Office and People Directory

Keith Oppenheim

Biography

Keith Oppenheim is a former correspondent for CNN who has been teaching college since 2009, at Champlain since 2014. He is the program director for Broadcast Media Production and a content creator as well. His most recent documentary, Will It Live On; Growing Up in A Small-Town Jewish Community will air on public television stations and other venues.
At Champlain, Keith helps his students develop as non-fiction storytellers and producers. His students create award-winning documentaries, which have received recognition at the regional and national level. They shoot, write and edit content to succeed as journalists, social media managers and content creators for companies and non-profits. They develop show-creation skills, learning techniques in radio, podcasting and multi-camera studio production. (The college’s internet-radio station, sound studio and Sonic Arts programs enhance give students additional opportunities.) And they get internships and media employment during college, helping them bridge the gap to a marketplace seeking their talent.
Keith is also President of the Board of The Media Factory, a community media center that collaborates with Champlain College in broadcast courses and documentary production.

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Kaitlyn Opperman

Biography

Kaitlyn graduated from Clarkson University with a degree in Computer Engineering and has recently transitioned into an instructor role, taking on adjunct work for the first time in Spring 2023. Prior to this, she worked in the aerospace industry as an embedded software engineer.

Favorite Quote

“Be kind.”

—Anyone

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Michael Opperman

Biography

Michael completed his bachelors at Wagner College and has a PhD from Clarkson University, both in mathematics. Previously, he has worked as an instructor at Clarkson University, was a student teacher at Essex High School, ran the Math Lab at Colchester high school, and was an adjunct faculty member at Champlain College. Currently, he teaches a range of courses from introductory and applied statistics to a 3D math course that explores the mathematics behind game programming at Champlain College. Regardless of the course, the focus is always on the practical applications of mathematics and how students can expect to see it in their fields of study and everyday lives.

Michael has a strong interest in pedagogy and improving the student experience in the classroom. He is an active member of Champlain College’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SotL) group and has attended workshops focused on improving his teaching. Michael devotes a great amount of time to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion both inside and outside of the classroom. He is the current chair of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Gender in Information, Technology, and Sciences (DIGITS) and has attended multiple Digital Humanity Summer Institutes (DHSI).

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• I believe James Tanton does a tremendous job explaining mathematical ideas in a way that is both interesting and insightful. I find his teaching style informative and inspiring.
• I find 538 to be a valuable source of information and statistical modeling that explains their mathematical reasoning quite well.

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Douglas Orr

Biography

Douglas A. Orr is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who has served as a commissioned law enforcement officer in South Carolina, Idaho, and Washington. He is a native of Philadelphia, PA. Over the years, Dr. Orr has assumed various roles such as Collision Reconstructionist, Street Crimes, Truancy, Sexual Assault and Polygraph. He recently retired as a Detective in the Major Crimes Unit of the Spokane Police Department (SPD) in Spokane, Washington. During the last ten years of his tenure at SPD, Dr. Orr specialized in digital forensics, cybercrime, child exploitation, and sexual assault. He was also an adjunct professor for Gonzaga University teaching crime scene investigation.

Dr. Orr also holds membership in various organizations to include High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA), Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), the American Society of Criminologists (ASC), and the Homicide Research Working Group (HRWG). He is certified as an EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE) computer forensic examiner; a Certified Cellebrite Mobile Examiner (CCME), and CompTIA Security+. He is proficient with SPSS.

Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, Washington State University.
M.S. in Cybersecurity, Saint Leo University.
MBA in Human Resource, Saint Leo University.
M.A. in Organizational Leadership, Gonzaga University.

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Nathaniel Orvis

Biography

Nathaniel Orvis was born in Lincoln, VT. He grew up in Middlebury, VT, and attended Middlebury Union High School. Nathaniel currently lives in Middlebury with his beautiful 2 dogs and 3 cats. His favorite season in VT is Fall. Fall is a sign of change; the seasons are changing, children are starting school, but most importantly there are a lot of fall festivals. Nathaniel enjoys festivals and concerts, but Country music is his choice although he listens to a little bit of everything. In March of 2022, he came to Champlain to work and loves his job. When he’s not busy working, he enjoys traveling the United States and is particularly fond of California.

What are your hobbies?

Walking and Geocaching

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Fire and Ice

Walking the Robert Frost Trail

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Ricky Padgett

Biography

Ricky Padgett brings over thirty years of professional experience and passion to developing leaders and teams to reach their full potential, for themselves and their organizations. Ricky coaches in various industries, including healthcare, health and human services, financial services, technology, start-ups, higher education, pharmaceuticals, and media services. He offers a wealth of progressive leadership experience – from front-line manager to executive – and an experiential and evidence-based approach to his work.

Ricky has served in many leadership roles – from Director of Corporate Accounting and Controller to Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. His experience has included oversight of accounting and finance, human resources, facilities, information technology, and risk management.

Ricky’s coaching approach focuses on improving leaders’ performance and strengthening the connection between their goals and those of their organizations. He works to discover, clarify, and align with what leaders want to achieve, encourage self-discovery, elicit leader-generated possibilities and solutions, and provide a framework for accountability for leaders as they move their work forward. His coaching may include MBTI®, Hogan®, Korn-Ferry ESCI®, and MSCEIT® assessments, resonant leadership exercises, and 360º leadership self-studies. Ricky’s work is grounded in the theories of intentional change, cycle of experience, self-determination, and emotional intelligence, as well as positive psychology concepts.

Ricky holds a MBA with an emphasis in human resources from Florida State University and a B.A. in accounting and business administration from Troy State University. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and is credentialed by the International Coaching Federation as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). He completed his coach training at Teleos Leadership Institute and holds certifications in MBTI®, Hogan®, MSCEIT®, Korn-Ferry ESCI®, and Conscious Business Coaching, and a European Mentoring and Coaching Council accreditation in Global Individual Team Coaching. In addition to his coaching practice, Ricky is co-director of the THRIVE leadership development program, offering leadership and executive leadership programs in the New England area, and is an adjunct faculty member at Champlain College in the Robert P. Stiller School of Business.

Hobbies

Backyard gardening, chickens, paddleboarding, kayaking, baking gluten free treats, and hiking

Favorite Local Eateries

Sneakers for breakfast; Restaurant Poco for dinner — love the views from the top of Mt Philo

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Furkan Paligu

Biography

Furkan Paligu is an assistant professor of computer networking and cybersecurity in Champlain College. He has his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Marmara University, Master’s degree in Cybersecurity Engineering from Istanbul Sehir University, and Doctorate degree in Digital and Cyber Forensics Science from Sam Houston State University. He has taken part in various information technology and cybersecurity projects in governmental institutions. An extensive part of his work has been focused on large scale projects in complex domains including data leak prevention systems, voice translation engines, customer application and management systems, static code analyzers, malware scanning systems operating on cloud architecture, electronic signature systems, and electronic cash registers.

Publications & Abstracts

PUBLICATIONS & ABSTRACTS

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Roland Palmer

Biography

Roland is an alumnus of Champlain College (Class of 1990) and is a native Vermonter who currently resides in Brookfield, Vermont (home of the floating bridge). Roland started at Champlain College in August 2006.

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Susan Paquette

Biography

Susan is a Senior Course Producer on the eLearning team in Champlain College Online. She has worked for Champlain College since 2000 and in eLearning since 2016. She earned a BA in Studio Art from the University of Vermont and an AS in Accounting from Champlain College. She worked in the Champlain IS department for over 15 years where she was a Senior IT Analyst before transferring to the eLearning team. She loves music and flower gardening.

What are your hobbies?

Singing in chorus, flower gardening, & baking.

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Joseph Paquin

Biography

Joseph joined Champlain in 2023 in the Stiller School of Business as Adjunct Faculty. Joseph’s career has been focused on business and information technology. Currently he is a Director of Information Technology for the Vermont Judiciary. He has held various information technology roles in State government including Senior Software Developer and IT Business Analyst. Before his service in government, Joseph was in management in the private sector managing businesses greater than $100m. Joseph is passionate for education and experiential learning. He holds his Bachelors of Science in Networking and Telecommunications and a Master’s of Business Administration in Information Technology Leadership. In his spare time he volunteers with local government and works on his homestead with his family.

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Matthew Parillo

Biography

Matthew has been teaching in the Burlington area since 2010 and is currently an adjunct professor of film history and film studies at Champlain College. He has taught several courses at three different colleges including: Film History 1 & 2, Screenings, Censorship in American Cinema, The Hollywood Renaissance, Film Noir: America’s Dark Mirror, Italian Cinema, and The Cinematic Space Odyssey.

Matthew’s primary research interests are in Italian Neorealism and its influence on modern cinema, cinematic censorship and space travel cinema. As well as being an educator, Matthew is also a musician, DJ, golfer, and hockey player.

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Harry Parker

Biography

Dr. Harry Parker holds a PhD in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Law and Public Policy, MS in Organizational Leadership, and BS in Counseling. He also retains certificates in Paralegal Studies, Business Law, Advanced Legal Research and Writing, and Strategic Planning and Public Policy to include a Public Leadership Certificate from Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education Program.

Dr. Parker possesses 20 years’ experience in the federal business arena holding positions that encompassed Deputy Director, Branch Chief, and Acquisition Coordinator. Dr. Parker’s experience was not limited to the supervision of federal warranted contracting officers that conducted cradle to grave contract administration activities that was national in scope.

Dr. Parker enjoys facilitating the intellectual and academic development of students from a myriad of socio economic backgrounds. If you require his immediate assistance or would like to schedule a conference call, he can be reached via email at hparker@champlain.edu.

Distinctions & Awards

I received the Transformational Leadership Award in 2014 from the DC Veterans Health Administration Director for improving the relationship between the Facilities Maintenance Engineering and Contracting Departments.

Publications & Abstracts

Veterans First Contracting Program Preference Hierarchy: Effect on Veteran-Owned Small Business

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• International Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration
  (Pi Alpha Alpha) Walden University, 2015
• Golden Key International Academic Honor Society
  Walden University, 2014
• Network Contract Management Association
  Member, 2007
• International Honor Society in Business Administration
  (Delta Mu Delta) Mercy College, 2005
  
• Kennedy Fellows
  John F. Kennedy, Jr. Institute for Worker Education, 1996

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Parthiv Patel

Biography

Pat Patel has lived and worked in 3 different countries (India, the UK, and USA). He comes from a pioneering industrial family which started the Agricultural Tractors and Earthmoving Machinery Manufacturing industry in India. He worked in the family business for two years as a Management Trainee after graduating with his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Bombay. After successfully completing the Management Trainee program, he moved to London where he worked for an affiliated British company that provided crankshafts and related parts to his family’s tractor and earthmoving machinery company.

In 1980, he moved to the United States to begin his graduate education, and he earned his Master of Business Administration degree, double majoring in Finance and Marketing, from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. Subsequent to getting his MBA, he moved to San Diego, California, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Information and Decision Sciences from San Diego State University.

After completing the two Master’s degree programs, he began his professional career in the Investment Software, Database, and Quantitative Modeling business with a leading Chicago based company called Zacks Investment Research, Inc. where he rose to become Vice President and Regional Manager for the company’s Los Angeles office. After working at Zacks Investment Research for 9 years, he worked directly in the Institutional Investment and Mutual Fund industry for 4 years as Vice President at Putnam Investments in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1998, he started his own business in the hospitality industry and he purchased two franchised hotels which he owned and managed for 9 years with his team of professional hotel managers and staff. He subsequently sold the properties and the business to a Houston,Texas, based hotel company.

He was hired by Champlain College in 2009 to teach in the business school, and he has been teaching a variety of business courses ever since at the Stiller School of Business. During his time at Champlain College, he also earned his Doctorate degree in Business Administration. In 2022, he was offered and he accepted the additional position of Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Distinctions & Awards

Distinguished Service Award for serving as President of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Enlightenment Now by Howard Gardner
• Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

Favorite Quote

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

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JoAnn Patel

Biography

JoAnn Patel has a MFA in Computer Arts from Florida Atlantic University and a BFA in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design. Her exploration with computers as a creative tool began with digital music creation and expanded to the visual arts. Her digital art career started with web design, then moved on to 3D art, compositing and game art.

JoAnn was 3D Art Director at D2 Creative/D2 Team-Sim where she worked on training simulations for Raytheon and the US Military as well as marketing videos for pharmaceutical clients and continuing medical education projects for doctors. While freelancing in New York City, she worked on projects for the History Channel, A&E, HBO, Discovery, MSNBC, BMW and Hasbro Toys.

JoAnn has taught at Pratt Institute, New York Institute of Technology, Florida Atlantic University, Digital Media Arts College, Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami International University of Art and Design Online. JoAnn’s animated short films “Reflections”, “Idea Hunting”, and “Casandra The Chameleon” have been shown at international film festivals and on the Tampa Educational Channel. “Casandra The Chameleon” won the grand prize at the Homestead Animated Film Festival in 2003.

JoAnn’s current creative focus is on hard surface modeling and texturing, procedural modeling, game environments and the use of game engines for filmmaking and visual effects.

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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LaKysha Patnode

Biography

LaKysha Patnode holds a Master’s degree in Information Security Operations and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Networking and Cybersecurity, equipping her with advanced skills in protecting critical infrastructure, managing IT risks, and implementing robust security controls. Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), she excels in threat assessment, regulatory compliance, and aligning cybersecurity strategies with business goals. LaKysha spent five years at NuHarbor Security as an Information Assurance Analyst and later as a supervisor, managing teams and advising clients on security programs. She is now an Assistant Professor of Computer Networking and Cybersecurity at Champlain College, where she guides the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

Distinctions & Awards

CRISC Certification

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