Office and People Directory

Albert Orbinati

Biography

Dr. Albert Orbinati is an Associate Professor of Business Administration and Department Chair of Business for Champlain College Online. He is also the owner of North Madison Publishing, LLC. Prior to Champlain, Dr. Orbinati was the Vice President of Continuing Education at Medaille University, Dean of the School of Professional and Continuing Education at Russell Sage College, and Director of Online and Non-Traditional Programs at Utica University. In addition to his career in higher education and publishing, Albert is a commissioned officer in the Vermont Air National Guard (VTANG) where he directs marketing efforts for the VTANG recruiting and retention team. Dr. Orbinati holds a BA in Urban Planning from Binghamton University, an MBA from Champlain College, an MA in Adult Education from Central Michigan University, and a PhD in Adult Education from Capella University. Albert is a lifelong musician and has performed on the stages of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He enjoys live theater and the performing arts.

Publications & Abstracts

Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Cookbook: Over 100 Science-Based, Superfood Meals for Improved Gut Health, Stress Reduction and Detoxification

Anti-Inflammation Starter Guide: A 5-Step Path to Improve Immune Function, Calm Your Gut, Reduce Stress, and Feel Great!

Spirituality and learning: An exploration into the understanding of spirituality in adult education 

Professional/Scholastic Affiliations

Society for Human Resource Management

Project Management Institute 

Military Officers Association of America 

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Douglas Orr

Biography

Douglas A. Orr is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who has served as a commissioned law enforcement officer in South Carolina, Idaho, and Washington. He is a native of Philadelphia, PA. Over the years, Dr. Orr has assumed various roles such as Collision Reconstructionist, Street Crimes, Truancy, Sexual Assault and Polygraph. He recently retired as a Detective in the Major Crimes Unit of the Spokane Police Department (SPD) in Spokane, Washington. During the last ten years of his tenure at SPD, Dr. Orr specialized in digital forensics, cybercrime, child exploitation, and sexual assault. He was also an adjunct professor for Gonzaga University teaching crime scene investigation.

Dr. Orr also holds membership in various organizations to include High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA), Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), the American Society of Criminologists (ASC), and the Homicide Research Working Group (HRWG). He is certified as an EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE) computer forensic examiner; a Certified Cellebrite Mobile Examiner (CCME), and CompTIA Security+. He is proficient with SPSS.

Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, Washington State University.
M.S. in Cybersecurity, Saint Leo University.
MBA in Human Resource, Saint Leo University.
M.A. in Organizational Leadership, Gonzaga University.

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Nathaniel Orvis

Biography

Nathaniel Orvis was born in Lincoln, VT. He grew up in Middlebury, VT, and attended Middlebury Union High School. Nathaniel currently lives in Middlebury with his beautiful 2 dogs and 3 cats. His favorite season in VT is Fall. Fall is a sign of change; the seasons are changing, children are starting school, but most importantly there are a lot of fall festivals. Nathaniel enjoys festivals and concerts, but Country music is his choice although he listens to a little bit of everything. In March of 2022, he came to Champlain to work and loves his job. When he’s not busy working, he enjoys traveling the United States and is particularly fond of California.

What are your hobbies?

Walking and Geocaching

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Fire and Ice

Walking the Robert Frost Trail

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Ricky Padgett

Biography

Ricky Padgett brings over thirty years of professional experience and passion to developing leaders and teams to reach their full potential, for themselves and their organizations. Ricky coaches in various industries, including healthcare, health and human services, financial services, technology, start-ups, higher education, pharmaceuticals, and media services. He offers a wealth of progressive leadership experience – from front-line manager to executive – and an experiential and evidence-based approach to his work.

Ricky has served in many leadership roles – from Director of Corporate Accounting and Controller to Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. His experience has included oversight of accounting and finance, human resources, facilities, information technology, and risk management.

Ricky’s coaching approach focuses on improving leaders’ performance and strengthening the connection between their goals and those of their organizations. He works to discover, clarify, and align with what leaders want to achieve, encourage self-discovery, elicit leader-generated possibilities and solutions, and provide a framework for accountability for leaders as they move their work forward. His coaching may include MBTI®, Hogan®, Korn-Ferry ESCI®, and MSCEIT® assessments, resonant leadership exercises, and 360º leadership self-studies. Ricky’s work is grounded in the theories of intentional change, cycle of experience, self-determination, and emotional intelligence, as well as positive psychology concepts.

Ricky holds a MBA with an emphasis in human resources from Florida State University and a B.A. in accounting and business administration from Troy State University. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and is credentialed by the International Coaching Federation as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). He completed his coach training at Teleos Leadership Institute and holds certifications in MBTI®, Hogan®, MSCEIT®, Korn-Ferry ESCI®, and Conscious Business Coaching, and a European Mentoring and Coaching Council accreditation in Global Individual Team Coaching. In addition to his coaching practice, Ricky is co-director of the THRIVE leadership development program, offering leadership and executive leadership programs in the New England area, and is an adjunct faculty member at Champlain College in the Robert P. Stiller School of Business.

Hobbies

Backyard gardening, chickens, paddleboarding, kayaking, baking gluten free treats, and hiking

Favorite Local Eateries

Sneakers for breakfast; Restaurant Poco for dinner — love the views from the top of Mt Philo

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Furkan Paligu

Biography

Furkan Paligu is an assistant professor of computer networking and cybersecurity in Champlain College. He has his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Marmara University, Master’s degree in Cybersecurity Engineering from Istanbul Sehir University, and Doctorate degree in Digital and Cyber Forensics Science from Sam Houston State University. He has taken part in various information technology and cybersecurity projects in governmental institutions. An extensive part of his work has been focused on large scale projects in complex domains including data leak prevention systems, voice translation engines, customer application and management systems, static code analyzers, malware scanning systems operating on cloud architecture, electronic signature systems, and electronic cash registers.

Publications & Abstracts

PUBLICATIONS & ABSTRACTS

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Roland Palmer

Biography

Roland is an alumnus of Champlain College (Class of 1990) and is a native Vermonter who currently resides in Brookfield, Vermont (home of the floating bridge). Roland started at Champlain College in August 2006.

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Thomas Panico

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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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Joseph Paquin

Biography

Joseph joined Champlain in 2023 in the Stiller School of Business as Adjunct Faculty. Joseph’s career has been focused on business and information technology. Currently he is a Director of Information Technology for the Vermont Judiciary. He has held various information technology roles in State government including Senior Software Developer and IT Business Analyst. Before his service in government, Joseph was in management in the private sector managing businesses greater than $100m. Joseph is passionate for education and experiential learning. He holds his Bachelors of Science in Networking and Telecommunications and a Master’s of Business Administration in Information Technology Leadership. In his spare time he volunteers with local government and works on his homestead with his family.

Fvorite Quote

“If knowledge does not have primacy in public decision making, then no truth can be said to be self-evident, and we are left with the tyranny of ideology, with shots called by the wealthy and enforced by might.”

~ Shawn Lawrence Otto, the war on Science

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Paige Paradise

Biography

Paige Paradise is a higher education leader with a strong foundation in strategic marketing, inclusive programming, and academic operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Strategic Marketing and a Master of Business Administration in General Management from Plymouth State University.

Paige currently serves as the Academic Operations Manager for the Stiller School of Business and the Game Studio at Champlain College, where she oversees faculty onboarding, event coordination, and cross-functional support to ensure smooth academic delivery and student engagement. Her work bridges strategic planning with creative execution, supporting both business and game development programs in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.

Before joining Champlain, Paige held multiple DEI leadership roles at Plymouth State University, where she helped co-found the IDEA Center (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access)—a campus hub for equity-driven programming, student support, and institutional change. As Assistant Director, she led initiatives to foster belonging, mentored underserved student populations, and facilitated over a dozen workshops on topics ranging from antiracism to interfaith dialogue. Paige also taught credit-bearing and professional development courses focused on social justice and inclusive leadership, blending theory with real-world application to empower learners at every level.

Paige is known for her collaborative spirit, operational savvy, and commitment to building inclusive, student-centered environments. She has chaired university councils, contributed to statewide DEI committees, and continues to advocate for equity and excellence in higher education.

Hobbies

Reading, Gardening/Floristry, Crafts

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Matthew Parillo

Biography

Matthew has been teaching in the Burlington area since 2010 and is currently an adjunct professor of film history and film studies at Champlain College. He has taught several courses at three different colleges including: Film History 1 & 2, Screenings, Censorship in American Cinema, The Hollywood Renaissance, Film Noir: America’s Dark Mirror, Italian Cinema, and The Cinematic Space Odyssey.

Matthew’s primary research interests are in Italian Neorealism and its influence on modern cinema, cinematic censorship and space travel cinema. As well as being an educator, Matthew is also a musician, DJ, golfer, and hockey player.

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Parthiv Patel

Biography

Pat Patel has lived and worked in 3 different countries (India, the UK, and USA). He comes from a pioneering industrial family which started the Agricultural Tractors and Earthmoving Machinery Manufacturing industry in India. He worked in the family business for two years as a Management Trainee after graduating with his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Bombay. After successfully completing the Management Trainee program, he moved to London where he worked for an affiliated British company that provided crankshafts and related parts to his family’s tractor and earthmoving machinery company.

In 1980, he moved to the United States to begin his graduate education, and he earned his Master of Business Administration degree, double majoring in Finance and Marketing, from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. Subsequent to getting his MBA, he moved to San Diego, California, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Information and Decision Sciences from San Diego State University.

After completing the two Master’s degree programs, he began his professional career in the Investment Software, Database, and Quantitative Modeling business with a leading Chicago based company called Zacks Investment Research, Inc. where he rose to become Vice President and Regional Manager for the company’s Los Angeles office. After working at Zacks Investment Research for 9 years, he worked directly in the Institutional Investment and Mutual Fund industry for 4 years as Vice President at Putnam Investments in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1998, he started his own business in the hospitality industry and he purchased two franchised hotels which he owned and managed for 9 years with his team of professional hotel managers and staff. He subsequently sold the properties and the business to a Houston,Texas, based hotel company.

He was hired by Champlain College in 2009 to teach in the business school, and he has been teaching a variety of business courses ever since at the Stiller School of Business. During his time at Champlain College, he also earned his Doctorate degree in Business Administration. In 2022, he was offered and he accepted the additional position of Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Distinctions & Awards

Distinguished Service Award for serving as President of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Enlightenment Now by Howard Gardner
• Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

Favorite Quote

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

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JoAnn Patel

Biography

JoAnn Patel has a MFA in Computer Arts from Florida Atlantic University and a BFA in Environmental Design from Parsons School of Design. Her exploration with computers as a creative tool began with digital music creation and expanded to the visual arts. Her digital art career started with web design, then moved on to 3D art, compositing and game art.

JoAnn was 3D Art Director at D2 Creative/D2 Team-Sim where she worked on training simulations for Raytheon and the US Military as well as marketing videos for pharmaceutical clients and continuing medical education projects for doctors. While freelancing in New York City, she worked on projects for the History Channel, A&E, HBO, Discovery, MSNBC, BMW and Hasbro Toys.

JoAnn has taught at Pratt Institute, New York Institute of Technology, Florida Atlantic University, Digital Media Arts College, Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami International University of Art and Design Online. JoAnn’s animated short films “Reflections”, “Idea Hunting”, and “Casandra The Chameleon” have been shown at international film festivals and on the Tampa Educational Channel. “Casandra The Chameleon” won the grand prize at the Homestead Animated Film Festival in 2003.

JoAnn’s current creative focus is on hard surface modeling and texturing, procedural modeling, game environments and the use of game engines for filmmaking and visual effects.

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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LaKysha Patnode

Biography

LaKysha Patnode holds a Master’s degree in Information Security Operations and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Networking and Cybersecurity, equipping her with advanced skills in protecting critical infrastructure, managing IT risks, and implementing robust security controls. Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), she excels in threat assessment, regulatory compliance, and aligning cybersecurity strategies with business goals. LaKysha spent five years at NuHarbor Security as an Information Assurance Analyst and later as a supervisor, managing teams and advising clients on security programs. She is now an Assistant Professor of Computer Networking and Cybersecurity at Champlain College, where she guides the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

Distinctions & Awards

CRISC Certification

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Tami Patnode

Hobbies

Skiing, Biking, Hiking and anything outdoors

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