Meet the Team

Originally from Wood Lake, MN, Brittany grew up in a close-knit family where respect, hard-work, and a humble demeanor were not only valued but an expectation. The youngest of three children, Brittany was fiercely competitive as she often tried to keep up with her older sisters. During her childhood, she could often be found working multiple part-time jobs in customer service, wearing out her athletic shoes playing volleyball or basketball, and showing horses at the local and state levels for 4-H and the Minnesota Pinto Horse Association (MPtHA).

After graduating from Lakeview High School, Brittany followed in her sisters’ footsteps and attended Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU). Brittany graduated from SMSU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art: Graphic Design with a Marketing minor. During her undergraduate career, Brittany was a member of the SMSU women’s volleyball team, Graphic Design Club, and Art Club. She also worked part-time in the Office of Admission where she assisted with recruitment efforts and served as a tour guide to prospective students and their families.    

Upon graduation, Brittany continued sharing her passion for SMSU by becoming an Admission Counselor. In addition to recruiting new members of the Mustang family from the 19-county region, she gained additional experiences mentoring SMSU Student Ambassadors and Orientation Leaders, as well as planning campus visit days, new student registration programming, and Gold Rush Days’ activities. During this time, she sparked an interest in student success and returned to school to earn her Master of Science degree in Teaching, Learning, & Leadership from SMSU, focusing on student success and retention initiatives.  A few years later, she was offered the opportunity to lead efforts to improve the retention and persistence rates of the Mustangs by developing SMSU’s early alert procedures, new programming such as Mustang Success Night and Finish Strong Week, and many other initiatives to support student success. As a reward for her efforts, she was nominated by SMSU for the Minnesota Board of Trustees Professional Excellence in Service Award in 2017.

As the Director of Student Success, Brittany provides oversight of the Deeann Griebel Student Success Center including leadership to its staff in the following areas: education curriculum library (ECL), at-risk student intervention strategies, satisfactory academic progress (SAP), undeclared advising, interdisciplinary tutoring, Tutor.com, supplemental instruction (SI), the SUCCESS Program, annual programming efforts, and the exit procedure.

Brittany also serves as an active member of SMSU’s Early Alert Intervention Team; Campus Assessment, Response, and Evaluation Team (CARE); Family Weekend Committee; New Student Registration workgroup; Gold Rush Days workgroup; Homecoming committee; and the SMSU Alumni Association Board.

Outside of work, Brittany enjoys spending time gardening, finding treasures at local thrift stores, working on DIY craft projects, and spending valuable time with her family and friends. Brittany and her husband, David, reside in Marshall with their daughter, Bentley.

Kaitlyn attended Minnesota State University, Mankato where she completed both her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with Emphases in Business, Spanish, and Mathematics and her Master of Science in Educational Leadership. During her undergraduate career, she worked in Residential Life, New Student & Family Programs, Admissions, Student Support Services, Education Talent Search, and the Career Development Center. These roles created opportunities for her to be involved in tutoring support, major exploration, academic support for at-risk students, and intercampus programming. Kaitlyn also served as a graduate assistant for the Career Development Center and helped with Undecided Student Advising during summer new student orientation.

She began her professional career in higher education at North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, MN where she worked as an Admission Representative for 2 years. Her work at NHCC included assisting with database management as well as recruitment of traditional, non-traditional, transfer, and non-degree seeking students. She also participated in the National SEED Project. Kaitlyn then began working at Southwest Minnesota State University as an Admission Counselor. She served the SMSU campus for over a year in this capacity, during which time she was involved in undergraduate recruitment, social media management, and assisting with communication planning.

"I have spent the last 9 years being an undergraduate student, graduate student, and employee within the Minnesota State system, and the opportunities that we are able to provide are truly life-changing. Each campus is so unique, and having seen how 3 different campuses function has given me a great background and frame of reference. My time at MNSU Mankato really helped me to discover my passion for working in higher education and student affairs. NHCC allowed me to truly flourish and shaped me as a professional. SMSU and my Mustang Family have challenged me to take my skills to the next level and step out of my comfort zone. I am very excited to continue working at SMSU in this new role and strengthen relationships with faculty, staff, the community, and of course, the SMSU students. I have already seen how resilient and passionate our students are, and I look forward to supporting them as they strive to achieve their goals. I hope to bring a lot of creativity and energy to this position, and motivate students to be successful both in and out of the classroom."

Originally from Lake Benton, MN, Nicole is the fifth of six children and spent her early years quietly observing the world around her. From an early age, Nicole had a curious mind that contributed to her love of learning and her need to know how the world works. Beginning in junior high, Nicole spent much of her time working at her parents’ restaurant The Country House, and can still occasionally be found helping out with various events.

After graduating from high school, Nicole attended Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN, where she will proudly tell you she spent her first three semesters undeclared. After receiving guidance from a number of her professors and exploring her different interests by completing her general education credits, she declared not one but two majors. In 2017, Nicole graduated with a BA in Literature and a BS in Management (General). She actively applied what she learned in the classroom from these two areas of study as the Editor in Chief of SMSU’s student newspaper The Spur her junior and senior years of college. Nicole was honored to be awarded Core Co-Curricular President of the Year for her work with the student newspaper.

After graduating from SMSU, Nicole attended South Dakota State University to receive her master of education degree in Student Affairs Administration. During her graduate program, Nicole held several different graduate assistant positions. As a GA for Strengthening the Heartland, she provided outreach to educators and community leaders throughout South Dakota to offer free informational programming for youth and adults about the dangers of opioid overuse and abuse.  In her work as a GA over the summer for SDSU’s School of Design, she welcomed first-year and transfer students and helped them register for the fall semester.  Nicole worked in the First Year Advising Center as a graduate intern during her last year of her program, and provided outreach and support to students who received early alerts, interpreted FOCUS 2 results for first-year students, and acted as a mentor and success coach to students on academic probation. Similar to the experience of many of the students she was working with at the time, Nicole’s work and studies moved primarily online during the spring of 2020 because of the global pandemic.

After graduating with her M.Ed. in spring 2020, Nicole worked as a Program Assistant I at the SDSU Testing Center, where she was a certified test proctor for Pearson, Scantron, Accuplacer, the ACT, CLEP, and Praxis. Although she loved her job and all that it entailed, Nicole jumped at the opportunity to work as a SUCCESS Coach in SMSU’s Deeann Griebel Student Success Center. Nicole says being back at SMSU is like being home again. As the SUCCESS Coach, Nicole meets regularly with students to provide academic and personal guidance, refers students to appropriate campus services, and advises students in all areas of life.

Emily Vos, a RTR High School graduate and proud SMSU alumni, completed her Bachelor of the Arts degree in Psychology, with a minor in Sociology, in May of 2023. During her time at SMSU, she conducted a 2-year research study throughout her junior and senior years and authored a research article where she published her findings in the 2023-2024 edition of the SMSU campus journal Discovery.

Now a SUCCESS Program Coach in the Deeann Griebel Student Success Center, Emily works with students in the SUCCESS Program, offering all-encompassing advice and helping lead the next generation of SMSU graduates toward success.

In her free time, Emily enjoys gardening during the warmer months and spending days indoors watching movies, playing video games, and spending time with family during the cold Minnesota months. Emily also loves animals and will gladly tell you all about her pets; you only need to ask!

Vickie was born and raised in Marshall, MN. Vickie has an older sister living in St. Louis, a brother and sister in the Mpls area, a brother in Sioux Falls and one in Marshall. After graduating from Marshall High School – claim to fame;  the largest class to ever graduate from MHS – Vickie attended the College of St. Teresa in Winona, MN.  Vickie graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and began a long career in the field.  Initially, Vickie worked at a group home for adolescents with behavioral disorders.  A few years later, her passion for helping children came to fruition as she directed a treatment foster care program in Southwest Minnesota.  She also had the unique opportunity to find “forever” homes for children through the adoption process. 

After decades of working in the social work field, Vickie was at a pivot point in her career.  Ultimately, she made the decision to pursue a Master’s Degree at Southwest Minnesota State University. Vickie’s Master’s Degree in Education:  Teaching, Learning and Leadership opened the door to her next career opportunity.  Vickie was hired as the Director of Education at Avera Marshall.  She spent the next 15 years working at Avera Marshall with her final role being Vice-President of Organizational Excellence.  When her role was eliminated at Avera Marshall, Vickie was at yet another pivot point in her career.  The opportunity to join the SMSU family as the Coordinator of Accessibility Services was available and when offered the position, Vickie was beyond excited to accept the role. 

“I feel so fortunate to be part of the SMSU family and to once again, be in a helping role.  The idea I have the chance to positively influence the likelihood of success for our SMSU students makes coming to work a joy. I look forward to making a difference in the lives of many students in the years ahead.”

Outside of work Vickie enjoys spending time with her family.  She and her husband, Steve, have three grown children.  Matthew, and his wife Megan, live in Sioux Falls with Vickie’s two most precious treasures; grandsons Jonathan and Landon. Laura has a successful career at Target Corp and lives in Minneapolis.  Seth and his significant other, Hannah, live in Marshall with Vickie’s two other treasures; grand dogs Max and Stanley.  Vickie enjoys traveling, especially to warm climates, and she is an avid MN sports fan. When not on an adventure, you will often find Vickie in her perennial garden; her peaceful place. 

Back in 2021, the rural scene that was Southwest Minnesota was new and unfamiliar to Macie Langstraat. Graduating high school in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, Macie came to Southwest Minnesota State University in the fall of 2021. She began as a quiet and reserved student with an undeclared major. Throughout her three years completing her undergraduate degree, this all changed. She graduated with honors in the spring of 2024 with a BA in Psychology, a minor in Sport and Performance Psychology, and a certificate in Coaching all while competing in cross country and track. During this time, she came out of her shell and became a work-study student for the DGSSC, a supplemental instructor for general psychology, a member of The International Honor Society for Psychology, a peer mentor through the Lost & Found program, and an intern as a Crisis Hotline volunteer for New Horizons Crisis Center.

At the end of her senior year, Macie decided to return to compete in cross country and track for one more year and also get her Master of Science in Physical Education: Coaching of Sport. She would love to coach a cross-country team one day or continue her education and work in the field of Applied Sport Psychology. In the Success Center, she works on social media promotions and monthly newsletter content, assists with early alert interventions, and aids in Finish Strong Week programming.

Back at home, she has a very tight-knit family consisting of two sisters, one older and one younger. She has learned a great amount on hard work, kindness, and determination through the example of her parents and siblings. She also shares a dog with her significant other who is a German Shepard named Ace and he keeps them on their toes! In her free time, Macie enjoys reading, watching movies, hanging out with friends and family, playing with her dog, and listening to true crime podcasts.