Trine welcomes directors

Four joining fall staff

 

Trine University welcomes four new directors to its staff for the fall semester.

 

Nicole Hansen                    Sarah Brown

 

Director of Resource Development Nicole Hansen brings extensive experience in leadership and management, plus a diverse education and skills set, to her new job.

 

She spent the past five years as director of the northeast Indiana territory for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. In that position, she developed and implemented an overall strategic plan for the organization, including fundraising, business development and volunteer management.

 

Prior to that time, she owned Career Ladders in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing recruiting, human resources and career development services to clients for five years. She preceded her business ownership with five years in project management with Hixson, Inc. in Cincinnati.

 

She is a trainer and public speaker on such topics as life planning, career advancement, job interviewing strategies, on-the-job strategies, etiquette, and team building.

 

She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in speech and business at Manchester College in North Manchester, Ind. She then completed a master’s program in elementary education, Transition to Teaching, at Indiana Wesleyan University.

 

Director of Alumni Relations and Events Sarah Brown is no stranger to the Trine campus. Brown earned her business administration degree in management at Tri-State, now Trine, in 1998. She was a member of Phi Sigma sorority, an All-American NAIA golfer and a National Championship winner for golf in 1997. She was inducted into the Trine Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 individually and with the team in 2007.

 

After graduation she worked first for the university as assistant golf professional at Zollner Golf Course and then as Follett Bookstore manager. She completed a master’s degree in business administration at Indiana Wesleyan, returning to Trine as director of student life in 2007.

 

“I love event planning. Seeing guests having fun, networking and enjoying a good time is what I am most passionate about,” she said. In her new role, she will work to engage alumni with their alma mater and reacquaint them with the campus.

 

In her free time, Brown remains passionate about golf. She recorded her first hole–in–one on Zollner′s second hole on June 15.

 

Kathryn Diekhoff                      Kristina Johnson-Funk

 

A new director of student life will devote her considerable experience and energy to the Trine University student experience this fall.

 

Kathryn Diekhoff joins Trine after serving as director of leadership development for Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity Inc. in Indianapolis since 2008. In that position, she developed training in leadership and organizational behavior and development, advised on a one-on-one and group basis and worked with chapters to develop training and retreats tailored to organization needs, among many other responsibilities.

 

Before that, she worked as an adjunct professor and graduate research associate and lecturer at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky. She also served as an instructor in the United States Air Force Officer Training and Leadership Program, teaching leadership initiatives to classes of up to 40 officer candidates. She has been an evaluator for Leadership Louisville, evaluating the organization’s feedback model and analyzing contracted evaluation and breakdown for the board.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in English at DePauw University, a master’s degree in leadership and organizational behavior at Cumberland University and will complete a doctoral degree in leadership and organizational behavior with a higher education concentration at the University of Louisville this year.

 

She was selected for membership in Kappa Delta Pi and Golden Key International honor societies, and for participation in the Future Professors program at the University of Louisville. She was named Greek Woman of the Year and the Panhellenic Woman of Honor at DePauw.

 

She is a member of the Association of Fraternity Advisers and the Fraternity Executives Association. She is a former DePauw University trustee, and serves on the university’s Graduates of the Last Decade Executive Council, the reunion, Greek advisory and Special Olympics committees, and the Panhellenic Council.

 

Kristina Johnson-Funk joins Trine as director of conference and events. She has worked as an adjunct professor at Trine Fort Wayne for four years, teaching in the areas of business, communication, human resources, marketing, and management. She has received recognition from students for excellent performance through the school’s instructor evaluation system.

 

While teaching at Trine Fort Wayne, she served as director of major gifts at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, where she established and built relationships for major gifts development, and also taught at Indiana Wesleyan University. Prior to that time, she worked as sales manager for ADP Inc. and was director of resource development for SCAN Inc., both in Fort Wayne.

 

She has taught seminars on confidence building, including a presentation at the Dupont Resource Center in Fort Wayne, and another for Connections, a former networking organization of professional women sponsored by the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce.

 

She has been recognized as a regional leader, receiving a nomination for the 21 Alive Women in Leadership Award. She is a graduate of Leadership Fort Wayne and a volunteer instructor for Junior Achievement. She has also served on the board for The Literacy Alliance.

 

She earned a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University and a bachelor’s degree in management and communication from Concordia University.