Staff

Stephen Smith

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Brendan Smith

Biography

Brendan began his career in Admissions at Champlain College in July 2023 after graduating from Champlain with a B.S. in Game Production Management only a few months prior. He still finds himself very active in the Game Studio community today, and loves to offer advice to any incoming or current students! He is excited to speak to prospective students and encourage them to follow their passions while in college and beyond.

Brendan can be found at any of the local bookstores, on the bike trail, or at Muddy Waters Cafe when not working in the Admissions office. If you see him out and about, be sure to say hello!

Territory

Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts (Hampden), Hawaii, Alaska

Favorite things to do in Vermont

Martone’s Market, Papa Frank’s, Pingala Cafe

Biking, skiing, and checking out local eateries

Hobbies

Biking, cooking, hiking, swimming, gaming

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Matthew Stattel

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Jennifer Stockwell

Biography

Jennifer Stockwell has been with the college since August 2008 and has held positions with Champlain College Online and the Registrar’s Office. She has experience in academic advising, adult education, and transfer students. Prior to joining Champlain College, she worked for 10 years at Vermont Student Assistance Corporation counseling students on the topics of college planning and financing.

Jenn has a Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of Vermont and is committed to promoting access to education and advocating for students’ success.

What are your hobbies?

Camping, hiking, downhill skiing, walking the dog, traveling, eating maple creemees

Favorite local eateries

Jericho Cafe and Tavern, Shy Guy Gelato

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Kaylee Sullivan

Biography

Kaylee Sullivan is an experienced community-minded storyteller with a passion for sparking community engagement and collaboration. She loves bringing new ideas to life through comprehensive communication campaigns and strategies that span web, social media, print, campus promotion, photography, and other creative avenues. Kaylee works with a variety of offices and departments across campus including Student Affairs, the President’s Office, Marketing, Alumni and Parent Relations, Public Relations, and more to “connect the dots” and ensure content is accurate, visually appealing, and shared with all appropriate audiences and stakeholders.

When she’s not working on the latest exciting Champlain College project, she’s on the soccer field coaching local youth, hiking one of Vermont’s beautiful trails, biking along Lake Champlain, enjoying a game night with friends, or escaping into a good book.

What are your hobbies?

Coaching soccer, hiking, skiing, biking, reading, sipping maple lattes

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

– One of my favorite Vermont activities is playing lawn games at the Burlington waterfront with friends at sunset. (With some Folino’s Pizza, too, of course)
– Summer isn’t complete without a maple and black raspberry creemee from Burlington Bay, a hike up Sterling Pond, and a bike ride (or many) on the Colchester Causeway.

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Donna Swartwout

Biography

Donna Swartwout has worked on 7 different college campuses over the past 40 years. She is currently serving at the Interim Director for the Office of Accessibility. Donna has served in a variety of roles including Director of Residential Life at Colgate University, Associate VP for Student Affairs/Dean of Campus Life at Merrimack College. During her 7 years at Champlain College, she has been the Director of Community Standards, and a Wellbeing & Success Coach. At the heart of all her positions, regardless of title, is trying to do what is best for students. Some days have been more successful than others.

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Rebecca Swem

Biography

Becky earned her Master’s of Education from SUNY Potsdam and Master’s in Student Affairs Counseling from SUNY Plattsburgh. Becky’s professional path has centered around advocacy, identity, and supporting students holistically. She is passionate about supporting student success and partnering with students along their individual career and academic journeys. Becky’s background has included teaching in K-12 settings, in an identity center, advising, and admissions. In her free time, Becky enjoys hiking year round in the mountains of the northeast.

What are your hobbies?

hiking, reading

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Nicholas Szumowski

Biography

Nick lives in Burlington, VT with his wife and two children. He is an aspiring mycologist, audio engineer, and skateboarder.

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Casey Tatro

Biography

Casey is a part time campus public safety officer. He graduated from Champlain College in 2002 and holds a B.S. in Computer Information Systems and A.S. in Computer Networking. He currently is employed full-time as systems coordinator for the federal government.

What are your hobbies?

Volunteer Firefighter, Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding, Hiking, Obstacle Course Racing

Favorite local eateries in Vermont:

Luneig’s Bistro & Cafe and Pizza 44

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Ashley Taylor

Biography

Ashley graduated from Champlain College in 2024 with a degree in Business Administration and concentration in Human Resource Management. As a Human Resource Generalist, Ashley supports the Champlain community through various responsibilities, including student employment, recognition programs, and orientation and onboarding processes. Ashley also manages immigration matters and communications to ensure a seamless experience for our staff and students. With a commitment to promoting employee engagement and development, Ashley strives to create a supportive and inclusive culture. Ashley is dedicated to helping individuals thrive within our organization while aligning HR strategies with Champlain’s overarching goals.

Hobbies

Mountain biking, skiing, backcountry skiing, hiking, baking, and cooking.

Favorite Things to do in Vermont

Traveling across VT in search of all the great skiing and mountain biking networks in Vermont.

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Edward Thorndike

Biography

Ted comes to Champlain College after over 12 years of experience in the mental health and education fields. Most recently he served in an operations and academic advising capacity at an online university. Ted is passionate about serving the non traditional student population and motivating them to reach their full potential. When not working Ted can be found skiing, hiking, gravel biking, or roaming the woods with his dog, Cody.

What are your hobbies?

Tennis, hiking, skiing, gravel biking, collecting deer and moose shed antlers, woodburning

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Pie Caso Pizzeria in Stowe followed by a local swimming hole

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Lisa Tiffin

Biography

Dr. Lisa Tiffin brings leadership through a strong combination of communication and writing skills, entrepreneurial drive, teaching and speaking experience, and a demonstrated history of successful fundraising. After successfully standing up a grants program for Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, NY, she moved to Vermont to serve Champlain College.

A significant part of her job at Champlain includes the pursuit of scholarships for students, capital dollars to support the vision of Champlain, and applied research projects serving faculty interest and providing experiential learning opportunities for students. Lisa’s work style is collaborative, and working across departments, with administration, and serving the staff and faculty in support of Champlain’s students keeps her ticking and filled with energy, joy, and curiosity.

Lisa holds a Grants Professional Certification (GPC), a BA in English and Education, an MA in American Literature, and a Doctorate in Executive Leadership. She is enjoying living in Vermont with her husband and daughter and making regular trips to visit her son in DC and family in NY.

What are your hobbies?

Reading, walking, writing, theater – Broadway!, and travel

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

August First – absolute favorite so far. Still exploring!

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Dillon Toole

Biography

Following his graduation from Champlain College in 2020, Dillon pursued a career in film equipment rental houses in both Los Angeles and New York City. After accumulating several years of experience, he returned to Burlington as the new Senior Coordinator for the Champlain College Equipment Rental House. Dillon is also an Adjunct Faculty member and freelance writer, director, and cinematographer.

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Caroline Toy

Biography

Caroline Toy is the Learning Experience Manager in the Center for Learning & Teaching. Through the CLT, she provides individualized coaching and professional development for faculty members, focusing on course and assignment design, experiential learning, and elevating equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Her career in teacher development began as program director and staff trainer/mentor in an experiential education non-profit in North Carolina. She also mentored graduate teaching assistants at Ohio State University, where she was an award-winning instructor and course designer. She joined the CLT in 2020.

Caroline is also an adjunct faculty member in the Core Division. Her research focuses on inventive religious practices in pop culture fan communities. At Champlain, Caroline teaches courses on religion in popular culture and public life. Her teaching emphasizes experiential projects and inclusive, student-driven research.

Caroline earned her PhD in Comparative Studies (interdisciplinary humanities) with an emphasis in Folklore at Ohio State, where she was a member of the Ohio Field Schools advisory committee and project manager of the American Religious Sounds Project. She also holds an MEd in Outdoor Education Administration from Georgia College & State University, and a BA in Religion and American Studies from Williams College.

In her free time, Caroline enjoys reading, dragon boat paddling, gardening, and chocolate in any form.

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Jason Trahan

Biography

Assistant Graphic Designer Jason Trahan holds a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Castleton University as well as an associate’s degree in Graphics Multimedia & Web Design from the New England Institute of Technology. Before getting hired by Champlain College, Jason had just finished his bachelor’s degree and was actively working to grow his creative portfolio, making this position a significant step towards his goal of being a professional graphic designer.

Jason lives and breathes design. Growing up, his lack of traditional artistic experience led him to express himself through simple drawings like symbols, icons, and logos that he’d either seen around or came up with himself. No school folder or homework assignment was safe from his doodles. Now, branding and logo design are his favorite kinds of design, constantly thinking about what his brand is and how he wants to be perceived by others. Some of his favorite brands from a design perspective are Boundary Supply, Starbucks, Polestar, and Zero Gravity.

Throughout his education, Jason was responsible for the completion of many multi-faceted graphic design projects. One of the most notable was leading a small group of other graphic design students in a rebranding project for the town of Poultney Vermont, as President of the Castleton Content Lab, Castleton University’s graphic design club. Since starting at Champlain, Jason has held a key role, assisting with the ongoing development of the college’s website, and producing promotional materials.

When he’s not building web pages or designing mailers, Jason likes to spend his time admiring the world around him. Camera in hand, Jason is always looking for the perfect weather and light to practice his photography skills. On particularly nasty days, you’ll find him in a cozy coffee shop watching sailing videos on youtube and editing photos. Jason also enjoys hiking, camping, cooking, listening to rock music, eating cider donuts, and exploring the lake on his family’s boat.

What are your hobbies?

Photography, Hiking, Camping, Listening to Music, Boating

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Eat: Cold Hollow Cider Mill, El Cortijo, Vivid Coffee.
Explore: Burlington Waterfront, Sterling Pond, Moss Glenn Falls.
Shop: Slate, Common Deer, Helly Hansen.

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