Office and People Directory

Leslye Kornegay

Biography

Dr. Leslye Kornegay is an inspiring Executive Leader, Educator, and Author who is currently making a significant impact at Duke University as the Executive Director of Facilities Management University Environmental Services. After her tenure at the University of Vermont, she chose Duke to broaden her work in facilities management and services. Her commitment to improving the lives of the university’s service employees, many of whom face challenges, is a true testament to her passion. At Duke, she skillfully manages a $28 million budget, engages in strategic planning, and leads a dedicated team of 300 employees who serve the university community and oversee waste management efforts.

Publications & Abstracts

Leading to Change the World

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Nicholas Kornek

Distinctions & Awards

Innovation Award – MIGF 2015, Official Selection – Alt.Ctrl.GDC 2015, Official Selection – TIFF Nuit Blanche 2015, Finalist Best Interactive Experience – NUMIX 2017

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Fred Kosnitsky

Biography

Fred’s academic background is in the biological/ecological sciences and the environmental studies realm. He has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Williams College, has studied Ecology at the graduate level at Dartmouth College, and has a Masters degree in environmental law and policy from the Environmental Law Center of Vermont Law School.

For the past four decades he has been involved in the environmental arena as a Board member of groups such as Vermont Earth Institute, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, 350vermont.org, and the Voice of the Potash Brook Watershed. He has written columns on nature and the environment for the Vermont Times, The Other Paper in South Burlington, and the Saint Albans Messenger. He is currently a member of the South Burlington Energy Committee. Fred has taught at Community College of Vermont since 1983, and has joined Champlain College as an adjunct in 2023.

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

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Angelika Koukoulas

Biography

Angela joined Champlain in June of 2023 as part of the innovative partnership between Champlain College and Hula (a co-working space on Lakeside Ave). In this role, Angela works with businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits to bolster their teams with Champlain talent. Angela helps students land internships, work on client facing projects, and generally get connected to the Burlington business community. Angela also supports the development of Burlington’s Innovation District by forging intentional connections between students, academics, and industry.

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Erin Kwon

Biography

Erin is a National Certified Counselor and joined the Counseling Center in 2024 after her time as a Graduate Clinical Intern. She was born and raised in Northern Virginia but calls Southwest Virginia her home after studying at Virginia Tech. Erin made the trek up to Vermont in 2021 for her to earn her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Vermont. Lake Champlain and the lovely community of Burlington have kept her here since.

Erin’s clinical perspective is informed by her work in community-based programs of Appalachia. She is curious about the stories that shape people’s view of themselves and is interested in exploring where these narratives come from and how they serve them. Erin takes a collaborative and person-centered approach to counseling and believes that each of her clients hold the knowledge of what they need given their intersecting identities and lived experiences. She strives to create an affirming and compassionate space for her clients to gain personal insights, connect with their strengths/values, and access their agency in acceptance and change, all while leaning into the power of the therapeutic relationship.

In her free time, you can find Erin working with clay, never finishing a book, and taking long walks in the search of roaming cats.

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Danielle L’Esperance

Biography

Danielle has been with Champlain College since 2019. She has her M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Vermont (2012). Danielle also has extensive experience in the Hospitality industry. She loves her job because it combines her knowledge of events and hosting guests with her passion for Higher Education.

Danielle is a native Vermonter and a first-generation college student. During her personal time, she can be found meandering along nature trails with Levi, her small but mighty four-legged companion. She also enjoys Fantasy and Science Fiction novels, baking treats for family and colleagues, & traveling to new and exciting places.

What are your hobbies?

Baking, Hiking, Reading & Traveling

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Summer outdoor concert series (Williston, South Hero, SoBu), Kountry Kart Deli, Folino’s, Cafe Dim Sum

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Jalil Laalami Ouali

Biography

Jalil has been working in the game industry for over 15 years on three continents. After working on AAA content and coordinating QA teams on massive projects, Jalil went back to smaller teams where he had a stronger influence on company culture and direction. Indie life allowed him to explore AR, VR, playable ads, event installations and his personal favorite: procedural content generation. With a contagious smile and a talent for doing more with less, Jalil is currently coaching emerging indies on production management, Agile principles and happiness at work.

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Benton Lane

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Tony Langan

Biography

Tony Langan grew up 1 hour north of Dublin in a small rural village called Dromiskin in County Louth. He received an International Bachelors degree in History and Economics from NUI Maynooth where he also studied abroad at the University of Miami, Florida. Tony continued his studies at the University of Mississippi where he studied Tourism and Recreation. He has worked in the field of Study Abroad since 2013 where he ran programs in England, Spain, South Africa and Ireland. He is also an accredited National Irish Tour guide and runs his own tour company seasonally. During the recent lockdown Tony completed a Post Graduate Certificate from Trinity College Dublin in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship. Recently, he has completed the Lord Mayor Dublin’s certificate in Oral History and is currently taking a Family History course at Trinity College. Previous to his position as Assistant Director with Champlain College (and before COVID), Tony was the Student Life Manager here from 2018.

Tony is passionate about many things in life and they seem to change weekly. But the continuous passions are Study Abroad, Travel and Irish Culture. He loves to show students and tourists alike what Dublin and Ireland has to offer and watch as they slowly become locals in a new city. He also loves live music and a good pint of Guinness which, luckily, are very easy to find in Dublin!

Hobbies

Music, concerts, travelling and meeting new people!

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Michael Lange

Biography

Michael Lange is an anthropologist and folklorist, specializing in narrative, food, and identity. He has done ethnographic fieldwork in Scotland, Morocco, Norway, the US, and Canada. His books include Norwegian Scots and Many Meanings of Maple.

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Al Larsen

Biography

Al Larsen is a media artist and writer whose work engages with ideas of public space and populist uses of media technologies. He works in and across multiple media and processes including programmable technologies, textiles, performance, audio production and printmaking. His work has shown in festivals in the US and internationally and his writing on popular culture, art and performance has appeared in P-Queue, Careless Talk Costs Lives, Plan B and The Squealer. He directs toe Creative Media BFA program at Champlain College.

Distinctions & Awards

Residencies:
– Center for Machine Arts, Peekskill, NY
– Burlington City Arts, Burlington, VT
– Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center, Buffalo, NY
– International Artist Exchange Residency, City of Glasgow, Scotland

Favorite Quote

“Find a place you trust and then try trusting it for a while.”

—Corita Kent

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Dean Lawson

Biography

Dean Lawson has worked in the Games Industry for nearly 30 years, primarily as a Programmer but also as a Designer, Project Lead, and Director of Programming.

He has worked on 14+ shipped titles, including SimCity Societies, Caesar IV, Majesty, Risk: Global Domination, a number of online board game conversions for Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, and World of Zoo and Club Penguin: EPF: Herbert’s Revenge on the Nintendo DS for THQ and Disney Interactive, respectively. Throughout his career, Dean has focused on game AI and how it helps shape the player experience.

Dean’s other main passion in games is Game Architecture; how to engineer flexible technical frameworks for games. Dean advises at the EMC at Champlain College, as well as working as a contract programmer for a number of game and educational companies. Dean has been teaching at Champlain College since 2010: he previously taught Game Programming and Design at Savannah College of Art and Design.

Dean Lawson earned a BS in Computer Science from Union College in Schenectady, NY and an M.Ed in Secondary School Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

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Erika Lea

Biography

Erika’s career in social work has spanned supervising after-school programming for high school students, home visiting for vulnerable families, teaching parenting classes for incarcerated fathers, directing the counseling program at a boarding school, and now co-coordinating both the Champ 101 Program and The InSight Program’s wellbeing theme. She joined Champlain College in 2019 and enjoys the innovative and supportive community, including the many student leaders who are the “special sauce” of the work she gets to do. She enjoys spending time with her family, dogs, and chickens. She also serves on the Champlain Valley School District Board of Directors.

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Heidi Lebrun

Biography

Heidi Lebrun proudly serves as the Director of Development and Strategic Engagement. With more than two decades of work in Higher Education and Advancement, Heidi brings a wealth of expertise to her role.

Throughout her tenure, Heidi has become synonymous with excellence in advancement work, embodying a passion for fostering meaningful connections within the Champlain community. As the Director of Development and Strategic Engagement, she holds the reins to the institution’s advancement communications, ensuring that every message resonates with authenticity and purpose.

Heidi’s commitment extends beyond crafting compelling narratives; she is also a key player in donor relations and stewardship activities. Her innate ability to cultivate lasting relationships has not only strengthened ties with supporters but has also fueled the college’s mission to empower students through transformative educational experiences.

What are your hobbies?

Cooking, Traveling, Gardening

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Felipe Lega

Biography

Felipe Lega is the Director of the Animation Program at Champlain College and holds an MFA in Fine Arts with a focus on 3D Animation and Special Effects from Lynn University, USA. Felipe has designed educational models for Champlain College and has taught several classes for the animation and video game programs. He is also currently advising the projection mapping project at the Emergent Media Center, which is being developed in collaboration with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.

His teaching methodology is based on motivation, self-realization, and compassion. His work with students always involves mentorship, fostering the development of individuals with strong human and professional capacities. The success of his method is attributed to his faith and motivation in his students and in understanding them as individuals to support them in achieving their desired results.

He was an associate professor at UDEM – Universidad de Monterrey, where he developed and taught several classes in the master’s program in video games and the bachelor’s program in 3D animation and visual effects. He also participated in significant academic projects for this institution, such as the Experience 360 “Lamentos Encontrados” project developed in collaboration with Breda University in the Netherlands. Additionally, he served as an advisor for several award-winning thesis projects and short films.

Felipe was involved for approximately four years in the design, production, and creative direction of animated content for various projection mapping shows across Europe. Notable projects include: the HCA Hans Christian Andersen Festival show in Haderslev, Denmark; the Taastrup Library projection mapping show in Denmark; and the Christmas show at the Vilnius Cathedral in Lithuania, among others.

During his industry experience, Felipe has worked as a visual effects artist and 3D animator in different areas of TV post-production and production, including Hasbro toy commercials for Avengers, Spider-Man, and Transformers. He also created special effects for Latin American international series such as Kdabra, Sikis, and Mentes en Shock, and developed 3D animations for Nat Geo and Discovery Channel.

In 2014, he was awarded the YCE (Young Creative Entrepreneur) Award by the British Council in the Broadcasting category, representing his visual effects studio, Entertainment & Visual Arts, at the Edinburgh International Television Festival.

Distinctions & Awards

Rising Star Award – Champlain College, YCE – Young Creative Entrepreneur Award, 2014 British Council.

Favorite Quote

“Imagination is Everything, It is the preview of life’s coming Attractions.” – Albert Einstein

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