Our KyCC Staff

Administrative Staff

Gayle Hilleke
Executive Director
execdirector {at} kycompact(.)org
859-572-7634

In January, 2006, Gayle became the founding executive director of Kentucky Campus Compact (KyCC), the 31st state affiliate chapter of Campus Compact, a national coalition of over 1200 college and university presidents committed to the civic purposes of higher education. At KyCC, Gayle loves to brainstorm with faculty, students, and community partners to form creative partnerships that benefit the whole network. As an example, she worked with the University of Kentucky and other partners to create the annual Kentucky Hunger Dialogue. She also partnered with Berea College and Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to create the Kentucky College Coaches AmeriCorps program.
Prior to moving to Kentucky, Gayle spent eight years in Washington D.C. at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) where she served as an AmeriCorps program officer and as a project manager for a national assessment initiative, the State Administrative Standards project. Prior to working at CNCS, she was the first program officer of the Ohio state commission (Governor’s Community Service Council) from 1994-1997.
Gayle has over twenty-five years of experience in strengthening communities through work in nonprofits, educational institutions, and government agencies. Her focus is on using strength-based strategies in promoting community change and personal growth.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Gayle has a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree in Organization Development from American University in Washington, D.C. She loves being outdoors hiking, canoeing and biking and is currently enrolled in a cooking class.

AmeriCorps Staff

Kyle is a native of Northern Kentucky and grew up 5 minutes down the road from Northern Kentucky University. He went to Eastern Kentucky University for his Bachelor of Arts in French. He then received his Master’s in Public Administration from NKU in 2017. He has studied abroad twice: once to Paris and once to Austria. He has worked part time at the Skyline Chili in Highland Heights for over 10 years. He has previously worked as an EKU Guru, as a Floor Supervisor at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, and as a Patron Services Representative at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Before becoming the Recruiter/Member Coordinator for Kentucky Campus Compact he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with the office where he worked on STEM+ programming and a conference on service learning. In his current role as Recruiter/Member Coordinator he works with about 150 AmeriCorps members across three programs. In his free time he enjoys going to a weekly bar trivia, travelling, and going to the movies.

Lexie Stepro is the AmeriCorps Student Success VISTA at the Compact, working with programs such as Norse Skolars and Kentucky College Coaches. Lexie graduated from Northern Kentucky University in May of 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. In her free time she enjoys writing, concerts, learning new things, and meeting new people.

Shellie Baker serves as an AmeriCorps Program Manager, Program Development and Assessment. Previously, she served as the KY Youth Apprenticeship Coordinator at NKCES. In this role, she connected with local high school students to area healthcare employers for hands-on experience, creating a talent pipeline for tomorrow’s workforce. Previously, she served as the Director of Lincoln Grant Scholar House with NKCAC and led campus operations in conjunction with the academic pathway and goal plan for all applicants in pre-residential and those in residential and post-residential services at Lincoln Grant Scholar House. Prior positions were at Gateway and the State of KY, where she engaged with single parents who were in college and seeking self-sufficiency. Her passion is to collaborate, connect, and energize our region by developing meaningful college and career pathways for our future leaders.

Karen Mann is a Northern Kentucky native, an alumnus of Boone County Schools & Northern Kentucky University. Karen earned bachelor’s degrees in Education & Geography from NKU and a master’s degree in Education and post-graduate certificate in Counseling from Capella University. She has dedicated her life’s work to college & career readiness and student success in her various roles as a K-12 Classroom Teacher, Human Services & IT post-secondary instructor, Public Health Educator, Pre-Employment Transition Services Specialists for students with disabilities, as well as a college Professional Advisor for a variety of post-secondary programs. She feels strongly about KyCC’s mission to elevate college access for all and facilitate student success through relationships, content, and experiential learning. Karen has joined KyCC as a Program Manager for Member Support & Strategic Partnerships and will focus her work in the Western KY region. In her spare time, Karen enjoys spending time with her family, following current events, and attending outdoor live concert events.

Hanna Gabbard, an eastern Kentucky native and alumna of Morehead State University, is one of the newest staff members at Kentucky Campus Compact. In her role, she will manage the KyCC VISTA Program and serve as the lead for outreach/recruitment in the eastern Kentucky region. As a previous VISTA member herself, Hanna is excited to be in this role and continue to grow the KyCC VISTA Program.
In her previous positions, Hanna has worked in the non-profit sector, managing strategic communications, event planning, and community engagement. She has a passion for the people and communities in Kentucky and hopes to use the KyCC AmeriCorps programs to increase opportunities for those that need them the most.
Hanna currently resides in Johnson County, KY with her husband Jonathan and their dog Charlie.

Specialists

Lisa Williams-Nelson
KyCC Recruiter
Lisa.williamsnelson {at} kycompact(.)org

Lisa is an experienced entrepreneur with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry and with nonprofits. She has managed paid and volunteer work force. Lisa is also technically skilled in Salesforce, QuickBooks and all Microsoft applications on Intel and OS operating systems. Bilingual in Spanish.

Megan Sutter
Administrative Specialist
Megan.Sutter {at} kycompact(.)org

Megan Sutter graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of Louisville in 2015. Prior to her position with KyCC she worked 5 years in Retail Management and spent time as a President’s Assistant.
Megan’s career aspiration has always been to work with a team that is really making a positive impact within their community. Since joining KyCC Megan feels that she has met that goal and loves knowing that each day she works with the KyCC team she is doing work that is allowing our programs to do great things in the community.  At KyCC Megan’s main role is to keep processes moving so each member of the team can perform their tasks and keep daily business in order. One of her favorite parts of her position is helping others achieve their goals.

Katelynn Dinius
Communications Coordinator
katelynn.dinius {at} kycompact(.)org

My name is Katelynn Dinius and I am the Communications Coordinator at Kentucky Campus Compact! I am a fourth year student at Northern Kentucky University with a major in Public Relations and minors in Marketing, Management, and Honors. This is my third internship with a nonprofit, so I’m able to bring a lot of skills and expertise from both inside and outside the classroom to this experience.

My primary roles as Communications Coordinator are to create monthly e-newsletters, update the KyCC website, manage our social media platforms, etc. When I’m not in class or doing my internship I am very involved with NKU and my community. Some things I love to do include working out, hiking, biking, rock climbing, skiing, growing in my relationship with God and spending time with friends! I’m excited to be serving at Kentucky Campus Compact! Should you need to contact me, feel free to send me an email.