Kate Gerdes ’05

Kate, an LVC alumna, started her career in higher education as a study abroad advisor at Townson University in Maryland but later came back to central Pennsylvania to join the marketing team of the non-profit organization BCA Study Abroad at Elizabethtown College. Kate returned to LVC’s campus to teach World Religions as an adjunct professor in religion before joining the LVC staff full-time as the enrollment and marketing specialist for Graduate and Professional Studies. She is in the unique position of experiencing LVC as a student, faculty member, and staff member. 

For Kate, LVC is a special place. The close faculty connections and individual support she received while a student made a lasting impression. With the faculty and staff’s encouragement, Kate was inspired to study abroad and attend graduate school. Today, she is excited to see LVC expanding its graduate program offerings, a valuable commodity in today’s workforce. She knows from personal experience how overwhelming the graduate school application process can be, and she enjoys helping students in a way that wasn’t available to her. From the recent undergrad to the working professional, everyone’s needs are different, and Kate likes the challenge of fulfilling those individual needs. 

Kate enjoys gardening, knitting, and painting, but she is passionate about world travel and travels extensively with her husband. She believes that different cultural experiences are incredibly valuable to individual growth. Kate is ensuring the next generation of her family can have the same experience by planning and taking overseas trips with her nieces and nephews that cater to the child’s tastes and interests.