In Auxiliary Services we pride ourselves on our diverse mix of talented and dedicated people from all walks of life. The Trojan Family is exemplified by employees who have served USC for five, twenty, even forty years. When we recruit, we search for the brightest stars in the best industries.
Assistant Vice President, USC Hospitality & USC Hotel
Dirk serves as General Manager of the USC Hotel and oversees the Restaurant Group as well as the Catering & Special Events division of USC Hospitality.
Joe began his second tour-of-duty at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena in August 2011 (having first worked there from 1986 -1994) and has been with the University...
Darren joined Auxiliary Services in 2014 as Director of USC Bookstores. His previous work includes 16 years at Disney Store North America where he worked in Store Operations as well as Director of Retail roles...
Tony has been the Director of Transportation since 2008. Before 2008, Tony served as Transportation’s Senior Associate Director for transit operations at USC.
Jerry has worked for the University for over 10 years. He was named Director of Design for Auxiliary Services in 2006. Previously, he served as Director of Operations for the USC Bookstores.
Vice President, Auxiliary Services and COO of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Dan Stimmler was named vice president for auxiliary services in May of 2016, previously serving as associate senior vice president of auxiliary services since October 2006. In this capacity, he oversees the university’s auxiliary services enterprise, which consists of the following operating units: USC Bookstores, which is the second largest independent college bookstore system in the United States; USC Hospitality, which encompasses residential dining at Everybody’s Kitchen, Parkside and the USC Village, full-service catering operations at Town and Gown and the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, and more than 30 restaurant and retail outlets located on the University Park and Health Sciences campuses; USC Housing, which accommodates more than 9,200 USC students; USC Transportation, which spans campus entrances, parking services, trams, Campus Cruisers, rideshare programs, citations, a gas station, and the USC Hotel. As of 2013, Stimmler also oversees the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as Chief Operating Officer. Before being named associate senior vice president, Stimmler served as associate vice president of auxiliary services from 2005 to 2006, and as director of the USC Bookstores from 2002 to 2005. He has worked at USC since 1992. Stimmler earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and his MBA from the University of Southern California.
Dirk De Jong
Assistant Vice President, USC Hospitality & USC Hotel
Dirk serves as General Manager of the USC Hotel and oversees the Restaurant Group as well as the Catering & Special Events division of USC Hospitality. Since joining USC Hospitality in 2004, Dirk has held many instrumental positions. During his tenure at USC, Dirk has been in charge of opening 16 new venues and rebranding 3 locations, in addition to implementing new front of house and back of house systems and various special projects.
Dirk received his Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from Stenden University in the Netherlands and an Executive Master of Business Administration from USC.
Christine Burns joined USC in 2021, and serves as the Executive, Finance, Accounting, and Compliance Director for Auxiliary Services. Her team is responsible for the financial reporting and analysis of the various business units within Auxiliary Services and for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Christine’s previous work includes 15 years in finance and accounting leadership roles at Universal Studios Hollywood, NBCUniversal, and General Electric. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science in Business.
Mark Ewalt
Executive Director, Operations & Compliance
Mark was appointed Executive Director, Operations and Compliance in June 2022. In this role, Mark provides cross-functional project management expertise for Auxiliary Services, Administrative Operations, and other campus departments. Prior to that, Mark oversaw the university’s Fire Safety, Emergency Planning, Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery, Hazardous Materials, and Sustainability operations.
Mark has worked at USC in various roles since 1986, including Director of the USC Bookstores, Director of Operations for Auxiliary Services, General Manager of the USC Radisson Hotel, and Interim Director of several other Auxiliary Services business. Mark earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from USC, a Master of Arts in History from UCLA, and a certificate in project management from UC Irvine.
Joseph Furin
General Manager, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Joe began his second tour-of-duty at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena in August 2011 (having first worked there from 1986 -1994) and has been with the University since the school assumed management of the historic facilities on July 29, 2013. As General Manager, Joe’s core responsibilities include directing the day-to-day administrative, financial and operational functions, developing new programs and processes to increase revenue and serving as the primary contact for internal and external business relations. Joe earned his B.A. degree in Sports Information from USC in 1989.
Darren James
Director of Retail, USC Bookstores
Darren joined Auxiliary Services in 2014 as Director of USC Bookstores. His previous work includes 16 years at Disney Store North America where he worked in Store Operations as well as Director of Retail roles with both Betsey Johnson and Silver Jeans Co. Darren received his B.S. In Public Communications from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and his M.B.A. from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
Chris Ponsiglione
Director, USC Housing
Chris now serves as Director of USC Housing after 13 years as Senior Associate Director for Operations and Maintenance. Since joining USC in 2006, Chris has overseen numerous projects that have improved USC Housing facilities, as well as impacted each of the Auxiliary Services Business Units.
Prior to joining USC, Chris managed a variety of logistics, freight and warehouse operations on both the East and West coasts and has a B.A. in Managerial Economics from Union College in Schenectady, NY.
Tony Mazza
Director, USC Transportation
Tony has been the Director of Transportation since 2008. Before 2008, Tony served as Transportation’s Senior Associate Director for transit operations at USC. Prior to joining USC in 2006, Tony was employed by DHL as the Regional Service Director responsible for Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii. Tony has a B.A in Business Administration from Monmouth University, West Long Branch, N.J.
Jerry Wingate
Director, Design Services
Jerry has worked for the University for over 10 years. He was named Director of Design for Auxiliary Services in 2006. Previously, he served as Director of Operations for the USC Bookstores. Jerry has a B.A. in Architecture from the Southern Polytecnic University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently a patron of the Colquitt County Arts Center and The Long Beach Museum of Art.
