Dr. Brian Russell, Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services and Student-Athlete Development, today announced the addition of three staff members to the Academic Services Staff. Stephon Fuqua has been named as the Associate Director for Academic Services, Chrissy Steffen as an Academic Counselor for Football and Women's Basketball, and Ted Czepiga as a Learning Specialist.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Stephon Fuqua was named Associate Director for Academic Services and Student-Athlete Development in January 2019. He currently provides oversight to the Academic Services staff and serves as the lead Academic Counselor for the football program.

Fuqua joins the Illinois staff from Ohio State University, where he served as a Senior Athletic Academic Counselor in the Student-Athlete Support Services Office (SASSO).  In his role, he oversaw the academic progress of football student-athletes and facilitated personal and professional development programming geared toward building their leadership and decision-making skills.

Prior to joining the Buckeyes, Fuqua worked as an Associate Director in the office of Student-Athlete Support Services at the University of Cincinnati.  During his five-year tenure, he provided support to the Men's Basketball and Men's and Women's Golf teams. For three years, Fuqua served as an academic advisor and worked closely with the Student-Athlete Academic Success Center at Eastern Kentucky University.

Fuqua earned a bachelor's degree in Business and Organizational Communication from the University of Akron in 2008 where he was also a member of the football and track teams. He was later selected as a 2009 undrafted free agent with the NFL's New Orleans Saints.  In 2010, Mr. Fuqua received a master's in Sport Administration from Eastern Kentucky University and he is currently a Doctor of Philosophy candidate at the University of Cincinnati researching school factors and legal involvement in marijuana usage among African American male adolescents.

Fuqua is a member of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A), a 2017 recipient of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) Rudy Keeling Postgraduate Scholarship and a 2018 graduate of the NCAA's esteemed Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute.

Chrissy Steffen, a native of Carmel, Indiana, joined the University of Illinois Office of Academic Services and Student-Athlete Development in January 2019. Steffen currently serves as an Academic Counselor for Football and Women's Basketball.

Steffen previously worked at the University of Wisconsin (2016-2018) as an Academic Advisor for Women's Basketball, Women's Ice Hockey, and Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving. Prior to Wisconsin, Steffen served as an Assistant Academic Counselor for Football, Men's and Women's Track and Field, Women's Basketball, and Volleyball at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (2014-2016). During her tenure at the University of Tennessee, she also earned her Master of Science degree in Recreation and Sport Management with a concentration in Sport Management.

Steffen received her Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Mathematics Education with a minor as an Intervention Specialist from Bowling Green State University in December 2013. During her time at BGSU, she was a student-athlete and two-time captain on the Women's Basketball team that won three Mid-American Conference Championships along with 2 NCAA and 2 WNIT appearances. She is a member of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A).

Ted Czepiga joined the Academic Services & Student-Athlete Development staff as a Learning Specialist in November. A former football student-athlete at Florida Atlantic University, Czepiga is a Connecticut native and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Sociology from FAU.  He also holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Sports Management from the University of New Haven.

Czepiga comes to the Fighting Illini family after serving as the Head Coach of a high school football program in Connecticut while working in the special education field. He is a member of the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A).