Office and People Directory

Samantha Kassel

Biography

Sami joined Champlain College in the fall of 2022. She earned a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Boston University and spent many years traveling the world. A Vermont native, Sami has lived in Boston, Alaska, Hawaii, and San Diego, but is happy to be calling the Burlington area home once again. She enjoys spending her time skiing, hiking, reading, pet-sitting, and watching reality TV.

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Skinny Pancake, Cucina Antica in Shelburne, Barrio Bakery

Favorite Champlain tradition:

Apple Picking

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Amy Kaufman

Biography

Amy is a seasoned Accounting Director currently working for an art museum in eastern Ohio with over 20 years of experience and enjoy bringing these real-world concepts of accounting and business to my classrooms. She is honored to teach for Champlain College and looks forward to listening to and working with her students to achieve a great learning experience.

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Robert Kayl

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Amy Keigwin

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Elene Kelleher

Biography

Experience includes over 40 years in nursing management and leadership, healthcare consulting, and as an educator. Considered a subject matter expert in leadership, and developing and mentoring new leaders.

Favorite Quote

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

—Ronald Reagan

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Charles Kelliher

Biography

Charles is an IT specialist with experience ranging from Cybersecurity, Online Instructor, Project Management, IT Auditing, Business Process Improvement, Service Management, System Administration, Systems Analyst, and Programming. The scope of this experience includes Distributed Systems, Midrange, and Mainframe technologies. Professional strengths include:

• Managing the development, implementation, and updating of security policies, standards, and procedures.
• Providing leadership in the areas of IT Security expertise and experience including Internet Access points, Remote Access Security, Host Based Intrusion Prevention Systems, Wireless Security, Encryption, Virus protection, and Vulnerabilities.
• Conducting Risk and Vulnerability assessments to ensure the company’s security framework remains in compliance with applicable regulations and guidelines including PCI, SOX, HIPPA, COBIT, and personal information privacy regulations.
• Interfacing and collaborating with team members, all levels of management, various IT departments, business units, and vendors to design and deliver cost effective IT security solutions that are aligned with business objectives and customer needs.
• Providing IT Security consulting, in a clear and concise format, to both technical and non-technical personnel.

Competencies

PCI Data Security Guidelines, ISO 27001 & 27002/17799, SOX, HIPPA, HITRUST, States Privacy Regulations, Encryption, Computer Forensics, IDS, IPS, Firewalls, Two Factor Authentication, COBIT, BPM, ITIL, Traditional Waterfall and Agile Project Methodologies, Use Cases, User Stories, JAD, SDLC, Mercury Quality Center, Archer eGRC, ¬HP Demand Management, HP Project and Portfolio Management Center, PMBOK, WBS, Summit-D, Prince 2, MS Project, SQL, UNIX, RACF, CA-Top Secret, AS400, Citrix MetaFrame, and Microsoft Office

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Never Eat Alone, And the Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz
• Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, by John P. Kotter and Holger Rathgeber
• The Leadership Lessons of the U.S. Navy SEALS by Jeff Cannon and Jon Cannon

Favorite Quote

“When One Door Closes Another Opens.”

—Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone

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Michael Kelly

Biography

Mike Kelly is Rhetoric professor turned Interdisciplinary Studies expert whose classroom teaching style aims to serve as a bastion of respectful inquiry and relationship-building amidst a global backdrop of bad-faith discursive practices and people being otherwise horrible to one another. As a Lyman Professor award-winner in 2022-23, Mike is a lead faculty in Champlain’s Degree Design Lab and teaches an assortment of courses in the Core Division as well.

While the subject matter of Mike’s courses range from horror movies to the rhetoric of professionalism, they all offer students a variety of academic experiences that sit on the edge of disciplinary boundaries that prepare students to be adaptable thinkers who can move fluidly across a variety of academic and professional contexts.

Outside the classroom, Mike has held a series of leadership positions at Champlain, including Faculty Senate President, academic program review committee chair and NECHE accreditation specialist. He lives in South Burlington with his wife Jamie, three teenage sons and two rescue mutts.

Distinctions & Awards

2022 Edward Phelps Lyman Professor, Champlain College, $5000
2017 Perry Innovation Fellow, Champlain College, $5000

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• The Wire – This show works because it forces the viewer to understand Baltimore’s civic problems as inherently interconnected. People who appreciate this show tend to do well in my courses because they are able to see how pieces of an interdisciplinary puzzle fit together.
• The National – this band’s songs illustrate the unique complications of what it means to be human in original ways.

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Jennifer Kennelly

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Mariam Khader

Biography

Mariam Khader is an Assistant Professor at Champlain College, USA, who is highly recognized for her expertise in Computer Science, IT Security, and Digital Criminology. She has earned her PhD and MSc in the respective fields and is currently a researcher at the Leahy Center, where she focuses on Mobile and Operating System Forensics. Her research has been published in numerous international journals and presented at various conferences. In addition to working as a course author and speaker, Mariam has also worked as a freelance instructor, providing technical instruction to government and private firms as well as other organizations. She has obtained many professional certifications, such as CHFI, ECIH, CCNA, CCME, CCO, CMFF, CCPA, AIM, and OCF. And currently serves as a member of SWGDE.

As a professor at Champlain College, Mariam have embraced the Learning by Doing approach. By assigning students tasks that require students to learn how and why to do the task as they complete it, the tasks become more engaging and memorable, thus helping them develop essential success skills.

Publications & Abstracts

Publications & Abstracts

CV

View My CV

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Sage King

Biography

Sage is a Burlington resident and Champlain College alum. He brings a multitude of experience with him to the Champlain team having worked in different fields from maintenance systems to microchip technology.

Sage enjoys sports and the outdoors and is also a part time firefighter for the City of Winooski.

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Lyle King

Biography

As the manager of Media Services within the Information Systems department, Lyle works closely with his team and campus partners to identify and implement multimedia and presentation technology solutions for campus spaces, events, and academic programs. One of the most rewarding aspects of his role is working with the many talented and committed student employees within his team and helping to foster and celebrate their professional growth and success.

Lyle is an alumnus of Champlain College with a BS in Mass Communication and over twenty-five years of professional experience in audio/visual (AV) technology support. He earned his AVIXA CTS® and Extron AVA certifications in 2013, was awarded the college’s John Lavallee Innovation Award in 2021 as a member of the Pivot Team, and received the Elizabeth A. Durick Staff Service Award in 2024 in recognition of his positive impact on the college community.

Outside of work Lyle enjoys spending quality time with his family, and is an avid musician and photographer.

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Kathleen Kingsbury

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Vance Kiviranna

Biography

Having taught at Champlain from 2010-2012, Vance returns to Champlain college with 25 years experience in branding, advertising and design. Having worked in various advertising agencies, promotional agencies, small firms, client-side and freelance, he brings a wealth of knowledge in various disciplines of design across a multitude of industries.

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Benjamin Kohler

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Christian Konczal

Biography

Christian Konczal, Director of Esports at Champlain College, is a passionate advocate for the integration of technology and education. A proud alumnus, Christian received his MFA in Emergent Media from Champlain in 2017 and has been steadfastly committed to the development of collegiate esports ever since.

As a graduate student, Christian served as a project management fellow for BREAKAWAY, an internationally recognized project partnered with the UNFPA, UNiTE, and Grassroot Soccer. BREAKAWAY aims to educate youth about Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), promote gender equality, and inculcate respect, values that Christian carries forward in his current role.

Christian is a strong proponent of gender equity within esports, striving to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all players. He believes in the transformative potential of esports to bridge gender gaps and is proactive in his efforts to ensure this in practice.

After graduation, Christian honed his skills in the field, consulting for multiple collegiate esports programs across the country. He then launched a successful program at a D2 State University, wherein he established varsity esports teams, oversaw program operations, supervised student coaches and players, and integrated esports into the academic experience. His fundraising efforts during this period helped support scholarships and program expenses, further validating his dedication to esports in the educational sphere.

Upon returning to Champlain, Christian pioneered the college’s esports program, fostering strong varsity teams and empowering the existing esports club. His leadership, combined with his unwavering belief in student potential, brought Champlain its first Varsity championships in over 20 years within the first year of the varsity esports program’s inception.

Christian is a fervent believer in preparing students for life post-college. His approach to esports extends beyond gameplay to encompass professional development, ensuring his students are equipped with practical skills and a strong foundation for their future careers.

Beyond his collegiate commitments, Christian has a heart for philanthropy. Working with his students he has been instrumental in raising over $20,000 for the Extra Life charity throughout his career, demonstrating his commitment to broader societal issues.

Christian Konczal’s multifaceted contributions at Champlain College exemplify the blend of passion, dedication, and vision needed to drive growth and success in collegiate esports. His unwavering commitment to gender equity and student development ensures that Champlain College’s esports program prepares students not just for competitive gaming, but for the wider world that awaits them after graduation.

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