Office and People Directory

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:

Leunig’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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Tina Tenney

Biography

Tina is an experienced HR Business Partner with more than 25 years of diverse experience in human resources across a range of industries, including higher education, financial services, software development, and consumer goods.

As an HR Business Partner, Tina serves as a strategic advisor, aligning human resources strategies with overall business objectives in the areas of talent acquisition, professional development, performance management, employee relations and workplace best practice.

Tina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Johnson State College and earned professional certification as a SHRM-CP. Her dedication to fostering a positive work environment, building strong teams, and aligning HR strategies with business objectives has earned her a reputation as a trusted partner and leader in the organizations she serves.

Tina calls South Burlington home, where she lives with her husband, Shawn. Together they’ve raised two grown children who are now off on their own adventures. Passionate about exploring new places, Tina has traveled to destinations like Peru, France, Spain, Portugal, Jamaica, and Scotland. When she’s not traveling, she enjoys gardening, cooking, watercolor painting, and making memories with family and friends.

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Morgan Thibodeau

Biography

Morgan is a graphic designer and illustrator who thrives on creating meaningful, impactful designs. As an alum, they’re excited to contribute to the creative community that helped shape their journey.

With a BFA in Graphic Design & Visual Communication, Morgan has gained experience working on a variety of design projects, including branding, marketing materials, and educational content. They enjoy finding creative solutions that communicate ideas in ways that feel fresh and accessible, while staying true to the brand or message being conveyed.

In their role at Champlain College, Morgan looks forward to supporting the college’s visual identity, collaborating with colleagues across departments, and bringing their creative vision to a wide range of design projects. They are always excited to take on new challenges and continue growing as a designer in an environment that fosters creativity and innovation.

When not designing, Morgan enjoys being in nature—whether kayaking, hiking, or camping—and is always keeping an eye out for new ways to stay inspired, connect with others, and keep learning.

Hobbies

Printmaking, kayaking, hammocking, and reading!

Favorite Local Eateries

My favorite local eateries are Sneaker’s Bistro, Daily Planet, Bluebird Barbecue, and Leunig’s Petit Bijou (the truffle fries, specifically)!

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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 and making regular trips to visit her twins in NC.

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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Jason Trahan

Biography

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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Leslie Van Wagner

Biography

Prior to joining Champlain in 2019, Leslie was the Director of the Academic Support Center at Rivier College in Nashua, NH for 12 years, overseeing the Writing Center, Peer Tutoring Center, and Peer Mentoring Program. Leslie also taught many English Literature and Writing classes during her 25+ years at Rivier.

Leslie holds a MAT in Teaching from Rivier University and completed her undergraduate work at St. Lawrence University. She also holds a Certificate of Copyediting from University of San Diego online. Currently, Leslie is president of the Learning Assistance Association of New England.

Throughout her career, Leslie has drawn energy from helping students discover their potential and succeed in college and beyond. During her free time, Leslie enjoys reading, watching films, making trips to NYC to see plays, exploring Vermont, and playing with her grandson, Sam.

What are your hobbies?

Reading, watching films, going to live theater

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Timothy Van Woert

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Olivia Vittitow

Biography

Olivia Vittitow is a Champlain Professional Writing alum, who upon graduation, pursed a career in copywriting and non-profit fundraising. When she was offered the opportunity to return to the Champlain community alongside a team she had worked with as a student employee, she was overjoyed. Champlain has always felt like a home away from home for her, a transplant from Louisville, Kentucky.

Among her many hobbies are reading, traveling, fermenting, amateur film-buffing, and playing piano. Managing the InSight Program is her way of giving back to a program that she was a product of and champion for. Helping students find their confidence in key life skills, and graduate with competencies for personal and professional success is the most rewarding thing of all.

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Leandre Waldo

Biography

Leandre is currently serving as the interm vice president of Enrollment Management.

In her role as Chief of Staff, Leandre leads of the College’s institutional communications and public relations activities. As Secretary of the Corporation, she also helps ensure the Board of Trustees is supported, informed and engaged.

Leandre previously served as Chief of Staff to the President at St. Michael’s College and the Director of Client & Media Relations at Champlain. She holds an MBA from Brandeis University and a BA from Hamilton College.

Leandre has lived on both coasts and several states in between but is happy to call Burlington, VT her permanent home. When not herding cats, Leandre spends her time running, cycling, hiking, snowboarding and dreaming about her next SCUBA trip. She lives with her partner and two teen-aged children.

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John Ware

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Susan Waryck

Biography

Susan joined the Champlain College team in 2019. She’s worked in higher education and in Student Affairs for her entire 30+ year career. Her experiences range from small, private liberal arts colleges to mid-sized, public universities in the south and mid-west. Susan enjoys serving as the Dean of Students supporting students in their college experience. In her role, Susan supervises the Director of Housing and Residential Life, the Director of Community Standards, and the Director of the Office of International Student Services. Connecting students to these dedicated and committed team members is an important part of Susan’s role. She looks forward to supporting all students as they navigate Champlain College.

What are your hobbies?

I love to quilt (making t-shirt quilts, specifically); I enjoy riding my bike with my husband; I love to kayak

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