George Washington last week welcomed a new leader to its Hallmark Programs team. Bridgette Behling, who previously served in the Student Activities Center, will oversee a team responsible for many of GW’s major student-centered events.
“I’m really excited to work with the student body again,” Ms. Behling said. “GW has always felt like home to me, so it’s been great to come back and to feel like I’m coming home.”
In her new role as director of Administration and Hallmark Programs, Ms. Behling brings her four years of previous GW experience to oversee programs like Colonial Inauguration, Welcome Week, Welcome Back Week, Grad Week, Midnight Breakfast and the Excellence in Student Life Awards.
“I am very excited that Bridgette will be joining the Hallmark Programs team and look forward to working with her to elevate and expand upon the programs offered to students. Her broad experience in higher education is a true asset. I’m glad she decided to come back to GW,” said Danielle Lico, associate dean of students for Student Administrative Services and senior advisor.
These programs, Ms. Behling said, are what define the GW student experience.
“These are GW traditions. These are things that are a great part of the experience for GW students. Being able to offer them to the students and deliver programs that they’re going to remember when they leave is important,” Ms. Behling said. “Participating in Hallmark Programs offers students the opportunity to be engaged in the community and interact with their peers in a different way, to learn, or to just have fun.”
Though she is only a few days into her new post, Ms. Behling said she is excited to work with the staff who plan Hallmark Programs, to see familiar faces on staff and that her immediate goal is to collaborate with GW departments to deliver “high-caliber, exciting and meaningful programs which help students connect to the university.”
On April 18, Hallmark Programs will feature the Excellence in Student Life Awards, which honor outstanding students, student organizations, faculty and staff members at GW. Nominations are being accepted online through Friday. Ms. Behling will also oversee Grad Week from May 13 to 20.
Ms. Behling received her undergraduate degree in social work and psychology from Marquette University in Milwaukee, and previously worked at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, the event management office at Marquette and in outreach at the American Association of University Women. She also has a master’s in educational policy and leadership from Marquette University.
Outside of work, Ms. Behling spends time with her husband and their new addition to the family, a 3-month-old son. She enjoys photography and spending time outside—hiking or at the ocean.