BURLINGTON, Vt. (Aug. 30, 2010) - A diverse slate of Champlain College graduates will be as honored for their leadership during the College's 2010 Alumni Leadership Awards ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 25 aboard the Northern Lights cruise on Lake Champlain.
According to Alison Johnson, director of alumni relations and annual giving at Champlain, this year's winners ranged from a local family with multiple Champlain graduates, to a paralegal turned lawyer, the chief operations manager at the Department of Homeland Security to a couple who turned their passion into a thriving specialty soap business. Champlain College President David F. Finney and former Champlain presidents Robert Skiff and Roger H. Perry will be on hand to present the awards.

"Champlain College Alumni Leadership Awards are given to those alums who have demonstrated great leadership in his or her career, outstanding service to the community and or a notable accomplishment. These awards, with the exception of the President's Award and the Vermonter Award, are given out in honor past Champlain College presidents," Johnson explained.

The 2010 Champlain College Alumni Leadership Award winners are:
Robert Skiff Alumni Leadership Award: Beth Fitzgerald '78, will receive this award in honor of all she has done to help motivate and inspire our students during her 34 years with the College. From her days working as co-director of the Champlain Child Development Center to her most recent role as student activities director, she loved helping young people navigate their way through college life. In December 2009, Fitzgerald resigned from Champlain to devote more time to developing her non-profit African Empowerment Project to bring fresh water to villages in Tanzania, South Africa.

Roger H. Perry Alumni Leadership Award: Lauri Bellows Fisher, Esq. ‘98 of Fairfax, Vt., graduated from Champlain's paralegal program and continued on to complete the Vermont Supreme Court Four-Year Law Office Study Program to become a lawyer. Fisher was admitted to the Vermont Bar in November 2004. Fisher has continued her commitment to Champlain through teaching and participating in "Law & Order Champlain," working with students from the Criminal Justice program, the Computer and Digital Forensic program, and the Paralegal Studies program. In that role this year, Fisher has acted as defense counsel and worked closely with paralegal students. She is currently mentoring a Champlain paralegal student who works in her office.

President's Alumni Leadership Award: Lisa T. Rees '85 and '02 of Milton, Vt., received her Associates in Accounting, then completed her undergraduate degree with a Bachelors in Management in 2002. Since graduating from Champlain, she has volunteered to teach to students on a variety of topics. As the current Chief of Financial Operations Branch at the Dept. of Homeland Security, Rees knows that "you are never too old to learn" which may be the reason she is currently pursuing her Master's in Public Administration at Norwich. Even with a high demand position and finishing her degree, Rees has also dedicated many hours to the community through her volunteer roles in the Girls Scouts and Girls on the Run.

C. Bader Brouilette Alumni Leadership Award: Robert (Bob) Jolley ‘73 of St. Albans, Vt., who passed away in February 2009, will be honored for his lifetime of work as president of S.B. Collins Inc. and his partnership with his brother, Bruce who own and operated the Jolley and Short Stop convenience stores. His wife, Mary Ellen Jolley, will accept the award on behalf of her husband. According to his family, Bob Jolley was extremely proud of his Champlain experience and Associate Degree in Business Management and would have been honored by the award named for the man who inspired him during his time at Champlain College.

Vermont Alumni Leadership Award: Dawn '89 and Michael '88 Lancaster of Williston, Vt., have taken their Associated Degrees in Business Management, Marketing Management and Electronics Technology and turned them into a thriving business, Carved Solutions. Their company has grown from a home-based operation to a nationally recognized specialty product enjoyed by celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey. These high school and college sweethearts are living the entrepreneurial spirit of Champlain and routinely give back to the community and volunteer their expertise at by sharing at Champlain College events.

Tittemore Family Legacy Award: Named after Arthur Gordon Tittemore, founder of Burlington Business College, this award's name has been changed this year to reflect our growing population of Legacy families. Legacy families are those families with more than one Champlain graduate among them. This year's award will be presented to the Sullivan Family - strong supporters of Champlain's education for many years. There are at least seven Sullivan family members who have a Champlain College degree with graduating years ranging from 1967 to 1994.

Members of the Champlain College 2010 Alumni Council:
Louise Reese '99 - Chair
Alison Johnson '89 and '97, Director of Alumni Relations
Jen Alderman '93 & ‘97
Pat Boera, Staff Representative
Jackie Botjer '03 and ‘05
Mariann Carlson ‘84
Victor Castro ‘03
Allison Crowley Demag,'86
Zachary Grimes '03 and ‘10
Sarah Hammitt ‘92
Audrey Holm Hansen, ‘94
Bradley Kelly ‘08
Katherine Maund ‘09
Travis Mears '04 and ‘06
Kathleen Ray ‘08
Kelly Sheridan G'10
Jon Walsh '85 and ‘98

Champlain College, a private, residential college founded in 1878, has a long tradition of educating professionals for leadership roles by providing a high-quality, career-oriented education. Champlain's distinctive educational approach embodies the notion that true learning only occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain was named a "Top-Up-and-Coming School" by U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges. To learn more about Champlain College, www.champlain.edu.