Director - Advising
""If you have ever solved a problem with Brenna, or been in a meeting ran by her, you know just how passionate she is about student success, but also about her colleagues at North Idaho College. She is one of the most conscientious, efficient, and hard-working people I have ever had the pleasure to work with and learn from. Beyond her hard work for the college and students, she also has a great sense of humor and cares about the people she works with. She knows how to be solutions oriented and I know when we are working on a project together, I will not only laugh a lot but things will get done. NIC is very lucky to have her as Director of Advising Services.” " - Jillian Gill, Retention and Completion Coordinator - Cardinal Learning Commons
"“When I first applied for a job at NIC, I was nervous about accreditation and a barely-break-even salary. It was truly Brenna Dockter who tipped the scales on my pros and cons list. The way she handled the interview process and her infectious kindness made me hopeful that the job and NIC would mirror her attitude. I have been pleasantly surprised by how incredible this job is all thanks to Brenna and how she leads the Advising team. She humanizes our team and approaches us holistically, making the job sustainable, which I feel is single-handedly demonstrating how to have successful employee retention. She is the best boss I've ever worked for and it would be an honor to work for her and NIC for years to come. Daily, she models how to balance humility and confidence as a woman in higher education, which has been influential to me personally and professionally. I, our team, and NIC are privileged to have her spirit and intelligence! We love you, Brenna!”" - Kelsey Sanders, Student Success Advisor - Advising
"“Brenna is the type of boss that everyone would be fortunate to have as the leader of their department. Provided is a list of just a few qualities that define fantastic leadership that Brenna demonstrates each and every day. She is an excellent listener, hardworking, problem solver and solution driven. Brenna encourages and promotes free thinking and staff development opportunities. She offers constructive criticism with strength, wisdom, kindness and grace. She supports all of us personally and professionally. Brenna understands and appreciates our busy lives. She is continually doing and thinking of ways to motivate professional development, team building and personal wellness. You will often see her out walking with one of us at different times of the day. This is one example where she promotes wellness while we have our 1:1 meeting with her each week. We discuss what is going well and what needs improvement or change. Suggestions and ideas are exchanged as to how we can implement strategies to best serve students, improve workflows and collaboration with Faculty, Admissions, Registrars’ Office, Financial Aid, Enrollment Services and Cardinal Central. Brenna is a believer in the collaborative team approach across all departments to best serve students and each other, hence our weekly staff meetings will often have guest speakers so we can learn more about other departments across the campus. Breanna values everyone she supervises by voicing her gratitude, spoiling us with treats that she somehow finds time to make and understanding work / life balance. Our entire team is blessed to have her at the helm of Advising & Career Services, the Veterans Resource Center and American Indian Student Services.”" - Jamie Berube, Senior Administrative Assistant - Advising
"“It is with great honor I submit my nomination of Brenna Dockter for the Sterling Silver award. In her short tenure here at North Idaho College, she has not only contributed her knowledge and experience to our department and the school, but has raised our esprit de corps to new levels. Her approach to teamwork and transparency has been excellent, and always student-centered. From the first day Brenna started working with us, her dedication to service for the students, the NIC family, and the community was so apparent it was stunning. As previously referenced, her dedication to her team has been amazing. She always makes sure we receive kudos for a job well done, and holds our thoughts, ideas, and opinions in high regard. She holds meetings with us as regularly as we desire, both in groups and individually. Brenna has an open-door policy, and always has time to meet with a member of our team, even in our virtual environment. When we worked remotely during COVID, I dare say our department made it work more efficiently and seamless than any other, owing to the spirit of teamwork she has nurtured. Brenna grabs at challenges and always makes sure we know the toughest part is hers to tackle if we need help. She has been a strong advocate for our team, which is what we have desperately wanted for some time. One of our favorite attributes of Brenna is her transparency and candor. She does not come at us with false positivity if the moment does not call for it. She is honest and direct, without being pessimistic, rude, or demeaning. She also has a wonderful sense of humor, and encourages playfulness and whimsy in all forms of interaction. Simply put, Brenna is fun to work with, and for. Brenna is always true to her word, and her reliability is above reproach. The NIC family, and our students, are all people with lives, and life happens. She makes sure we attend to our own wellness. When she faces her own stressors at home, and cannot be physically beside her team, Brenna connects with us by every electronic communication tool she can, so we know we are supported. We have no doubts whatsoever she takes her work, and her team, seriously. Please consider Brenna Dockter for the Rising Star award. She has earned the recognition.” " - Jeff Davis, Student Success Advisor - Advising
"“There are so many reasons Brenna deserves to be recognized with the Sterling Silver Award. Brenna is a true team player and a genuine leader, bringing others together to serve our students, staff and faculty. Each day she focuses on the NIC mission while collaborating with kindness, humor, empathy and professionalism. It is truly a joy to work with her! Please consider recognizing Brenna with this well-deserved Sterling Silver Award. Thank you.”" - DeAnn Johnson, Advisor for Completion and Transferability - Advising
"“With calmness and humor, Brenna keeps Advising moving and exceling in serving NIC students. She offers encouragement to her staff, and challenges us to examine what we are doing and how we could do better. It's a wonderful balance of "let's get things done well" while valuing each individual, both student and internal customers as well as the health and well-being of our staff team. The constant refrain is "how can we serve students better?" With her at the helm, Advising Services carries on the NIC mission to equip our community in its many facets. Yay, Brenna!” " - Amy Bardwell, American Indian Student Advisor - Advising