Faculty & Academics

Toni Balboni

Biography

Toni Balboni is a young professional who has a background in Forensic and Legal Psychology. She has interned with the Washington DC Public Defender’s Office as well as worked with the Innocence Project in Virginia, with a strong focus on investigation. Toni anticipates learning just as much from her students as they do from her.

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Melyssa Sweet

Biography

Dr. Melyssa Sweet is an adjunct professor at Champlain College, bringing extensive practical experience to her teaching. She holds a Master of Science in Educational Psychology & Methodology, a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Psychology, and a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in School Psychology from the University at Albany, SUNY.

Dr. Sweet currently works full-time as a school psychologist in the Burlington School District. Her professional journey also includes roles in teaching, school psychology in various PreK-12 public schools, counseling and case management in a residential treatment center for at-risk youth, and autism evaluation. This diverse background enables Dr. Sweet to provide students with a unique perspective enriched with real-life examples. Her research interests encompass trauma, effective program implementation, and wellness practices. Passionate about teaching psychology at the college level, she emphasizes the subject’s relevance to everyday life and relationships, aiming to empower students with knowledge that enhances their personal and professional lives.

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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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Jennifer Supple

Biography

Jennifer Supple has been teaching at Champlain College since 2017. She teaches classes in Environmental Science, Nutrition, and Biology. Jennifer received an M.S. in Ecology/Plant Ecology from the University of Connecticut and an M.S. in Natural Resources/Forest Health from the University of New Hampshire. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Colby College in Maine.

Jennifer’s graduate work analyzed tree ring growth and needle health to help understand the effects of air pollution and climate on white pine trees in New England. She has worked in science curriculum development with a special interest in forest health and global climate change. She is also interested in the impacts of nutrition and environmental problems on human health.

In addition to helping her students expand their knowledge of important biological, health, and environmental topics, Jennifer is committed to helping her students understand the scientific process and appreciate the relevance and impact that science has on their lives and society.

Outside the classroom, Jennifer loves to hike, trail run and ski with family and friends.

Distinctions & Awards

Space Grant Fellow, UNH Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, & Space

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Faith Yacubian

Biography

Faith Yacubian, Ed.D. earned her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in 2020. She is an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and teaches in both the SoSI and Core Divisions. She is also the Program Coordinator for the Signature Course Program in SoSI. She is avid scholar of Post-Colonial Theory, Feminist Theories, Queer Theory, and Critical Whiteness Studies. As a academic-activist, she filters her scholarly queries through the insights and stories provided by community-activists and advocacy organizations in Burlington and Winooski.

Distinctions & Awards

Outstanding Dissertation Award ”  University of Vermont, VT 2021

Service-Learning Faculty Award ”  Champlain College, VT 2021

INCLUDE Faculty/Staff Award ”  Champlain College, VT 2018

SGA’s Leadership in Excellence Award ”  Champlain College, VT. 2018

Office of Diversity and Inclusion Administrator Award ”  Champlain College, VT 2009

Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion Ally Award ”  Champlain College, VT 2008

Publications & Abstracts

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Professoriate And The Embodiment Of Epistemic Coloniality/whiteness: A Call For A Contemplative Approach To Academic Freedom

Favorite Quote

“If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

—Aboriginal activists group Queensland, 1970s

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Niels Caul

Biography

Dr. Niels Caul graduated with a PhD from University College Dublin in 2022. He has previously presented papers at the James Joyce Symposia in Dublin and Trieste, the James Joyce Italian Foundation Conference in Rome and the 2021 International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures. He has curated literary exhibitions for Museum of Literature Ireland and more recently “Revolutionary Dublin’s Literary Networks: C.P. Curran, Helen Laird and James Joyce’s Ulysses” for University College Dublin Special Collections.

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Annemarie Conlon

Biography

Dr. Annemarie Conlon teaches social work foundation courses. She is a licensed clinical therapist specializing in anxiety-related disorders. Her experience includes working at MD Anderson Cancer Center, providing family-centered counseling to people diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. She has also spent one year as a pre-dissertation intern with Dr. Jimmie Holland at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Annemarie received the American Cancer Society Grant in Clinical Oncology Social Work as a doctoral student and was a Hartford Pre-dissertation Awardee, Cohort III. Before coming to Vermont, she was the social work lead on three federal and foundation grants centering on the interprofessional education of students, faculty, and health care providers who attend to the health care needs of older adults. Annemarie got her start in health care as a graduate intern at Legacy Community Health in Houston, Texas, where she worked with people diagnosed with HIV.

Before entering the health field, Annemarie spent over a decade at American Express in New York City, where she held positions of increasing responsibility. These included the titles of pricing analyst, financial analyst, sr. financial analyst, financial systems lead, and manager of international business development. She worked with a multi-disciplinary team in that position to develop the American Express Card as a franchise in emerging overseas markets.

Distinctions & Awards

Francine Page Excellence in Teaching Award (2023)

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Rachel Hooper

Biography

As a Creative Media Faculty member at Champlain College, Rachel Hooper teaches a range of courses including Human-Centered Design, Creative Media, and Video Game Production. She empowers students to seek patterns, connect dots, and imagine new futures by using data and empathy to uncover and define problems worth solving.

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Jeffrey Messina

Biography

Jeffrey M. Messina, Esq. is an attorney in private practice in Burlington, VT. His practice generally focuses on Business Law, Commercial Transactions, and Commercial Litigation in Vermont state and federal court. He also represents clients in Administrative proceedings such as licensing, Department of Labor, and Office of Professional Regulation.

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Valerie Esposito

Biography

Valerie Esposito has been at Champlain since July 2010 and is the Director for the Applied Sustainability and Environmental Studies and Policy programs. She teaches courses on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, Women’s Leadership, Place-based Sustainability, Ecological Economics, Mindfulness, Becoming Part of the Creative Economy and the Capstone.

Valerie attended American University, earning a B.A. in Justice. She received an M.A. from Brown University in Environmental Studies. She obtained her Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Ecological Economics from the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics and the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. Prior to coming to Champlain she served as the Executive Director of the Vermont Earth Institute.

After college Valerie spent two years living abroad in Costa Rica and Chile, where she participated in environmental volunteer work and taught English. She pursued her international interests in her doctoral work, conducting research and working with local non-profit and non-governmental organizations in Costa Rica, Peru and the Dominican Republic. She is very interested in bringing this experience to the classroom, to ensure relevant local, national and global issues are addressed. Her research interests include ecological literacy, education for sustainability, service learning and ecological economic policy implementation.

Valerie enjoys spending time with family and friends and taking advantage of Vermont’s natural and cultural playground, through skiing, hiking, biking, canoeing, camping, theater visits and seeing live music. Sustainable travel, gardening, cooking, reading and cultivating her inner yogini also keep her busy.

Distinctions & Awards

John Lavalle Innovation Award, 2019
Academic Innovation Award, 2023

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• US Society for Ecological Economics
• International Society for Ecological Economics
• North American Association for Environmental Education
• Association for Environmental Studies and Science

Curriculum Vitae

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Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Kimmerer, R.W. Braiding Sweetgrass
  A beautiful and poetic exploration of how humans can reimagine a holistic, inclusive relationship with the environment and all living beings based on indigenous wisdom and ways of knowing.
• Kaza, S. Mindfully Green: A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking
  Explores Buddhist ideals of reducing harm, being with ecosystems and taking a deep systems view to implement the green practice path.
• Eisler, R. The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating A Caring Economics
  Explores the impact of the caring economy to give visibility and value to the socially and economically essential work of caring for people and the planet.

Favorite Quote

“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.”

—Robin Wall Kimmerer

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John Stroup

Biography

John Stroup came to Champlain College in the fall of 2009, having received his PhD in Education from the University of Virginia and his BA from The University of the South. Before receiving his PhD, Professor Stroup taught Middle School and High School English and Social Studies in San Antonio, TX. Among his many responsibilities, he also coached the middle school boys basketball team.

Professor Stroup’s research focuses on teacher education, educational technology and civic education. His current research investigates the ways in which youth become engaged in political and civic activities. He is a scholar and teacher in Middle and Secondary Teacher Education. He is a member of the Executive Council for the Vermont Educator Preparation Inquiry Collaborative (EPIC) which oversees the the Vermont Licensure Portfolio Statewide Calibration System.

Professor Stroup notes that “Learning is the experience of developing, and often changing, previously held knowledge, aims and behaviors. Great teachers make learning possible by marshalling together the widest variety of issues and perspectives for in-depth exploration. This exploration is most valuable when students are confident to participate fully and creatively.”

About his teaching, Professor Stroup believes that “Teacher educators bear a crucial responsibility. As a teacher of teachers, I know that my influence goes far beyond my own classroom walls. My effort to educate future teachers impacts the learning communities of future generations. In this sense, I view my teaching responsibilities as my commitment to participate positively in my own community.”

Distinctions & Awards

Champlain College Service-Learning Faculty Award Recipient, 2019-2020.
Champlain College, Pay it Forward Diversity Award Recipient, 2014-2015.
Vermont Campus Compact, Campus Leadership for Civic Engagement Finalist, 2012.
Vermont Campus Compact, Engaged Scholar Finalist, 2010.

Publications & Abstracts

Stroup, J. (August, 2018). Vermont Creative Schools Initiative Year 1 & 2 Evaluation Report. Montpelier, VT: Community Engagement Lab. https://www.communityengagementlab.org/research

Stroup, J., Dodson, K., Elias, K., & Gewirtzman, A. (forthcoming 2015) A Passion for service? The motivations for volunteerism among first year college students. Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. View article here: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1102757

Jones, J. N., Warnaar, B. L., Bench, J. H., & Stroup, J. (2014). Promoting the development of moral identity, behavior, and commitment in a social action program. Journal of Peace Education, 1-21. View article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17400201.2014.898626

Stroup, J. T., Bunting, H., Dodson, K., Horne, M., & Portilla, J. (2013). Promoting a Deliberative and Active Citizenry: Developing Traditional First Year College Student Political Engagement. College Teaching, 61(4), 116-126. View article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/87567555.2013.809327

Jones, J.N., Bench, J.H., Warnaar, B.L., & Stroup, J.T. (2013). Participation as Relational Process: Unpacking Involvement in Social Action and Community Service. Afterschool Matters, 18(2), 9-16. View article here: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1016820

Curriculum Vitae

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Ariana Cano

Biography

Dr. Ariana Cano was born in Caracas, Venezuela, an upbringing constantly surrounded by adventures to El Avila and Morrocoy National Parks; the two “outdoor” environments that first introduced her to adventure, camping, and environmental protection. At age 11, Ariana’s family moved to the United States. She went on to attend Florida State University where she pursued a B.S. in Political Science and a B.A. in English. With the lack of environmental education in her repertoire, Ariana decided to pursue a Master of Science at the University of Vermont. She studied the effects of community supported agriculture and the impact these have on people’s attitude towards local food systems. She obtained her Ph.D. in Environmental Social Psychology at the University of Vermont.

Ariana’s main passion is teaching about social justice and sustainable development. She has had the opportunity to teach at different colleges and lead groups internationally to learn about efficient efforts to grow sustainable communities. She loves teaching and coaching people on how to become better environmentalists, as well as getting outdoors and enjoying nature. Ariana is a firm believer of grassroots movements, social justice, and political action. She also sits on the Board for Registration of Voters of her current city and constantly emphasizes the importance for people to get out and vote and be involved in the political system.

In her free time, you can find Ariana biking (either mountain or road because bikes are just awesome), playing volleyball, kayaking, and swimming. In the winter, she misses the warmth of the tropics but gets by snowboarding.

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