Bonnie O'Connell

Director of Academic Support

Bonnie is a strong student advocate who is passionate about helping students succeed in their academic pursuits at Manchester. Her passion for student success has led her to work with teachers to incorporate intervention strategies for high-risk students in all of the schools in which she has served. She firmly believes in addressing the needs of the whole person regardless of real or perceived barriers including age, language, mobility, or cultural differences. Bonnie is skillful at helping students and staff identify ways to make classroom adaptations for students who have learning difficulties.

Bonnie came to Manchester College after 31 years of experience in public education, mostly in the Fort Wayne schools, as a teacher and administrator. She has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Saint Francis, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and IVY Tech in Fort Wayne. As a school administrator, Bonnie chaired key educational committees related to performance-based accreditation, staff development, training and leadership, curriculum development, multicultural education, and programs for high ability and at-risk students.

Bonnie has traveled to Ecuador with teachers to establish professional relationships with four impoverished schools. Staff development strategies shared with these school staffs included methods and materials for teaching English, while sanitation and textbooks in Spanish have been the focus for the schools with the fewest resources.

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Kim Myers

Assistant Director of Academic Support

Outreach Coordinator

Kim is dedicated to serving students and helping them set goals and achieve academic success. In her role as assistant director of Academic Support, she works primarily with first-year students one-on-one to incorporate strategies to help them meet their academic goals. Additionally, Kim presents academic support workshops and assists faculty and staff in serving student needs. 

As outreach coordinator, Kim develops programming for the Manchester College Achievement Program, or Manchester C.A.P. Additionally, she presents workshops, supervises student mentors and meets one-on-one with first generation (those who do not have a parent or guardian who completed college) college-bound high school students in a seven-county area who have been selected to participate in the program. Kim’s passion for serving students in these roles stems from her own experiences as a first generation student and her background in social services and higher education.

Kim spent nearly 6 years working for the YWCA, educating and assisting survivors of domestic violence, as well as youth and community organizations in residential and outreach programs. Kim has served as full-time faculty at Manchester College and has served as an adjunct instructor in communication at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and in composition at several Indiana Tech campuses. 

Kim completed her master's degree in professional communication studies and holds a bachelor's degree with a double major in communication and sociology from Purdue University.

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Sandy Bendsen

Administrative Assistant, Success Center

International Student Recruiter

Sandy came to Manchester College in 1996 after working as secretary of the Elkhart Church of the Brethren for over 10 years. Sandy is responsible for international student recruiting and assists in making the Success Center run smoothly.

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