Contacting Us
To contact our office directly you can reach us by telephoning our main line at (213) 740-6786 during normal business hours as indicated in the panel on the right hand side.
The Protocol and Events Team
Boasting a rare blend of event planning experience, business savvy, creative insight and Hollywood know-how, the University Events team has the resources to bring your event to life, and is uniquely equipped to make your event as professional and memorable as possible.
 Dennis Cornell
Associate Senior Vice President of University Relations
and USC Chief of Protocol
Dennis Cornell is responsible for artistic direction, quality control, budgeting, and production for more than 200 events each year. As chief of protocol, he is integral to how the university looks and feels to the public at large, working with senior administration, deans, and development officers to ensure consistent messages and protocol standards.
Cornell came to USC in 1991 as a visiting professor in directing and producing and became the managing director of the USC School of Theatre the following year. He was appointed executive director of University Events in 1995. He left USC for a short time in 2001 after accepting the position of executive director of BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio, but returned to USC as chief of protocol and associate vice president of university relations.
Prior to joining the faculty at USC, Cornell was vice president of casting and talent development for Columbia Pictures Television and SONY Pictures Television. He has also been a theatrical producer and director, as well as production stage manager for several national tours. (lenahan@usc.edu)
Jim Hooker
Executive Director
Jim comes to the Office of Protocol and University Events with years of experience in producing high profile events for major Hollywood studios and entertainment entities including the Grammys. Prior to entering the events industry, Jim spent 11 years in film production working on 40 feature films and 3 television series. He is a graduate of the University of Texas with a bachelor's degree in communications. (jhooker@usc.edu) |
Nancy McHose
Associate Director, President's Events
Nancy joined the Office of Protocol and University Events in November 2002. Prior to coming to USC, she worked as an annual giving officer and event coordinator at Providence Saint Joseph's Medical Center. She received a bachelor's degree in organizational communications from Central Connecticut State University. (mchose@usc.edu)
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Jenny Hansen
Associate Director,
University Events
Jenny is an alumna of the University of Southern California. She received her bachelor’s degrees in broadcast journalism and Spanish. Prior to joining the Office of Protocol and University Events, Jenny worked as an event planner for Disney Consumer Products, a division of The Walt Disney Company. (hansenj@usc.edu)
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Jeff Olsen
Director, Academic Events
Jeff is an alumnus of the University of Southern California, with bachelor’s degrees in music performance and music business, and a master’s degree in communication management. Prior to joining the Office of Protocol and University Events, Jeff worked as the program coordinator for the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. (jao@usc.edu)
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Kristi Patton
Event Manager
Kristi is an alumna of Loyola Marymount and the University of Southern California. She received a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in business management from LMU, and a master’s degree in journalism from USC. Prior to joining the Office of Protocol and University Events, Kristi worked throughout the Southern California area as an event coordinator for Nordstrom, and also as an event coordinator for ESPN. (kkpatton@usc.edu) |
Leigh-Anne Harvey
Event Manager
Leigh Anne is an alumnus of The Pennsylvania State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Management. Prior to joining the Office of Protocol and University Events, Leigh Anne worked for Park Hyatt Hotels and for a third party meeting planning company based in Los Angeles.
(leighhar@usc.edu) |
Lydia Saylor
Director of Special Events, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Lydia joined the Office of Protocol and University Events August, 2008. Lydia’s diverse background includes a position as National Marketing and Merchandising Manager for Sodexho USA where a large portion of her clientele included mega universities as well as Fortune 500 Companies. Lydia moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to join the team at the Getty Center as Director of Catering. She comes to us from the Jonathan Club where she was Director of Special Events.
(lydia.saylor@usc.edu) |
Diane Van Iden
Executive Program Coordinator
Diane joined the Office of Protocol and University Events in the fall of 2004. Prior to coming to USC, she worked at The Village in Sherman Oaks, a distinctive retirement community, where she acted as marketing and resident relations assistant. The majority of her past experience lies in entertainment marketing, having worked in public relations, television marketing, and movie licensing. Diane received her bachelor’s degree in communications from UCLA; however, the rest of her family including two children, are alumni or current students at USC! (vaniden@usc.edu) |
Rochelle Sakado
Senior Business Manager
Rochelle is an alumna of the University of Southern California where she received her bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. She joins the Office of Protocol and University Events with 2 1/2 years of retail management experience at Macy's West. (sakado@usc.edu) |
Victoria
Rizo
Administrative Services Manager
Victoria is an alumna of the University of Southern California where she received her dual bachelor’s degree in Communication and Sociology. She rejoins the Office of Protocol and University Events after working for many years as a student coordinator.
(vrizo@usc.edu) |
Christopher Bazin
WebMaster
Christopher comes to us from Canada where he received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Most recently, he completed a certificate program at UCLA in application programming and is a certified Microsoft Systems Engineer and Microsoft Database Administrator. His primary role is the design and data management of the web resources for the Office of Protocol and University Events and Visions and Voices. (bazin@usc.edu) |
Jan Thompson
Phone Center Supervisor
Jan graduated from USC with a bachelor of science degree in Dental Hygiene. Prior to joining the Office of Protocol and University Events, Jan worked as a manager for a designer clothing company. Jan has been an active alumna and volunteer for USC. She comes from a multigenerational Trojan Family, including her husband, parents, siblings and three children.
(janthomp@usc.edu) |
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