President's Division
President's Office Staff
Samilja Heim
Chief of Staff
(719) 389-6692
As Chief of Staff, Sam serves as a key partner and advisor in the President's office, providing analysis and recommendations to advance the college's strategic priorities. She has been at Colorado College for six years, previously as Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations in the Office of Advancement, and prior to that, as Director of Development for the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. She also spent time in the President’s office as an executive assistant and project manager.
Sam works closely with Interim President Whitaker, the Cabinet, and colleagues across campus on a variety of cross-divisional and executive initiatives. She is Interim President Whitaker's principal aide in managing sensitive and confidential issues; overseeing high-priority projects in alignment with CC's vision and key objectives; and ensuring consistent communication with stakeholders, including developing strategic partnerships with external audiences.
Sam brings more than 20 years of administrative experience across the Pikes Peak Region. She started her career in public involvement for the Colorado Department of Transportation and in project management for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. She then moved into fundraising, serving as Development Director for multiple social service nonprofits including TESSA and Safe Passage before coming to CC. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival.
Rachel Deon
Executive Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
(719) 389-6702
With a background in international higher education and executive-level support, Rachel provides strategic assistance to the President and Chief of Staff through facilitating internal and external relationships, operationalizing key initiatives, and actualizing the goals of the President. By partnering with constituencies within the Colorado College and Colorado Springs communities, Rachel ensures that the President and Chief of Staff reach their objectives through effective engagement and follow-up.
Prior to joining Colorado College, Rachel worked as an independent thought partner to Fortune 500 C-suite executives and in graduate program administration at McGill University. Rachel holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Monica Indrebo
Assistant to the Board of Trustees and Special Projects Manager
mindrebo2023@coloradocollege.edu
(719) 389-6609
As Assistant to the Board of Trustees, Monica is a liaison between the Board and the Colorado College campus community. She works closely with Interim President Whitaker, the Chief of Staff and the President's Cabinet on a variety of endeavors related to the Board of Trustees' triennial meetings. As Special Projects Manager, Monica orchestrates several initiatives out of the President’s Office such as the Work of the College Series, the President’s Leadership Awards, the Just World Awards, the Summer Activism Institute with Professor Popkin and more.
Monica brings expertise in governance, legal processes, administration, and public service from the 4th Judicial District, Colorado Springs Utilities, and Colorado Springs City Council. Monica holds a B.A. in English from Western Colorado University.
Caryn Lawler 
Director of Executive Communications
(719) 389-6138
Caryn directs strategic communications on behalf of the President and the President's Office, preparing Interim President Whitaker's voice and messaging for key constituencies across the CC community. She develops annual presidential visibility plans to ensure the college's vision and priorities are communicated effectively to target audiences — including current and prospective students and families, faculty and staff, alumni, and community partners.
Before moving to the President's Office, she worked in Advancement for two years as Director of Advancement Communications. In that role, she supported the college's fundraising and alumni and family engagement goals. Caryn is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Prior to Colorado College, she worked in communications, media, and PR for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Triathlon.
Elizabeth Leslie
Administrative Assistant to the President's Office
(719) 389-6703
Elizabeth has been working at Colorado College since 2016 and came to the Office of the President in 2023. Her focus is on the hospitality for visitors and guests and venue management for Yalich conference room. The other major functions of her job are gift acknowledgements and written communication to faculty, students, staff, and the community at-large.
Prior to Colorado College, Elizabeth worked as a project manager in telecommunications at MCI and Verizon, computer chip manufacturing at Atmel, supply chain in the airline industry, building ejection seats for airplanes and helicopters, and brakes for the Airbus 321 airplanes for Goodrich Corporation. She has been a project management contractor and elementary school teacher.
Elizabeth is a Colorado native and earned her MBA from Regis University, (Denver, Colorado), in Operations Management with a Project Management specialization.
She is a former Board member and Trustee for the Colorado Symphony in Denver. She is a current member of Women of Note and the Colorado Symphony Guild. Elizabeth is also a supporter of the Colorado College Summer Music Festival and the Colorado Springs Chamber Orchestra. She engages in community service with the Women’s Club of Colorado Springs, American Association of University Women, Woman’s Educational Society, and Pikes Peak Opera League.
In her free time, Elizabeth tries to visit her adult daughter in Aurora, Colorado. Lately, she is seeking time in the glorious mountains, on a golf course, taking the boat out to a lake, watching a hockey game at Robson, or walking her dogs with her husband, Mike.