The Avenir Museum and the Department of Design and Merchandising are very happy to announce that Heather Gottschalk has joined Colorado State University as the latest member of the Avenir team. She fills the new museum staff position of visitor services and venue coordinator, made possible by the generous support of the Avenir Foundation.
Gottschalk is a Fort Collins native and a Rocky Mountain High school grad. She is excited to return to home and begin a new adventure here at CSU. She received her B.A in international communication and media studies with minors in marketing and environmental science from Franklin College Switzerland (now University) in 2013.
After college, Gottschalk went to work for the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. She worked as a social media coordinator for the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa as well as an orientation facilitator for Disney University. She left a legacy of being on the team that rolled out regional recreation contributions to Twitter and created countless magical moments for her cast and guests.
In addition to her hospitality experience, Gottschalk brings knowledge working with a Destination Marketing Organization in Big Sky, Montana where she helped to create and implement a tourism and marketing master plan. She also brings skills from the ski industry by working as a senior marketing coordinator for Vail Resorts corporate headquarters in Denver, where she drove hospitality marketing strategies at an enterprise level.
On a personal note, Gottschalk loves the Colorado summertime and is very excited to be back in time to enjoy it. She is a lover of board games, singing in the car, outdoor recreational activities and going to breweries with her dog, Rhaegar (named for the Game of Thrones character).
Please join the Avenir Museum staff and the Department of Design and Merchandising in welcoming Heather Gottschalk back to Fort Collins and to CSU – stop in and and say “hi” during the museum’s new, regular Saturday hours that will start in July. She’s brimming with ideas for enhancing visitor experience at the Avenir, and she’d love to hear yours!
