Dorado Kinney joined ACC in April 2006 as the Director of Advising & Retention. Dorado oversees the daily operations of the Advising Center as well as supervising the Directors of the Career Center & the Testing Center. Dorado also serves as the advisor to the UMOJA Diversity Council at ACC. An avid football fan, Dorado hopes to soon be coaching at an area high-school.

Ron Ficek has been an Academic Advisor at ACC since Summer 2006. Prior to ACC, Ron was a counselor at several community colleges in Southern California. While Ron works with all students, he is specifically involved with the Minority Grant Scholarship Program and the Learning Community Project. Ron earned a B.A. in Psychology from Moorhead State University and a M.S. in Counseling from North Dakota State University. Ron believes empowerment is the pathway to college success. Belief in oneself, commitment and discipline are the critical components of empowerment. Advising/counseling is a dual process wherein Student Services assist students’ transition to college and students are active, responsible participants in the process.

Janet Ludwig, Academic Advisor since 2001, is ready and willing to help with any questions concerning getting started, monitoring progress, or completing your studies at ACC. She also deals with the immigration and visa issues for the international students at ACC. She earned her B.A. in English from CSU and a Master’s in Applied Linguistics from Indiana University. Before becoming an advisor, Janet was an ESL teacher for many years. She taught English in Iran, Algeria, and in the Peace Corps in Africa.

Michael McManus has been an Academic Advisor at ACC since October 2006. A former transfer student himself, Michael works with students from every academic program area in order to help them choose the correct courses, plan out a manageable schedule, and ensure a smooth transfer to or from ACC. In addition, Michael serves as an advisor to First Generation Scholarship and Diversity Grant recipients. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) from Rhode Island College. Michael is a self-confessed news junkie and can’t get enough snow during the winter. Originally from Rhode Island, he caught the travel-bug and has been to Ireland, Italy, Scotland, France, Argentina, Uruguay, and has driven across (almost) the entire United States.

James Shettleworth has been an Academic Advisor at Arapahoe Community College since 2003. He holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from the Metropolitan State College of Denver where he also lettered in Men’s Varsity Basketball. Prior to coming to Arapahoe Community College James Served as a youth counselor for the Colorado Department of Human Services and the Children’s Home Association of Illinois located in Peoria, Illinois. Peoria, Illinois just happens to be James’ hometown. During the brief period when ACC offered intercollegiate athletics James served as the Interim Director of Athletics. A true believer in the community college education system, James began his scholastic studies at Illinois Central College where he earned an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts while participating in collegiate athletics which lead to a full athletic scholarship at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. Helping students overcoming the fear of the college experience is the motivating factor why he enjoys his position as an Academic Advisor.