Raymonda Burgman Gallegos

Vice President, Programs and Services

303-541-0222rbgallegos@wiche.edu

Raymonda Burgman Gallegos serves as the Vice President of programs and Services. In this role, alongside a team of dedicated and knowledgeable professionals, she pursues increasing student access to postsecondary education and training, building and enhancing collaborations between institutions and their leadership, and efficient procurement and contracting for college and university staff. The Programs and Services unit impacts students, academic leaders, and operations team members. It has three regional student access programs, which include the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), and the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP). The unit also manages the Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders (the Alliance) and the Western Academic Leadership Forum (the Forum). These two membership groups serve the leadership development and networking needs of chief academic officers in the region. The Alliance and Forum spurred the development of the innovative student transfer initiative, Interstate Passport ® and fostered the creation of the Western Academic Leadership Academy. Programs and Services recently added a program for Humanities faculty interested in academic leadership. The unit also partners with the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) to provide institutions with operational savings through two programs—MHECare Student Health Solutions and Technology Contracts. Option 1: Previously, Burgman Gallegos served as director of programs and research at HERS (Higher Education Resource Services), a non-profit leadership development organization focused on women and gender-diverse leaders who work in postsecondary settings for eight years. She also served as an administrator at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, in Academic Affairs and the Office of the President and at New College of Florida, in Sarasota, FL. Burgman Gallegos was a tenured professor in economics and management at DePauw University. She also taught at two other institutions in Florida, Santa Fe College and the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg. She received a B.A. in Economics from New College of Florida and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL.

Margo Colalancia

Director of Student Access Programs, Programs and Services

303.541.0214mcolalancia@wiche.edu

Margo Colalancia directs WICHE’s student access programs – WUE, WRGP and PSEP– which provide access to a broad range of higher education options for 45,000+ students. Previously she served as associate project director for a trinational consortium of Mexican, Canadian and U.S. universities and colleges. She holds a bachelor’s in business French from the University of Colorado and the Université de Bordeaux III, and a master’s in international policy studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Colalancia spent seven years in Gabon, Central Africa, teaching English as a foreign language with the Peace Corps and on private contract with the Gabonese Ministry of Education.

Cherie Curtin

Senior Administrative Coordinator, Programs and Services

303.541.0267ccurtin@wiche.edu

Cherie Curtin is a Senior Administrator Coordinator for the Student Access Programs at WICHE and formerly served as a project coordinator and administrative assistant for the Interstate Passport program. She brings a human-centered approach to her work, evaluates issues from multiple viewpoints, and enjoys outreach activities, talking and working with people to find common interests.  She has worked in higher education for over 15 years at the federal and state level. She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of New Mexico’s School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico State University with a supplementary major in Law & Society.  Outside of work, Cherie enjoys camping in the mountains, reading, watching her son’s hockey and baseball games, and spending time with family and friends.

Kate Springsteen

Assistant Director, Student Access Programs

303.541.0270kspringsteen@wiche.edu