About SMMC

The Student Money Management Center (SMMC), a division of University Bursar, empowers students to make positive behavioral changes associated with their finances by providing financial education to students, parents, employees, and alumni for all universities in the University of Illinois System - Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield.

Meet the Team

SMMC coordinates educational outreach and services throughout the year with one dedicated full-time staff member, two student employees, and a team of interns, making thousands of contacts every semester.

Andrea Pellegrini

Andrea is an Assistant Director in University Bursar. She runs the Student Money Management Center for the University of Illinois System, including universities at Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield. Andrea recieved her PhD in Educational Psychology from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May 2026.

Emmy Tither

Emmy is a Support Specialist at the Student Money Management Center and current Informatics PhD candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Emmy assists with communications, creation of educational content, data management, and managing interns for the University of Illinois System.

Sahil Sunil Shimpi

Sahil is a Support Specialist at the Student Money Management Center and a master’s student in Information Management at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He works with the SMMC team to help students build confidence in their money decisions by combining clear communication with data-driven insights.

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