Office and People Directory

Brady Mueller

Biography

Brady earned a B.S. in Psychology from SUNY Oneonta and his Master’s degree in Student Affairs & Higher Education from SUNY Plattsburgh. Brady’s path to working in higher education started at SUNY Plattsburgh where he gained experience as a Residence Director and Career Coach. Prior to his start in higher education, Brady worked in both social work and recreation fields. Outside of higher education, Brady enjoys hiking, photography, collecting music, playing guitar, and exploring the Vermont area.

What are your hobbies?

Guitar, hiking, photography, collecting music, and writing songs.

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Some of my favorite spots in VT would be August First for amazing baked goods, getting maple creemees from Shelburne Sugarworks, picking berries at Full Belly Farm, skiing at Sleepy Hollow, and swimming at Bristol Falls.

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Kaelyn Murray

Biography

Kaelyn earned her BS in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont. While working for local education organizations, she earned her Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning from Norwich University as an online student and later returned for her Master’s in Educational Leadership from UVM. Kaelyn transitioned to advising for CCO after teaching part-time at the community college and working to support out of school youth in Chittenden County. Kaelyn is continually inspired by the commitment and persistence that CCO students show as they juggle their own combination of work, life, and learning. She believes education can transform lives and admires her students for taking this exciting step in their academic and professional careers. Kaelyn spends her free time seeking sunshine and fresh air with friends, family, and 4 legged pals.

What are your hobbies?

Walking, hiking, house projects, soccer

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Rock Point is my favorite place in Vermont. Myers bagels are delicious.

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Susan Paquette

Biography

Susan is a Senior Course Producer on the eLearning team in Champlain College Online. She has worked for Champlain College since 2000 and in eLearning since 2016. She earned a BA in Studio Art from the University of Vermont and an AS in Accounting from Champlain College. She worked in the Champlain IS department for over 15 years where she was a Senior IT Analyst before transferring to the eLearning team. She loves music and flower gardening.

What are your hobbies?

Singing in chorus, flower gardening, & baking.

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Richard Pickering

Biography

Dr. Richard Pickering is an Assistant Professor and the Program Director for Technology here at Champlain College Online. Richard has a PhD in Teaching and Learning coupled with an MBA and numerous technology-related certifications.

Prior to Champlain, Dr. Pickering enjoyed a distinguished career blending pedagogical expertise with strategic leadership in program management and product development within the educational business sector.

Dr. Pickering also has held positions as Chief Executive Officer at Virtual High School Global Consortium, Chief Operating Officer at Victory Productions, various Program/Product Manager posts as well as Adjunct Professor appointments.

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Mark Pierce

Biography

Mark earned his BA in Philosophy with Saint Michael’s College in 2008 and his MS in Education with Wheelock College (now Boston University) in 2014. Mark solidified his passion for education through a service year with an AmeriCorps non-profit in Chicago, IL where he acted as a tutor and mentor to students in a public high school. From there he found himself in various roles supporting young learners in achieving both core educational benchmarks and socioemotional well-being throughout Chicago, Boston, and Chittenden County, Vermont. Mark joined the higher education realm with Champlain College Online as an Academic Advisor and found tremendous value in supporting students’ personal development while they pursued their own educational and career goals. Mark now acts as the Academic Operations Manger for CCO. Mark is a nerd at heart who enjoys movies, reading, and sharing laughs with friends over video game and tabletop game sessions during his free time.

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Michelle Platt

Biography

Michelle earned a BA in Political Science at Southern Illinois University in 2008 and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) at Southern Illinois University in 2014. Michelle began working in Higher Education in 2014 after a 15 year career in retail management. Michelle was previously the Director of Outreach and Recruitment at a College in Washington State. Michelle is passionate about access to education, removing barriers and promoting educational equity. Michelle looks forward to working with students throughout their educational journey through to completion. In her spare time, Michelle is a geek and a dog mom who enjoys; attending Comic-con, tabletop gaming, pop-culture, movies and tv, reading, traveling, and collecting fandom art and collectables.

What are your hobbies?

Reading, Gaming, Listening to music, Travel, Film/Television, Comic-con and collecting fandom memorabilia.

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Linda Reid

Biography

Linda has been working at Champlain College Online since 2015. For five years, she worked directly with online adult students as a Senior Academic Advisor. Since 2020, she has been behind-the-scenes nerding out with Excel and other data tools to best support the success of all online students as the Senior Reporting Analyst. Linda has been working in higher education for over twenty years, starting with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2001) and followed up with a Master’s of Education degree (UMass Amherst, 2010). She has consistently worked either in an advising position or in a data position. People and data are her passions, except of course for her husband and son. She is focused on access needs for all students and has a particular interest in the needs of/support for neurodivergent students (youth and adults).

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Rebecca Swem

Biography

Becky earned her BS in English and Psychology from SUNY Plattsburgh and an MST from SUNY Potsdam. After teaching middle school for three years, Becky returned to SUNY Plattsburgh to earn her MS in Higher Education and Student Affairs Counseling. Becky then worked at a university LGBTQ center providing student support, training, and event programming. Joining CCO in 2019, Becky first served as an academic advisor before moving into admissions. She is committed to helping students with their education goals, and providing support. In her free time, Becky enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

What are your hobbies?

Hiking, reading, petting dogs

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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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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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Gary Washburn

Biography

Gary earned his Master’s in Professional School Counseling at Sage Graduate School in Troy, NY. Gary has been working in Higher Education for 15 years. Gary is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in enrollment management, academic affairs, student affairs, business development, and relationship building. He has demonstrated expertise in building highly efficient operations and teams, ensuring a seamless student experience. In his downtime, he enjoys being on the golf course as much as possible and spending time with his family and friends.

What are your hobbies?

Golf

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Laura Wingler

Biography

Laura has two master’s degrees, one in education and one in fine arts. She believes that the role of Instructional Designer is critical in the world of online education because this environment specifically requires clear learning paths for students that are aligned to the curriculum, accessible to all, engaging and current.

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