JoAnn Patel

Amanda Crispel

Biography

Amanda is the Acting Dean of the Division of Communication and Creative Media, the Chair of the Game Studio (a seven-program cohort of faculty and students), and a Professor of Game Design. She has been a faculty member of Champlain College since 2005, and has an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art focused on games as a persuasive communication medium.

Amanda Crispel is a veteran of the game industry. She has worked for companies such as Brøderbund Software, Mattel, Lego, Leapfrog, The Learning Company and Nickelodeon, and she specializes in games and interactive media for children and families and games with persuasive or educational purposes.

She has also worked on several research grants in the serious game space targeting the prevention of sexual violence against women.

What are your hobbies?

Dragonboat Paddling, Woodworking, Skiing

Favorite local eateries and things to do in Vermont:

Being on Lake Champlain, or enjoying a beautiful evening at a lake shore eatery.

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Alexander Adrian

Biography

Alexander really likes being outdoors and especially being outdoors with a camera in hand. He’s passionate about creating and telling stories and loves to experiment with new ways of doing that.

Over the last decade Alexnder has worked through all areas of creative and production – from directing award winning films and brand campaigns to television shows and live events. Through all that time he still find nothing better than the process of taking something from an idea on paper to a tangible story or piece of content for the world to see.

Alexander is as comfortable out on a mountain ridge as he is on film set and loves developing and working on great creative.

Distinctions & Awards

Distinctions & Awards

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Emily Andrews

Biography

Emily Andrews is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Vermont. Her educational journey led her to Syracuse University, where she earned a BFA in Illustration, and later to Champlain College for an MFA in the Emergent Media program.

Emily’s work is deeply rooted in both digital and traditional media, with a particular affinity for the texture and tactility of traditional printmaking. Her creative sensibilities lean towards comics and visual storytelling, and her portfolio spans a diverse array of projects including logos, branding assets, and a graphic novels.

In her freelance capacity, Emily has brought her unique visual language to a variety of local publications and authors, among others. Her commitment to her craft and adaptability across various media have enabled her to consistently deliver compelling visual narratives that resonate with her clients and audience.

Publications & Abstracts

Seven Days

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Kel Bachus

Biography

Kel is an author and veteran of the video game industry; they’ve worked on everything from titles like Elder Scrolls Online, to mobile games to the last game ever made for the Atari Jaguar. Working in game development as both a designer and writer while publishing in genre fiction led to teaching with a very story-forward focus. In 2022, Kel created Champlain’s Interactive Narrative major to meet the increasing need for narrative specialists in the current market.

Champlain provided the perfect opportunity to create not only cutting edge curriculum for story creators, but to work on issues of equity and justice in this sometimes problematic field. Kel’s interest is in radically inclusive spaces and decolonized processes; they work with students on a range of projects in their own studios, often with a justice focus.

Kel founded Rad Magpie, a Vermont nonprofit supporting underrepresented developers, and runs a summer studio for students working on independent projects and starting their own companies.

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John Billingsley

Biography

John has diverse broadcast and media production experience, having worked in various capacities in television, radio, film and music production. Early in his career, he spent many years working in the music business in New York City while on staff at two major recording studios, Quad Studios and Looking Glass Studios. During this time, John worked on and received engineering credits on many major label releases, including albums by Phillip Glass, Nils Lofgren and Phish. Later, as a freelance audio engineer in New York, he worked for a variety of television stations and independent production companies, including MTV, VH1, The Oxygen Network and Giants Football Broadcasting.

More recently, John spent a decade working as a producer and production engineer at Vermont Public where he recorded, edited and mixed audio for broadcast and podcasts on a daily basis. In addition to producing audio content, he created videos for the station’s website. John developed and produced a music video performance series titled Live From The Fort that ran for 5 years, garnishing over 100,000 views on Youtube. He also developed, produced and occasionally hosted, a weekly series titled Safe and Sound, that focused on Vermont musicians.

Through his production company, Breadbox Productions, John have produced several documentaries. One feature documentary he co-produced, directed and wrote, Liemba, tells the story of Africa’s oldest operational ship which plies the waters of Lake Tanganyika. He has also written, performed and mixed the musical scores for several independent productions. Through the use of midi, samples and virtual instruments, he composes in styles ranging from hip-hop to classical.

John received a Bachelor of Arts from St. Lawrence University and a Master of Arts in Media Studies from The New School.

Publications & Abstracts

Liemba

Favorite Quote

“Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

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John Boyd

Biography

Boyd started teaching at Champlain College in the fall of 2012. He teaches multiple topics within the Game Design curriculum including game design, system design, and level design.

As a game designer, he helped develop eight titles on a variety of development platforms including PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Notable titles include: Rage (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Xbox 360, PS3), Kinect Star Wars (Xbox 360), Medal of Honor: Airborne (Xbox 360), Luxor3 (PC), and Sin Episodes: Emergence (PC).

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Mallory Breiner

Biography

Mallory Breiner makes painting, sculpture and installation that collage visual language from art history, film, found internet images and personal photographs to investigate ideas about gender, motherhood, labor, emotions and art-making. She received her MFA from Hunter College (New York, NY) in combined media in 2014 and her BA in Fine Arts and English Literature from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont in 2007. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Art at Champlain College and Saint Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont.

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Cheryl Casey

Biography

Cheryl Casey joined the Communication & Creative Media faculty in 2013. She teaches introductory courses in media, communication, and culture. Cheryl advises Communication students and also serves as faculty adviser to the CCM chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society.

Cheryl’s research areas include media literacy, critical media studies, language and culture, media history, and communication ethics. She is most recently a co-author of two textbooks, Navigating Your Information Landscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Media and Information Literacy (2023, Cognella) and New Media, Communication, & Society (2019, Peter Lang). Cheryl has contributed to such publications as the International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy (2016, John Wiley & Sons) and the international journal, Explorations in Media Ecology. Her work has been accepted for presentation in both international and national forums and has received several conference Top Paper awards.

On the other side of life, Cheryl is active in community organizations, serving as president of the Waterbury Historical Society and on the board of Stowe Theatre Guild, as well as supporting local journalism as a correspondent for the Waterbury Roundabout. She also loves running, reading dark crime thrillers, hiking, camping, knitting, gardening, dancing, and hanging out with her dog, Daisy.

Cheryl holds a B.A. in Media Studies from Sacred Heart University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Media Ecology from New York University.

Distinctions & Awards

Award of Excellence, League of Local Historical Societies & Museums, Vermont Historical Society (2020) for producing the video series, Waterbury Women: Stories and Inspiration, for the Waterbury (VT) Historical Society. (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNp4A6tdVDFE5uzwKpsg2q-rX-Ng3ETQm)

Finalist, Media Ecology Association Book of the Year (2020), for New Media, Communication & Society.

John LaVallee Innovation Award, Champlain College, (2017) for implementation of a new curriculum management system (Curriculog).

Neil Postman Mentor Award, New York State Communication Association (2013), in recognition of “the degree of intellectual and personal leadership, enthusiasm for learning, and generous spirit required to cultivate future generations of scholars.”

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• National Communication Association
• Eastern Communication Association
• Media Ecology Association

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Department Q detective series by Jussi Adler-Olsen
• NPR podcast, Throughline
• NPR podcast, Code Switch
• WNYC podcast, On the Media
• CrashCourse: Black American History, with Clint Smith (https://youtu.be/xPx5aRuWCtc)

Favorite Quote

“At its best, schooling can be about how to make a life, which is quite different from how to make a living.”

—Neil Postman, The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School

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Christopher DeGuise

Biography

Christopher DeGuise is a professor at Champlain College and the founder and game developer at Instance Entertainment. DeGuise is an entrepreneur and a technologist with more than 20 years of experience working as an IT professional. DeGuise has an equal interest in the technology and business sides of his field, and believes technology has the ability to automate and simplify our lives.

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Matthew Dismuke

Biography

Dismuke works in the game industry and taught an Advanced Seminar class.

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Christopher Dreisbach

Biography

Christopher Dreisbach is an award-winning filmmaker, musician, and fine artist with over a decade of professional experience.

American Film Institute Conservatory, Master of Fine Arts (specializing in Directing)
Hampshire College, Bachelor of Arts

Distinctions & Awards

Alfred P. Sloan Science & Film Award

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Film: Housekeeping (1987), Directed by Bill Forsyth
• Music: Talk Talk – Laughing Stock (1991)
• Book: The Visiting Privilege by Joy Williams

Favorite Quote

“Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.”

—Robert Bresson

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Ryan Dunleavy

Biography

Ryan is a freelance artist specializing in motion graphics, animation, editing, and video production. He has 18 years of experience including 11 at a creative agency in Seattle, WA. After leaving his job there, he traveled around the world and eventually ended up in Colchester, VT, where he has 2 dogs, 3 goats, and 8 chickens.

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Watch all movies by Edgar Wright
• Read the Dune Series (and new movie)
• Watch the Arcane animated series

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

Favorite Quote

“Self realization. I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates who said, ‘I drank what?'”

—Val Kilmer, Real Genius (1985)

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Erik Esckilsen

Biography

Erik Esckilsen came to Champlain College from the publishing industry, where he worked as a writer and editor. Today he teaches writing-intensive courses in a range of subjects, emphasizing art and digital culture, and remains active as an essayist, fiction writer, journalist, and scholar.

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Sinyoung Evans

Biography

Sinyoung Ra Evans is a born-in-Japan, Korean-American instructor. She started her career teaching English in Japan, and currently teaches Japanese in a high school, in an online program, and at Champlain College.

From the beginning, her teaching philosophy has remained the same: teacher as a learner, teacher as an entertainer! In other words, she tries not to forget to see the lesson plans, materials, and activities from the learner’s point of view. She says, “Probably I am lucky to be a non-native speaker of English who needs to keep monitoring English language use consciously and subconsciously in my daily life.” She tries to find something interesting “such as songs, games, films, products, and such” so that students can connect their target language to the real world naturally. As she travels nationally and internationally, as she teaches in the classrooms, as she guides and translates for exchange programs in Japan and in the U.S., she truly believes connecting knowledge to actual successful communication brings genuine smiles to the students and contributes significantly to their achievement of the learning.

Sinyoung Ra Evans has an MA in TESOL from Saint Michael’s College and a Vermont State K-12 educator’s license for ESL and Japanese.

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Jonathan Ferguson

Biography

Jonathan Ferguson, Assistant Professor, Game Design and Game Production, Division of Communications and Creative Media at Champlain College is a Game Designer and software freedom advocate. Prof. Ferguson has over 27 years of technology development experience, spanning careers in Cybersecurity, Software Development, Game Development, and Teaching. Prof. Ferguson maintains particular interests in free and open source software, game technology, game history and game preservation and access. Prof. Ferguson holds a Masters of Science in Managing Innovation in Information Technology from Champlain College.

Prof. Ferguson is the creator of the Game History Collection at Champlain College. The mission of the Game History Collection is to preserve and provide access to historical games for study and play. This requires ongoing preservation and maintenance of game software, hardware and online platforms needed to replicate the experiences of historical games. Providing access to past experiences drives the preservation efforts of the Game History Collection in The Game Studio at Champlain College. The GHC offers access to thousands of games for students to study and play, providing direct access to original hardware, emulated games, and hardware-reimplementation.

Since 2009, Prof. Ferguson has served as the Faculty Advisor for the 3 hours weekly project-based Free and Open Source Technology Club (FOTC) at Champlain College, offering weekly opportunities to explore and discuss software and hardware freedom. Over the 2022-2023 academic year, students built a small-scale (Beowulf) compute cluster, and learned about Amateur Radio and Electronics.

Prof. Ferguson also supervises the Games Testing Lab in The Game Studio at Champlain College. Games Testing Lab typically runs five sessions of Games Testing per week, supporting testing options for Personal Computer, Mobile, Virtual Reality and physical prototypes.

Prof. Ferguson is also the Faculty advisor for the Juggling Club and the Destiny 2 Club.

Distinctions & Awards

2021 John Lavallee Innovation Award

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• ACM
• IEEE
• AAAS
• IGDA

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Scott Fleishman

Biography

Scott Fleishman is a seasoned professional in the broadcasting industry with over 20 years of experience behind and in front of the camera. He spent 11 years as a multimedia journalist and anchor at WCAX-TV in Burlington. With his versatile skill set, he has excelled in producing, anchoring, live reporting, and award-winning feature photography, covering all aspects of the newsroom.

In 2021, he embarked on a career transition, delving into the field of marketing. Initially serving as a Communications Specialist for Gifford Health Care in Randolph, Scott effectively utilized his extensive background to enhance the organization’s communication strategies.

Currently, he holds the position of Director of Social Media at DCD Automotive, overseeing the social media accounts of more than 25 prestigious auto dealerships. Demonstrating a deep understanding of digital marketing trends, Scott employs his creativity to engage audiences and spearhead impactful online campaigns.

Scott has showcased an exceptional ability to adapt to diverse professional environments throughout his career. His wealth of experience in broadcasting and marketing grants him a unique perspective, enabling him to create compelling narratives and deliver targeted messages that resonate with audiences.

Scott’s unwavering commitment to excellence continues to leave an indelible mark on the industries he explores. His passion for storytelling, nurtured through years in broadcasting and his innovative marketing acumen, positions him at the forefront of his field.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Scott remains dedicated to staying abreast of industry trends, exploring new technologies, and embracing creative challenges. His pursuit of personal growth and unwavering commitment to excellence fuel his continued success.

Scott Fleishman is an exceptional professional with an unparalleled skill set, leaving a lasting impact on both the broadcasting and marketing industries.

Distinctions & Awards

New England Emmy Award/5 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards

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Andrew Frost

Biography

Andrew Frost is a photographer, printer, bookmaker, and educator with over a decade of professional book and print experience.

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Timothy Hamel

Biography

Mr. Hamel is a 15-year veteran game developer who still actively works in the field. He has also been teaching game development for over seven years.

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals
• The Ultimate History of Video Games
• The Hobbit

Favorite Quote

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

—Yoda

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Michelle Hobbs

Biography

Michelle Hobbs has over 25 years of experience creating design that inspires engagement and impact for corporations and brands in a variety of sectors. Through her career she has managed her own design studio, built national brands, and managed creative teams. Michelle has taught design off and on over the past 10 years including Champlain College, the University of Vermont and the Community College of Vermont.

Currently she is a partner at ReFrame Lab, a strategy and consulting firm in Burlington, Vermont, where she is working to meet organizations and businesses in times of transition and help them recognize and visualize opportunities for greater alignment, creativity, and impact. She does this through design-centric workshop facilitation, strategic planning, and product design workshops.

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• AIGA
• Vermont Business for Social Responsibility

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Rebecca Holt

Biography

Becky began her career in journalism, where she was an award-winning newspaper and online editor for 20 years. She then spent a decade as a nonprofit development and communications director. Since 2016, Becky has helped nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals (youth and adults) learn how to share their stories through interactive workshops, personalized trainings, and one-on-one coaching. She also writes creative fiction for young adults. Becky has a Bachelor’s of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Distinctions & Awards

Gannett Supervisor of the Year (2008)
Missouri Lifestyle: National Award for General Excellence, First Place (2008)
Vermont Press Association: Outstanding Website, Daily (2008)
Gannett Chairman Award (2007)
Missouri Lifestyle: National Award for General Excellence, Second Place (2007)
Missouri Lifestyle: National Award for General Excellence, First Place (2004)

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• Member of Griffiths Leadership Society for Women, University of Missouri Alumni Association
• Church Street Marketplace Commissioner, City of Burlington, Vermont (2019-present; current Vice Chair)

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

Favorite Quote

“The sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it’s here is up to us. Journey wisely.”

—Alexandra Elle

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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. Additionally, she serves as the Project Manager at the Emergent Media Center, where 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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Ken Howell

Biography

Ken Howell is an Associate Professor in the Division of Communication & Creative Media, where he teaches in multiple programs. He started teaching at Champlain as an adjunct in 2006, having previously taught at the New York University Steinhardt School and New Jersey City University.

Ken has been working with Champlain’s Emergent Media Center (EMC) since 2008. He has worked on an array of projects, including the UNFPA Game to Prevent Violence Against Women and IBM Virtual Worlds project. Along with support from the EMC, Ken recently served as Faculty Advisor for the Sandbox team, a group of students exploring new and novel forms of human-computer interaction. Work from that team has been exhibited at the Chicago Design Museum, the Game Developers conference, and many other venues internationally. He also works with a group of artists called the Illumination Collective, exploring digitally controlled lighting as a means of art making.

In addition to teaching, Ken has been an independent Interaction Designer and Developer for over twenty years, and has worked on such broad-ranging brands as Urban Outfitters, Rossignol, Pantene, and Skittles. He is also active in the Maker Movement, and is a founding board member of Generator Makerspace

When he is not working or teaching, Ken enjoys drawing, painting, tinkering in his laboratory, taking care of his Bonsai trees, and all things outdoors.

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Benjamin Jelter

Biography

Ben Jelter is an illustrator, game designer, and instructor. He has created a large number of independent comics and video games over his career. His last release was The Machine, published through Incube8 games. His next published game will be Unearthed, an expanded version of the game that won GBCompo21. It will be published through Limited Run Games.

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Shadow of the Colossus (PS2, 2005)
• Ikaruga (Arcade, 2001)
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS, 2013)

Favorite Quote

“If the professors of English will complain to me that the students who come to the universities, after all those years of study, still cannot spell “friend,” I say to them that something’s the matter with the way you spell friend.”

—Richard Feynman

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Mark Johnson

Biography

Mark Johnson has had a 40-year career in Vermont journalism as a reporter, editor and talk show host. Johnson has worked at the Eagle Times in Springfield, the Burlington Free Press, the Vanguard Press, VTDigger.org and Seven Days as a reporter, editor and columnist. For 25 years, he hosted an influential political and general interest two-hour daily talk show on WKDR and WDEV radio stations. He also served as a regular panelist and guest host on Vermont Public Television’s weekly roundtable news show “Vermont This Week.” He and his wife, Lauren-Glenn Davitian, the founder of Town Meeting Television, and their daughter, Stella Rose, live in Burlington.

Distinctions & Awards

Vermont Association of Broadcasters Distinguished Service Award 2012

Favorite Quote

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

—Steven Covey

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Deborah Kehoe-Yergeau

Biography

Deborah began her career in 1981, working for some of the most reputable design firms in Boston. Her time was focused on Identity, Branding, Branded Environments, Publication Design and Annual Reports. She handled such accounts as Raytheon, Teradyne, Harvard Art Museums, supported many shows at WGBH/PBS Boston. She also has designed many books and publications for museums and publishers, and annual reports for Corporate 100 accounts. Her work has won many awards from the Boston Art Director’s Club, NY Annual Report Show, and has been published in Print, HOW and the AIGA Annual.

Concurrent with her design career, Deborah taught at The Art Institute of Boston, Clark University, New England School of Photography, Rhode Island School of Design, Saint Michael’s College and currently at Champlain College.

Prior to teaching full-time, Deborah as an entrepreneur built a team and led a successful design firm for over 30 years. She has a vast amount of designing thousands of projects for a wide range of clients. Her client groups were in, Education, Healthcare, Software, Retail, Publishing, Banking, Architecture, Engineering, Energy, Product Design and Non-Profit Organizations.

Distinctions & Awards

Gold & Silver Award / Boston Art Directors Club
Gold Award / Vermont Art Directors Club
Gold Award / NY Annual Report Show

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Nancy Kerr

Biography

Kerr brings a wealth of industry experience to her classroom setting. She spent 13 years as the division chair of Communication and the Arts at Dean College and seven years as a Communications faculty member at SUNY Plattsburgh. She’s had a variety of industry experience, including having worked as an on-air personality and news director in radio. She worked at several local television stations, directing and producing shows. Several of her documentaries have aired on PBS. Her credentials also include working in public relations for the Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce and the I Love New York campaign. She holds a Ph.D. from Boston College and two Masters degrees from Syracuse University.

Her focus is seeing students be successful in their chosen fields. She loves helping students find and explore their areas of interest and aptitude, and help them gain skills, experience and insight to become successful in their professional lives.

Distinctions & Awards

Edward Phelps Lyman Professorship – 2014

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

Public Relations Society of America

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Al Larsen

Biography

Al Larsen is a media artist and writer whose work engages with ideas of public space and populist uses of media technologies. He works in and across multiple media and processes including programmable technologies, textiles, performance, audio production and printmaking. His work has shown in festivals in the US and internationally and his writing on popular culture, art and performance has appeared in P-Queue, Careless Talk Costs Lives, Plan B and The Squealer. He directs toe Creative Media BFA program at Champlain College.

Distinctions & Awards

Residencies:
– Center for Machine Arts, Peekskill, NY
– Burlington City Arts, Burlington, VT
– Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center, Buffalo, NY
– International Artist Exchange Residency, City of Glasgow, Scotland

Favorite Quote

“Find a place you trust and then try trusting it for a while.”

—Corita Kent

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John Levee

Biography

John Thomas Levee is an artist, composer, and educator working at the intersection of a variety of mediums. His work often examines notions of human interaction with the environment and with technology. Often site-specific, Levee’s work strives to ask of the viewer: “How does this work relate to its surroundings? To you? By extension, how do you relate to your surroundings?” These questions are meant to drive dialogue regarding humanity’s influence on the natural world and on ourselves, specifically in regards to industrialization and technological advancement.

Obsolete technology, field recordings, and found objects are all integral to Levee’s work. For him, all of these components are evocative of specific places and times, and function as transportive tools. In regards to obsolete technology, his video work tends to use VHS tapes, CRT TVs, and cameras which record to outdated media formats. Not only do these provide constraints to the process of artmaking, which is integral to Levee’s artistic production, but also point to technology as a thematic element of the work.

Levee believes that using obsolete, recycled, often landfill-bound technology in the production of the work draws connection to the relationship between ever-advancing technology and human destruction of natural spaces. They currently teach at Champlain College, where they are the Assistant Program Director of Game Sound Design. They have studied at Columbia University in the City of New York, where they received their MFA in Sound Art, and at Stetson University, where they received their BS in Audio Technology & Industry and their BA in Digital Arts.

Favorite Quote

“If I was an artist, and I was in the studio, then whatever it was I was doing in the studio must be art.”

—Bruce Nauman, 1978

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Sheila Liming

Biography

Sheila Liming, PhD, came to Champlain in 2020 and settled into teaching an array of classes in writing and publishing. She is the author of three books: What a Library Means to a Woman (University of Minnesota Press, 2020), Office (Bloomsbury, 2020) and, most recently, Hanging Out (Melville House, 2023), and the editor of one, a new version of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence (W.W. Norton, 2022). Her writing has appeared widely in venues like The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, Lapham’s Quarterly, The Globe and Mail, LitHub, and elsewhere, while her work has been reviewed and featured in People magazine, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She received her PhD from Carnegie Mellon University and, in her spare time, she continues to play the Scottish bagpipes (just as she did as part of the Carnegie Mellon University pipe band).

Distinctions & Awards

Maryland Humanities — State-wide Common Read finalist (HANGING OUT / 2023)
Reader’s Digest Most Anticipated Book of 2023 (HANGING OUT / 2023)
LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2023 (HANGING OUT / 2023)
Teaching Excellence Award (North Dakota University System / 2018)
Whiting Foundation — Fellowship Finalist (2018)

Publications & Abstracts

• HANGING OUT: THE RADICAL POWER OF KILLING TIME (2023)
• THE AGE OF INNOCENCE by Edith Wharton (2022)
• OFFICE (2020)
• WHAT A LIBRARY MEANS TO A WOMAN (2020)

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• Modern Language Association (MLA)
• Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present (ASAP)
• Edith Wharton Society (EWS)
• Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP)

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Reading: I wrote my first book about the author Edith Wharton, who was a chronicler of Gilded Age privilege in America. People often ask me where to start with Wharton’s oeuvre and I like to recommend her short novel SUMMER (1917), which is page-turner dealing with rural politics, sex, gender, and class inequality.
• Reading: One of my specialties is gothic fiction and gothic storytelling. Some outstanding recent work in this genre comes from the Vermont writer Melanie Finn. Her novels THE HARE (2021) and THE UNDERNEATH (2018) blend a feminist perspective with classic features of the gothic genre.
• Reading: When you get serious about studying writing, you come into contact with other writers, and some of those connections turn out to be long-ranging. For instance, I went to college with the Asiya Wadud, a powerhouse poet whose collections SYNCOPE and CROSSLIGHT FOR YOUNGBIRD will challenge and provoke any aspiring writer.

Favorite Quote

“Sit as little as possible; give credence to no thought that is not born in the open air and accompanied by free movement in which the muscles do not also celebrate a feast.”

—Friedrich Nietzsche, ECCE HOMO

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Katie Loesel

Biography

Katie Loesel grew up on Lake Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking from The Cleveland Institute of Art in Cleveland, Ohio and a Certificate in Museum Studies from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. She is a snowboarder, sailor, crafter, gardener, environmentalist, cyclist, and lover of local food and drink. After living in Thailand and Boston, Katie moved to Vermont to focus on her art. She tends to make prints, drawings, installations, and sometimes books. She has participated in artist residency programs at Vermont Studio Center and Zea Mays Print Studio. Her work has been exhibited nationally, with frequent shows throughout Vermont. Katie is the recipient of a 2016 Vermont Arts Council Creation Grant. Katie has taught printmaking at Burlington City Arts and Champlain College.

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Shannon Mitchell

Biography

Shannon is an Adjunct for the division of Communication and Creative Media, with a specialization in Game Production. Recognized by Bustle in “Women Redefining What It Means To Work In STEM” Shannon is co-owner, Vice President, and COO of GameTheory Co, a Vermont-based game studio whose passion is using gaming technology to inspire social change. Shannon’s work at GameTheory begin in 2016 with this mission, and to expand the creative application of games, technology, and design towards meaningful impacts. Through her time in the game industry she has served as project manager on dozens of successful projects across entertainment, mobile, edu-tech, and health spaces utilizing wearables, AR/VR and biometric feedback. Before working in her current positions, Shannon held several roles in entertainment-focused independent studios, where she collaborated on widely recognized and award-winning app titles.

At this point in her career, Shannon is focused on expanding the benefits of leading edge gaming technologies to provide accessible and sustainable benefits outside of traditional gaming spaces. The core of this expertise lies in her use of agile project management workflows to streamline development across a portfolio of acclaimed projects of ranging scale and scope. This background provides her with years of experience effectively managing technically advanced project teams through research projects requiring significant considerations for human protections, close collaboration with subject matter experts, and secure data management processes. In addition to her experience in Game Production and Entrepreneurship, she specializes as a UX designer and consulting working from a lens of respect-based design – a methodology that bridges elements of accessibility, user-first, and empathetic design principles into a centralized theory for product development. As a professional, Shannon has served as a local event organizer, IGDA mentor, and industry coach to support individuals starting out in her career to foster positive growth, creativity, and intersectional diversity within the games industry.

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Fiadhnait Moser-Hardy

Biography

Fiadhnait Moser-Hardy joined Champlain College as an adjunct professor in the CCM (Writing), EHS (Elementary Education), and CORE divisions in 2022. She currently teaches Children’s Literature and the Expressive Arts, Creative Writing, Writing for the Workplace, Navigating Your Information Landscape, and Navigating Higher Education.

Moser received her M.F.A. in Writing with a specialization in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2021. She is especially known for exploring difficult themes through fabulism and fantasy within her children’s books. Her publications include two middle grade novels, The Flourishing of Floralie Laurel and The Serendipity of Flightless Things, as well as an article discussing disability in publishing in Publishers Weekly.

In addition, Moser has extensive experience as an interdisciplinary artist and teacher, having previously worked as an elementary art and dance teacher. She is especially passionate about broadening her college students’ perspectives with new and creative ways of learning through interdisciplinary artistic study.

Distinctions & Awards

Featured Author at Denver Children’s Festival of Stories 2019

Publications & Abstracts

• The Flourishing of Floralie Laurel
• The Serendipity of Flightless Things
• It’s Not All About the Pub Date

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
• I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott and Sydney Smith

Favorite Quote

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

—Pablo Picasso

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Brian Mulhall

Biography

Brian is the Operations Manager for WCAX-TV in Burlington Vermont. He has been teaching the Multi Camera Studio production class at Champlain College since 2016.

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Mira Niagolova

Biography

Mira Niagolova is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Since her first documentary Trafficking Cinderella (1999), she has been committed to telling stories of global concern, portrayed with sensitivity and compassion. Mira has received numerous fellowships and awards, including the Sundance Documentary Grant. Her films have been screened in more than 30 countries around the world.

She has also worked nationally and internationally as a producer, programmer, distribution and festival manager with nonprofit film organizations and industry institutions, including The National Film Board of Canada.

In 2017, Mira received a Fulbright Scholarship to film and teach at the National Theater and Film School Sofia, Bulgaria, her original hometown. In 2020 in recognition for her valuable experience as a documentary filmmaker and educator, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) added Mira to its roster of Fulbright Specialists.

Mira is passionate about teaching filmmaking and making learning a meaningful endeavor. She believes in creating an environment for her students that is inspiring and challenging, encouraging them to generate new ideas and develop their own voices that can be heard and trusted.

Distinctions & Awards

Numerous awards in filmmaking and at various festivals around the world. Most recent – Fulbright Scholarship Recipient in 2017 and 2022

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Kerry Noonan

Biography

Kerry Noonan holds a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Folklore & Mythology from UCLA, and her research focuses primarily on new religious movements, and women’s roles in various religions; she has published articles on Catholic Charismatic women, online religious communities, feminist witchcraft, Goddess spirituality, and New Age religious folk art, and is also a specialist in Celtic folklore, and Chinese vernacular religions. Kerry often incorporates these topics into her Core classes, and twice led a travel course about Harry Potter. She also co-teaches the FLM capstone. Kerry was a professional actor in theater, TV, & film in Los Angeles, appearing in Friday the 13th Part VI, The New Twilight Zone, China Beach, Knot’s Landing, Mr. Belvedere, Family Ties, and Taxi, plus on stage with the Los Angles Theater Center, South Coast Rep, Arizona Rep, the Grove Shakespeare Festival, and co-founded City Stage. She was part of the Irish traditional band The McGuffins. For Champlain Theatre, Kerry directed Rough Magic: A Shakespeare Compilation, Sweeney Todd, The Lion in Winter, and Blue Stockings, as well as appearing as Gertrude in Hamlet, and is now the adviser for The Champlayers. She has been a contestant on Jeopardy! and Win Ben Stein’s Money.

Distinctions & Awards

Champlain College Diversity Award: International 2013; Faculty Internationalization Initiative Grant (Champlain College) 2009

Publications & Abstracts

Publications & Abstracts

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• American Folklore Society
• American Academy of Religion

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

One of my favorite books is The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin. I’m also a Tolkien nerd, and a Jane Austen fanatic. I could go on and on …
A movie that I love is Fanny & Alexander, directed by Ingmar Bergman.

Favorite Quote

“The idea is like grass. It craves light, likes crowds, thrives on crossbreeding, grows better for being stepped on.”

—Ursula LeGuin, The Dispossessed

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Keith Oppenheim

Biography

Keith Oppenheim is a former correspondent for CNN who has been teaching college since 2009, at Champlain since 2014. He is the program director for Broadcast Media Production and a content creator as well. His most recent documentary, Will It Live On; Growing Up in A Small-Town Jewish Community will air on public television stations and other venues.
At Champlain, Keith helps his students develop as non-fiction storytellers and producers. His students create award-winning documentaries, which have received recognition at the regional and national level. They shoot, write and edit content to succeed as journalists, social media managers and content creators for companies and non-profits. They develop show-creation skills, learning techniques in radio, podcasting and multi-camera studio production. (The college’s internet-radio station, sound studio and Sonic Arts programs enhance give students additional opportunities.) And they get internships and media employment during college, helping them bridge the gap to a marketplace seeking their talent.
Keith is also President of the Board of The Media Factory, a community media center that collaborates with Champlain College in broadcast courses and documentary production.

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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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Kyle Patterson

Biography

Kyle graduated from Champlain College in 2016 with a degree in Game Production Management and has worked at various game and tech companies such as Zynga, Warner Bros Games, Disney Interactive, Jam City, and Snapchat. He is a part time adjunct professor at Champlain focused on supporting the Game Studio.

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Agile Game Development with Scrum by Clinton Keith
• Horus Rising -1 – The Horus Heresy by Dan Abnett
• Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry by Jason Schreier

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Robin Perlah

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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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John Rasmussen

Biography

John Rasmussen is an Associate Professor for Visual and Performing Arts: Film & Photographic Arts in the Division of Communication & Creative Media. He is a filmmaker working in narrative, documentary, and experimental forms. His work ranges from project documentation for organizations such as Oxfam, The United Nation to grassroots local narrative filmmaking in the U.S. Haiti, and Italy. Rasmussen’s work has been exhibited in festivals in Mexico, Haiti, France, Canada, China, and the United States.

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

University Film and Video Association

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• La Chien by Jean Renoir
• My Last Sigh by Luis Buñuel

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Eric Sample

Biography

Eric Sample teaches Fundamentals of Music, Film Scoring, and Synthesis & Sound Design. He also facilitates the recording studio at Champlain College.

He is thrilled to have just completed a worldwide sabbatical, researching the music of the African diaspora and traveling to Cuba, Brazil, Kenya, Ghana, Gambia, and Senegal. He received his initial music training on the island of Jamaica, starting at the Jamaica School of Music before studying privately in Kingston with the amazing Michael Dyke (a lifelong mentor). After leaving Jamaica, Sample moved to the bright lights of New York City, and freelanced at 100+ different advertising agencies over a five-year period, getting a fascinating look at the New York media and marketing landscape.

A relentless lifelong learner, Sample has attended the following schools: the Jamaica School of Music, the Brooklyn Conservatory, the School of Visual Arts, UC Berkeley, the Berklee College of Music online, and the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Sample also loves architecture and design, having designed the layout of the Champlain Music Studio and his parents’ cottage. He is looking forward to his next project (with his mentor) entitled “Rock Hall Trilogy,” a cross cultural musical extravaganza featuring Love, Sex, Death and the Devil—all set in the teeming vibrant wondrous land of Jamaica.

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Paul Schnabel

Biography

Paul Schnabel is an actor/director based in Vermont. In his long career, he has performed in leading theaters throughout the US and Europe and appeared in many feature films and shorts. More recently, he has shifted focus from performance to teaching. His work with Courageous Stage in Middlebury has taken him statewide as a teaching artist in schools at all levels. He has been at Champlain College since 2019 teaching directing and acting. He particularly enjoys working in this department and considers it his mission to strengthen the directing and acting components.
He is a long-standing member of the internationally acclaimed Riot Group out of NYC and has toured extensively with them. As part of the Riot Group, he has garnered many awards over the years, including twice for Best Ensemble from the Stage in London, and 5 Fringe First Awards from the Scotsman in Edinburgh including a First of the Firsts Award. He was a finalist for an Irene Ryan Excellence in Acting Award, and awarded Best Actor in the Vermont Stage and Screen awards.
He is co-founder and past president of Off Center for the Dramatic Arts, an incubator performance venue in the New North End of Burlington.
He has been a member of SAG AFTRA for over 25 years.

Distinctions & Awards

Irene Ryan Excellence in Acting Award, finalist
Vermont Stage and Screen Awards Best Actor, winner
Scotsmen Fringe Firsts Awards x4
First of the Firsts Award
The Stage London Best Ensemble x2
Herald Angel Awards x2

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

Favorite Quote

“The stars are matter. We are matter. But it doesn’t matter.”

—Don VanVliet

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Michael Sealy

Biography

Mike is the Creative Director of his own graphic design business in Burlington, Vermont. Following the completion of his Studio Art degree at the University of Vermont, Mike has been working in the local design community. Working in small design companies as well as medium sized agencies, he has more than 25 years of experience fulfilling clients’ needs. Mike is a versatile art director and graphic designer, making sure every detail is scrutinized from project conception through completion, constantly striving to deliver better solutions for his clients.

Mike loves the creative energy inherent in education; he enjoys staying involved, having taught graphic design and web design as an adjunct professor since 2014.

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Kristen Shull

Biography

Kristen Shull received her MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies, class of 2020. Her comics are featured bi-monthly in the state-wide free newspaper Seven Days. Her self-published books include three volumes of diary comics, three issues of a fantasy comic anthology, and several comic zines. She’s been teaching at Champlain College since Spring 2022.

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Barrie Silver

Biography

Barrie is an innovative, mission-driven marketing and communications professional who is passionate about social justice and social change and has been helping organizations share their stories for more than two decades.

Having spent the majority of her career working in the nonprofit sector (for large organizations like Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and hyperlocal ones like CCTV Center for Media & Democracy) she says she “specializes in performing miracles on shoestring budgets.” She is also a consummate volunteer and has been on the board of Slow Food Vermont since 2015.

A lifelong learner, Barrie likes to collect and archive information, craves to know more, and is energized by other people, new ideas, and, of course, her students.

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Suzanne Snyder

Biography

Suzanne is a designer and educator. She has practiced varied disciplines within information and communications design, including information architecture, interaction design, usability research, identity and publication design, branding and environmental design. Within both design firms and large corporations, and as an independent practitioner, Suzanne has provided comprehensive solutions to both regional and global companies including Steelcase, Iams, Westinghouse, Johns Hopkins University, World Health Organization, PHH Corporation, Zurich Financial Services, and Maryland State Department of Education. Suzanne’s work has been recognized by Print, Graphis, Graphic Design USA and ID.

Suzanne has an MFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Graphic Design from Towson University and a BFA from University of the Arts in Graphic Design.

In addition to design, Suzanne’s passion is for handweaving and fiber arts. She weaves textiles for both the home and body that are inspired by her love for color and design.

Distinctions & Awards

2005, “Enterprise Value Award,’ CIO Magazine
2003, “Top 50 internet sites,’ CIO Magazine
2000, “Best of Show,’ Insurance Marketing Communications Association
1997, Published Work, Print Magazine (juried)
1992, Published Work, Graphic Design USA: 1992 Desi Awards (juried)
1991, Published Work, Graphic Design USA: 1991 Desi Awards (juried)
1991, Published Work, Graphis Annual (juried)

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), Visiting Evaluator

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Tanya Lee Stone

Biography

Dr. Tanya Lee Stone started teaching at Champlain in 2008. As a professor, she encourages students to “prioritize process over product,” and “embrace the power of play” in their work. As a former editor and current author, Stone brings long-held connections in the publishing world into her classrooms, inviting authors, artists, editors, and agents to engage directly with students. She teaches Professional Pathways to Publishing, Intro to Writing and Publishing, Writing Children’s Literature, Middle-Grade and Young Adult Literature, and others.

Stone is the author of more than 100 books for children and young adults. She is best known for telling true stories of people who have been missing from our histories, with themes of empowering girls and women threaded throughout her body of work.

Her books have earned many awards, including an NAACP Image Award, Sibert Medal, Golden Kite, Boston Globe-Horn Book, NCTE Orbis Pictus, and NPR Best Books. Her YA novel, A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl, is an ALA Top 100 Banned Books of the Decade. Stone’s articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, The Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly. She often speaks on topics of writing, nonfiction, and censorship.

Some of Tanya Lee Stone’s Books

• Remembering Rosalind Franklin: The Discovery of the Double Helix Structure of DNA (Little Brown/Christy Ottaviano Books, 2024)
• Peace is a Chain Reaction: How World War II Japanese Balloon Bombs Brought People of Two Nations Together (Candlewick Press, 2022)
• Pass Go and Collect $200: The Real Story of How Monopoly Was Invented (Macmillan/Christy Ottaviano Books, 2018)
• Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time (Penguin Random House/Wendy Lamb Books 2017)
• The House that Jane Built: A Story about Jane Addams (Macmillan/Christy Ottaviano Books 2015)
• Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles (Candlewick, 2014)
• Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell (Macmillan/Christy Ottaviano Books, 2013)
• Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream (Candlewick, 2010)
• The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us (Viking, 2010)
• Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote (Macmillan/Christy Ottaviano Books, 2008)
• Sandy’s Circus: A Story about Alexander Calder (Viking, 2008)
• A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl (Penguin Random House/Wendy Lamb Books, 2006)

Distinctions & Awards

NAACP Image Award, Robert F. Sibert Medal

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• Gilbert, Elizabeth. Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. Artists, writers, creative folks of any kind–have this book on hand. You won’t regret it. There is nothing earth-shattering in here but it is filled with beautiful reminders and nudges to honor your own process and get unstuck when you feel stuck.
• Bayles, David & Orland, Ted. Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking. I have given this book to more people I can count. It’s one of those books you need on hand whenever you are experiencing imposter syndrome or feeling any pangs of “I’m not good enough” to create your art–whatever form it takes.
• Edited by Marcus, Leonard. Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom.
  This book contains a collection of letters that the innovative and inimitable editor Ursula Nordstrom sent to artists and writers she worked with over many decades. This collection lets us in to the often unseen world of communication and process that happens in that ever-important relationship between editor and artist.

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

Favorite Quote

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Joshua Stutts

Biography

Joshua Stutts graduated with his BFA from the Art Institute of Atlanta. After graduating he worked in Independent Game Dev Studios as a 3D Artist at various studios for 9 years. He received his MFA in Interactive Design and Game Development from SCAD with a focus on Photogrammetry. Joshua previously taught at the Art Institute of San Antonio for 6 years. Joshua also taught for 3 years and helped to develop the Game and Interactive Design program at Alfred College.

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Julia Swift

Biography

Julia Swift is an Associate Professor of Filmmaking. After years of writing for major studios and networks in Hollywood, Julia transitioned to being a professor, film critic and independent filmmaker. Julia presents her reviews on her weekly segment broadcast on ABC WVNY 22 and FOX WFFF 44. She is also a Fulbright Scholar, a Rotten Tomatoes Certified Critic, a member of the Critics’ Choice Association, the Writers Guild of America and the Association of Women Film Critics.

Distinctions & Awards

Fulbright Scholar

Professional & Scholastic Affiliations

• Rotten Tomatoes
• At the Box Office
• IMDB

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Scott Tuft

Biography

Scott Tuft is an award-winning writer, director and producer who has created television programming for HBO, PBS, Cartoon Network and Disney; sold and optioned feature screenplays; written graphic novels for DC Comics and Image; and created and produced a successful independent podcast.

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Nathan Walpole

Biography

Nate Walpole is an accomplished animator and Animation Professor at Champlain College, known for his extensive work on the Halo franchise. With over two decades of experience in the industry, Nate has established himself as a leading expert in the field of game animation, earning a reputation for his technical skill, gameplay movement ideation, and narrative vision.

Nate began his career studying classical (hand drawn) and computer animation at Sheridan College in his homeland, Canada. Early in Nate’s career, he entered game animation at Bungie, the renowned developer behind the Halo franchise. During his time at Bungie, Nate played a pivotal role in bringing the game’s characters and worlds to life, working on key titles like “Halo 3” and “Halo 2”. His work was widely praised for its gameplay and narrative attributes and its ability to capture the spirit and essence of the Halo universe.

Nate’s work on the Halo franchise continued when he joined 343 Industries. He worked on “Halo 4” and an unannounced title, helping to create unforgettable moments and experiences for players around the world.

Nate’s contributions to the Halo franchise have been widely recognized and celebrated. His work on the Halo series earned his work display in the Smithsonian. He has also been featured in numerous interviews and articles about game animation, sharing his insights and expertise with others in the field.

In addition to his work in the gaming industry, Nate is also a respected Animation Professor at Champlain College, where he teaches courses in game animation and technical illustration. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience with the next generation of animators “” committed to helping his students develop the skills they need to succeed in the industry.

Nate’s dedication to his craft is evident in everything he does, whether it’s creating breathtaking animations for the latest AAA game or inspiring and guiding his students at Champlain College. His talent and expertise have made him a highly sought-after animator and educator, and he continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in game animation.

When he’s not working, Nate enjoys spending time with his kids and playing competitive video games and sport (hockey, Muay Thai, wrestling). He is also an avid bladesmith. Nate is studious on staying up to date on the latest developments in game animation and technology and illustrates comic book content when not animating.

Overall, Nate Walpole is a highly accomplished and respected video game animator and Animation Professor, with a wealth of experience and expertise in the field. His contributions to the Halo franchise have helped to shape the series into the cultural phenomenon it is today, and his dedication to educating the next generation of animators ensures that his mark will last for years to come.

SELECTED GAMEOGRAPHY
Elder Scrolls Online
Halo 4
Halo ODST
Halo 3
Halo 2
Monsters Inc
WCW Backstage Assault

Favorite Quote

“Animation is about creating the illusion of life. And you can’t create it if you don’t have one.”

—Brad Bird

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Peter Wehr

Biography

Peter Wehr has been an Adjunct and Instructor at Champlain College since 2011 teaching Game History and Game Production. Working mostly with first and second-year students, Wehr works very closely with student game production teams teaching them to function effectively to implement their game concepts.

Wehr has worked in academia and the entertainment industry for over four decades specializing in project management and developing infrastructure for new technologies for museums, games, film, television, CR-ROM, DVD, kiosks, and the web. Wehr has been fortunate to work with a variety of industry leaders such as the Smithsonian, HBO, PBS, the Rolling Stones, Sony, CBS, Pepsi, and Dilbert. While working in NYC in the independent television and film postproduction industry, Wehr created a reputation for taking on untraditional and unusual media projects. As one coworker pointed out to him “Whenever you are in a launch meeting, I know it is going to be an interesting ride.”

In his spare time, Wehr plays and coaches soccer, hikes, kayaks, Nordic skis, and snowboards, dabbles with Arduino and Raspberry Pi, reads history, and listens to a wide variety of music.

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Janet Weinstein

Biography

Janet Weinstein is an Adjunct Professor for Champlain College’s Broadcast Department. She comes with more than a decade’s worth of experiences working as a journalist for companies such as ABC News in Washington, DC and the Associated Press in London, UK. She is passionate about teaching students how to become stronger video producers, especially in an ever-evolving media landscape.

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Grady Welch

Biography

Grady’s interest in filmmaking began as a young child when he ran crying from the theater during Ernest Scared Stupid when the trolls come up out of the ground. He then attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and majored in Cinematography. He lived in Los Angeles for over a decade, where he worked as a cameraman on feature films, tv shows, mayonnaise commercials, and video games. Grady’s also a lifelong performer, having acted in a bunch of very serious plays and was a committed member of the LA improv and sketch community. He’s also a professional Dungeon Master, and sings in heavy metal bands. He moved to Vermont in the spring of 2022, and could not be happier to have left Mordor for The Shire.

Distinctions & Awards

“The Sweetest Show” at the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival

Recommended Reading, Listening & Viewing

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
• The Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson

Favorite Quote

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. —Wayne Gretzky
——Michael Scott.”

———Grady Welch

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Walter Westinghouse

Biography

Walter Westinghouse is an audio professional and educator form the North East Kingdom of Vermont. Walter has industry experience in live sound, touring, studio recording, component level audio equipment repair and recording studio installation and maintenance. He is an Avid Pro Tools Certified Operator of Post Production and Music and in 2023 became an Avid Certified Pro Tools Specialist.

Distinctions & Awards

2014 Seven Daysies Award: Best Recording Studio/ Engineer

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Van Dora Williams

Biography

Dr. Van Dora Williams brings over 30 years of industry experience as a journalist, documentary producer and researcher to the classroom and is dedicated to teaching the next generation of journalists, writers, audio and documentary producers. She currently serves as Assistant Dean of Administration for the CCM Division and holds the rank of full professor as well. She co-created the Game Sound Design program by combining sound design and audio production courses with Game Studio courses and is currently its program director. She has earned multiple Emmy and Telly awards along with having her work seen on the PBS network and through multiple film festivals that include Sundance. She created content for the print, radio, video and web platforms for several years before moving into teaching at the higher education level. Her multiplatform storytelling experience provides her the flexibility to teach the tenets of journalism and storytelling through several mediums.
She believes in bringing real world experience to students within the classroom as well as outside of the classroom. As faculty, Williams co-led two international service-learning trips to The Gambia in West Africa and to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where students worked with local journalists and filmmakers to create two short films and three short documentaries. A few of those productions earned regional Student Production Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and were broadcast statewide on Vermont Public. In coordination with the College’s Special Collections and community organizations, she worked with her colleagues to gain funding from the Council of Independent Colleges’ Humanities for the Public Good. The grants allowed her to work with students on two documentaries titled Forget Me Not Vermont (2020), Outside the Fence (2023) and a website, Green Mountain Melodies, all examining the historical impact of culture on music and urban planning.
As a researcher Dr. Williams most recent work included serving as an archival researcher for the documentary, Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (2017). She served as an associate producer on Banished (2008) as well as many local documentaries and news programs as a senior producer at WHRO, the PBS station in Norfolk, Virginia where she earned multiple Emmy and Telly awards. Some of her research and producing work include Church Street: Harlem of the South (1997, WHRO), Common Ground: Legacy of Race in Religion (1999, WHRO), Noble Desire (2001, WHRO), Century: 100 Years of Life in Hampton Roads (2001, WHRO), Matters of Race (2003, ROJA Productions), Citizen King (2004, ROJA Productions). In between working on historical documentaries, Dr. Williams earned her PhD in Communication in 2017. Her dissertation focused on the impact Birth of a Nation (1915) had on three Virginia communities. She published a chapter in two international peer reviewed edited books focusing on the film’s 100th anniversary as a controversial and groundbreaking film.
She continues to conduct archival research and produce compelling documentaries on the national and regional events of the Progressive Era that continue to have an impact on American culture and society.

Publications & Abstracts

Resisting The Birth of a Nation in Virginia

Standing their ground: A southern community’s response to The Birth of a Nation

The Growing Resistance: Virginia’s Response to The Birth of a Nation, 1915 – 1925

Curriculum Vitae

READ MY CV

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Stephanie Zuppo

Biography

Teppi Zuppo is a cartoonist and faculty member at Champlain College and The Center for Cartoon Studies. They primarily work in the field of graphic medicine and are the art and design director of The Department of Disabilities’ Inclusive Healthcare Partnership Project (IHPPVT.org.) They are the co-founder of The Ladybroad Ledger, VT’s first and only free femme comics newspaper and the co-director of The Non-Fiction Comics Festival. Their work has appeared in VPR, Seven Days, The Nib, and lots of independently published comics publications.

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