Meet the Team

Carolyn joined DavisConnects in October of 2022 after working as an Licensed Assistant/Buyer Agent for a local real estate firm. While there, Carolyn learned the ins and outs of working for a small business which created resourcefulness and skills she uses everyday. Carolyn received her BS in Applied Science with a Math minor from the University of Maine at Augusta in 2019, and is currently working on her MS in Project Management from the Roux Institute. Carolyn’s favorite part of her day is learning something new from our students and being able to bring amazing alumni/organizations to Colby in order to speak with them, as well as collaborating with our on-campus partners. Carolyn uses her previous experiences and organizational skills to help with our recruiting events. Carolyn is born and raised in Maine, loves the outdoors, is currently residing in Chesterville, Maine with her significant other and two German Shepherds. 

 My first job was a Camp Counselor at Camp KV in Readfield.

Cate Talbot Ashton is a 1980 Colby alum who re-joined the DavisConnects staff in fall 2022 as Health Professions Advisor. She previously served in this role for 11 years before retiring from a 31-year Colby career in 2018.  Cate focuses on working with students and alumni exploring and preparing for careers in a wide variety of health professions as well as working closely with students and alumni applying to health professions schools.  In addition to her Colby degree in English, she earned an MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Bowling Green State University and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina. After retiring she worked several years as an admissions application reader for a medical school. Outside of work, she is an avid fiber arts enthusiast – knitting, spinning, sewing, quilting, and even a bit of weaving – as well as enjoying travel opportunities in the US and abroad.

Milan was born in Czechoslovakia and attended Colby as an international student, graduating in 2001. He then went on to study international politics in Great Britain and returned to Colby as a faculty member. He has spent eight years teaching courses in international politics, organizing large conferences on timely topics, introducing new study abroad programs in Salzburg and Prague, and advising students on graduate fellowships, professional opportunities, and career planning. In his current role at DavisConnects he runs the annual JanPlan in Prague, serves as the Presidential Scholars program leader, and provides guidance and support to students applying for fellowships such as the Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell scholarships.

Maggie joined Davis Connects in August of 2023 following her graduation from Colby in May 2023. She is excited to be back on campus and looking forward to continuing to be involved in the Colby Community. While at Colby, Maggie participated in the Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field teams, Colby Catholics, Colby Cares About Kids (CCAK), Colby Student Government Association (SGA), and founded Maine History and Food club where students discover the food and culture of the state of Maine. 

My first job was a soccer referee for BAYS soccer. 

David is a DavisConnects advisor for Career Discovery & Exploration and Marketing, Advertising, & PR. A self-proclaimed “career exploration geek”, he is passionate about helping students explore their career possibilities, gain clarity about what they want, and land opportunities they’re excited about. He started his career as a self-employed mathematics tutor (after turning down a full-time offer with Anheuser Busch during his senior year of college) and has since made his way into the career development space. He runs the Post Grad Project, an organization dedicated to helping young people find work they enjoy, and partners with DavisConnects to help Colby students launch meaningful and exciting careers.

David Ding is the DavisConnects Advisor for STEM professions. He holds a B.A from Swarthmore College and M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University. From his past roles of student worker, teacher, researcher, graduate assistant, professional tutor, and advisor, he brings perspective and insight from different fields of STEM and education to his advising perspective. As a graduate from a liberal-arts college, he holds the same values of lifelong learning and critical thinking. Outside of work, David explores the world through the outdoors, food, cultures, and travel. Engaging students through advising, David aspires to change the world one conversation at a time.

David’s first job was working as a crew member at McDonald’s.

Nancy has been Director of Off-Campus Study at Colby since 2007. A seasoned international education professional, Nancy has held various positions in the field over the years, both here and abroad. Earlier in her career, she worked at Boston University in various positions, most recently as Director of Programs in the Division of International Programs, and before that as Director of Academic Affairs. Prior to that, from 1995-1996 she was Resident Director of the B.U. Moscow Internship program, and from 1994-1995, Resident Director of SUNY Albany’s Moscow program. Nancy holds a Ph.D. from Brown University in Russian language and literature, an M.A. in Russian language and literature from SUNY Albany as well as a C.A.S. (Certificate of Advanced Study) in translation, and a B.A. in English literature from Catholic University.

Sue joined Colby and the Dean of Students Office in the summer of 2005. She has been in Off-Campus Study since 2008 where she coordinates and manages the off-campus study office including the administrative process for Colby programs and the Global Entry Semester (GES). Prior to Colby, Sue and her husband lived in Nashua, NH, for 20 years where she worked as an Office Coordinator at the MITRE Corporation in MA and as an Executive Secretary at BAE Systems in NH. They returned to the Waterville area in 2005.

Tammi joined Colby in August 2009 and rejoined the DavisConnects team in September 2022 after serving as a member of the Advancement Operations team from 2018-2022. Tammi received her BAS in Business Administration from the University of Maine in Augusta. Her love for student interactions and being a direct part of the campus community is what brought her back to DC. Tammi looks forward to being a part of the ever-growing programs and connections DC has with Colby students and community. Tammi uses her many years of experiences and organizational skills to help manage the overall operations of DC and associated events. Tammi is born and raised in Maine, has raised four children here, has four grandchildren, and resides in Randolph, Maine.

Allyson Hawkins holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, focusing on Human Security and Intersectional Analysis. Most recently, she served as the Assistant Director of the Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies (based at Northeastern University), and worked alongside faculty facilitating experiential learning programs in Jordan and Egypt. She brings a range of international education experience to her work, having lived and worked abroad teaching ESL with AMIDEAST Tunisia and supporting refugee programming as an Advocacy Project Peace Fellow for the Collateral Repair Project (Amman). She has also worked for the World Peace Foundation (Tufts), the Consortium on Gender, Security, and Human Rights (UMass Boston), and Layalina Productions, Inc. in Washington DC.

Todd Herrmann returns to Colby having served as the Director of Employer Relations of the then Colby Career Center from 2007-2010.  A compulsive ‘connector,’ Todd has fifteen years of experience in the employer relations field and has opened doors for student/alumni/parent networking in every career sector across the country and the globe. He is the designated Finance Career adviser for DavisConnects, a former tennis coach, the owner of an obnoxiously cute Golden Retriever, and someone you can turn to for help connecting to your dream employer.

Scott joined DavisConnects in Summer 2018 after serving as Interim Department Chair of the new Sustainable Construction Program at Kennebec Valley Community College where he redeveloped curriculum, strengthened community support, and positioned the program for successful growth. Scott received his BA in Anthropology from Skidmore College and MA in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management from SIT Graduate Institute. His love of global experiential education began studying in such locations as Samoa and Rwanda and developed during four years in the marketing department at The School for Field Studies, the world’s largest environmental study abroad and international research organization. Scott has also dedicated his entrepreneurial spirit and career to launching new social impact endeavors including Green City Growers, a for-profit urban agriculture business in the Boston area, where he served as Chief Operating Officer. At DavisConnects, he oversees the student grant program that allows students to access funds for internships, research projects, and global experiences. Scott loves to witness how experiential learning opportunities can be so transformational for Colby students. He resides in the Portland, Maine area with his wife and two children.

Karen Macke (she/her) brings more than 15 years of experience in higher education to DavisConnects, including positions as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Thomas College and a Faculty Fellow and Instructor of Sociology at Colby College, SUNY Empire State, and Syracuse University.  Having worked with students in higher education for more than fifteen years, her approach to mentorship focuses on active listening, supporting student wellness, and valuing the perspectives students bring to the table through lived experience.  As a Colby College alum (’00), she is deeply committed to advancing liberal arts education and promoting engaged and responsible citizenship among all its students.

Karen earned her M.A. and PhD in Sociology at Syracuse University with Certificates of Advanced Studies in Women’s and Gender Studies, Social Movements, and Conflict Resolution.  Her research focused on the interconnections of religious participation, community engagement, and collective action within the changing landscape of LGBTQA activism.

Originally from New Jersey, her first job was working as a Summer Counselor for the Clifton Boys & Girls Club in Clifton, NJ.  

Carl-Philip ’18 (CP) is DavisConnects’ Specialist for Technology. Through advising, CP works to advance literacy in industry-specific skills and promote favorable outcomes for students pursuing the tech space and students interested in entrepreneurship. CP also leads the technology team at Outdoorly — a venture-backed startup founded at Colby in 2017. Having lived both in Denmark and Poland prior to coming to the US, global experience has shaped CP’s approach to business, mentorship, and citizenship. CP joined DavisConnects in fall of 2020.

CP’s first real job was developing software for pest-control businesses – double the bugs.

Pandit Mami is a Colby and Davis United World College Scholar program alum. He earned his M.A. from Marquette University, where he served as a Trinity and an AmeriCorp Members Development Fellow. Pandit’s career has focused on promoting upward mobility and community building through multi-sector partnerships. He has held positions with the Ngoyeaa Back to School Foundation, the Africa Center for Strategic Progress, Human I-T, and the Sierra Leone Forum for New Democracy.

As a Sierra Leonean native and someone who has lived in many cultures, Pandit is passionate about multiculturalism and cross-cultural learning. He is committed to leveraging his multicultural experiences and professional expertise to ensure that Colby students have access to the very best opportunities regardless of their goals.

Jason joined DavisConnects in August 2022 and serves as the Director for Career Advising and Advisor for Arts & Entertainment. As a former University Recruiter at Lockheed Martin, and over twenty years of experience in the field of career services, Jason has been a Career Counselor at UCLA, leader of Employer Engagement at USC and MIT, and most recently was Director of Engineering Career Services at UMass Amherst. What Jason enjoys most about working in higher education career services is helping students realize how much influence and control they have over their own career development.

Damon Yarnell joined Colby as Dean of Student & Global Advancement in February, 2022. In his current role, he oversees the College’s innovative DavisConnects program for post-graduate success and career development. The DavisConnects program not only prepares students to launch successfully into their first post-graduate opportunity but to pursue their own ambitious definitions of “true North” in a world of increasing complexity and rapid change. Prior to Colby, Damon served as Associate Provost at Dickinson College where he integrated the academic and career advising offices and led strategic efforts related to the futures of work and education. Earlier in his career, he founded a sustainable real estate development company and earned a PhD in Science and Technology Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. His first job was as a lifeguard in his native NYC.