Meet Your Coaches
Valarie Ghant, coach
Ms. Valarie Ghant is a native of Washington, DC and recently retired from an extensive
career at James Madison University (JMU) where she served as the Director of the Center
for Multicultural Student Services (CMSS). Prior to her career at JMU, she worked
in the Federal Government, private-sector and non-profit management. She holds a Bachelors
of Business Administration in Marketing and a Master’s degree in Management and Leadership.
She is actively engaged in several community, social, and faith-based organizations
including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. As a Coachlink Coach she looks forward
to meeting and working with students from all walks of life and is passionate about
helping others succeed and accomplish their goals. She believes that her faith in
God and ‘giving thanks’ in all things has allowed her to gain the life skills that
she continues to share with others. In her spare time, she enjoys weekend getaways,
exploring new restaurants, and spending time with family and friends.
Email: coachlink@emu.edu
Katie Bevers, coach
Katie grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, but has spent the last five years learning
and working in Southern Oregon, the forests of Alabama, and, most recently, Northeast
Iowa. She graduated from Luther College, where she studied Religion, Dance, and Identity
Studies. During her first year of college, Katie struggled with comparing herself
to her classmates; however, she later realized she was neurodivergent and needed to
develop personal strategies that her peers did not require. Her personal experience
in school, combined with her diverse professional background in various educational
settings, has made Katie deeply passionate about helping students define success on
their own terms. She is a strong advocate for utilizing the various resources available
outside the classroom on the EMU campus. Outside of work, Katie enjoys tending to
her chickens and garden, rereading the Heartstopper series, and exploring new swim
spots around Harrisonburg.
Email: katie.bevers@emu.edu
Celeste Thomas (she,her), coach
Celeste R Thomas was born in Atlantic City New Jersey and spent her growing years
in Pennsylvania and has now lived in Virginia longer than anywhere else. She studied
Social Work/Psychology and Counselor Education with an Emphasis in Student Development
Personnel Administration at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. She has spent
the majority of her career in higher education spaces ranging from Greek Life, Athletics,
Residence Life, Counseling Center, Multicultural Offices (with both multicultural
and international students), etc. She has also worked in the non-profit sector and
co-founded Precious Gems Academy (501c3) after school program for multicultural youth.
Presently, she spends one half of her time as the Director of Multicultural Student
Services and the other one half as a Coachlink Coach. In her free time, she enjoys
spending time with family, attending Broadway shows, and vacationing anywhere there
is sand.
Email: coachlink@emu.edu
---------------------------
Tara Kishbaugh (she, her), CoachLink program supervisor
Tara grew up in Pennsylvania, studied chemistry in Illinois and New Hampshire, and taught chemistry in Vermont and Massachusetts, before moving to Harrisonburg in 2004. Tara is a first-generation college student who thought she’d attend medical school before taking organic chemistry and being (overly) excited about the lab. She still enjoys geeking out about organic chemistry but now she’s curious to understand how and why students find success in college and helping others achieve that goal for themselves. In her current role at EMU, Tara provides support and supervision for academic advising, the academic success center, and coachlink, among other aspects of student success. Tara enjoys reading (science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, and crime procedurals) “mud wrestling” (what her family calls the pottery studio), and knitting socks or gnomes. She is always open to a conversation in Common Grounds or a walk around campus.
life coaching at college • fostering well being • helping you succeed
email us at: coachlink@emu.edu
