Mohawk Valley Community College announces the following new appointments and employee title changes as approved by the Board of Trustees at its Aug. 15 meeting:
- Michelle Burdick, Licensed Mental Health Practitioner
- Natallia Dzeravenets, GEAR UP Program Specialist
- Geri Sultenfuss, Distinguished Retiree
- John Welch, Airframe and Powerplant Instructor
- Corinne Wilson, Staff Accountant
Michelle Burdick was appointed to the position of Licensed Mental Health Practitioner in the Department of Student Accessibility and Wellness and will be responsible for providing a full array of counseling, mentoring, and coaching services, including personal and educational counseling for individual students, and for the evaluation of mental health and related cases. She may provide short-term intervention and can provide referrals to community agencies when appropriate. Burdick previously served as a contracted/remote telehealth therapist for BetterHelp Online Therapy, a risk management specialist for the Central New York Psychiatric Center, a psychiatric social worker for Ellis Outpatient Mental Health Clinic in Schenectady, a child and family specialist at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services in Rensselaer, a team leader/primary counselor/compliance for Northeast Career Planning in Menands, and a teacher’s assistant for The House of the Good Shepherd in Utica. Burdick holds a master’s degree of social work in social welfare from University at Albany and bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and sociology from SUNY Potsdam.
Natallia Dzeravenets was appointed to the grant-funded position of GEAR UP Program Specialist and will work to improve GEAR UP students’ academic performance through the delivery of a wide range of instructional support and intervention services. Dzeravenets has held a variety of positions, including volleyball coach at Whitesboro High School, office coordinator for the Mohawk Valley Health System, waitress at Pellettieri Joe’s Restaurant, annotator for PARTech, scribe for ScribeAmerica LLC at Rome Memorial Hospital, scheduler for Compass Interpreters at The Center, and group counselor for Rome Community Schools’ Summer Program. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
In recognition of her many years of outstanding service, Geri Sultenfuss has been named Distinguished Retiree.
John Welch has transitioned to the position of Airframe and Powerplant Instructor in the School of STEM-Career. Welch has been an adjunct instructor in the program since March 2022. Before joining the College, he served as a TECH OPS Hub Control Supervisor for American Airlines out of Dallas and held various positions between 1991 and 2013 at American Eagle Airlines at DFW Airport in Dallas, including in the Configuration Management AEMES program, and as a BETA tester, instructor, quality control inspector, lead technician, and technician. He also served as a mechanic for Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. in Dallas and for Arrow Air at JFK Airport in Dallas, and as a line service worker at Oneida County Airport. From 1986 until 1998, Welch served in the United States Marine Corps, first as a helicopter structural mechanic and then as part of the Presidential Helicopter Squadron HMX-1. He holds a certificate in aircraft and power plant from the North American Institute of Aviation in South Carolina.
Corinne Wilson has transitioned to the position of Staff Accountant in the Business Office and will provide support to the College’s Controller, including coordinating daily financial activities such as accounting, cash management, and banking services. Wilson has served the College since 2020 as a Program Specialist for the Advanced Institute for Manufacturing (AIM) at MVCC. Prior to that position, she served as an office assistant at Herkimer BOCES, a deputy treasurer/account clerk for Dolgeville Central School District, a principal account clerk and account clerk for the Herkimer County Department of Social Services, an account clerk/typist for Herkimer County Mental Health, an account clerk for Herkimer County Public Health, a billing clerk for Utica Cutlery Company, and a junior accountant for Technical Traffic Consultation in Congers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from SUNY Polytechnic Institute and associate degrees in business accounting and business administration from SUNY Rockland Community College.
Mohawk Valley Community College, established in 1946, is New York State’s first community college with a mission to provide accessible, high-quality educational opportunities for everyone. As the community’s college, MVCC is committed to student success through partnerships, transfer and career pathways, and personal enrichment. With campuses in Utica and Rome, MVCC is the region’s primary provider of college education, offering 90 degree and certificate options for its enrollment of 6,000 full- and part-time students. MVCC also serves an additional 6,000 people through its corporate and community education programs, and its campuses welcome more than 50,000 people annually for community events. To learn more about MVCC and its programs, visit www.mvcc.edu.
