing education students. Katie received a BA in English from USF, and an MFA in writing from the MFA Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Katie ensures USF's compliance with federal and state regulations for distance education by overseeing USF's state authorizations and data reporting. Katie supports USF’s assessment efforts on campus by working with programs to close the loop on the university’s program reviews through the annual tracking of progress on program review action plans, as well as through the production of the University Assessment Committee's biannual newsletter, In the Loop.