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Kaskaskia College hires Mike Christensen as executive director of development

Mike Christensen

Kaskaskia College recently announced that it has hired Michael Christensen as its executive director of development.

“We are excited to welcome Mike. He is passionate about raising funds and is full of energy and ideas to support the college,” said Vice President of Administrative Services Judy Hemker.

Christensen will be responsible for fundraising strategies and programs for the College and Kaskaskia College Foundation. He will be responsible for external stakeholder engagement, major and planned gifts. Christensen’s previous experience as a Campaign and Major Gifts Officer includes recruiting, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding relationships with dozens of donors. He will use his previous experience to consult with current and prospective donors, acting as the liaison between the Foundation and Kaskaskia College.

“I was drawn to Kaskaskia College because of the college’s strong connection and commitment to the community,” said Christensen. “Growing up, my community college was where the community came together for recreation, learning, and community involvement. If you wanted to make a difference, the college was the place to do it. I think KC’s very similar in that regard, which is why I’m so excited about the work I get to do to support our students and community.”

Christensen and his wife Rachael, along with their three young daughters, had discussed moving to the Midwest, specifically Illinois, for several years. When the perfect opportunity presented itself at the ideal time, Christensen and his wife took it as a sign to make the leap from Washington State. His hobbies include spending time outdoors, reading and playing board games.

Kaskaskia College is a public community college in Centralia, Ill., serving all or part of nine counties, including Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Marion, Washington, Jefferson, St. Clair, Madison and Montgomery. Committed to making education affordable and accessible, the College has multiple locations throughout these counties and has education centers in Greenville, Nashville, Salem, Trenton and Vandalia while also providing heavy industrial trade programming at the Crisp Technology Center in Centralia. The school, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, offers a broad spectrum of degrees, programs and certification options, specializing in two-year associate degrees, transfer degrees and vocational education in a variety of career and technical fields that focus on immediate employment upon program completion.

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