New Student Advising

Our New Student Advising Team

Michelle Kyoko Crowson (she/her)

Associate Director for New Student Advising

I’m a first-generation college student and second-generation Asian American, with roots in my childhood hometown of Tukwila, Washington, and my adopted hometown of Yonago, Japan. Here at Evergreen, I am part of an amazing team that helps you, our newly admitted students, begin an array of rich and fulfilling educational journeys. Whether we meet in person or online, I strive to greet each student with a positive attitude, a sense of compassion, and curiosity about who you are and who you hope to become.

Before coming to Evergreen, I earned a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Oregon and an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College. When I’m not helping new Greeners launch their college adventures, I enjoy practicing yoga, reading, rafting, watching soccer, and playing with my dogs.

Melissa Pascal (she/her)

Assistant Director and Academic Advisor for New Student Programs

ɬaxayam, Melissa Pascal nayka nim! Hello, my name is Melissa Pascal (she/her pronouns) I am a member of the Santiam Kalapuya Band of the Kalapuyas of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Oregon, as well as French Canadian. I obtained an AA at Northwest Indian College before transferring to Evergreen, where I received my BA with an emphasis in native governance, and government and native federal law. Currently I am earning my MPA (Master's in Public Administration degree) at Evergreen. Hurray for the class of 2023! My son attends Evergreen and is a third generation Greener. My mother is the first generation to graduate from Evergreen.

As the Assistant Director and Academic Advisor for New Student Programs, Evergreen’s interdisciplinary studies and inclusiveness complement a student’s life on and off campus. The most enjoyable part of my job is meeting our students and listening to their stories, dreams, and seeing them all come true at graduation. GO GEODUCKS!

Krishna Chowdary

Member of the Faculty

I have been teaching physics and math at Evergreen since 2007. I’ve taught in a wide variety of interdisciplinary programs with other scientists, artists, social scientists, and humanities faculty. In 2023-24, I’m teaching in Models of Motion, integrating math and physics. I help students see how citizens and scientists make sense of, and intervene in, the natural and human-created worlds. I am committed to access, inclusion, and successful outcomes for all students in math and science classrooms. I have a Ph.D. in physics from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Myles Kautsky

Admissions Counselor

I attended Evergreen from 2016-2020 completing a Bachelor of Science and Arts with a focus in Geochemistry. As someone who struggled in high school and traditional college, I see Evergreen’s unique approach to education as an innovative lifeline. Now I support incoming students to Evergreen, as an Admissions Counselor and New Student Advisor.

I am from Washington and have lived in the Olympia area for most of my life. I have a deep love and passion for the natural world and the unique beauty of the PNW region.

Nancy Koppelman (she/her)

Member of the Faculty

I have been a member of Evergreen's Faculty for 27 years. My classes and programs combine studies in history with literature, philosophy, and writing. I have joined colleagues in business, sociology, classics, physics, and biology to create and team-teach fascinating programs. I also direct the Evergreen Jewish Studies Project, a 3-year initiative to raise awareness about antisemitism and other issues that pertain to the Jewish people.

I'm originally from New York. I arrived in the Pacific Northwest in 1983 as an Evergreen freshman. After graduation, I earned my MA in history at the University of Washington and my PhD in American Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Haley Lacey (she/they)

Academic and Career Advisor

While at Evergreen, I have worked in student focused offices for the last 9 years, first as a student staff member in Residential and Dining series, and after graduation, as a professional staff member. I am proud to be an Evergreen graduate and found my passion focusing on studies in Education and Literature.

As an undergraduate, I enjoyed the hands-on educational experiences that Evergreen's Programs offered. In my first professional position at Evergreen, as an Admissions Counselor, I enjoyed connecting with students about their education goals. This focus on academic and student success has been a driving force in my life and continues to be my guiding principle. 

As an Academic and Career Advisor, I am excited to support students on their education journey and help them explore their opportunities after graduation.

Brad Proctor (he/him)

Member of the Faculty

I have been a member of Evergreen's Faculty since 2017 as a professor of U.S. History. My classes have explored the histories of democracy, race, gender, sexuality, and popular culture in America. My particular research expertise is on Reconstruction in the U.S. south after the Civil War. 

Before arriving at Evergreen, I received my PhD from the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill. Originating from St. Louis, Missouri, I love now being in the Pacific Northwest.

Julia Zay, M.F.A.

Member of the Faculty, Visual + Media Art

I am a learner, artist, educator, and parent, attuned to the transformational potential of play and learning in community. This is my 21st year teaching at Evergreen. I teach photography and filmmaking and am devoted to analog, handmade processes. My interdisciplinary programs have investigated gender and the body from 19th-century photography to glam rock, the birth of cinema, the aesthetics and politics of ruins, archives, museums, and libraries, and the history of kindergarten. Right now, my studio is filled with piles of toy blocks, which I arrange into structures and photograph; I’m curious how shadow, color, and scale converge to create worlds I can’t anticipate and don’t recognize. I think I’ve always made art to surprise myself.

As much as I enjoy the classroom, it is particularly rewarding to work individually with students to help them turn their interests into big questions that bring together multiple subject areas and diverse ways of learning. As a mentor, I aim to help students deepen their trust in themselves and witness all they contribute to the Evergreen community. I genuinely believe that a sturdy sense of belonging empowers us to deepen our connections with others and take the risks necessary for growth and transformation.

My educational journey has been diverse, reflecting my wide range of interests and helping me attune to students with a similar breadth of curiosity. I completed my BA at Vassar College, studying visual art, video, gender studies, critical theory, and art history in an interdisciplinary, self-designed major. I completed an MA in film and media studies at Northwestern University. I then pursued PhD coursework at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago before moving to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to complete an MFA in Video. Before joining Evergreen, I taught at The University of Chicago, Columbia College (Chicago), and the University of California, Santa Cruz.