Leading the Resilient Community College

Louisa Hunkerstorm

Senior Associate , NCHEMS

Louisa Hunkerstorm is a senior associate at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), where she has worked since 2022. At NCHEMS, she works on research projects related to higher education strategic planning, governance and structure, and finance; she was one of the primary authors of AACC’s 2025 Resilient By Design report. Previously, Hunkerstorm served as the director of institutional effectiveness at Central Wyoming College where she led the college’s strategic planning, institutional research, and accreditation functions. Hunkerstorm received a bachelor of arts in comparative literature from Dartmouth College and a master of arts in communication from the University of Washington. She lives in Lander, Wyoming.

Joseph Schaffer

President, Laramie County Community College

Dr. Joe Schaffer considers himself a community college evangelist.  Far from a success in his early college pursuits, an associate’s degree changed his life for the better.  In repayment, his professional commitment has been to strengthen the mission of the community college locally and nationally.

Dr. Schaffer currently serves as the President of Laramie County Community College (LCCC).  LCCC is an aggressively innovative and comprehensive college with a main campus located in the state capital of Cheyenne, a branch campus in Laramie, and outreach sites located across Southeastern Wyoming.   Since Dr. Schaffer’s arrival at LCCC, the College has completed more than $150 million in facilities improvements, celebrated multiple record-setting graduating classes, and has seen the College’s graduation rates increase by nearly 70%.

Dr. Schaffer is an avid outdoorsman with a deep passion for hunting, fishing, and the great outdoors.   At home, women rule his world, or at least that is what his lovely wife Brooke and daughters Samantha and Lia tell him.

Abigail Loya

Chair, Industrial Technology & Workforce Development, Great Basin College

Abigail Loya is an instrumentation instructor and chair of the Industrial Technology & Workforce Development department at Great Basin College. She teaches the in-person Instrumentation program and its new hybrid format, combining online and hands-on instruction to support working students and expand access. She previously spent nine years as an electrical and instrumentation technician in gold mining. Passionate about education and workforce development, she builds strong technical programs that prepare students for careers in electrical, instrumentation, and automation fields. She holds a bachelor of applied science in instrumentation technology and an associate of applied science in electrical systems technology from Great Basin College.

Sarah Negrete

Vice President for Academic Affairs, Great Basin College

Sarah Negrete, Ph.D., has served as vice president for academic affairs at Great Basin College since 2024. She provides strategic leadership for academic programs, faculty, curriculum, and instructional services to ensure educational quality, student success, and alignment with the college’s mission and accreditation standards. Previously, she spent 10 years as director of professional learning in northeastern Nevada and has served as a tenured professor. She has published and presented nationally on literacy, leadership, and professional learning. She holds a bachelor of arts from Montana State University Billings and a doctorate from the University of Nevada, Reno.

David Stoddard

Dean, School of Industrial Technology and Workforce Development, Great Basin College

David Stoddard, Ed.D., has served as dean of the School of Industrial Technology and Workforce Development at Great Basin College since 2024. He has created a vision for hybrid programming in career and technical education as means of access for working adults. Previously, Stoddard served as director of technical and apprenticeship programs, campus director, director of career services, and director of community and corporate relations at various institutions. Stoddard received his bachelor of science in speech communication from the University of Utah, a master of professional communication from Westminster University, and a doctor of education in higher education leadership from Maryville University of St. Louis.

Maggie Swanger

Electronic Resources Librarian, Laramie County Community College

Maggie Swanger has served as the electronic resources librarian at Laramie County Community College for 20 years. She is a passionate advocate for open educational resources (OER) and started the college’s OER task force as a grassroots effort in 2020. In addition to managing the library’s electronic collections and providing students with research instruction, she also teaches geology classes. Swanger received her bachelor of science in geosciences from the University of Oregon and an master of arts in library and information science from the University of Arizona.

Amanda Gentz

Post Doctoral Candidate – Behavioral Health

303.541.0289agentz@wiche.edu

Amanda Gentz, PhD, serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the WICHE Behavioral Health Program, where she supports a variety of workforce development and evaluation projects across the West. Her work focuses on applying rigorous research methods, implementation-informed evaluation, and clear data visualization to improve the effectiveness and reach of behavioral health initiatives.

Dr. Gentz’s expertise includes morally stressful events, trauma psychology, and PTSD, with a particular emphasis on supporting gender and sexual orientation minority communities. She also has extensive experience conducting community- and system-level evaluations and integrating evidence-based frameworks to advance equity in mental health care.

Dr. Gentz earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Tulsa. She is passionate about building behavioral health systems that promote fair, accessible, and responsive care for all communities. Based in Boulder, Colorado, she enjoys reading and taking her dog to playgrounds to go down slides — her dog’s absolute favorite activity.

Tonya Horn

Director of Program Evaluation and Research, Behavioral Health Program

303.541.0230thorn@wiche.edu

Tonya Horn, MSW, PhD is the Director of Program Evaluation and Research for the WICHE Behavioral Health Program. She received her MSW and PhD in social work from the University of Minnesota. Tonya specializes in using participatory research methods to engage communities who are most impacted by problems to identify solutions. Her work also focuses on using data to drive behavioral health systems improvement. Prior to joining WICHE, Tonya was an Assistant Professor at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she led the development of new workforce training programs in integrated behavioral health care and treatment of co-occurring disorders.

Meghan Kelly

Associate Dean, Laramie County Community College

Meghan Kelly is the associate dean for the library and learning commons at Laramie County Community College. She is passionate about connecting faculty and students with information that supports learning and has led statewide collaborations to expand access to resources. A strong advocate for user-centered services, she co-led the Guided Pathways meta majors initiative and the Unlocking Opportunity redesign of the college success course. She has worked in libraries in a variety of positions including events, technical services, teaching, and management and over 20 years in higher education. She holds an master of library and information science from the University of Texas at Austin.

Trent Morrell

STEM Pathway Coordinator, Laramie County Community College

Trent Morrell is the STEM pathway coordinator at Laramie County Community College and has been a faculty member since 2004. He is the instructor of the first-year seminar and transition experience courses in STEM where he provides mentorship and career exploration opportunities for students. He has taught geoscience classes, including a geology field course in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and developed a mobile science lab which brings hands-on science to local schools and the community. Morrell holds a bachelor of arts in geography/land use planning from Augustana College (Ilinois), and master of arts in geography from Western Illinois University.

Ashley Duran

Transfer Evaluation Specialist, University of Northern Colorado

Ashley Duran is a transfer evaluation specialist in the office of the registrar at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), a role she has held for over five years. In this role, she reviews transfer courses from institutions nationwide to ensure students receive accurate and fair credit toward their degrees. Duran collaborates closely with faculty, academic advisors, and partner schools to determine course equivalencies and uphold UNC’s transfer policies. Her responsibilities include managing transfer equivalency databases, assisting with pathway program development, and helping students understand how their previous coursework applies to degree requirements. Duran earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in psychology from UNC.

Stacy Maestas

Registrar, Laramie County Community College

Stacy Maestas, MSM, has served Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne, Wyoming since 2004, and as registrar since 2009. She oversees day-to-day operations within the Office of the Registrar, serves on multiple cross-functional committees on campus and within the state; she is integrally involved in curriculum and program development, new technology implementations, and process improvement initiatives. In addition to her role as the registrar, Maestas served as the colleague consultant for colleague institutions implementing the Interstate Passport.  She is also an adjunct instructor at LCCC and a graduate of the AACRAO SEM Endorsement Program. Maestas received a B.A. in leadership and a M.S. in management from Bellevue University.

Olivia Tufo

Manager, Regional Collaborative Procurement Solutions, Programs and Services

303.541.0261otufo@wiche.edu

Olivia Tufo is the manager of regional collaborative procurement solutions for the Programs & Services unit at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The Programs and Services unit broadens student access to postsecondary education and fosters higher education collaborations that increase institutional effectiveness. Tufo manages membership of the Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders and the Western Academic Leadership Forum. Tufo also works on initiatives that bring together the West’s higher education leaders to address common goals and issues, such as the No Holding Back study and the Interstate Passport Network which aims to streamline the student transfer process through a nationwide network of institutions.

Amardeep Kahlon

Vice President of Education and Learning, Central New Mexico Community College

Amardeep Kahlon, PhD, has served as vice president of education & learning at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) since January 2024. In this role, she provides strategic leadership and oversight for all academic programs and processes. Prior to joining CNM, she was the vice president of academic affairs at Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona. In addition to her responsibilities at CNM, she serves on the Board of Directors for the National Council for Workforce Education. Kahlon holds a Master’s in computer science from Binghamton University and a Doctorate in educational leadership from The University of Texas at Austin.

Patrick Lane

Vice President, Policy Analysis and Research

303.541.0266plane@wiche.edu

Patrick Lane is the Vice President of WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research unit. In this role, he oversees a range of work focused on improving access to and excellence in postsecondary education through sound public policy and research. This portfolio of work includes efforts to improve the value of postsecondary education, address students’ behavioral health needs, increase affordability, and ensure robust regional collaboration. He previously was WICHE’s director of data initiatives leading efforts to improve linkages between state data systems. Prior to this role, he coordinated WICHE’s efforts on adult learners and improving postsecondary access for low-income students. He came to WICHE after spending several years working in education policy in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Lane completed a doctorate in public affairs at the University of Colorado Denver in 2015.

Kari Brown-Herbst

Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Laramie County Community College

Kari Brown-Herbst is the senior vice president of academic affairs at Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne, Wyoming. As the college’s chief academic officer, Brown-Herbst provides executive oversight and strategic guidance in the planning, development, and implementation of all aspects of academic programming as well as instructional support services.  Brown-Herbst serves on the AACC Commission on Structured Pathways and serves the Higher Learning Commission as a member of the Peer Review Corps as well as a member of their Institutional Actions Council. Regionally, Brown-Herbst represents Wyoming’s community colleges on WICHE’s Alliance executive committee. She received an Ed.D. in instructional technology from the University of Wyoming, her master’s in education technology from Marian University (Wisconsin) and her bachelor’s in sociology with an education endorsement from Kalamazoo College (Michigan).

Colleen Falkenstern

Director of Evidence and Strategic Initiatives, Policy Analysis and Research

303.541.0313cfalkenstern@wiche.edu

Colleen Falkenstern serves as the Director of Evidence and Strategic Initiatives in WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research unit. In her role, she leads the unit’s work on a range of postsecondary education data and research initiatives and the development of data resources to support better informed decision-making in the West. These resources include WICHE’s annual collection of tuition and fees data and WICHE’s quadrennial projections of high school graduates, Knocking at the College Door. In her time at WICHE, she has worked on projects supporting Native American Serving Nontribal Institutions, addressing healthcare workforce issues, better alignment between higher education and workforce, and postsecondary completion. She received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from the University of South Carolina—Columbia and a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Denver.

Lauren Schoenfeld

Executive Director, Wyoming Innovation Partnership, Wyoming Business Alliance

Lauren Schoenfeld is the executive director of the Wyoming Innovation Partnership at the Wyoming Business Alliance. She was appointed by Gov.Mark Gordon as the first Wyoming Innovation Partnership Executive Director and also served as senior policy advisor in economic development, broadband, and business support. Schoenfeld served as a county commissioner for four years and her previous experience includes nonprofit executive leadership as the executive director for the YWCA of Sweetwater County and organizational change management lead for J.R. Simplot Company. She served as an appointee on the Wyoming Broadband Council and to the Wyoming Broadband Legislative Task Force. In 2018, she was honored to be a delegate and speaker at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.