Musical Intro
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Welcome to Lives of the Carroll Saints, a podcast where we share stories of the people who shape Carroll College in Helena, Montana. I'm your moderator, Kal Poole. And in each of our episodes, we invite someone from our community to host a conversation with a guest who has a special place in the heart of Carroll College.

Today's host is my colleague from the Office of Institutional Advancement and my boss, Kellie Dold. So Kellie, as Senior Director of Development, Kellie leads philanthropic strategy and donor engagement efforts that strengthen the culture of generosity at Carroll through her work in the Office of Institutional Advancement. She partners with alumni families, community leaders to build meaningful relationships that directly support student success and long term vitality of the college.

With a deep experience in higher ed advancement, Kellie plays a central role in shaping annual giving initiative student philanthropy efforts and stewardship programs that invite broader community to take part in Carroll's mission. Her leadership helps translate vision and impact ensuring that opportunity continues to expand for future generations of saints. She's known for a steady presence, a relational approach and a passion for the mission.

Kellie brings both heart and strategy to her work and we are so grateful to have her serving as our host for this episode and guiding today's conversation. Kellie, it's so good to have you here. Thanks, Kal.

I'm excited to be here. Kellie, before we meet your guest for the day, we'd like to begin with your own story. So you've worn a lot of hats at the Office of Institutional Advancement.

You're also a mom and you find time somehow to coach JV volleyball for the Saints in addition to all of the work that you have in our office. So how did this place become part of your life and what's kept you connected to Carroll through the years? Carroll College has been part of my life really for my whole life. Whether it was growing up, going to Fighting Saints games, both my mom and my sister are alums.

I've worked in annual giving for 12 years. The last three fall seasons I've been able to serve as the JV volleyball coach and now as my role as Senior Director of Development. Through all of these Carroll experiences, I've loved the people.

I've loved the environment. I've loved the students and the athletes. And I've mostly loved that my family and my friends can walk alongside me in all of the different roles that I've played here.

Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. It's been really wonderful getting to know Kellie as I've been working here and I just think she put so much of her heart into everything that she does.

I'm just so grateful. You've brought a wonderful guest with you today. Who are you introducing for us? I mean, there are a lot of people.

I have to say that we were trying to queue up a long list of folks and your guest today just jumped right to your mind. And I know it's close to your heart. So can you talk a little bit about who you've brought today? You bet.

There is no doubt about it. When asked to host this podcast and asked to come up with a name of someone that means a lot to me and has walked alongside me in every way, shape, or form in this Carroll experience, it is Gayle Agostinelli. Gayle Agostinelli truly embodies what it means to be a saint.

Gayle served for almost 25 years in a variety of roles within Carroll College's Office of Institutional Advancement, helping shape the culture of philanthropy and the community that has supported many generations of students. But Gayle's connection to Carroll goes far beyond her professional work. She and her family were truly raised to be saints.

Three of her children attended Carroll College, and you could say that purple and gold runs deep in all of their veins. Her family's love for Carroll is woven into their story and into the fabric of this community. A pillar of Helena and a lifelong friend to so many, Gayle continues to inspire in new and creative ways.

Today in retirement, she is sharing her artistic talents with the world, connecting with audiences far beyond Montana through her creative art, her positivity, and her storytelling. We are so grateful to have Gayle with us to share her journey, her heart for Carroll College, and the many ways that she continues to live out what it means to be a saint. Gayle, welcome.

We're grateful that you're here, and we're really looking forward to hearing this conversation. Thank you, Kal. Thank you, Kellie.

I'm crying already. So I'm pleased now to get to turn over the mic to Kellie, our host. The conversation's yours.

Thank you, Kal. Gayle, thanks. Oh, it's so nice to be here, Kal.

Thank you so much. Thanks for being here. Thanks for being my friend.

Thanks for serving Carroll College in the many ways that you do. I'm excited to hang out with you in the podcast studio. We've been able to hang out in so many different venues throughout our time working together, but this is a new one for us.

So thanks for being here. I'm excited to hear and maybe rehear some stories that you're willing to tell today. So when we think of Carroll College, what is your earliest memory of this place? And then maybe what is your most recent experience? Okay.

Okay. Well, earliest experience, and I know I've shared this with you, is I grew up on the lower west side of Helena. And so we used to ride our bikes over to Carroll and roll down Guad Hill.

That was our entertainment in the 60s. And then I thought of another one. You know, when I was, I think it was the summer after sixth grade, there was a Spanish class given to incoming middle school students that were going to take Spanish.

Okay. And the class was in O'Connell Hall. And I remember walking in there as, you know, a kid and thinking, Oh, my gosh, this, this place is amazing.

It was in the amphitheater classroom. And it just felt so big. But, um, yeah, so, so that those were the earliest memories.

And of course, being in Helena my whole life, I mean, Carroll, to me, Carroll is the heart of Helena, not just physically, but there's so many connections around this, this community that started a Carroll or continue a Carroll or whatever. So, um, but my most, my most recent, and I don't know, it might be the most fun. Okay, let's hear it is being a Carroll College grandma.

Yeah. So my grandson, Maddie is a freshman here, and he's from Denver. So it was a big move for him, you know, and he is just thriving.

He's thriving, as I knew he would. So, yeah. So that's, that's kind of the latest connection.

I kind of left out all of the work life in between, but so let's talk about that. From growing up in Helena, and seeing that this place is the heart of Helena couldn't agree more. And up until now, being a grandparent of a fighting saint.

Let's talk about all those years in between. And I don't mean that in like all those years. I mean, that kind of those amazing years.

Yeah, it really was. Yeah. Would you just share what what your time was like being on the staff at Carroll? Yeah, yeah.

Well, his name will probably come up multiple times in this in this time together. But Father Gene Peoples. And so actually, the job of the assistant to the president, the administrative assistant to the president was open.

So that's what I applied for. And, and didn't didn't get that job. And apparently, Tom McCarvel was looking for an assistant at about the same time.

And Father Gene mentioned me anyway, sort of the rest was history. After that, but so I started for seven years, I was Tom's administrative assistant, he is, he was the vice president of institutional advancement. And gosh, I'll never forget it.

At some point in those seven years, Tom said to me, you're going to be a director in five years. And for somebody to have that sort of faith in me and see that I had that potential was so huge, so huge. And and he was right, I became the director of annual giving.

But his his mentorship, and his teaching me about what it meant to be in development work, which is 99%, if not more, all about relationships. And I think that was the joy of those 25 years is establishing those relationships, nurturing relationships, and, you know, making so many friends that were also Carroll donors, you know, so yeah, it fulfilling work. And then, besides the donor side of things, I have to say, working with the students.

I mean, some of those students that were phonathon students back then, I still am in contact with today. And it is special. Yeah.

And, you know, Carroll community, that's what it's about. Yeah. I think lots of people hear development, or advancement, and maybe an idea comes to mind of what that is.

And maybe nothing comes to mind of what that is. When you're asked, you know, did you do it, Carroll? Did you have a one liner that that comes up that maybe doesn't include the word advancement or development that that shows? I'd always say I raised scholarship money for students. Because that's the bottom line is making the education affordable and available to the students.

Yeah. Meaningful work. Yeah, it really is.

During your time as an employee, is there maybe a small moment that felt ordinary at the time, but is really meaningful now? Yes, actually, I gave I gave that a lot of thought. And when I was still Tom's assistant, one day, this this little student came in, darling girl, her name was Rebecca. And she was from Xian, China.

And her sponsor that kind of got her connected with Carroll, was a friend of Tom's and said, Go see Tom McCarvel when you get to Carroll. So she did. And of course, you know, I greeted her and chatted with her a little bit until Tom was free.

Anyway, we developed a bit of a friendship. Well, come to find out her birthday was the same day as my middle daughter's birthday. Okay, so we had a birthday party at our house that year.

And it's in December. So mid December. And her parents came from Xian China.

So she she was a go getter. She was a go getter. She was all over the community.

She knew the mayor, you know, all this kind of stuff. Anyway, we had this birthday party. Her parents were there from Xian China.

The mayor came. Wow, I know. And and it was just, I mean, I just kind of at the time, shook my head like I can't believe this is happening.

But it was such a gift to get to meet her family and everything. So I mean, what was an ordinary moment she came in the office, and I greeted her, turned out to be a lifelong friendship began. She lives in Seattle now, and she's been very successful.

And it's pretty cool story. That is a cool story. Thanks for sharing.

That's awesome. You mentioned some names, and I just I want to make sure that we don't breeze over them. Tom McCarvel, and Father Jean Peeples.

There are probably many people on this campus that we would refer to as pillars of Carroll College, you being one of them for me for sure. And I think probably those two being being some others. There was many a times, Gayle as my mentor, we sat in your office and you would you would quote different things that maybe Father Peeples had said.

So anything else that you want to share about those two individuals or or anybody else that comes to mind when you sit and think about Carroll College? Okay, now, now this is a part where I might cry. Okay. But yeah, definitely Tom McCarvel, I mean, his belief in me and his friendship over the years, our kids were the same age, they were in school.

I remember him saying on I'd say Tom, one of my kids has a basketball game, he'd be like, go, you have to go. And so I don't think there's a lot of jobs where it's that, you know, family first. And then and then Carroll's right next to it, you know.

But yeah, Tom, Tom and Father Jean, I mean, but Tom hiring me here changed my life. I mean, it didn't change my life. It gave me my life.

I mean, because I worked here, my children had the opportunity to go to Carroll, my kids met their spouses here. And now I have all these beautiful grandkids, one of which is here. And another one is in the pipeline.

I love it. I know, isn't that fun? So so really, because Tom said you got the job, my life was that my life was set, you know, as far as that goes. So that Father Jean, he was he was part of our life before I was at Carroll, because he he was the priest at St. Mary's.

And so he's baptized my kids, he's married a couple of them, you know, he would he was he was very important. Maddie's mom, my daughter, Joni, especially was especially close to Father Jean, her picture still on the wall outside his office, which just just makes her so happy. He was he was amazing.

I also took moral theology from him. I did, I took classes off and on until life got too busy with my kids. And moral theology was one of them.

And, you know, I mean, what I learned from him, and he taught from his heart, as do so many Carroll professors that um, yeah, it was he he was huge. And I guess, along that line of taking classes, John Downs, I took child psychology from john and my my best memory there is he for our final in his class, he took us up to their cabin. And we sat on the deck and presented our papers, you know, so that was that was really cool for him to invite us into his personalized his family's place, you know, I still never ever go past a Kool-Aid stand without stopping because john said, you don't do that.

Yeah, so let's see. Yeah, I you know, those those people definitely throughout the years, but then, gosh, my last six years at Carroll, I got to got to work with my best friend. And it was just amazing.

She took off. And she started the Grateful Saints. And she, she did all kinds of good things with the students.

And she made, she made work not only not she made it fun, beyond, you know, beyond important work. But anyway, that's you, Kal. That's who that was.

We no doubt had fun. And and got a lot of work done, too. Yes, we did.

Yes, we did. We made some progress. No doubt.

You talked a lot about your kids and your family. Can we dive in there? Sure. I'm just curious, through your eyes, through your perspective, how Carroll has impacted your kids, your family.

And what being a saint might mean to them, they might have a different answer. But through your perspective. Yeah, well, and some of our, you know, have graduated.

Some are current to your grandkids. Some might be. Yeah, yeah.

Looking from lots of angles. Yeah. Well, we've told Maddie, it's kind of cool.

My husband's uncle is a Carroll graduate. Okay. My husband's a Carroll graduate.

Maddie's mom's a Carroll graduate. And now Maddie. So he's fourth generation.

Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's pretty cool.

I guess I would say, you know, all my kids in spite of me are incredible adults. And a lot of that, a lot of that's due to Carroll. I mean, Carroll raised him up right, you know, in terms of their professions, they're, they're all very successful, as are their spouses.

And it's, yeah, a lot of that is due to Carroll. And it's so, it's so cool, because I'm going to go back to community again for a minute when I talk about my kids, because they are still really good friends with their friends that they had at Carroll. For years, my son, and then my son in law who graduated the same year, Amy's husband, and Mike graduated the same year, they had a mutual friend who is a doctor up Kalispell Way.

He has a place on the lake up there, and they go every summer and they, you know, stay for a long weekend and whatever and reconnect. My son lives in Missoula now. His, one of his roommates lives in Missoula.

They still get together all the time. Also, his, his brother-in-law is, was also his roommate. So they married sisters, you know, so it just, it just keeps weaving all this, all of that sort of stuff.

And I don't know, one of the memories when they were students is I knew when my in-law kids walked in the door that they were the one, you know, and, and it turned out, it turned out that that was the case. But, but yeah, I know that they are all truly grateful for, for their Carroll experience and, you know, and, and so excited to watch Maddie play football. Yeah, I bet.

Yeah, yeah. So a big cheering section. That's yeah, he does.

That's great. Thanks for sharing. Yeah.

Yeah, when you, you know, look back on your Carroll experience and look at where Carroll's at today, and, and kind of just look at your life, what part of your Carroll experience do you carry with you? Hmm. I would say, honestly, I would say it's confidence. I, you know, I don't know, just like most people probably growing up, I, you know, I always question, am I doing the right thing? Am I, you know, all that kind of stuff.

I question myself. And I, I learned who I was here at Carroll, and that I could contribute and that, you know, that with what Carroll taught me, I could make the world a better place. And so I, you know, in my old age, I still try and do that.

That's great. When you picture Carroll at its best, what comes to mind? What do you feel? What do Certainly, again, as I said, Carroll being the heart of Helena, but it's also, it's a part of so many of our hearts, you know, even just parking in the library parking lot today, I just kind of felt at home and like, and excited to be here and felt the feeling that I always feel when I come on campus. I do think it's community.

I mean, I think that's, you know, the students start living their lives here, and they start making connections and, and all and, and, you know, I mean, my dentist is a Carroll grad and shout out to Dr. Mast. He'd sit in my office and talk for, you know, when he'd come by to see Tom McCarvel, he'd come and sit and visit with me. And, and now he's, he's been my dentist ever since he came back to Helena, you know, all those, all those things that the, the connections that the kids make here affect their lives for a long, long time and are creating their community.

You're still right. Even if they move away from Helena, for instance, Joni, Maddie's mom, they have, they have friends in the Denver area that are Carroll grads too. And they, every time there's an alumni gathering, they're right there, you know? So, so yeah, I think again, it comes down to the community and in a lot of ways, isn't that really what life's about? Yeah.

Yeah. So, yeah. When you think about Maddie and his experience and other future Carroll students as well, what do you hope stays a Carroll tradition? Let's see.

I took some notes. I love it. That doesn't surprise me at all.

What do I hope? Oh, lifelong inclusion in the community was one of my notes. Yeah. And the other, the other big one I think is welcoming students to grow in their spiritual life.

You know, there's a lot of colleges. True. But, but to be able to grow in your spiritual life, whether or not you're Catholic is, is a big, a big thing, I think.

And I hope Carroll never loses that, that that's its focus. We've all probably been in different interview situations and we're like, man, I really wish they would have asked that because I have answer lined right up. Is there anything that I didn't ask you that you'd love to just chat about? Well, there, there is one thing I took a note on and that it was a, it was a question of Kal's.

Is there a place on the Carroll campus that holds a special memory for you? Yes. And I have to say, yes, there is. So outside, let's see the west side of the old science building, there's a Linden tree and that Linden tree is dedicated to my dad.

My dad, when he was 80 years old, he was in the beginnings of Alzheimer's. He lived his whole life without formal religion. And Father Jean, again, so many important times in our lives, but Father Jean in St. Charles Chapel, he baptized my dad, first communion and confirmation.

And my brother came from Florida and so all the family was there. Um, kids in law kids. And, um, we went through mass and, and dad, dad was accepted into the church.

And, um, then we went outside and we planted that Linden tree. Yeah, as a family. And I, so, I mean, my dad who had never felt the belonging of, you know, being part of a parish or anything like that, he felt that that day in St. Charles Hall with his friend, Father Jean.

Oh my goodness. He and Father Jean, I think I've told you this before at my kids sporting events. They would, they would give the rest of that time.

If they didn't agree with the call, they would, but they were, they were friends. And, and so I think that was made it easier for my dad to, to take that step. And, um, it meant a lot to my mom too, as my mom was Catholic.

So yeah, so that tree outside the science building is, is pretty special. Yeah, that is special. Thanks for sharing.

Sure. I think that's a beautiful place to, to kind of bring things to a close. What a wonderful story.

I'm going to look for that tree. Oh yeah. That's really wonderful.

Before, before I jump into asking the last question, I just was wondering if, if as we're, as we're recording a few more of these, if you've got any recommendations, either of you, for who we ought to get on the podcast, who would you love to hear some stories from? Well, you won't be surprised to hear me say Tom McArville. Um, definitely Tom. Uh, gosh, there's, it's like the list is so long.

I, I, I don't even know where to start. If we get, if we get Tom on the podcast, is there a question that you would want us to ask, um, or anything that we ought to, um, like who was your favorite administrative assistant? Just clear that up. We've got that answer.

Okay. Um, yeah. Oh, I don't know.

I'd have to think about that, but I'll get back to you Kal if I think of something. I would, I would bet if you went and talked to anybody who's been on this campus for any length of time, they have that one person. They have that one Saint that comes to mind as quickly as, as Gayle came to mind for me.

And any of those would hopefully be really fun conversation. Yeah. Yeah.

You were, you were, there was no question about it. Um, and, and so as we wrap up here, I just want to, um, ask each of you, um, if you wouldn't mind, um, answering our, our last question, which is what does being a Carroll Saint mean to you? We'll start with you, Kellie. My answer's pretty short and sweet and, and real evolves a lot around what Gayle's taught me.

And what she talked about today in that community piece, I think being a Carroll Saint is being welcoming to this place that feels like home and being a person that feels like family.

That's a great answer. Okay Gayle, top that.

I'm not sure that I can. Totally agree. It's about being there for one another. Whether it's being there for a student or being there for your friends or your coworkers, whatever. It's a wonderful place and God willing will go on for centuries. Because, we need it in our world.

Well you each have done so much to move Carroll forward over the years and it's just really lovely getting to sponge up info from both of you. And I am stealing that line about the scholarships. There's just so much wisdom and heart in both of you. And I really appreciate so much the many many contributions that you have each made to Carroll over the years and are still making. Really very grateful to each of you to have you on the podcast today.
We're grateful to the Carroll College Communication Center and director Alan Hansen for production support. Our theme music was written and performed by David and Deidre Casey. To our listeners, thank you for being part of our Carroll community. We hope that this conversation stirred a memory or reminded you of the place that Carroll College holds in your heart.
Until next time, this has been Lives of the Carroll Saints.
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