Meet Our Team
Marsha Benedetti
Director
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (970) 491-1376
Marsha Benedetti is the Director for Talent Development. Marsha received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from CSU. She worked in the Lory Student Center for 10 years as Director of Off-Campus Student Services and Resources for Adult Learners. She left campus in 2000 and spent the next part of her professional journey working in the healthcare industry in the training and organizational development arena. Marsha has designed and facilitated several leadership development programs and developed change management initiatives to assist organizations and individuals through transition in a positive manner, and is passionate about working with leaders and teams to create a more effective and successful work environment. She returned to CSU in 2013 to lead CSU’s Talent Development. Marsha is a Gallup certified strengths coach. To view Marsha’s additional coaching credentials, please see Talent Development’s Coaching Services page.
Debora Colbert, Ph.D.
Professional Development Program Administrator
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (970) 491-2645
Debora A. Colbert, Ph.D. serves as the Professional Development Program Administrator for Talent Development and is the Co-founding Director of the Center for Mindfulness at Colorado State University.
Dr. Colbert earned her Ph.D. in Education and Human Resource Studies, specializing in both organizational Performance and Change and Higher Ed Leadership. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of Higher Education. Deb enjoys spending time outside of work with her family, gardening, practicing yoga and mindfulness, hiking, and playing with her grandchildren to keep her inner child alive and well.
Michele Newhard, Ph.D.
Talent Development Specialist
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (970) 491-3758
Michele Newhard, Ph.D. joined the team as a Training Specialist. She has spent 26 years in higher education and talent development. Michele has a Ph.D. from Penn State University in Workforce Education and Development where she studied organization development and positive change methods. She has published work on appreciative inquiry, succession planning, work family balance, and job burnout. In addition, Michele is an adjunct professor for Penn State’s College of Education and teaches graduate courses for PSU World Campus. She has been a seasonal teambuilding facilitator in outdoor education, and an organization development consultant. She is also a certified life and mentor coach.
Michele’s research and teaching interests include appreciative inquiry, positive psychology and positive emotions, strengths philosophy, systems thinking, social constructionism, intergenerational communication, and coaching. Michele is a Gallup certified strengths coach. To view Michele’s additional coaching credentials, please see Talent Development’s Coaching Services page.
Evan C. Welch
Talent Development Specialist
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (970) 491-4537
Evan serves the team as a Talent Development Specialist. Evan brings 20 years of experience in higher education with previous focus on learning in campus residential communities, community standards and conduct management, student leadership, and professional staff development. Evan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT and a Master’s Degree in College Student Personnel from Miami University in Oxford, OH (but he is most proud of his High School Diploma from South Royalton High School in South Royalton, VT…that was the one that was hard to get!)
Evan’s teaching and facilitation interests include developing supervisor and team capacity for meaningful work, understanding and honoring social identities, identifying and utilizing our strengths, and developing positive, productive relationships. Evan is a Gallup certified strengths coach. To view Evan’s additional coaching credentials, please see Talent Development’s Coaching Services page.
Diane Fromme
Learning Management System Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (970) 491-7259
Diane Fromme, the team’s LMS Coordinator, fields course management concerns for CSU faculty and staff who are using or creating content on the employees’ LMS. Diane brings 20 years of corporate and educational professional development experience to the CSU Talent Development department. Since 2014, she has helped educational organizations transition to eLearning on LMS’s. Diane has a B.A. in Communication from Stanford University, is Bridge-certified and Litmos-certified in LMS administration, and is pursuing additional certifications in Technology and Systems Management, Change Management, and grief support. She has also published numerous educational articles and a guidebook—Stepparenting the Grieving Child—which is a resource to assist parents and helping professionals when a child has lost a parent. Her personal passions include enjoying nature through cycling and paddle boarding, reading, and supervising international exchange students.
Nakia Lilly
Office Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (970) 491-1376
Nakia Lilly is the Office Coordinator for Talent Development. She is the point of contact for the office and is available to assist with registration for class offerings and to answer questions about programs. Nakia is a Colorado Native and has worked at Colorado State University since 2000. Her personal passions include gardening, cooking and food preservation.
Babette Kraft
Instructional Designer
Email: [email protected]
Babette Kraft joined the Talent Development team as an Instructional Designer II. Her previous ID roles include working as an Instructional Designer Sr. Specialist at WorldatWork, a nonprofit professional organization for compensation and total rewards; as well as serving as an Instructional Designer for the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, and managing the online Leadership and Innovation (EdD) and Learning Designs and Technologies (Med) programs at Arizona State University. Babette holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy with a minor in Religion and a Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies with a minor in Japanese from University of North Texas and a Master’s Degree in Organization, Information and Learning Sciences from University of New Mexico. Her poetry has been published in the Crucible, an International Poetry Prize Anthology, and online. She enjoys learning about different languages and cultures and hopes to one day write poetry in her ancestors’ native tongue, Nahuatl.
Betina Clark
Marketing Intern
Email: [email protected]
Betina Clark is the marketing intern for Talent Development. She works with the LMS Coordinator and the Talent Development Director to perform various design and marketing research tasks for the entire department. She has worked in this capacity since the Fall of 2023. Betina is in her second year at CSU, studying Apparel and Merchandising with a concentration in Apparel Design.