Staff

Kathleen Ehlers

Biography

Kathleen A. Ehlers is a high-impact, results-driven senior college management professional with over 20 years of experience in higher education. Renowned for her innovative thinking and commitment to enhancing educational opportunities, Kathleen excels in identifying and leveraging untapped opportunities to improve services, streamline operations, and reduce costs without compromising academic quality. She combines business acumen with a deep devotion to education, ensuring responsible budget management, effective policy establishment, and compliance with legal mandates.

Kathleen has a proven track record of driving significant improvements in key performance metrics. Under her leadership, admissions applications increased by 169%, and total traffic grew by 141% over one academic year. She developed and implemented a highly effective admissions team, introduced cutting-edge lead management tools, and launched successful digital advertising campaigns, achieving click-through rates of 15.75% and conversion rates of 6.32%. Her strategic initiatives have consistently exceeded enrollment and registration goals, securing substantial grants and deepening community partnerships.

Throughout her career, Kathleen has demonstrated exceptional strategic leadership in traditional, online, graduate, and professional studies, resulting in notable enrollment growth. She successfully reduced operational expenses by $500K through strategic evaluations and implemented new intake sessions to expand enrollment opportunities. Kathleen’s efforts have consistently led to increased retention rates, higher student satisfaction, and remarkable revenue growth.

Kathleen’s relentless dedication to education and strategic leadership have driven consistent success in her career. She remains a transformative force in higher education, championing diversity and inclusion while improving processes and outcomes for students and institutions alike.

What are your hobbies?

Travel, read, spend time with family, Rotary member and community advocate.

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Julie Eldred

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Ellen Emery

Biography

Ellen graduated from UVM with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Math and Spanish. She attended the University of Seville, Spain for one year. She earned her teaching licenses in Secondary Math and Spanish from Saint Michael’s College where she went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Education. She taught Spanish for 22 years. In 2010, she began work at the Teacher Apprenticeship Program (TAP) where she now serves as the Director at Champlain College.

What are your hobbies?

Zumba, gardening, reading, scrap booking, furniture refinishing, games, and walking the dog

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Love to walk local bike paths and Fellowship of the Wheel trails, eat sandwiches from Martone’s Market and spend time on Seymour Lake.

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Laura Ennis

Biography

Laura Ennis joined the Financial Aid team at Champlain College in 2021. Laura is the Financial Aid Coordinator for the online and graduate students.

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Susannah Eriksson

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Jenny Evans First

Biography

I have been a Family Nurse Practitioner for almost 15 years in Burlington, at the Community Health Centers of Burlington and Champlain College. I received my nursing license and degree at the University of Vermont. I love working with young people – learning their stories and particular interests, strengths and challenges and helping them learn to care for themselves. I love to play outdoors with my family and friends, particularly mountain biking, skiing and hiking. I also love to read, fiction mostly, spend time in museums, fresh grapefruit and bodysurfing. I am learning to play pickleball.

What are your hobbies?

I love to read, ride my bike, play in the ocean, hike and hang out with my family and friends.

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Honey Road and Gray Jay restaurants; play in Lake Champlain

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Megan Everts

Biography

Megan Everts began her career at Champlain College in early 2016. She has two Master’s Degrees in Education (in Reading and Mathematics) and a BS in Mathematics, from the University of New Hampshire, the College of William and Mary and the University of Vermont, respectively. A former middle school Math and Reading teacher, Megan also has a background in fundraising, having spent five years in Advancement at Arcadia University. She is always on the lookout for an adventure involving kids and books and intends to start a line of greeting cards at one point. She regrets that a certain author created a certain set of magical books before Megan herself could write them – JK! (and that means Just Kidding here).

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Silas Farrar

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Regina Farrell

Biography

An enthusiastic advocate and relationship builder, Regina loves to meet people and help grow their connection to Champlain College. Taking joy in the brainstorming process, her favorite part of her job is witnessing the immense satisfaction alumni, parents, and Champlain friends experience when they find a way to personally make a meaningful and measurable difference in the life of a student and our community with their giving.

Prior to Champlain, Regina’s career was primarily in marketing and business development in the energy and life science industries with a 4-year stint in Information technology consulting. She earned her BS from the University of Vermont and MBA from Boston University’s Questrom School of Management. Twenty-five years ago, Regina made Vermont her home where she continues to enjoy spending time with family and friends by the lake in the New North End of Burlington.

What are your hobbies?

Baking family favorite treats, growing culinary herbs, drawing, and painting.

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Nick Faulk

Biography

Nick Faulk leads Champlain College Library’s in-person and online instructional programs. These initiatives develop students’ skills in information literacy and digital scholarship methods through in-class sessions and online learning objects. He is particularly interested in helping faculty and students explore techniques for integrating computer programming and geospatial methods with more traditional library research methods. Additional interest areas include motivation and communication in online learning scenarios and the development of digital collections and interactive spaces to teach sociocultural topics. He has been connected with libraries for his entire life as a third-generation library employee.

Publications & Abstracts

• Faulk, N. & Crist, E. (2020, Apr.). A mixed-methods study of library communication with online students and faculty members. College & Research Libraries, 81(3), 361-377.
• Faulk, N., & Carbery, A. (2019). Using motivation theory and research when teaching information literacy online. In S. Steiner & M. Rigby (Eds.), Motivating students on a time budget: Pedagogical frames and lesson plans for in-person and online information literacy instruction. Chicago, IL: ACRL Press.
• Faulk, N. (2018). Bringing scale and structure to the online information literacy program. Journal of Library and Information Services in Distance Learning, 12(3-4), 198-208.
• Faulk, N. (2018, Apr.). What faculty have to say about library outreach. College & Research Libraries News, 79(4), 193-196.

Favorite Quote

“Time exists in order that everything doesn’t happen all at once”¦ and space exists so that it doesn’t all happen to you.”

—An “old riff” as interpreted by Susan Sontag

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Michael Fay

Biography

Fay obtained their bachelor’s degree in psychology from Saint Michael’s College and an MFA in Emergent Media from Champlain College where they worked as a project management fellow for two years. While pursuing their education, Fay also worked as a YouTuber, Twitch.tv live streamer, & esports commentator. In January of 2018, Fay moved to Akron in order to design, implement, and manage the new esports program at the University of Akron as well as serve as the head coach of their newly formed varsity teams. Fay also built, opened, and managed the Esports Center at Rutgers University from 2019 until 2021. In 2022, Fay sought to bring their passion for student development to bear for Champlain College and its Esports Living Learning community.

What are your hobbies?

Dungeons & Dragons, League of Legends, & Valheim

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Cooper Fellows

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Larraby Fellows

Biography

Larraby is an award-winning Instructional Designer who has worked in higher education for 20+ years. She has a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Bennington College, a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree from Simmons University and a M.A. in Leadership Studies from Northern Vermont University.

She has worked as an academic librarian, instructor, or instructional designer at Bennington College, Union Institute & University, the Community College of Vermont and the Vermont State Colleges system.

Larraby has taught online for the Community College of Vermont and Vermont State University for 10+ years, including CCV courses: Dimensions of Self & Society, Technical Writing & Research, World Mythology, and VTSU Leadership Studies/graduate capstone course Scholar-Practitioner Inquiry.

Larraby grew up in Southern Vermont and now lives in Worcester, Vermont with her two daughters, husband, and unruly flock of cats.

What are your hobbies?

Cinema, painting, pottery, knitting, furniture restoration, crafting of any kind, and baking with my daughters.

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Bakery hopping around my beautiful state: from Red Hen Bakery in Middlesex, to Bohemian Bakery in Montpelier to King Arthur Flour in Upper Valley and everyplace in between!

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Erin Ferrara

Biography

Erin finds the work she does in supporting students, whether it is through Accessibility Services, Student Support, or as the Title IX Coordinator, as the most important work that she will ever do.

Erin has been working in higher education for over 18 years. She began working towards her career in Accessibility Services when she was in graduate school at the University of Wyoming. Her undergraduate degree in Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences helped spur her toward a Master’s degree in Education, with an emphasis on working with students with disabilities in college.

As a graduate student, she was a Graduate Assistant in the University Disability Support Services (UDSS) office and taught Beginning Sign Language as a GA in the Communication Disorders department.

Erin was lucky enough to be hired to work at UDSS as a Coordinator for the UDSS office at the University of Wyoming. She worked there for five years before moving to Central New York, where she was the Director of the Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage.

Four years later, her family moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon, where she worked at the Oregon Institute of Technology as the Director of the Student Success Center. While Erin and her family enjoyed living in Oregon, it did not feel like home, so they made their way back to the East Coast to Vermont. Erin has worked at Champlain College since 2019, and she and her family have found their happy place/home in Vermont.

What are your hobbies?

Hiking, biking, reading, cooking, and spending time with my family and pets

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Pingala Cafe, apple picking, hiking, swimming in waterholes, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing

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Ian Fournier

Biography

Ian started at Champlain College in July 2017 as an Area Coordinator. In this role, Ian oversaw leadership skill development opportunities on campus through offerings such as Emerging Leaders, Lead like a Beaver, and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Ian began serving Housing and Residential Life as an Assistant Director in July 2022. In this role, Ian oversees the Resident Advisor program on campus which includes hiring and training RAs for Main Campus and 194 Saint Paul.

What are your hobbies?

Video Games, Music, Learning

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

One of my favorite local eateries is Mandarin in Winooski, and I enjoy watching sunsets from campus!

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