Student Life Staff

Jennifer M. Jukanovich: Vice President for Student Life
Email

Jennifer Jukanovich is Gordon College’s Vice President for Student Life, a role that includes leadership and oversight of numerous departments and programs, including Athletics, Campus Activities, Chapel, Clarendon Scholars, Counseling and Health Services, Residence Life, Gordon in Lynn and the Office of Community Engagement, La Vida Center for Outdoor Education, Multicultural Students, Orientation, Recreation Intramurals and the Bennett Center.

Prior to joining the Gordon College administration in 2013 as Associate Vice President for Student Life, Jukanovich lived and worked in Rwanda, where she served as communications director for a USAID project; founded a women’s business and a preschool; launched bi-yearly youth camps; and volunteered extensively with orphans and their caregivers, providing advocacy, training and adoption facilitation.

From 1998 to 2006, she served as the Founder and Executive Director of The Vine, a national gathering that brought thousands of young adults together across differences of Christian tradition, profession, race and ethnicity, to build unity in the body of Christ and engender cultural renewal. She founded The Vine while serving as executive assistant to the President of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities in Washington, D.C. As a non-profit consultant, she organized events for organizations including Christianity Today International and The Gathering in Amman, Jordan. From 1994 to 1997, she was personal assistant to President Clinton's volunteer religious liaison and an associate with the Renaissance Weekends. She is a 1994 graduate of Gordon College, and earned an M.A. in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2005.

Terry Charek: Dean of Student Care
Email

Terry L. Charek, Dean of Student Care, has served the students of Gordon College for over 30 years in various capacities. Campus residence life was his true love and focus for many years, but he also works with students with disabilities, commuter student advising, the health and counseling centers, recreation, intramurals and health education, directs the student disciplinary process, and founded the Early Response Initiative to identify and support struggling students. Terry lives in Wenham with his lovely wife Patricia and daughter Charlotte, and two guinea pigs -  and loves to hike and garden and eat raw eggs.

Chris Carlson: Dean of Student Success
Email

Chris Carlson '87 is Dean of Student Success and has been in student development roles at Gordon for 25 years. Chris oversees the First Year Experience and Orientation, Advising programs, the A. J. Gordon Scholars program and serves with the Kenneth L. Pike Honors program. Chris advises Deciding majors, and is co-founder and "Chief Imagineer" of Gordon's "Launch!" personal and professional development program which will further develop this year as the new Gordon360 Experience initiative takes off. He is an advocate for the student experience at Gordon, and for helping others strive to be at their best. He and his wife Sharon '88, are parents of a Gordon College student, a new Gordon grad, and along with their small dog, Mia, they live in Hamilton. Chris is active in developing both local players and coaches in the Hamilton-Wenham Youth Soccer Association as long-serving member of their Board.

Nicholas Rowe: Dean of Student Engagement
Email

Dr. Rowe works with his colleagues to create a campus climate of opportunity, leadership development and integrated student learning experiences for a student body that is increasingly diverse and global. This is so that, according to the College mission, they are prepared “to provide faithful leadership and service for the common good.” This will often mean looking out for specific ways for students to connect what is happening inside the classroom with what is happening outside the classroom. He oversees the administration of the Multicultural Initiatives Office, the International Student Organization, First Generation Students, the Office of Community Engagement, Campus Activities and Highland Express, and the annual LEAD conference. He also serves as a secondary advisor to student government. In addition, he teaches as an associate professor in the History Department and Peace Studies minor.

Greg Bish: Director of the Office of Community Engagement
Email

Greg Bish joined the Gordon College Student Development team in 2015 as the Director of the Office of Community Engagement. He leads the office in providing opportunities for students to be involved in service-learning and community outreach with community-based partnerships throughout the North Shore and greater Boston area. Blending together his previous experience in student development, international relief and development, and community partnerships, Greg works to facilitate meaningful experiences for Gordon College and the greater community that are mutually beneficial. Greg lives in Lynn, Mass., and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education Organizational Leadership at Azusa Pacific University.

Katie Breitigan: Director of Student Activities
Email

Katie Breitigan is stepping into a new role on campus as Director of Student Activities. Overseeing GCSA, CEC, and student event planning, Katie hopes to provide guidance to student leaders striving to cultivate new student event experiences while stewarding the continued responsibilities of existing student organizations. Katie is a beach bum at heart, loves the simple encouragement of a good Children’s book, and jumps at the opportunity to spend quality time in her hometown of Lancaster, PA. 

Michael Curtis: Director of Residence Life
Email

Michael Curtis received his B.A. from Westmont College and his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He leads the Residence Life program, which consists of 8 Resident Directors (RDs) and 70+ Resident Advisors (RAs) and Apartment Coordinators (ACs). Prior to serving as the Director of Residence Life, he was an RD for seven years at Gordon. Michael, his wife, Trish, and their four children live near campus and love calling this community their home. He enjoys time with his family, photography, filmmaking, guitar, and the ocean.  

Susan Forsythe: Director of Health Services
Email

Sue Forsythe has been an employee of Gordon College for nearly 25 years, beginning as a part-time nurse in 1991 and moving to full-time when she became Director of Student Health Services in September 2006. After graduating with degrees from Philadelphia College of Bible and Westbrook College and becoming a registered nurse, she worked at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Porter Memorial Hospital with specialties in pediatrics and IV therapy. A native of Pennsylvania and Maine, she now lives in Manchester-by-the-Sea with her husband David and looks forward to frequent visits from her adult children, who enjoy her famous mac and cheese and chocolate chip cookies.

Tom Haugen: Chaplain
Email

Tom is a graduate of The University of Georgia (B.A.), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), The University of Edinburgh (Th.M.) and is completing a Ph.D. in Homiletics at The London School of Theology and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Tom has served the Lord at churches in Zurich, Switzerland; Atlanta, Georgia; and Boston's North Shore. He and his wife have three beautiful daughters.

Ethan Mignard: Director of Housing
Email

Ethan Mignard serves as Gordon’s director of housing as well as the resident director of Tavilla Hall. Raised in Andover, Minn., he attended Oklahoma Baptist University, where he earned a B.A. in News and Information in 2011. Mignard received his M.A. in Strategic Leadership from Bethel University in May of 2017. In his free time, Mignard enjoys traveling, photography, participating in sports and keeping up with current events.

Charlene Mutamba: Director of Multicultural Initiatives
Email

Dr. Mutamba serves as Director of Multicultural Initiatives where she oversees the Clarendon Scholars Program and develops programs for the holistic care of a diverse, multicultural student body. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Research and Policy Analysis from North Carolina State University.  Prior to joining Gordon College, Dr. Mutamba conducted some of her doctoral research at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Post-Secondary Education where she worked to strengthen institutional capacity and performance; and advance innovation designed to facilitate best practices for access, retention, and completion of students – specifically students of color, lower-income students, and first-generation students.  Dr. Mutamba has a B.S. from High Point University and an M.S. from North Carolina A&T State University. She is married to Dr. Thomas Zengeya and together they mentor college students because they believe graduating from college is one of the most transformative things that can happen to a young person.

Rich Obenschain: Director of Outdoor Education
Email

Rich serves as the Director of the La Vida Center for Outdoor Education and Leadership. He has a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from Lenoir-Rhyne College and his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Seminary. Rich has been working in outdoor education for 45 years and founded five adventure programs housed in the La Vida Center as well as Gordon's W.I.L.D. Semester. He enjoys encouraging students to grow from small group adventure experiences and challenging them to use what they've learned in life to serve others. He has been a Project Adventure Trainer since 1986 and has served as a Wilderness Education Association Instructor and an assistant professor of Outdoor Education. Rich lives in South Hamilton with his wife, Katherine, and twins who attend Gordon College.

Deana Trefry: Director of the Counseling Center
Email

Deana has worked in the Counseling Center for two years and has been an adjunct professor at Gordon in the Sociology and Social Work Departments. Prior to coming to Gordon, Deana spent the last 16 years working within public schools, as well as for the SEEM Collaborative as a school adjustment counselor, school psychologist and special education administrator. At SEEM Collaborative, Deana was the founder and Director of the SEEM Assessment and Intervention Center. Prior to public schools, Deana worked as an outpatient therapist at Health & Education Services working with all ages. Deana is married and has three children.