St. Olaf College | Strategic Plan
May 20, 2026
Implementation Teams
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Phase II Implementation Teams

Vocation

 VISION 

St. Olaf College will strive to create a relevant and effective four-year college-to-career pathway so that our graduates successfully transition into fulfilling professional careers and impactful lives of purpose. Along with their liberal arts education, our students will have access to potent vocational discernment through programming — including academic, co-curricular, and work-based experiences — and the support and guidance of faculty, staff, and alumni. Vocation is a key tenet of Lutheran Higher Education, and through their St. Olaf experience, our students will develop as full persons who are able to serve as ethical leaders while navigating rapid technological advances and social changes. Our alumni will remain distinctive as citizens who positively impact their communities locally, nationally, and globally, advancing the common good and the principles of collective flourishing.

This work will not be in isolation, but in collaborative partnership with the existing offices, teams, and structures that are doing this work, including:

  • Piper Center for Vocation and Career (internships, micro-credentials, and employers)
  • Smith Center for Global Engagement (cultural competencies)
  • Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community
  • Buntrock Institute for Freedom and Community/Svoboda Center for Civic Engagement
  • Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI) Program
  • Leaders of Character (Wake Forest grant effort) 
  • Ole Leadership Academy
  • Alumni and Parent Relations (alumni inputs, especially career volunteers)
  • Academic Success Center
  • Academic Assessment Committee

Team Members

  • Anthony Bateza
  • Sian Christie
  • Jill Dietz
  • Sequoia Nagamatsu
  • Meghan Anderson
  • Maddie Etienne 
  • Theresa Heath
  • Alyssa Melby
  • Peter Carlson Schattauer 
  • Luke Wood
  • Hamzah Azzam, student representative
  • Kieran Haaland, student representative
  • Greta Stauch, student representative
  • Enoch Blazis, PLT Lead

Innovation

 VISION 

Ever-embodying our mission, St. Olaf College will energize, expand, and elevate our curricular, capital, and human assets in order to prepare a more perfectly engaged matriculating student and an exceptionally prepared graduate. We will strengthen and leverage the Center for Innovation in the Liberal Arts as the center of the centers, including the DiSCO, Makerspace, and anticipated design center. By leaning into the professional development and equipping of a 21st century liberal arts faculty to meet the needs of the 21st century student, we will maximize creative, social, entrepreneurial, and leadership output with leading-edge technology in human-centered design spaces. We will carefully craft the whole experience for the whole Ole from the cornerstones of advising, study-travel, and work-integrated learning to the capstones of guided-research and internships. Our pedagogy will meet practice, our programs will integrate the community, and our students will meet their futures.

Key partners in these collaborative efforts will include:

  • Center for Innovation in the Liberal Arts (CILA) (current configuration) 
  • Curriculum Committee
  • Micro-Credential and Work-Integrated Learning (MCWIL) Committee

Team Members

  • Maggie Broner
  • Menevis Cilizoglu
  • Olaf Hall-Holt
  • Rehanna Kheshgi
  • Lau Malaver
  • Ben Gottfried
  • Bridget Draxler
  • Ellen Draeger Cattadoris
  • Nate Jacobi
  • Roberta Lembke
  • Emily Rose McManus
  • Fortress Okorie, student representative
  • Alex Torstenson, student representative
  • Tarshia Stanley, PLT Lead

Community

 VISION 

St. Olaf College will strive to infuse systemically a culture of belonging and well-being across its entire campus, rooted in a collective responsibility to advance inclusive excellence and equity. Together we will work to ensure that every member has the freedom to be themselves while welcoming diverse backgrounds, including racial, ethnic, and gender identities. This vision is supported by a plan that fosters a vibrant, connected community; strengthens our competitive excellence in athletics; supports a sustainable financial model prioritizing need-based aid; and commits to becoming climate neutral by 2040. Through partnerships and alignment with global sustainability goals, the college will equip students to discover their strengths, navigate what’s next, and shape the world.

This team will work collaboratively with several existing committees, individuals, teams, departments, and offices, including:

  • Advance SDGs Implementation Team
  • Faculty Life and Student Life Committees
  • Student Government
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board
    • Community Impact Board
  • Environmental Sustainability Committee
  • Retention Committee
  • Community and Belonging Division
    • Taylor Center, Lutheran Center, DEIB Committee
  • Bias Response Team
  • Well-Being Committee
  • Staff Council

Team Members

  • Henry Dorn
  • Jenna Coughlin
  • Elodie Marlier
  • Nicole Yokum
  • Justin Fleming
  • Tracy Johnson
  • Matt Marohl
  • Martin Olague
  • Paula Sannes
  • Nora Herring, student representative
  • Fabricio Orellana Morocho, student representative
  • Eduardo Pazos, PLT
  • Chris George, PLT Lead