1MountainRoad was created to support individuals, teams, institutions, and businesses as they execute change in their unique settings and culture. Change is an involved journey, with many potential paths through success and failure on the way. All paths are opportunities for learning, and can help build a cohort of “the willing” that shares best practices and finds ways to enhance their organizations individually and in collaboration with others.
Our History
Joanne Kossuth founded 1MountainRoad as a consulting firm focused on developing and supporting change agents. We accomplish this goal through the execution of changes/projects in support of clients’ institutions and organizations. We focus on required skills such as reengineering process flow, communication, team building, critical “out of the box” thinking, entrepreneurship, negotiation, collaboration, and agility.
Since its establishment in February 2017, 1MountainRoad has undertaken, completed, and/or have the following ongoing key consulting contracts:
- Co-directed the Leading Change Institute’s (LCI) one-week program (most recently in Washington, DC, though plans are in place to move the event around the country) to improve the management skills of intermediate level information technology, library, or other digital professional personnel. The class numbers 40 students from US higher education entities and 3 foreign universities. Note: the first international LCI is scheduled for 2021.
- Conducted two one-week digital professionals leadership institutes for information technology, library, and other digital professionals at the “Five Colleges” of Western Massachusetts.
- Established the market selling price for a library-related software product developed by the Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
- Conducted a one-week management leadership institute for 50 information technology, library, and marketing and communications staff and management at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.
- Reviewed and evaluated the information technology, library, and other key functions by interviewing over 300 executives, managers, and staff at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Provided specific recommendations to improve the functioning of key departments, cross department functioning, and business practices. The President of William & Mary has requested the development of multiple leadership development sessions and ongoing project management coordination.
- Provided ongoing transitional and change management services for the Digital Library Federation, a branch of the Council of Library Information Resources, the national organization for higher education libraries.
- Provided ongoing curriculum development (after initially founding) for the NERCOMP (Northeast Regional Computing Program) New IT Manager Series.
Staff
1MountainRoad is an agile and affordable partner. We can help you bring your organization to the next level of performance through strategic integration of people, process, and technology.
Joanne Kossuth
Principal
Joanne Kossuth acted in a consulting role in reviewing information technology and library services in 2015 and 2016. In September of 2016, Joanne joined Mitchell College as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) with responsibility for academic, administrative, and enterprise computing as well as library information services.
Prior to joining Mitchell College, Joanne was the founding Vice President for Operations and CIO at Olin College. Ms. Kossuth built from the ground up the operational and technology areas of the Olin College of Engineering, which quickly became one of the country’s most sought-after colleges and a powerful change agent on the STEM education scene. She managed conference services, dining services, environmental health and safety, electronic security, facilities (Olin College was recently named the first Center of Excellence by Aramark Facilities Services), human resources, information technology, planning and project management, and public safety. As the Administrative Director of the Three College Collaboration (BOW), she was responsible for fostering non-academic relationships with neighboring institutions, including Babson and Wellesley Colleges. Ms. Kossuth founded and convened the External Technology Advisory Board (EXTAB) upon her arrival at Olin College in November 1999. The EXTAB continues to be an important part of IT governance at the College. More recently and in partnership with Thornton May, she founded the Olin Innovation Lab which brought together technology innovators (CEOs, CIOs, CISOs, and Sr VPs) on the Olin campus twice a year.
Her IT leadership led to her being named one of Computerworld’s Premiere 100 CIOs in 2005. She received the EDUCAUSE Community Leadership Award in 2014. Her previous experience includes Systems Manager at Fisher College, Director of Information Technology at Wheelock College, and Director of Computer Support Services/CIO at the Boston University School of Management.
Her publications include: “Attracting Women to Technical Professions,” “Building Relationships Means Better IT Contracts,” “The Converged Workplace,” and Chapter 32 of “Olin College: Academic and Olin Centers” in the EDUCAUSE E-Book “Learning Spaces.” Ms. Kossuth continues to provide service and leadership to EDUCAUSE and CLIR as the Dean of the Leading Change Institute and to NERCOMP as the co-founder of the EDUCAUSE NERCOMP IT Manager Workshop Series. She was selected as a member of Juniper Network’s Higher Education Advisory Board, Plantronics Unified Communications Advisory Board, and E&I’s Technology Strategy Team.
Colleen Wheeler
Associate
Colleen Wheeler develops progressive learning and development opportunities in a variety of educational environments. She served on the Board of Trustees of Northeast Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) and chaired Board committees overseeing professional development programming, membership education, and nominations. She helped institute NERCOMP’s unique and successful caucus-based, all-volunteer program of instructional workshops and helped found the organization’s popular Management Series. Colleen co-founded the Susan Vogt Leadership Fellows Program for The Boston Consortium for Higher Education and is a founding dean of the Learning Organization Academy as well as being a Frye Institute fellow and a Klingenstein Summer fellow. Colleen provided technology education, outreach, and organizational development for Wheaton College’s Web Strategy and Library & Information Services teams and helped create the college’s first Makerspace. A passionate music teacher and trombonist, Colleen maintains a private studio of students of all ages. She created the global celebration called “International Trombone Week” and is a regular contributor to The Journal of the International Trombone Association.