Office and People Directory

Robin Perlah

Biography

Robin Perlah currently serves as Dean of the Core Division, Creative Studio and School of Social Innovation at Champlain College, where she is also an Associate Professor. In this role, she provides academic leadership across the humanities, social sciences, and creative arts and design disciplines.

During her time at Champlain, Perlah has held several leadership positions, including Chair of the Creative Studio, Program Director for several programs including Graphic Design (BFA), Interaction Design (BS) and Emergent Media (MFA and MS), Academic Director for the Emergent Media Center, and Assistant Dean for the Division of Communications and Creative Media. She has taught a range of courses in the areas of photography, graphic design, design history, image-making, visual design, interaction design, and media theory, serving both undergraduate and graduate students.

Perlah’s art practice is based on a persistent interest in the photographic image, both still and moving, as it is transformed by digitality. Her work deals with the ambiguity of memory, the intersection between image capture (both analog and digital) and the methods of processing and presenting images, and how generative art and data mutations can reveal layers of complexity.

Before working at Champlain College, Robin taught and ran programs in art, design and creative media in K-12 education, and developed several community art programs to support young people through art-mentoring relationships and other activities. She also served as co-director for the Technology & Design Institute at Governor’s Institutes of Vermont. Prior to her work in education, she had a long career as a professional photographer and photo editor, specializing in commercial, portrait, and event photography as well as fine-art printing.

Robin is a site evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), is part of the volunteer board for PechaKucha Night (PKN) Burlington, and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Vermont Arts Council board of trustees, which she rejoined in fall 2024. Robin earned a master of fine arts in emergent media from Champlain College, a bachelor of science in art education from the University of Vermont, and studied commercial and fine art photography at the New England School of Photography.

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Jen Perlee

Biography

Jen moved to Vermont in 1992 and has never looked back. She joined Champlain in 1994 and has never left. While always being on the Information Systems team she has done just about every job there is in IS. Currently she is our Sr. Salesforce Administrator and enjoys helping make our staff jobs easier which in turns helps our students succeed.

What are your hobbies?

Anything outdoors especially hiking, travelling, golf, finding the best maple creemees and volunteering.

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

So many great farm to table restaurants and breweries in VT. I love to travel all over our beautiful state trying them all.

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Tony Perriello

Biography

Tony Perriello is a professor of law, criminology and criminal justice, Director of the Criminology and Criminal Justice program, and Assistant Dean of the School of Social Innovation. Tony practiced law in the private sector for two years before beginning a career in the legal and higher education publishing and media industries. During his publishing career, he developed and produced numerous legal casebooks and treatises covering many different subject and practice areas, as well college textbooks, educational technology and instructor resources across a broad spectrum of disciplines. Immediately prior to joining the faculty at Champlain College, he was a legal affairs reporter and editor at Bloomberg in Washington, D.C., where he covered the courts and several congressional committees. During his seven years in Washington, he was also a member of the adjunct faculty at American University, where he taught undergraduate courses in news writing and media law.

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• American Society of Criminology

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander
• “The Myth of Repressed Memory: False Memories and Allegations of Sexual Abuse” by Dr. Elizabeth Loftus and Katherine Ketcham
• “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson

Favorite Quote

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

—William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida

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Denyse Perry

Biography

Denyse specializes in helping professionals and teams navigate conflict, communicate effectively, and solve problems in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world. With a particular focus on the rise of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), she guides leaders and professionals in making authentic, ethical decisions that align with their values while promoting well-being.

Denyse helps individuals manage high-stakes interactions by fostering emotional regulation, deep listening, and empathy, ensuring decisions are purposeful and grounded in ethics. She works with teams to strengthen problem-solving, improve collaboration, and build trust—ultimately driving productivity, reducing waste, and supporting a healthy, resilient work culture.

By coaching professionals on clear, efficient communication, Denyse helps to enhance team dynamics, reduce misunderstandings, and promote a more productive and harmonious environment. Her approach emphasizes adaptability, emotional intelligence, and the importance of well-being in achieving personal and professional success.

With decades of experience in human development and a passion for guiding others, Denyse empowers clients to navigate the complexities of both high-pressure work environments and personal relationships, ensuring they thrive while staying true to their core values.

Distinctions & Awards

Francine Page Excellence in Teaching Award from Champlain College in May of 2024

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Book: Nonviolent Communication; Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships, third edition, Dr. Marshall Rosenberg
• Book: The Myth of Normal; Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture, Dr. Gabor Mate
• Book: Us; Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship, Terrence Real

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Emily Peters

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Dan Petterson

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Adrienne Phillips Luhr

Biography

Adrienne is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) and has worked in the Champlain College Counseling Center since 2017. Her professional interests include identity exploration and concerns, family of origin issues, interpersonal relationship issues, emotional awareness and education, trauma, anxiety and depression. Her professional training and approach is trauma-informed, drawing on attachment, emotion-focused/somatic based therapies and mindfulness strategies. She enjoys helping people examine their personal values, affirming their resilience and inner strengths. She works collaboratively with her students to explore how systems of oppression, power differentials and social location impact mental health and wellbeing. She strives to establish safe and supportive therapeutic relationships based in humility, curiosity and compassion.

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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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Stephen Piela

Biography

Steve is a proud Champlain College graduate of the Class of 2011. His love for rugby began during his tenure as a founding member of the Champlain College Rugby from 2006-2011. Following his playing days, he transitioned into coaching, serving as an Assistant Rugby Coach from 2011 to 2015. Since then, he has proudly taken on the mantle of Champlain College Women’s Rugby Coach, guiding and mentoring a new generation of athletes with dedication and enthusiasm. As someone who became an athlete in college, his favorite part of coaching is witnessing a player find empowerment through being part of a team and discovering their abilities and fortitude, which are hallmarks of rugby culture. Beyond the rugby pitch, he works as a Treasury Management Sales Consultant at M&T Bank. He lives in Essex Junction with his wife Maggie and their 3 cats.

What are your hobbies?

Travel, dining, computer science

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

El Gato, the Middlebury Tasting Trail, watching local rugby

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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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Nicholas Pierce

Biography

Nick is the current Access Services Manager for the Champlain College Library at the Miller Information Commons, and has held a career in academic libraries for over 15 years. He’s worked at several institutions- Skidmore, Babson, UVM, and most recently, Yale. Nick loves leading and managing teams focused in access services and collections management, but he also has experience in interlibrary loan, preservation, and reference work. He lives in South Hero with his wife, Julia, who works as a wedding photographer, and their 3-year-old rescue pup Pickles. Nick is absolutely thrilled to be joining, contributing to and serving the Champlain community.

Hobbies

Hiking with my wife Julia & Pickles the pup, homebrewing, reading!

Favorite Local Eateries & Things to do in Vermont

Two Heroes Brewery, Winooski River Walk, Colchester Pond, Museum of Everyday Life!

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Michael Pierorazio

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John Pile Jr

Biography

John Pile Jr is a Technical Director and Principal Engineering Manager at Schell Games. Previously a full-time professor for Champlain College, John now teaches as an adjunct faculty for the Game Studio.

John has a deep background in digital entertainment, video games, and interactive story-telling experiences for PCs, Mobile, Game Consoles, and specializes in MR / VR / XR. He is the author of “2D Graphics Programming for Games” and has presented at the Game Developer Conference on topics in computer graphics education.

Publications & Abstracts

2D Graphics Programming for Games

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Andersen Pinckney

Biography

Andersen is a Game Design graduate from Champlain College’s class of 2020. He has worked as an aerospace software engineer for Saber Astronautics, a project manager for the DoD, and in production for Rockstar Games. He has been an adjunct professor for Champlain College since Fall 2021.

Favorite Quote

“Shake and bake, baby!”

–Ricky Bobby

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Hallie Pixley

Biography

Hallie Pixley is the Sustainable Transportation Coordinator with Campus Operations, where she passionately advocates for biking and active transportation. A 2024 graduate of Champlain College, Hallie holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and Policy. Her dedication to promoting sustainable transportation solutions is driven by her commitment to environmental stewardship and community well-being.

What are your hobbies?

Hallie loves biking, skiing, playing guitar, going to see live music, and painting/drawing (as well as most things involving the great outdoors).

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Nothing beats The Grey Jay’s shakshuka followed by a bike ride down the Colchester Causeway!

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