Charlotte Housel loves working in development fundraising, calling it a "profoundly optimistic career."  

"When you connect somebody with the capacity to make a difference in someone's life, with the opportunity to do it, it really fills you with a sense of hope about the community you're living in," she said. "It's pretty extraordinary to watch people extend themselves that way, for people who they may never meet." 

As the new chief development officer and executive director of the Flathead Valley Community College Foundation, Housel is tasked with leading an organization that supports the college and its students through fundraising. She took over the role earlier this summer after Tagen Vine left the position for the Glacier National Park Conservancy.  

Housel grew up in New Jersey attending the high school where her mom taught and had also attended school. She went onto study at Rutgers University majoring in English. She had her sights set on a career as a dramaturge, which is a literary advisor who researches history and edits text for theater or film, but learned it was a career with limited opportunities.  

"I went to college to learn and to be around people and to grow up, and I think about how much more I would get out of returning to education at this age," she said while reflecting on her own experience versus the many students at the community college who are non-traditional students. "Sometimes I'd be a much more serious student, which is why I like the people here who are coming back for their second act, are often coming in with a real appreciation for instructional time and for the value of education, because they know where they want to go." 

Prior to moving to the Flathead Valley, she spent 10 years as a strategist with advertising agencies DDB NY and McGarryBowen, where her clients included sports and educational nonprofits. From 2017 to 2022, she was executive director for what is now the Flathead County Library Foundation.  

Housel began as a library volunteer before taking over leadership of the foundation, which she stewarded to a prominent fundraising partner for the library system. She led the foundation through its first capital campaign, raising funds for the Bigfork library building.  

"I was new in town and needed to make some friends — I always liked volunteering as a way to meet people," she said. "And then when the [library foundation] position opened some librarians talked me into applying. It was the smartest decision I ever made because it opened the doorway to this career, which I didn't know how much I would enjoy." 

After taking some time away to raise her son, who is now 9, Housel has moved into working with another organization she quickly grew to admire upon arriving here: Flathead Valley Community College.  

For 50 years, the community college’s foundation has been raising funds to support students through scholarships and has served as a backbone of efforts to fund facilities expansions and modernizations. About 80% of its students receive financial aid, and last year the foundation provided about $1 million in scholarships.  

Obtaining education at the community college is reasonably affordable. A $5,000 donation supports one year of school, while $10,000 supports a two-year degree for a student, Housel notes.  

Opening in the mid-1960s, Flathead Valley Community College began with classes scattered in buildings in downtown Kalispell. In the fall of 1990, it moved to its sprawling campus in North Kalispell with four buildings which has now more than doubled because of support from the foundation to assist in the college's growth in programming and facilities.  

"The donors here are extraordinarily generous and extraordinarily kind, so I think my main mission here is to continue and build on the good work that's already been done," she said. "I want to keep that momentum moving forward." 

Excited to keep the momentum going, Housel says her mission is to continue the good work that's already been done.  

She points out that the need for financial assistance is always expanding as the student population grows, and the need to keep modernizing and expanding buildings is ever present.  

Much as it did when the college added the Rebecca Chaney Broussard Center for Nursing and Health Science in 2013 to respond to the need to train individuals for healthcare jobs in Northwest Montana, the college is now looking at ways to better meet the demand for skilled trades people in the local workforce. One of its fastest growing programs, the Trades Institute, has a waiting list for students, and the goal is to find ways to expand the institute’s building and its programs.  

"Finding holes in the workforce or a demand that's not being met through programs has been a cultural touchstone here for a long time," Housel said.  

The college is also moving through a transition in leadership as President Jane Karas is set to finish her 25-year tenure as president at the end of the year. The search for a new president is underway.  

"The college is at a bit of an inflection point, and what I'm most looking forward to is continuing that really deep tradition of generosity," Housel said. "I'm totally overwhelmed by the donor base at the college. They are a special group of people. They're extremely committed and extremely generous. There's a longevity there, and a tradition of trust, and my aim is to preserve it." 

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch can be reached at 406-758-4421 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.