Nate Mackinnon
NSHE Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges
Email: nmackinnon@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Chelmsford, MA
Nate Mackinnon
Nate Mackinnon
NSHE Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges
Bio: Nate Mackinnon joined NSHE in July 2017 as the vice chancellor for community colleges. In this role, he works closely with the chancellor, Board of Regents, and college presidents to provide leadership, coordination, and advocacy for the System’s four community colleges.
Prior to his employment with NSHE, Mackinnon served eight years as assistant commissioner and chief of staff for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. He previously held positions as research director for the Joint Committee on Education for the Massachusetts State Legislature and research coordinator/education specialist/department spokesperson for the Office of the Commissioner in the Massachusetts Department of Education.
Mackinnon graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northeastern University in Boston with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and received his Master in Public Administration from Harvard University. He was the 2014 recipient of the Lucius N. Littauer Award from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and was the Governor Robert F. Bradford Fellow for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at Harvard University in 2013-2014.
Brooke Stutler
GEAR UP Communications Specialist
Email: bstutler@nshe.nevada.edu
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Brooke Stutler
Brooke Stutler
Communications Specialist
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Bio: Brooke Stutler is an Honors student at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Research Psychology. Originally from the suburban beach town of Sarasota, Florida, she has lived in Reno for the past two years and considers the city her home. Throughout her education, Brooke’s status as an Honors student as well as her interest in psychology has gifted her with a greater appreciation for higher education, as well as a profound understanding of how best to communicate and connect with others. As GEAR UP Communications Specialist, Brooke’s goal is to reach out to as many students as possible, both encouraging them and offering them the opportunity to further their education. In her free time, Brooke enjoys hiking, playing D&D, rock climbing, off-roading, and tutoring Psychology at UNR.
Favorite Quote: “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” -William Shakespeare
Karen Pugh
Karen Pugh
Research Specialist
Hometown: Redding, CA
Bio: Karen has a passion for learning that began at an early age; she was 4 when her mother taught her to read. Her first degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, was from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in Film and Television which was quickly followed by a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Reno. Both of those degrees served her well as the director of contracts for an international film production and distribution company in Southern California. After the devasting events of 9/11, she knew that she had to focus her attention on something that provided greater meaning and substance for her, so she turned her passion for learning into a career as an educator. After obtaining her Master’s in Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she moved to rural Arizona where she taught high school English in a very small district just 12 miles from the Mexican border. During that time, she completed her fourth degree, an Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership from George Washington University. Moving back to Nevada, in July 2011, Karen taught in both Churchill and Lyon Counties before returning to the University of Nevada, Reno to work on her Ph.D. in Information Technology in Education.
As a student, and an educator, Karen is aware of the opportunities and challenges students in our K-12 system experience. She knows that engaging students in the process of learning is itself the key to achieving success in academics and in life.
Before coming to GEAR UP in 2018, Karen worked as a graduate assistant in the Honors Program at UNR and then moved over to UNR Med to work as a learning specialist for the first- and second-year medical students. While there she was able to channel her love for rural Nevada into a year-long collaboration with the UNR Med faculty and students which resulted in the creation of the Rural Outreach Clinic, which held its first clinic on October 13, 2018.
Outside of her role as Research Specialist for GEAR UP, Karen is pursuing her Ph.D. at UNR, engaged in helping UNR Med bring quality healthcare to Nevada’s rural counties, and spending what free time she has with her family at her home in Silver Springs.
Favorite Quote: “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ― William Butler Yeats
Lori Botelho
Lori Botelho
Interim Director
Hometown: Minden, NV
Bio: Lori Botelho is the Assistant Director for Nevada GEAR UP. She comes to the program from Bishop, California, where she was Program Manager for Cerro Coso Community College and the Kern Community College District for fifteen years. She was part of a team that created and implemented the online educational program for Cerro Coso Community College. Lori began her work with Nevada GEAR UP as a Grants Analyst in November of 2011 and has held her current position as Assistant Director since 2013. She lives in Minden, Nevada, with her husband and has three grown children. Lori enjoys traveling, camping, and exploring Nevada.
Favorite Quote: “Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in and it will come naturally.” – David Camus
VACANT
GEAR UP Ambassador Coordinator
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Daniel Villanueva
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GEAR UP Ambassador Coordinator
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GEAR UP Research Administrator
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GEAR UP Research Administrator
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Catrinna Berginnis
Interim Business Network Coordinator
Email: berginnisc@mineral.k12.nv.us
Hometown: Hawthorne, NV
Catrinna Berginnis
Catrinna Berginnis
Interim Business Network Coordinator
Hometown: Hawthorne, NV
Bio: Catrinna Berginnis is a Mineral County High School Alumni and former Gear Up SPIF and Co-Advisor for the National Honor Society. She has a very successful and thriving daughter that graduated from Mineral County High School as an early graduate and was part of the very first wave of Gear Up students in Mineral County. In addition to being an MCHS alumni, Catrinna has spent the last four years working for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension as a Community Based Instructor and 4-H Advisor. During her time at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension she also served on various statewide committees, 4-H State Association President, and served on the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents Marketing and Outreach committee. Catrinna received her Associates Degree from Western Nevada College, Black Belt Lean Six Sigma from Villanova University, Certificate in Event & Hospitality Management, Accredited Interscholastic Coaching Certification, IRB Certified, and holds a license for Educational Personnel & Insurance Producer for the State of Nevada. Catrinna also works part-time for the Mineral County Park and Recreation department and assists with running the youth basketball league. In Catrinna’s spare time she is a coffee addict, street taco & art lover, spends time with her dogs, and loves to travel! One fun fact she has lived in 5 different states and 7 cities. Once a Serpent always a Serpent!
Favorite Quote: “The road to success is through commitment.” Will Smith
