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Kathleen Ehlers

Biography

Kathleen A. Ehlers is a high-impact, results-driven senior college management professional with over 20 years of experience in higher education. Renowned for her innovative thinking and commitment to enhancing educational opportunities, Kathleen excels in identifying and leveraging untapped opportunities to improve services, streamline operations, and reduce costs without compromising academic quality. She combines business acumen with a deep devotion to education, ensuring responsible budget management, effective policy establishment, and compliance with legal mandates.

Kathleen has a proven track record of driving significant improvements in key performance metrics. Under her leadership, admissions applications increased by 169%, and total traffic grew by 141% over one academic year. She developed and implemented a highly effective admissions team, introduced cutting-edge lead management tools, and launched successful digital advertising campaigns, achieving click-through rates of 15.75% and conversion rates of 6.32%. Her strategic initiatives have consistently exceeded enrollment and registration goals, securing substantial grants and deepening community partnerships.

Throughout her career, Kathleen has demonstrated exceptional strategic leadership in traditional, online, graduate, and professional studies, resulting in notable enrollment growth. She successfully reduced operational expenses by $500K through strategic evaluations and implemented new intake sessions to expand enrollment opportunities. Kathleen’s efforts have consistently led to increased retention rates, higher student satisfaction, and remarkable revenue growth.

Kathleen’s relentless dedication to education and strategic leadership have driven consistent success in her career. She remains a transformative force in higher education, championing diversity and inclusion while improving processes and outcomes for students and institutions alike.

What are your hobbies?

Travel, read, spend time with family, Rotary member and community advocate.

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Kate Reid

Biography

Kate is an accomplished marketing professional and writer with a proven track record in strategic marketing communications and brand development. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in writing and image from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. With an eye and ear for storytelling, she brings her love for language and people to organizations, helping them to visualize their data and humanize their brand experience through various mediums.

With extensive experience in launching innovative marketing tools and processes, including Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Kate excels at reaching new audiences and driving engagement, even with limited resources.

Known for her direct, inquisitive, and collaborative approach, Kate excels at aligning expectations across diverse teams. As an agile-trained leader, she champions shared accountability and has successfully mentored numerous new hires, even during challenging times. Her leadership skills have been tested in complex staffing situations, where she has demonstrated courage and maintained a supportive team environment.

Kate is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She actively works to create an inclusive environment that values different perspectives and experiences, believing that diverse teams drive innovation.

Kate’s portfolio includes high-impact branding initiatives, such as the rebranding of the HVC Cares van for Dartmouth Health and the successful launch of the Vermont Blue Advantage® health insurance brand.

Kate lives in Waterbury, Vermont, with her husband Colin, their dog Linus, and cat Perry. She has a deep appreciation for the outdoors and, when not at work, can be found hiking, biking, reading, and paddle boarding.

Hobbies

Downhill mountain biking, paddle boarding, reading, writing, hiking, and cooking

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont

I love spending time at Bolton Valley biking, the Waterbury Reservoir in the warmer months and I enjoy dining out at the incredible restaurants we have in our region like Black Back Pub and Gallus in Waterbury, VT.

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Kaitie Catania

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Samantha Corey

Biography

Samantha Corey serves as Interim Associate Director of Marketing, Creative at Champlain College, where she focuses on helping teams do their best work through clear processes, open communication, and creative problem-solving. She brings experience from publishing, event marketing, and brand promotion, most notably at Hemmings, where she helped launch Hemmings Auctions and led creative operations for national events. At Questech, she expanded her expertise into trend and market research, supporting brand-forward campaigns and influencer partnerships that connected products with new audiences. Samantha believes the best results come from strong collaboration, and she’s known for rolling up her sleeves to stabilize workflows, remove roadblocks, and give creative teams the space to thrive.

Favorite Local Eateries

Lil’ Britain, Bennington, VT

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Tyler Dion

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Carrie Houlihan

Biography

Carrie brings over a decade of experience managing graphic design teams and projects for print, events, and online products. Carrie’s background includes everything from brand identity to large-scale production.

Hobbies

Anything art-related!

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Danni Johnson

Biography

Danni is a creative writer, editor, and digital designer who graduated from Champlain College with a BFA in Creative Media as Summa Cum Laude. She was born in Honesdale Pennsylvania and grew up in a small town of 1800 people before moving to California with her husband Sam and two cats, Wonton and Nori.

Her journey in storytelling equipped her with a passion for crafting compelling and meaningful narratives worthy of remembering. She nurtured a keen understanding of the profound impact storytelling can have and is driven by a passion for creating stories that forge lasting connections and evoke emotions. While studying, Danni worked as a student worker for the Marketing Department at Champlain and the Miller Information Commons Library, and continued contracting for her alma mater after graduating before accepting a position as an Assistant Content Producer at Champlain. She specializes in CMS, web design, web administration, writing and editing, and digital content.

She enjoys crocheting, playing narrative-driven games, listening to music, and sipping the occasional hot cup of tea from her vast collection of teapots.

Distinctions & Awards

2022 Champlain College – “William J. Everts Jr. Wild and Outside Award”

2022 Champlain College – Division of Communication and Creative Media “Excel Award”

Publications & Abstracts

Darkfire Chronicles Podcast

Apples – 2019, Wingless Dreamer Poetry Anthology

Attack – 2021, Willard & Maple

Blackjack – 2021, Willard & Maple

Snowman – 2021, The Haunted Horrorstorian

Postage – 2021, The Haunted Horrorstorian

It’s Just an Actor – 2021, The Haunted Horrorstorian

What are your hobbies?

Reading & writing, listening to music, skiing, crocheting, playing video games, and 3D printing/painting.

Favorite Local Eateries

Dobra Tea, Gaku Ramen, and Three Needs on Church Street!

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Kwami Maranga

Biography

Kwami is a writer with a background in copywriting, content design and user experience. He’s helped brands craft content for their target audiences and led content strategy efforts across social media, marketing, web and mobile platforms.

Hobbies

Writing, running, listening to music, playing video games and trying new food.

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Hannah Rounds

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Katie Shope

Biography

From posting on Facebook in 3rd grade to making YouTube videos in her bedroom at age 10, Katie has been crafting digital stories her entire life. She holds a B.S. in Strategic Communication with a focus in advertising and a minor in art from Slippery Rock University, where she developed her multimedia skills.

Katie’s background spans hosting and producing a podcast, crafting live TV segments, along with photography, graphic design, and content creation. While continuing to gain experience in communication, she is looking forward to capturing the moments and voices that define the Champlain experience.

As our Social Media and Community Specialist, Katie is dedicated to amplifying student and faculty achievements and the collaborative spirit that makes our campus unique. She’s always ready to discover the next compelling story worth sharing across our platforms.

When she’s not crafting content or staying current with the latest trends, Katie can be found at coffee shops, catching live music, writing songs, exploring new places, or adventuring with her dog Philo.

Hobbies

Rock Climbing, Writing, Playing Guitar, Traveling

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Morgan Thibodeau

Biography

Morgan is a graphic designer and illustrator who thrives on creating meaningful, impactful designs. As an alum, they’re excited to contribute to the creative community that helped shape their journey.

With a BFA in Graphic Design & Visual Communication, Morgan has gained experience working on a variety of design projects, including branding, marketing materials, and educational content. They enjoy finding creative solutions that communicate ideas in ways that feel fresh and accessible, while staying true to the brand or message being conveyed.

In their role at Champlain College, Morgan looks forward to supporting the college’s visual identity, collaborating with colleagues across departments, and bringing their creative vision to a wide range of design projects. They are always excited to take on new challenges and continue growing as a designer in an environment that fosters creativity and innovation.

When not designing, Morgan enjoys being in nature—whether kayaking, hiking, or camping—and is always keeping an eye out for new ways to stay inspired, connect with others, and keep learning.

Hobbies

Printmaking, kayaking, hammocking, and reading!

Favorite Local Eateries

My favorite local eateries are Sneaker’s Bistro, Daily Planet, Bluebird Barbecue, and Leunig’s Petit Bijou (the truffle fries, specifically)!

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Jason Trahan

Biography

Graphic Designer Jason Trahan holds a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Castleton University as well as an associate’s degree in Graphics Multimedia & Web Design from the New England Institute of Technology. Before getting hired by Champlain College, Jason had just finished his bachelor’s degree and was actively working to grow his creative portfolio, making this position a significant step towards his goal of being a professional graphic designer.

Jason lives and breathes design. Growing up, his lack of traditional artistic experience led him to express himself through simple drawings like symbols, icons, and logos that he’d either seen around or came up with himself. No school folder or homework assignment was safe from his doodles. Now, branding and logo design are his favorite kinds of design, constantly thinking about what his brand is and how he wants to be perceived by others. Some of his favorite brands from a design perspective are Boundary Supply, Starbucks, Polestar, and Zero Gravity.

Throughout his education, Jason was responsible for the completion of many multi-faceted graphic design projects. One of the most notable was leading a small group of other graphic design students in a rebranding project for the town of Poultney Vermont, as President of the Castleton Content Lab, Castleton University’s graphic design club. Since starting at Champlain, Jason has held a key role, assisting with the ongoing development of the college’s website, and producing promotional materials.

When he’s not building web pages or designing mailers, Jason likes to spend his time admiring the world around him. Camera in hand, Jason is always looking for the perfect weather and light to practice his photography skills. On particularly nasty days, you’ll find him in a cozy coffee shop watching sailing videos on youtube and editing photos. Jason also enjoys hiking, camping, cooking, listening to rock music, eating cider donuts, and exploring the lake on his family’s boat.

What are your hobbies?

Photography, Hiking, Camping, Listening to Music, Boating

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Eat: Cold Hollow Cider Mill, El Cortijo, Vivid Coffee.
Explore: Burlington Waterfront, Sterling Pond, Moss Glenn Falls.
Shop: Slate, Common Deer, Helly Hansen.

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Emily Wright

Biography

Emily Wright is a Communications Specialist with a background in content strategy, student outreach, and digital engagement. She brings over three years of experience crafting communications that inform, engage, and inspire. Before joining Champlain College, Emily led data-driven outreach initiatives at the University of Arizona, where she built automated workflows in Salesforce and presented nationally on student engagement and assessment.

She’s passionate about creating clear, thoughtful messages that help people feel connected, and she’s not afraid to wrestle with software to make that happen. With a foundation in creative and technical writing, Emily loves blending strategy with storytelling to make complex systems feel simple and communication feel personal.

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