Honors Staff

For general inquiries please call our main number: 765-494-2929

Below are the dedicated Honors College staff.

Leighton Buntain
Leighton Buntain

Community Outreach and Events Manager

Leighton works in the Purdue Honors College to support events and programs with faculty and scholars, the local community, and alumni of the Honors College. He completed his undergraduate degree in International Relations and Chinese language at the University of Calgary in Canada and his Master’s degree in Public Administration at the Ohio State University. He is currently a PhD student in education, focused on intercultural learning and cross-cultural friendship. Prior to joining the Honors College, he worked in the International Programs office at Purdue and, before that, worked in various international education roles in Asia and Canada. He has lived and worked in East and Southeast Asia for over 15 years and is originally from Vancouver, Canada.

Kelli Dawson
Kelli Dawson

Secretary

Kelli serves as the secretary for the Honors College. Before joining the Honors College, she served as the secretary for the Student Activities and Organizations Department. Although she did not attend Purdue University, she is a Lafayette native who has deep Purdue pride. In her free time, Kelli enjoys going to as many Avett Brothers concerts as possible, any outdoor activities, and spending time with her husband and two dogs.

David Ding
David Ding

Honors Advisor

David attended Swarthmore College, a liberal arts institution, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with minors in Chemistry and Educational Studies. Between undergrad and graduate school, David taught high school with Teach for America to pay the education he received forward. Working in residential programming, student advising, and service-learning in graduate school, David earned a Master of Education at Vanderbilt University. Beyond the workplace, his hobbies are exploring the world, indulging in culinary arts, and engaging in holistic wellness. With a passion for connecting ideas and lifelong learning, he aspires to change the world one conversation at a time.

Sherry Hardebeck
Sherry Hardebeck

Dean's Administrative Office Manager

Sherry Hardebeck graduated with her B.S. in Human Resource Development and completed her M.S. in Career and Technical Education in 2009 from Indiana State University. Before joining the Honors College, she worked at Purdue in the Physical Facilities Administration Department. As the Dean’s Administrative Office Manager, Sherry is responsible for the smooth management of the educational administration, public relations/outreach and discovery-related roles of the Dean.

Mindy Hart
Mindy Hart

Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions

Mindy Hart is excited to join the Honors College as the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions. She is a proud Purdue alumna who earned her BS in Health Education with a Minor in Computer Education and also her MS Ed in School Administration. Mindy has considerable knowledge of many areas across campus, having held positions in Computer Science, Engineering, Purdue Polytechnic and Recreational Sports. Mindy also spent 7 years as a high school teacher, teaching and coaching a variety of subjects and activities. Mindy is a fan of baseball, 80s movies, gummi bears, and laughing.

Tracy Hieatt
Tracy Hieatt

Administrative Assistant

Tracy is a Lafayette native who joined the Honors College in 2006 when it was the University Honors Program.  In her role as Administrative Assistant for the Honors College, she performs general day to day office duties as well as serving as the Honors College Schedule Deputy for HONR courses.  Additionally, she serves as the department computing liaison to ITAP and the liaison to the Office of International Students and Scholars.   She enjoys spending time with her family and friends when she is away from the office.

Ethan Johnson
Ethan Johnson

Honors Advisor

Ethan Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Classical Cultures from Ball State University. He earned a Master of Science for College Student Personnel from Southern Illinois University. Ethan has worked as a high school teacher, a residence hall coordinator, and a barista. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, laughing, and drinking iced coffee—sometimes all at once.

Jessica Brewer
Jessica Joya

Student Engagement Program Coordinator

Jessica graduated from Purdue with a B.S. in Retail Management and a minor in Organizational Leadership and Supervision. She earned her M.S. in Higher Education with a focus on Student Affairs from Purdue University Global. Prior to joining the Honors College, Jessica spent the last decade working in social work focusing on suicide prevention, community outreach and education, and interpersonal violence. Jessica enjoys spending time with her daughter, Lilliana, reading, and stopping random strangers to pet their dogs.

Logan Judy
Logan Judy

Communications Manager

Logan manages communications for the Honors College. He has a history of involvement with Purdue, graduating with his B.A. in Public Relations in 2015, and working for three years prior to the Honors College as Communications Specialist for the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. In addition to his work at Purdue, Logan has done work ranging from short-term projects to part-time positions in a variety of industries, including a local zoo, government, non-profit, and a medical devices startup company. In his spare time, Logan enjoys writing fiction and spending time with his wife and two children.

Diane Klassen
Diane Klassen

Chief Development Officer, University Initiatives

Jordan Meyer
Jordan Meyer

Data Analyst

Jordan Meyer earned a B.S. and M.A. in sociology and a graduate certificate in institutional research from Ball State University. As Data Analyst, he is responsible for statistical reporting in the Honors College. Outside of work, he enjoys video games and spending quality time with his wife and son.

Mike Morton
Mike Morton

Honors Advisor

Mike Morton earned his B.S. in public relations and his M.S. in college student personnel administration at the University of Central Missouri. As a graduate student, Mike worked in the university president’s office and in alumni relations. Prior to coming to the Purdue Honors College, Mike spent two years as an academic advisor, recruiter and social media manager at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He enjoys golfing, going to the movies and road trips to see friends and family.

Rachel Newell
Rachel Newell

Student Leadership and Engagement Manager

As part of the Honors College Rachel works to create development opportunities for students through leadership, community service, and other meaningful experiences. She advises the Honors Leadership Council and the HonorServes Committee, and is part of the Diversity & Inclusion Team. Rachel received her B.S. in Education from Eastern Illinois University and her M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she spent twelve years teaching at the Intensive English Institute before joining the Honors College in 2017. She has also taught English in China and Turkey as well as worked as a professional actor, landscaper, sign language interpreter, and an advocate for an international child development organization. Rachel loves to hike, write, do yoga, sing harmony, and find ways to spoil her amazing niece and nephew.

Catharine Patrone
Catharine Patrone

Senior Director, Academic and Student Affairs

Catharine Patrone completed her B.A. in communication and minors in women’s studies and human development and family science and M.A. in higher education and student affairs at Ohio State University. While in graduate school, she worked as a research consultant in the Student Support Office at Lancaster University in Lancaster, England during the summer of 2002. Prior to coming to Purdue University, Catharine served in the capacities of Graduate Associate and Program Coordinator at the University Honors & Scholars Center at Ohio State University.

Dani Parsons
Dani Parsons

Honors Advisor

Dani earned their Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, now known as Purdue Fort Wayne. After that, they came to the main Purdue campus to earn their M.S. in Social Psychology, where they served as a Graduate teaching assistant and research assistant. In their spare time, Dani enjoys trying new foods, making crafts, and spending time with their cat.

Lindsay Perrault
Lindsay Perrault

Media Coordinator

Lindsay Perrault serves as the Media Coordinator for the Honors College.   With more than a decade of experience in television news, she brings a journalistic perspective to the college’s message designs.  Before joining Purdue, Lindsay anchored “Hello Wisconsin” a morning news program for the NBC affiliate out of Eau Claire.  She has earned numerous awards for her anchoring and reporting, including an Emmy nomination for an investigation into Wisconsin’s regulation of for-profit colleges.  Prior to her time in Eau Claire, Lindsay anchored and reported for stations in Wisconsin’s capital city of Madison, her home market of Green Bay, and in Lansing, Michigan.  She graduated with a B.A. in journalism and mass communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jess Ramsey
Jess Ramsey

Director of Advising

Jess serves as the Director of Advising for the Honors College. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Mount Union, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel from Kent State University, and an MBA from Purdue University Global. Prior to working with the Honors College, Jess spent six years working with Purdue Promise- most recently serving as the Senior Assistant Director for the program. She has led study abroad programs to Spain and has taught several courses across campus. Outside of work, Jess enjoys hiking, travel, reading, and cats.

Onyx Uzomah
Onyx Uzomah

Honors Advisor

Onyx received her B.S. in General Biology with a minor in Business Administration from California State University Dominguez Hills. She then made the move from the west coast to Purdue University and earned her M.S. in Biological Sciences in 2014. Prior to joining the Honors College, Onyx taught anatomy and physiology to pre-nursing students at Ivy Tech Community College, and worked with 6th-8th graders in special education with both the Lafayette and Tippecanoe school corporations. Outside of work, she enjoys reading voraciously, singing, dancing, sewing, crocheting, and analyzing the Marvel Cinematic Universe with her son.

National and International Scholarships Office
Dr. Rosanne Altstatt
Dr. Rosanne Altstatt

Associate Dean

Rosanne Altstatt is Dean’s Fellow for National and International Scholarships. She was brought to Honors College from Purdue’s School of Visual and Performing Arts where she was Visiting Scholar. Rosanne has worked internationally as a curator, writer and the director of several art institutions that specialize in media art. She researched the media art institution in our information-filled atmosphere for her Ph.D. in Art and Media Studies from Carl-von-Ossietzky University, wrote about early video art for her M.A. in Art History from University of Cologne, and received a B.A. in Art History and English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Veronica Schirm
Veronica Schirm

Director

Veronica Schirm graduated with her B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Spanish from Purdue University in 2000. She completed her M.S.Ed. in Counseling and Development with a specialization in Mental Health Counseling in 2003 also from Purdue. While in graduate school, she worked as a teaching assistant in the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction and as a graduate assistant to the Learning Communities Coordinator. Through those experiences, she discovered her interest in academia and decided to pursue a university career rather than become a practicing therapist.

Michael Russell
Michael Russell

Scholar Development Advisor

Michael Russell graduated with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Sustainability in 2013. He worked for Purdue’s Horticulture Department assisting in the management of their Plant Growth Facilities for two years and a half. Michael’s primary responsibilities are to encourage students make the most out of their undergraduate careers. In addition to student interactions, Michael enjoys camping, hiking, orchid biology, and supporting LGBTQ+ community.

Michelle Parsons-Powell
Michelle Parsons-Powell

Writing Consultant and Graduate Assistant

Michelle is a PhD candidate in the Department of English. She earned her MA in English from California State University Long Beach. Her dissertation topic examines the language used for nonhumans, particularly monsters, in Old and Middle English Literature. Her other research interests include medievalism, semantics, the history of English, languages, and sociolinguistics.