1950s
Doris Eberlein
BS 1951 — Social Group Work/Art Education
Doris interned at the Madison YWCA. She worked as the adult program director at the Wausau (Wisconsin) YWCA and is the founder of the Wausau Child Center.
Marilyn Grabin Putz
BS 1954 — Physical Education
After a long career of teaching, Marilyn retired and began working for an animal hospital where she founded one of the largest and most well-known dog therapy groups around (Lincolnshire Animal Hospital Dog Therapy Group). The group has been very successful and is in great demand, Marilyn says, with the group visiting schools, nursing homes, a hospital, and more.
Ethel Radmer
BS 1957 — Occupational Therapy
Ethel is an author of nine nonfiction books and is working on her tenth book. They are all available via Amazon.com under Ethel Erickson Radmer, author.
1960s
Helen Kneubuhler
BS 1960 — Education
Helen writes that she has retired.
Barbara (Robbin) Epstein
BS 1961 — Elementary Education
Through the years, Barbara has taught at many different levels — elementary, high school, junior college, university. She also worked in bilingual assessment. She comments that it was all fun and a challenge, and her years at UW–Madison gave her fine preparation for it all.
Sylvia Solochek Walters
BS 1960, MS 1961, MFA 1962 — Art
Since receiving her MFA, Sylvia has exhibited her prints nationally and internationally. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Milwaukee Art Museum, St. Louis Art Museum, Chazen Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, New York Public Library Division of Prints and Photographs, Library of Congress, Milwaukee Jewish Museum, Magnes Jewish Museum, and others. She served as a longtime professor and chairperson of the Art Department at San Francisco State University and retired as professor emerita in 2009. Some of her most recent 2022 exhibitions include “Animals in Print Invitational” at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Minneapolis; “Printmaking: A Social Practice, UW–Madison Alumni Exhibition” at the Memorial Union; and “International Contemporary Miniprints,” at the Art Gallery Kazanlak, Kazanlak, Bulgaria. (www.sylviasolochekwalters.com)
Maxine Sheets-Johnstone
MS 1954, PhD 1963 — Dance and Philosophy
Maxine has had three articles published this year: “The Ineluctable Modality of Movement” in the Journal of Speculative Philosophy, “Kinetic Creativity” in a special issue of World Archaeology on tool-making and tool-using, and “The Pan-Animate Nature of Performance and Well-Being” in Theater, Dance and Performance Training. She also has an upcoming article this year in a special issue of Studia Phenomenologica on gesture, titled “Animate Realities of Gesture.”
Sherry Smith Bell
MFA 1967 — Art
Sherry writes that she is curating exhibitions for the San Juan Islands Museum of Art in Friday Harbor, Washington.
Ellen Christina Boone
MS 1967 — Educational Psychology
Unable to qualify as a school psychologist in Ohio because a teaching certificate was a prerequisite in the 1960s, Ellen writes that she became a licensed clinical psychologist at outpatient community mental health centers and a state hospital. In retirement, she is a volunteer tutor for early grades via Oasis where she is on the executive board representing retirees.
Richard E. Markos
MS 1967 — Business Education
Richard began his career as an instructor in the technical college system and as an intern at Kenosha Technical Institute. From there he was hired at Madison Technical College full time as an instructor in marketing and merchandising. Later he moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, and was hired full time as an instructor at Coleman Technical Institute. After teaching for three years, he moved on to become the assistant registrar at UW–La Crosse for three years and then was hired as the first registrar at Western Wisconsin Technical Institute. “Quite the chronology,” he says. He is now operating a wholesale apparel business in La Crosse that has been operating since 1901.
Richard Smith
PhD 1967 — Curriculum and Instruction
Richard is a professor emeritus of curriculum and instruction at UW–Madison. He recently published his 31st book, “Brain Exercises for Older Adults,” available via Amazon.com, Books a Million, and Barnes and Noble.
Lynda Asato
MS 1968 — Education
Lynda began teaching and shortly after got a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Hawai’i. Her career encompassed teaching in public and private schools, curricular administrative positions in the public and private sectors, and mentoring future teachers. Today she volunteers as a cancer patient advocate for the University Medical School and does senior community service.
1970s
Ellen Jo Ljung
BS 1970 — Education
An award-winning teacher and author who worked for more than 30 years in the classroom, Ellen writes that she has some stories to tell — stories that helped shape her career and transformed her vision for the future of education. Ellen shares her life-changing and often humorous insights in a newly published memoir, “Tales Told Out of School: Lessons Learned by the Teacher.” Ellen also is the author of two textbooks on teaching writing with computers and more than two dozen articles. A trailblazer in Problem-Based Learning, Ellen developed and taught a course that became a model for a state innovation program. Ellen also helped bring Gay/Straight Alliances to her school district and is a co-founder of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance.
Sheryl Budnik
MFA 1971 — Art
After teaching art in college for many years, Sheryl was a creative specialist in marketing at a major newspaper for 20 years. Now retired, Sheryl continues to paint in oils — abstracts, water, and landscapes. Her work is held by universities, colleges, hospitals, and private collectors.
Judi Marcus
MA 1972 — Elementary Education
Judi taught in private schools in the Denver area for six years. She moved on to the Denver Public Schools for 18 years and retired in 2010. Since then she’s been teaching a Hebrew school class for elementary children with learning disabilities.
Patricia Dasler
BS 1973 — Occupational Therapy
Although retired in 2018, Pat still consults at a cluster of group homes for adults with developmental disabilities and stays active on the AOTA Connection DDSIS website. She is also busy with two nonprofits as the past board president of Family Promise of Gainesville, working to end childhood homelessness by providing emergency shelter and stabilized housing to families with children, and current board president of Gainesville Peer Respite, using the model of intentional peer support to help those who experience mental health issues. She also volunteers heavily at her church. Pat says she continues to learn and be challenged in these activities but is glad she can continue to use the skills and knowledge she has gained in her lifetime.
Calvin Dallas
BS 1974 — Art Education
Calvin has written two books: “Blueberry Dreams” and “A Book of Tai Chi.” Both are available via Amazon.com.
Barbara Marwell
PhD 1974 — Educational Psychology
After a career with the Madison Metropolitan School District as a school psychologist, research and evaluation psychologist, and director of the Title 1 program, Barbara moved to New York City and is now board chair of the Lifelong Peer Learning Program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. The program, about to celebrate its 60th anniversary, was the first peer learning program for retirees in the United States and a model for many others. Founded as the Institute for Retired Professionals (IRP) by a group of retired teachers, the 300+ member organization includes women and men from across the professions, who teach and learn with each other in a vibrant community of friends and colleagues.
Ruth Ticktin
BS 1974 — Dance Education
Ruth is the author of “Was Am Going: Recollections in Poetry and Flash.” She writes that the memoir includes several pieces about Madison where she was born and completed university, and alumni will relate to the places and scenes that she describes.
Scott Wille
BS 1974 — Kinesiology
Scott started out working in Catholic schools in Madison. He set up a parochial after-school sports program for girls citywide. He was a graduate assistant at Nebraska, and worked with children that had social problems. He coached teams to city and state titles in the Carolinas, Illinois, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.
Mark Coronna
MS 1975 — Counseling and Guidance
Mark was recently elected to a five-year term as an executive board member for the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Barbara Keene
BS 1975 — Physical Education
After 10 years as an instructional designer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Barbara is retiring September 1. During her 40 plus-year career starting as a physical education teacher, her career evolved to include community college workforce development and training and instructional design in the private sector. In 2008 she earned a PhD in adult learning at the University of Missouri St. Louis. Her dissertation is entitled, “Supporting e-learning within a social framework.”
Meryl Meisler
MA 1975 — Art
Upon retiring from 31 years teaching art in the New York City Public Schools, Meryl writes that she began revealing large bodies of unseen work. Her third photography monograph, “New York PARADISE LOST Bushwick Era Disco,” launched in 2021 with a series of solo exhibits at ClampArt (NY, NY), the Center for Photography at Woodstock (NY), Light Work (Syracuse, NY), Fotogalerie Friedrichshain (Berlin), and a public art Photoville installation. Her solo exhibition “QUIRKYVISION” will be installed in the Portrait(s) Festival, Vichy, France, from June 24 to Sept. 4, 2022. Meryl is represented by ClampArt Gallery.
Curtis Ripley
MFA 1975 — Art
Curtis had a solo exhibition at the William Turner Gallery in Santa Monica, California, from February through April 2022 including his recent paintings. The exhibition catalog is available online.
Jim Rutledge
MS 1975 — Continuing and Vocational Education
Jim writes that he retired six years ago and now is doing a lot of volunteer service in the community. He is the American Legion commander in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and on the Supervisory Committee of the Oklahoma Community Credit Union.
Darice Yench
BS 1975 — Elementary Education
Darice writes that she is happily retired after over 25 years of mostly middle school teaching.
Alice Dewey Goldstone
BS 1976 — Elementary Education and Theatre & Drama
Alice is an animated feature film producer who has enjoyed a long career working at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, and Paramount. Her credits include “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” “Hercules,” “Wonder Park,” “Medusa,” and “Hotel Transylvania.” Prior to her work in Hollywood, Alice worked as a theatrical stage manager on Broadway for shows such as “Les Miserables,” “Big River,” and “Amadeus,” and also at regional theaters producing both the classics and original new plays, and building on the early work she did at Madison Civic Rep. Alice says she credits her foundational training and early career as a teacher in honing the skills she employed in her long career in entertainment — including presenting materials in multiple modalities, finding the strengths of her teammates, providing a safe and creative workplace, and consistently working toward productive well-defined goals. Recently Alice and her family moved from Los Angeles to Gig Harbor, Washington, where she is consulting on an animated film for HBO Max. She says she is delighted to know and work with several of her college friends almost 50 years later.
Janet E. Norsetter
BS 1973 — Art Education; MA 1975, MFA 1976 — Art
Jan writes that she and fellow plein air painters, Jonathan Wilde and Diane Washa, celebrated a dozen years of painting together with an art exhibit at the Monroe Arts Center, Monroe, Wisconsin, that is titled, “Interpretations: The Power of Three,” from April 8-June 3, 2022.
Paul Oberer
BS 1976 — Elementary Education
Paul writes that he began his career as an elementary education teacher. Today, he is an attorney who practices commercial real estate.
Judith Moldenhauer
MFA 1977 — Graphic Design
Judith is a professor of art in graphic design at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI) and was awarded the 2022 WSU President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She is retiring after the winter 2022 semester and has established a scholarship that will help support international study and travel opportunities for WSU Graphic Design students.
Sally Heller
BS 1978 — Art
Heller writes that she was a resident at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans for five months.
Philip Althouse
BS 1979 — Education (History)
Philip has been a practicing Ohio attorney since 1991. Last December he was elected as vice president of the Human Rights Committee for the Inter-American Bar Association (IABA). The IABA is a federation of 44 bar associations from 17 nations. In his new role, Philip is part of a working group led by representatives of the French National Bar Council, the American Bar Association, the IABA, and the World Bank, that plans to launch a wide-ranging study on the right of asylum in the Americas this summer. The initiative aims to build a report that identifies obstacles to the right of asylum and provides a useful toolkit for legal advocates for asylum-seekers throughout the Americas.
Linda McIsaac
PhD 1979 — Educational Administration
Linda was the first woman to be the superintendent of Hartland (Wisconsin) Schools in 1979. She continued to promote Individualized Education through her computer training company, Expct. After she sold that company, she established Xyte, Inc., and she writes that she discovered the innate capabilities that all people are born with that align with jobs and appropriate educational programs for finding meaning and purpose. Linda has also published two books: “2 Connect” and “AHA Unlock the Secrets of Your Mind.”
Scott Webber
BS 1979 — Elementary Education
Scott taught in McFarland, Wisconsin, for 32 of his 33 years of service. Today, he is a certified health coach.
1980s
Don Vincent
MLA 1980 — Science Education
Don taught high school science for 30 years, then at Edgewood College for five years. He has received a Presidential Teaching Award. He writes that he loved teaching and received many awards and recognitions including the Rockwell Award (2001) and the Kohl Teaching Award. He is still connected to many of his past students and thoroughly enjoys watching them develop over the years.
Ruth Cali Jaskiewicz Caprow
BS 1981 — Art
Cali (short for California) exhibited at Roll Up Project in Oakland, NUMU New Museum Los Gatos, and most recently at SF-Green, a gallery within Living Green Design in San Francisco. Much of the work is in acrylic paint on newspaper, which is then sealed for preservation.
Donna Cutler-Landsman
BSE 1973 — Curriculum and Instruction, MS 1982 — Counseling Psychology
Donna has recently published the third edition of her book, “Educating Children with Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome” (22q11.2 and DiGeorge), and has her own business, Cutler-Landsman Consulting, LLC. She provides special education advocacy for children with complex medical conditions throughout the U.S., Canada, and abroad. Donna regularly assists both the 22q Family Foundation and the VCFS Virtual Center in training school districts on this syndrome and does professional/family presentations at medical centers and through online webinar events.
Stephanie Fedor-Joseph
MS 1981 — Counseling
Stephanie focused on college student development as a counselor/assistant to the dean in the UW–Madison School of Education, and then transitioned to being a counselor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and director of engineering student services. After giving birth to daughter, Hannah Rae, she established Stress Control Counseling Service, a private practice that focuses on wellness/positive psychology for those experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. She writes that sport psychology is a major part of her practice and she continues to counsel scholarship athletes (all sports), and also enjoys the balance of teaching Pilates, yoga, and relaxation. A new self-taught artist, she enjoys acrylic painting more and more.
Sari Lewis
BS 1981 — Occupational Therapy
Sari’s business, Sari Hands PLC, has been selected for the 2022 Best of Scottsdale Award in the Healthcare Professionals category by the Scottsdale Award Program.
Matt Martin
BS 1982 — Physical Education/Athletic Training
Matt retired from GE Healthcare after 23 years where he led the Midwest Region for GE’s Nuclear Medicine Sales.
Judy Moticka
BSE 1982 — Education (English)
Judy writes that she taught high school English for 15 years and left full-time teaching in 2006 after the publication of her first novel. In April 2022, she won election to a three-year term on the Kirkwood, Missouri, Board of Education.
Jeff Anderson
BS 1983 — Kinesiology
Jeff has just retired after teaching respiratory care at Boise State University for 36 years. He writes that he was one of the first, if not THE first, graduate of the new at the time Exercise Physiology program. He previously worked at the UW Clinical Science Center performing pulmonary function, exercise testing, and sleep studies.
Hilary Apfelstadt
PhD 1983 — Curriculum and Instruction (Music)
Hilary received the Weston H. Noble Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Choral Arts from the Midwestern Region of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) at their biannual conference in Chicago, Illinois, in February 2022. She is a professor emerita at the University of Toronto, from which she retired in 2018.
Janie Lindle
MS 1982, PhD 1983 — Educational Administration
Clemson University named Janie the Emeritus E.G. Moore Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership in April 2022. She writes that after five decades as a teacher, principal, and professor, she was put out to pasture in Kentucky.
Jason Maloney
BS 1983 — Secondary Education
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has named Jason to the Blue Ribbon Commission on Veteran Opportunity.
Cindy Nelson
BSE 1983 — Elementary Education
Cindy began her career as an elementary and middle school teacher. Today she is a certified land banker in California, and lives in Colorado with her husband, Denver7 Chief Meteorologist Mike Nelson, also a UW grad ’81.
(Jay) Mark Hamilton
BFA 1984 — Art
Mark writes that he always knew that someday he would own and operate an art gallery. That day arrived earlier this year — on Jan. 5, 2022 — when he opened Source Gallery in downtown Historic Lisbon, Ohio.
Diana Pounder
PhD 1984 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Diana began her career working in public schools for 10 years as a high school math teacher, secondary guidance counselor, and middle school principal. After earning her PhD, she became a professor of educational leadership. She served in that role for over 30 years with most of her professorial career spent at the University of Utah-Salt Lake City. She also served in several leadership roles for the University of Utah, including department chair and associate dean. She concluded her career as dean of the College of Education at the University of Central Arkansas, and now holds the title of professor emeritus at the University of Utah. Over her career she received many professional awards, including awards for outstanding research, distinguished service, mentoring, contributions to leadership preparation, and the Culbertson Award for Lifetime Achievement from the University Council for Educational Administration.
Thompson Brandt
MS, PhD 1985 — Music Education
Thompson has written a debut novel entitled “A Measure of Grace.” It’s about an arrogant symphony conductor who learns to become benevolent after finding out that he has a fatal disease. It will be released in 2022.
David Feldman
BSE 1985 — Education (English)
David is ending his tenure as head of school at The Roeper School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and has joined The Education Group as an executive coach and consultant for independent private schools and nonprofits.
Melanie Kirner
BSE 1985 — Elementary Education
Melanie began her career in Milwaukee, teaching first grade at Gilbert Stuart Elementary. After getting married and having two sons, she was hired in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). She has spent 25 years teaching for MMSD, two at LakeView Elementary and the past 22 years at Black Hawk Middle School, in the same grade and the same classroom! She will retire in June and says she looks forward to an opportunity to continue to mentor new staff in MMSD.
Robert Rendl
BS 1985 — Curriculum and Instruction
Bob retired from the United States Marine Corps in October 1991, achieving the rank of master sergeant. Bob was one of the last Marines out of Vietnam in April 1975. He received awards and decorations. In 1991, he joined the Federal Civil Service and retired in 2015. He wrote “Managing Your Economics Program” and assisted in writing “Workplace Violence: the Before, During, and After.” During the same period, he joined Toastmasters International and served as a club, area, and division officer, rising to the levels of both Competent Leader and Distinguished Toastmaster. From 1972 until his second retirement in 2015, he served as an occupational health and safety specialist, which included numerous assignments in the Washington, D.C., area, as well as Camp David. His last assignment was with the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, with 17 locations worldwide. Bob says his time at UW–Madison prepared him for these challenging assignments. “Safety first, last, and always.” Go, Bucky!
Sharon Robinson
BS 1985 — Health Education
Sharon began her career as a health educator, then went for her master of science in health administration to manage/start a new hospital fitness center. She then earned a BSN to manage a school clinic. Currently, she is an RN and certified diabetes care education specialist (CDCES) that has been teaching about diabetes for the past 23 years.
Maggie Quigley Hucko
BSE 1986 — Elementary Education
Maggie writes that she began her career in a rural district, then moved to an urban district, and finished her public education career in a suburban district. Maggie is currently a dyslexia interventionist working remotely with a private company out of Appleton, Wisconsin. In this role, Maggie is able to tutor children throughout the state of Wisconsin, and assist them in their reading journey.
Betty Hasselkus
BS 1960 — Occupational Therapy, MS 1974 — Kinesiology, PhD 1987 — Continuing and Vocational Education
Betty has published the third edition of her occupational therapy textbook, “The Meaning of Everyday Occupation,” a text that is used by curricula around the country and beyond. Her co-author, Virginia Allen Dickie, is also a UW–Madison alumna (BS 1964), and the book is published by SLACK, Inc. The text addresses the meaning of humans as occupational beings and seeks to understand the significance of everyday occupation to health and well-being in our lives.
Hsiao-chin Hsieh
PhD 1987 — Educational Policy Studies
Hsiao-chin is a professor at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), Taiwan. She has served in many administrative positions at NTHU, such as university librarian and dean of student affairs, and is director of the NTHU Heritage Museum.
William Stahl
MS 1988 — Continuing and Vocational Education
William writes that he is a re-entry coordinator/case manager.
Tina Staszewski
BS 1987 — Communicative Disorders
Tina began her career as an audiologist at Cook County Hospital in Chicago after receiving her MS from Purdue University in 1989. She returned to her hometown to continue her career and later went to school at UW–Milwaukee to get her teaching license. She is now completing her 23rd year as a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing in Milwaukee Public Schools.
Debra Riedel
BS 1988 — Art Education
Debra started working with children in Head Start after graduation. In 1994, she began working in the prepress department for a local printer, using her art skills of color and layout with desktop publishing. She has since worked for five different printers learning different prepress skills for each printer, as each had a different type of print they were producing. She is currently working for a printer in Oregon, Wisconsin, working closely with the prepress department by preparing mailing lists and then using art software to do variable data merges. She still loves art and paints and creates for recreation.
Cecil Smith
PhD 1988 — Educational Psychology
Cecil is dean of the School of Education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and was selected as a Deans for Impact Fellow for 2021-22 — one of 24 education deans selected to participate in this leadership development program.
Lynn Whitford
MFA 1988 — Art/Metalsmithing
Lynn has been part of MetalPeople, a collective of metalsmiths, since getting her MFA, and is represented by Traver Gallery in Seattle. She had a one person show there in April 2022, which can be viewed on You Tube at Lynn Whitford/Still Life/Apr. 2022.
Curtis Bonk
MS 1987, PhD 1989 — Educational Psychology
Curt has been a professor at Indiana University the past 30 years, and he received the David H. Jonassen Excellence in Research Award from the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) in Nov. 2021. In April 2022, he became a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the following week he received the Award for Outstanding International Engagement from the Indiana University School of Education. His new book, ”Transformative Teaching Around the World: Stories of Cultural Impact, Technology Integration, and Innovative Pedagogy,” was published in Feb. 2022.
Tammi Henke
BS 1989 — Art Education
Tammi worked as the K-6 art teacher at Deerfield Elementary School for 31 years, and recently retired in June of 2021. She currently creates her own artwork of photography and recycled magazine collages, and also maintains an educational art website at: tjhenke66.wixsite.com/my-site-2
Virginia Huber
BS 1979 — Art, MS 1989 — Continuing and Vocational Education
Virginia began her career teaching general art skills and attitudes to all ages (one to one) in her studio over her family garage. After several years she narrowed her focus by teaching drawing and watercolor to returning adults at University Outreach. In 1995, Virginia co-founded Huber School, LLC, a one-room school house for adult art students. Virginia is the author of an art teacher’s handbook, “Individuality and the Evening Art Course,” and an independent art student’s handbook, “Trusting the Muses.” She retired from teaching in 2006 but keeps an active studio, exhibiting regularly. Website: www.virginiahuber.com
John Casey Hurley
MS 1978, PhD 1989 — Educational Administration
Casey published his second book in 2021, entitled “Improving Instruction: Best Practices Told Through Teacher Stories.”
Laura Kulcinski (Braun)
BSE 1989 — Secondary Education (Mathematics)
At the end of this school year, Laura writes she will have completed her 32nd year of teaching secondary math. Currently, she teaches at Dodgeville High School where she has been for the past 25 years. It’s been quite a trip, she says. She adds that she has seen many changes in education but the one thing that has stayed constant is the students: Kids are still kids.
Rebecca Nelson
BS 1989 — Art
Rebecca writes that she is celebrating 12 years of BexBrands, a graphic design firm founded by her and her husband Jeremy in San Diego, California. The firm specializes in brand identity and packaging for “better-for-you” consumer packaged goods.
Christopher Vitrano
BS 1989 — Art
After 30+ years of professional service, Chris and his wife Mary chose to exit the workforce on Jan. 1, 2021. They feel fortunate to have had fulfilling careers, and believed it was the ideal time to step aside for the next generation of business leaders to flourish. In 2022, he became a member of the U.S. Soccer At-Large Development Council, and says that he looks forward to contributing to its efforts to help change lives, develop a sport, and inspire a nation.
1990s
Brenda Kepler Leske
MS 1990 — Rehabilitation Psychology
Brenda went on to obtain her doctorate in child clinical psychology, with a specialty in neuropsychology. She has worked for UW Colleges, then in private practice in Madison for many years, and now for the UW Medical Foundation. Brenda and her husband reside in the Madison area. She writes that two of their four children are, “off the payroll” (college graduates); their twins are nearing completion of their sophomore year.
Jane Patterson Mlenar
BSE 1990 — Elementary Education
Jane began her teaching career in the Milwaukee Public Schools as a math and English teacher. She taught at Fritsche Middle School for 12 years before moving to Greendale (Wisconsin). Jane has been teaching middle school math for the last 20 years and this school year has transitioned to be a math instructional support specialist at Greendale Middle School. Beyond the K-12 classroom, Jane earned her master’s of education degree through the UW–LaCrosse ME-PD Learning Community program and spent time teaching in that program. She also earned her National Board Certification in 2002 and has mentored candidates all around Wisconsin since 2005. She was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching in 2000. She currently serves on the Wisconsin Math Council board of directors.
Sandie Soldwisch
PhD 1990 — Continuing and Vocational Education
Sandie began her career as a nurse and advanced her education to become a nurse practitioner. She also moved into the practice of nursing education after earning her PhD. Sandie has built her educator career to include being a faculty member, nursing department chair, and provost. Sandie became the president of Saint Anthony College of Nursing (Rockford, Illinois), Saint Francis Medical Center School of Nursing (Peoria, Illinois) and OSF College of Health Science (Peoria). After a wonderful career, Sandie began a life of retirement on January 1, 2022.
Andrea-Teresa “Tess” Arenas
PhD 1992 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Tess created the Wisconsin Latinx History Collective (WLHC) in January 2020 and since then, with a core team of Chicanx Latinx Studies faculty/students/staff and community researchers across the state, has successfully launched an unprecedented town-gown research agenda documenting Latinx history. In 2021-22, 56 oral history interviews were completed and over 29,000 historical documents donated to the new Latinx collection. WLHC efforts received a Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Grant and a Mellon-NHPRC grant this year as well as funding from American Family Insurance. The new online collection will be curated and housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society. WLHC research will continue its work over several years to ensure that myths and negative stereotypes are supplanted by factual accounts of Latinx life in rural, urban and suburban hubs.
Jennifer Carr
BSE 1992 — Elementary Education
After teaching sixth grade and then working for 10 years as a courier for FedEx, Jenny got her master’s in library science and has worked at Middleton Public Library for 14 years. She writes that it was a round-about career path, but she finds great satisfaction in library work and feels fortunate to be in her current position as a programming librarian in Adult Services.
Lori Davis
BSE 1992 — Elementary Education
Lori began her career in Milwaukee Public Schools. Today, she is a literacy interventionist and academic success coach with the Beloit Turner School District.
Jill Potratz
MS 1992 — Communication Sciences and Disorders
Jill is graduating from the University of Oregon with her PhD in linguistics. She’ll begin a position as an assistant professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, in August 2022.
Rebeca Yepez
BSE 1984 — Elementary Education, MS 1986 — Educational Administration, MA 1992 — Educational Policy Studies
Rebeca is a teacher in the Madison Metropolitan School District.
Martha A. Olsen
BSE 1993 — Special Education
Martha is retiring June 30 after 32 years with the Madison Metropolitan School District.
Paul Rux
PhD 1994 — Educational Administration
Paul writes that he has retired from teaching onsite and online to focus on R&D for writing articles and books for publication.
Gayle Weitz
MA 1987 — Art Education, PhD 1994 — Curriculum and Instruction
Gayle donated her carved cabinet series, “humanimals,” to PETA. It now resides at the foundation’s office in Washington, D.C.
Courteney Werner Famulare
BSE 1995 — Elementary Education
Courteney began her career as a sixth grade teacher and then taught third grade for 12 years. She received her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction in reading and language arts. Courteney is now teaching middle school reading and language arts and is an instructional coach in Boulder, Colorado.
Judith Hankes
PhD 1995 — Curriculum and Instruction
Judith, a professor emerita at UW–Oshkosh, recently published her mother’s biography, “Nettles and Roses: A Story of Resilience and Redemption.” An introduction to the biography explains: In 1914 Ruth was conceived out of wedlock, and because of her “bastard” birth in 1915, her abusers regarded her as sexually tainted and doomed to burn in hell; tragically, this belief justified their maltreatment. In her vulnerable and innocent soul, young Ruthie believed she was to blame for their actions, and for 30 years, she carried her violation as a shameful burden. Brené Brown distinguishes between guilt and shame by explaining: Guilt is feeling you made a mistake while shame is feeling you are a mistake. Ruth felt that, because of her illegitimate birth, she was a mistake. Then, at the age of 34, a transformation took place. “Nettles and Roses: A Story of Resilience and Redemption” is available on Amazon.
Mary Herrmann
MS 1980 — Counseling and Guidance, PhD 1995 — Educational Administration
Mary and her daughter Jessica contributed a chapter to the book, “Strengthening Anti-Racist Educational Leaders: Advocating for Racial Equity in Turbulent Times,” (2022) edited by UW professor Anjalé Welton, and Sarah Diem.
Jill Pfeiffer
BS 1995 — Art
After one year as a graphic designer, Jill entered the nonprofit sector with a focus on youth development. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for 25 years in both San Francisco and Madison. Today, she is the development and marketing director for YWCA Madison.
Heather Wilsey
BSE 1995 — Elementary Education
Heather began her career as a kindergarten teacher. She took a break from teaching to serve in the Peace Corps in Ecuador. Since returning, she has taught in Florida and now lives in Minnesota where she works as a reading specialist in grades k-4. She is also the vice chair of the St Louis Park School Board.
Tina Rettler-Pagel
BSE 1996 — Special Education
Tina recently earned a Doctor of Education in student affairs administration and leadership at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse after successfully defending her dissertation, “The Influences of Success for Community College Black Women Students in Online Learning Spaces” in March 2020.
Rebecca Ropers
PhD 1996 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Currently a vice provost for faculty and academic affairs at the University of Minnesota, Rebecca has been selected to serve as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow during the 2022-23 academic year. ACE Fellowships provide customized learning experiences to support the development of senior leaders in higher education.
Emily Shimpach
BS 1996 — Adult and Secondary Education
Emily started her career as a high school family and consumer sciences teacher, followed by many years teaching adults various software platforms. Now, she is an instructional designer at goVirtualOffice in Waunakee, Wisconsin.
David Danielski
BSE 1997 — Elementary Education
Dave began his career in the Middleton-Cross Plains School District in 1997 as a grade 4 teacher. He moved to the western suburbs of Chicago in 1999, and has been with Lombard School District 44 ever since. He taught fourth grade for eight more years, and just finished up his 15th year as an elementary school principal. He received his doctoral degree (EdD) in 2019. In addition to his role as principal, he serves as a mentor through the Illinois Principal Association and also teaches as an adjunct instructor at National Louis University in Chicago.
Michael LaViolette
BS 1998 — Physical Therapy
Mike graduated from UW–Madison and has worked for Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) as a physical therapist since. He completed his transitional doctorate at Concordia Wisconsin. Ten years ago he transitioned to onsite industrial rehab and ergonomic consulting.
2000s
Ann Groves Lloyd
MS 1994, PhD 2000 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Ann writes to say she is honored to have been re-elected to another two-year term as mayor of Lodi, Wisconsin. She says her graduate work and experience on campus was great preparation for the responsibilities of being the CEO of a municipality, even one as small as Lodi (~3,100 residents). Ann retired from UW–Madison in 2018, where she had worked in the College of Letters & Science for 20 years.
Ruth Duff (Kleinman)
BS 2001 — Art
Ruth is one half of the artist collaboration known as KX2, combining the strengths of artists and sisters Ruth, Avra, and Dana Kleinman who create mathematically inspired sculpture merging metal and painting. From a distance the work is bold and geometric, yet up close the viewer is engaged by textural, hand-sanded metal and multi-layered paintings. By exploring geometry, symmetry, and connection, their work aims to create a moment of pause, inviting the viewer to escape the stresses of the day and find a space to achieve balance. In their most recent work, themes related to environmental issues are presented with the hope to raise awareness of the fragility of our natural ecosystems. Since establishing their artistic collaboration in 2007, KX2’s work has been featured in notable galleries and museums around the world. Importantly, the work was leveraged to the international art scene with an invitation to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Biennale at the National Art Museum of China. Most recently the duo was commissioned by the city of Miami Beach for their prestigious “No Vacancy” public art project, allowing them to create a large-scale art installation on the beach in conjunction with Art Basel 2021. Their work can be found in numerous private, corporate, and public art collections throughout North America. Avra and Ruth currently reside with their individual families in Southern Florida.
Marc Kornblatt
BSE 2001 — Elementary Education
Having moved to Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2019, Marc splits his time between writing children’s books and producing films. One of his projects, a short documentary that has been screened at festivals around the world, inspired him to volunteer as a ukulele teacher in an after-school program that serves the children of refugees who have fled worn-torn countries such as Sudan and Eritrea. Marc first learned to play ukulele after he retired as a regular classroom teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Madison and returned there part-time as a music teacher. His filmmaking career also began at Lincoln where he began producing music videos and short documentaries with his students.
Roberta Kratt
BS 2001 — Rehabilitation Psychology
Robbie was a member of the inaugural Women’s Ice Hockey team while at UW, and had a background in kinesiology. With her passion for sports and medicine she went into the world of pharmaceutical and medical device sales. Today, she writes that she is proud to be among the elite salespeople at Inari Medical, paving the way in the treatment of blood clot removal for patients suffering from pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.
Jeffery LeMieux
MA 2000, MFA 2001 — Art
Jeff retired as tenured full professor from the College of Coastal Georgia and was granted the status of professor emeritus. From 2002, he developed and delivered art studio and art history courses and was co-author of the University System of Georgia’s E-Core text, “Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning,” which has been downloaded over 100,000 times. He has returned to Wisconsin with his spouse of 42 years and now resides in the Green Bay area where he continues his art practice.
William McCoy
MS 2002 — Continuing and Vocational Education
Bill was manager of management development and corporate quality for WPS when he graduated from UW–Madison. He is now the director of the Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson University.
Erin McGrath
BSE 2002 — Elementary Education
Erin achieved her National Board Certification in English as a New Language in December 2021. She currently teaches ESL in a public school in Madison, Wisconsin.
Brad Peck
PhD 2002 — Educational Administration
Brad recently joined the Engineering Tomorrow team as the new Midwest regional director. He will be working with teachers and students to bring Engineering Tomorrow virtual labs into the classroom to inspire students about the field of engineering through hands-on labs taught by leading engineers.
Eric Spielman
BSE 2002 — Secondary Education (Mathematics)
Eric began his career in January 2003 at Sheboygan North High School, where he taught math for 12.5 years and coached varsity girls basketball. In 2015, Eric transitioned into administration as an associate principal at North. He served in this role for four years, before moving into his current position as coordinator of instructional services for the Sheboygan Area School District. Eric’s primary roles as coordinator include support of curriculum and instruction and supervision of principals.
Allison Wagner (Auda)
BS 2002 — Elementary Education and Political Science
Allison launched a college completion program for limited-income, students of color from Milwaukee four years ago — the organization is called All-In Milwaukee. All-In Milwaukee is a college completion program that provides financial aid, advising, program, and career support to high potential, limited-income, diverse Milwaukee students to complete college, build meaningful careers, and transform the Milwaukee community. Today, All-In has 325 students from Milwaukee and Racine in the program and they attend eight partner colleges — 97 of the are All-In Badgers. Along with our partner colleges, our students receive more aid and more support to ensure college completion and career development. All-In Milwaukee has a 94 percent college persistence rate and 90 percent of our students have no student debt thanks to the scholarship we provide and the university aid packages negotiated. This summer, All-In Milwaukee has placed 45 percent of its students in substantial internships in the students’ major. The students joining All-In Milwaukee will receive advising and support from their transition to college until their transition to career along with $12,000 in scholarship from All-In Milwaukee and additional institutional aid from the universities they are attending including UW–Madison.
Neema Avashia
MA 2003 — Educational Policy Studies
Neema has been a history teacher in the Boston Public Schools since 2003. She just released her first book, an essay collection titled “Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place.” It was published by WVU Press in March of this year.
Sara North
BS 2004 — Kinesiology and Psychology
Sara graduated from UW–Madison in 2004 with a double major in Kinesiology and Psychology. She headed to Northwestern University for a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, earned in December 2006. After six years in outpatient orthopedic practice as a physical therapist, she transitioned to an academic position at a private, liberal arts university in Wisconsin focused on instruction in clinical education, orthopedics, service learning, and interprofessional education. During that time, she also earned a Master of Education in community health education. She transitioned to the University of Minnesota in 2018 as the UMN DPT program’s director of educational innovation and evaluation. Sara has also acquired the role of co-director of the Center for Interprofessional Health at the University of Minnesota, serving over 25 health professions programs across system campuses. Sara’s scholarly and professional passions include physical therapist curriculum development and assessment, systems-level approaches to organizational change, clinical education, local and global population health, diversity in health professions, and collaborative initiatives to move interprofessional education forward through academic-clinical partnerships and data-informed curricular design and assessment. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Evaluation Studies, anticipated for completion in 2022. She writes that she met her husband, Travis North, in the Bradley dormitory our freshman year! We maintained our relationship at UW–Madison from 2000-2004 when we both graduated with BS degrees. When I departed in 2004 for my clinical doctorate training, Travis continued on at UW–Madison to earn his master’s in engineering in 2005, and we were married in 2007.
James Cohen
MFA 2005 — Art
Jim is excited to announce the forthcoming publication of his book, “Modern Judaica: Today’s Makers, Today’s Sacred Objects,” by Schiffer Publication on October 28, 2022. The book encompasses interviews with 54 Judaica makers from around the world and includes over 250 full-color images of their work. The book explores why these men and women make Judaica and how their histories are reflected in their work.
Michael Brophy
PhD 2006 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Michael is serving in his third college presidency at Hilbert College in Hamburg, New York.
Lindsey Byom
BSE 2006 — Communication Sciences and Disorders
Lindsey was recently awarded a four-year career development (K23) award from the National Institute for Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to develop and test clinical assessment tools of traumatic brain injury-related social communication disorders.
Michael Gonzalez
MS 2006 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Michael is principal of Bessie Allen Middle School in the School District of North Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and a recipient of the 2022 Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Principal Leadership Award.
Nicole Howarth
BS 2006 — Art (Graphic Design)
After many years of working as a graphic designer at various ad agencies and marketing firms, Nicole partnered with her sister, Megan, to launch a Midwest-themed lifestyle brand. Up North Boutique was created to capture Nicole and Megan’s love of all things Wisconsin. In 2020 they opened a storefront in Madison, located at 404 W Lakeside Street. Up North products are also available online at upnorthboutique.com and are carried at many shops throughout the Midwest.
Erin King
BSE 2006 — Special Education
Erin began her career as a special education teacher. After serving as a middle school administrator for eight years, she now serves as an elementary principal in the Elmbrook Schools.
Ann Garrison
PhD 2007 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Ann was a teacher and educational leader for more than 40 years, and has completed extensive research in youth leadership and co-authored several children’s books, as well as a manual for staff working with others in the counseling field. Currently, Ann serves on several educational boards.
Kathi Koppa
MS 2007 — Curriculum and Instruction
Kathi earned her master’s degree in C&I and went on to teach ESL at UW–Madison and Madison College, and EFL in Ethiopia and Cyprus. She then ventured to work in educational administration for Rowland Reading Foundation and WIDA at UW–Madison. Her career has come full circle, as she is now the elementary education program manager in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and says she is thrilled to be back where it all began!
Sara Kitzinger Anton
BSE 2008 — Spanish Education
Sara has taught in Wisconsin public schools since graduating in 2008. She has taught multilingual students and Spanish in grades 7 through 12.
Diane Schwartz
BSE 2008 — Elementary Education
Diane started a nonprofit called Get Kids Outside, whose mission is to introduce kids and their families to the wonder and awe of nature through fun and educational outdoor events. Diane writes that the organization expects to serve 250 children in 2022, mostly from populations underserved in our parks and natural areas.
Tom Van Winkle
PhD 2008 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Tom is in his seventh year serving as the executive director of Williams-Mystic, the coastal and ocean studies program of Williams College and the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. He writes that he is delighted to lead this organization and develop future leaders one semester at a time.
Kathryn (Carlson) Miller
MS 2009 — Communication Sciences and Disorders
Kate began her speech-language pathology career as a general pediatric practitioner. Over the years, as she worked in outpatient healthcare settings, she began to specialize in pediatric feeding and swallowing. Today, she serves as the feeding and disability specialist at a U.S.-based global nonprofit called SPOON, where she gets to develop training, resources, and tools about safe feeding for children with disabilities and children outside family care for projects in the U.S. and around the world.
2010s
LaVar Charleston
MS 2007, PhD 2010 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
LaVar was asked in March 2022 by Governor Tony Evers to serve a second year as chair of the Governor’s Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council’s (GEIAC) sub-committee on Economic and Business Development. He has served as a GEIAC council member for the State of Wisconsin since 2021. LaVar has published a book chapter entitled, “STEMfluences: The Role of Social Interaction and Scientific Identity Formation in the Successful Matriculation of African American Males in STEM,” in Robins, Knibbs, Ingram, Weaver, and Hilton’s book, titled “Young, Gifted, and Missing: The Underrepresentation of African American Males in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Disciplines,” for Emerald Publishing (expected release: June 2022). LaVar started a role as deputy vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, vice provost, chief diversity officer, and Elzie Higginbottom Director of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement (DDEEA) in August 2021 at UW–Madison.
Stephanie Hurt
BSE 2010 — Secondary Education (English)
Stephanie received her National Board Certification in 2021, and is in her 11th year at Brodhead High School.
David P. Perrodin
PhD 2016 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
David’s second book, “The Velocity of Information: Human Thinking During Chaotic Times,” was published in April 2022 by Rowman & Littlefield.
Ericka Schilling
MA 2010 — Library and Information Studies
Ericka began her career as a PK-12 librarian in various rural school districts. The economic downturn resulted in her position being eliminated. After several years away from education, Ericka is again a school librarian in a district close to home. She is currently serving 5th and 6th graders in Freeport, Illinois.
Meri Tunison
BSE 2010 — Secondary Education (Social Studies)
After a decade of working in districts as a high school social studies teacher and online learning program coordinator, Meri is currently an associate director for Wisconsin Virtual School (CESA 9) and a certified instructional designer. Recently, Meri presented at both the Digital Learning Annual Conference and Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance conference.
Crystal Lepscier (Tourtillott)
BFA 2005 — Art, MS 2011 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Crystal has earned an EdD in the First Nations Education Doctorate (FNED) program through UW–Green Bay, making her one of the first graduates of this program. Starting in fall 2018 with a cohort of 20+ students, Crystal and three other cohort members have now completed the program and graduated May 14, 2022. Kenaeheqtam Dr. Crystal Lepscier!
Chris Medenwaldt
MS 2012 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Chris moved to a district leadership position after eight years of principalship. He is now the director of secondary education for the School District of Janesville.
Aaliyah Baker
PhD 2013 — Curriculum and Instruction
In fall 2022, Aaliyah will join the University of Dayton as a faculty member in the Department of Educational Administration, School of Education and Health Sciences. Before joining the UD faculty, she taught at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee from January 2014 to July 2022.
Lauren Gould
BSE 2013 — Elementary Education
After graduating from UW–Madison, Lauren taught middle school English language arts and social studies in McFarland, Wisconsin. In 2017, Lauren accepted a job at the American School of Barcelona, Spain, where she worked as a middle and high school humanities teacher. This fall, she will start a new position as a staff developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University. Lauren writes that she is passionate about sketch-noting, fostering youth voice, and building classroom community. She says she is looking forward to the return back to the U.S. after her time abroad!
Spencer Atkinson
MS 2014 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
After graduating from UW–Madison, Spencer worked in residential education at both Stanford University and the University of Oregon. Today, he serves as a senior career advisor for students in liberal arts and business at the University of California, Davis.
Ittai Wong
BS 2014 — Art
Ittai pursued a career in education through Teach For America in 2015, teaching in his homeland in O’ahu, Hawaii. He has spent the last seven years at Le Jardin Academy teaching middle school English and received his Master of Education in teaching degree from the University of Hawai’i. This summer, Ittai will be relocating to Japan to teach at Yokohama International School.
Saili Kulkarni
PhD 2015 — Special Education
Saili was selected for an inaugural $30,000 Fellowship with the National Center of Research on Educator Diversity to support activities and research related to the forthcoming American Educational Research Association (AERA) “Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers,” edited by Drs. Conra Gist and Travis Bristol.
Emily Adochio
BS 2016 — Kinesiology
After graduating from UW–Madison, Emily started medical school at Rush University in Chicago. She is currently an internal medicine resident at MCW in Milwaukee with plans to pursue a career in infectious diseases.
Sean Frazier
MS 2016 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Sean, the vice president/director of athletics and recreation for Northern Illinois University, was named one of five finalists for 2022 Athletic Director of the Year by the Sports Business Journal.
Jichan Kim
PhD 2016 — Educational Psychology
Jichan is an associate professor of psychology and the director for the MA in Applied Psychology program at Liberty University.
Michael Martin
MS 2016 — Kinesiology
Michael began his strength and conditioning career as an unpaid intern at UW. Earlier this year he was hired as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville.
Ananda Mirilli
MS 2016 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Ananda started her career working with nonprofits, and now she works for the state of Wisconsin curating racial equity learnings for educators across the state.
Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens
PhD 2017 — Educational Psychology
Golnaz is an assistant professor of learning sciences and director of the IDEA Lab at Clemson University.
Caroline Head (Schnecke)
MS 2018 — Educational Psychology (MSPE)
Caroline taught in K-8 schools for ten years. In December 2021, she became the accessibility services coordinator at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Caroline and her husband live in the Milwaukee area.
Janelle Ramsel
PhD 2018 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Janelle began her career post-graduation as an interim Title IX coordinator for UW–Milwaukee. Today, she is chief legal counsel for Regis University in Denver, Colorado.
Shannon Anderson
MS 2019 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Shannon, who has been the principal at Oregon Middle School, is now the director of student services for the Oregon School District.
Chukwuma Ekwelum
PhD 2019 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Recently, Chukwuma (“Chuks”) and his wife, Vanessa, welcomed their third child into the world. The now family of five live in Kigali, Rwanda, where he and his wife co-founded Legacy of Excellence Academy (LEA), an independent, tech-integrated school for children in grades 7-12. With adequate financial support, they hope to finally open LEA’s doors this upcoming September.
Nicole Heimark
BS 2019 — Athletic Training
After getting her master’s degree in kinesiology from Indiana University, Nicole started work with the Naval Heath Research Center in San Diego as a research assistant. She also works as an athletic trainer for the Sports Medicine Department at Camp Pendleton, treating students and instructors at the School of Infantry-West.
Rachel Miller
BFA 2019 — Art
Shortly after graduation, Rachel moved to Austin, Texas, to pursue a museum events career at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. After two short years, Rachel is now the head of events at the museum.
Brittany Ota-Malloy
PhD 2019 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Brittany recently became the inaugural director of retention at Seattle Promise, a tuition and support program in the city of Seattle. We cover community college tuition and provide wraparound support to all eligible graduates from Seattle public schools to attend any of our three community colleges. I supervise a team of 15 retention specialists across the district to provide excellent service to our students.
Olivia Rotelle
BS 2019 — Rehabilitation Psychology
Olivia will be graduating from MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, Massachusetts, this May with a doctorate in occupational therapy.
2020s
Erin Coron
BS 2020 — Art
Erin graduated in December of 2020 with a BS in art and a certificate in American Indian studies. Today, she is obtaining her master’s in museum studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Peyton Flesch
BS 2020 — Communication Sciences and Disorders
Peyton finished her undergraduate degree in the height of the pandemic. Today she’s receiving her master’s degree to become a speech-language pathologist.
Bridget Hammett
BS 2020 — Special Education
Bridget worked as a substitute teacher post-graduation for a year and a half in Neenah, Wisconsin, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Today, she is a full-time special education teacher in Chicago, Illinois, and teaches at the elementary and middle school level.
Morgan Hintz (Bauer)
MSW 2020 — Social Work
Morgan began her career as a school social worker for the D.C. Everest School District and is still serving them today.
Kristin McCloskey
BS 2020 — Communication Sciences and Disorders
Kristin is pursuing an MS in speech-language pathology at UW–Madison. This fall, she will complete a student internship at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. She will graduate in May 2023.
Jessica McQueston
PhD 2020 — Special Education
Jessica accepted a special education tenure-track faculty position at Sam Houston State University. She will begin at SHSU in fall 2022.
Henry Rothenberg
MS 2020 — Curriculum and Instruction
Henry is finishing his second year of teaching in Tucson, Arizona, where he teaches biology, chemistry, and AP chemistry. He will be moving to Chicago this summer and will be starting a new teaching position in the Chicagoland area for the 2022-2023 school year teaching chemistry and chemistry honors.
Muna Bhattarai
PhD 2021 — Rehabilitation Counselor Education
Muna began her career as an assistant professor in the College of Nursing at Texas A&M University in August 2021. She has been teaching research-related courses to nursing students and actively conducting research among people with disabilities.
Eric Dormoh
MS 2021 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Eric started a new career as a scholar advisor at Wallin Education Partners. He also joined the University YMCA Board at the University of Minnesota.
Eleni Egelseer
BS 2021 — Kinesiology – Exercise and Movement Science
Eleni is finishing her first year as a Doctor of Physical Therapy student at Northwestern University in Chicago. She is receiving her white coat in June and will return to Wisconsin later in the summer to complete her first clinical education experience.
Jessica Jacobs
BS 2021 — Dance
Jessica writes that she just finished her first year of medical school in Arizona.
Renata Jaeger
BS 2021 — Education Studies
Renata began her career as an AmeriCorps member at Laura Jeffrey Middle School in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She was recently admitted to Teachers College at Columbia University, and will begin pursuing her master’s in education policy and social analysis this upcoming fall.
Yuhan Li
BS 2021 — Education Studies
Yuhan has continued academic life as a graduate student. Today, he is enrolled in the educational policy master’s program at Teachers College.
Brett Nachman
MS 2017, PhD 2021 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Brett and his colleagues (Drs. Hyejung Kim and John Zilvinskis) have been awarded a Binghamton University College of Community and Public Affairs Research Excellence grant. This $15,000 grant will support their work on a new study called “Pathway to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Employment for Autistic Students.” Brett is co-PI on the project and will engage in this work as he enters his new professional role as a tenure-track assistant professor at the University of Arkansas in its Adult and Lifelong Learning program.
Joe Schubert
BSE 2021 — Elementary Education
Joe began his career as a middle school mathematics and religion teacher at Saint Josaphat Parish School in Milwaukee. He also has helped re-establish a co-curricular athletics program at the school. Go Blazers!
Sukhvir Singh
BS 2021 — Health Promotion and Health Equity
Sukhvir spent the summer following graduation working for the Population Health Institute on a research project collaborating with both public health and criminal justice experts to create a guide that highlights the roles of both public health and criminal justice in the creation and maintenance of alternative to revocation programs. Sukhvir is now wrapping up his first semester in the UW–Madison Master of Public Health program, and in the fall he will begin coursework as a dual-degree Master of Public Health, Master of Public Affairs student.
Sophia Slocum
MS 2021 — Occupational Therapy
Sophia began her career as an occupational therapist a year ago and works primarily in assisted living facilities and home health in the greater Des Moines area. She says she adores her career and is thrilled to be learning every day how to best serve the older adult population as an OT. She plans to specialize in lymphedema treatment this upcoming year. Sophia still keeps in touch with many of her fellow OT alums and visits Madison whenever she gets the chance.
Kathy Yin
BS 2021 — Education Studies
Kathy graduated with BS in education studies in winter 2021. She is joining the master’s program in education data science at Stanford University this fall.
Tarryn Lael Simmons
PhD 2022 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis/Curriculum and Instruction
Tarryn was recently named assistant professor of global leadership at Bennett College, one of the two historically Black women’s colleges in the nation. She also completed her dissertation in spring 2022 which proposed a theoretical model called Transformative Spiritual Resilience (TSR). Tarryn theorized that TSR is an emancipatory strength possessed by African American HBCU graduates that empowers them to overcome race-related threats and become social justice advocates for African American and other marginalized communities. More info: http://www.HBCUs-UnHushed.com