Lisa Shumard-Shelton has recently taken over as the new Director of Student Life at Lake Land College (LLC). Although she has worked at the college for 15 years, her first day in her new position was Oct. 26, 2021. 

Shumard-Shelton graduated from Stewardson-Strasburg High School in 1996 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Communications and an English minor with a teaching certification from Easter Illinois University, and a master’s degree in Communication and Leadership from Gonzaga University. After finishing her higher education, she worked for an agriculture news source, covering stories in Ill. and Ind. She was also a freelance writer for the Indianapolis Star. 

Director of Student Life is Shumard-Shelton’s fourth position since working for the school. In her time at LLC, she has also been known as the Marketing and PR Specialist, Director of New Student Admissions and Director of Dual Credit and Honors Experience. She also teaches adjunct as an instructor of an Aerobic Fitness course and Introduction to Speech. 

Shumard-Shelton explained, “I applied for the position because I have missed working directly with students.” She is currently working on meeting one-on-one with all of the Student Government Association (SGA) members to get to know them better personally and listen to their ideas about issues facing the group. She says this is also her strategy when solving potential conflicts, stating, “I find when I make a personal connection with someone, the issue is not as significant and it is much easier to find common ground.”

Outside of work, Shumard-Shelton is married with a 12 year-old son and a 7 year-old daughter. They spend a lot of time at her son’s basketball games, doing arts and crafts and most recently, preparing to move into their new home.