Jenny Blaisdell, Author & Former Family Education Director, Cornell & Lake Holcombe CLCs
Jenny Blaisdell has served in the Out of School Time field for over twenty years. She has experience writing and reviewing grants, mentoring CLCs all over Wisconsin & managing grants in multiple districts. She has presented on topics like Successful Partnerships and Staff Capacity and is excited for a new adventure working with the DPI as a contractor for the 21CCLC monitoring sessions in the fall of 2022.
Rachel Charron, MSW, CAPSW, and Health Educator, Marshfield Clinic Health System
Rachel Charron is a Social Worker and Health Educator serving children and families in Wisconsin. She earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and worked in the Child Welfare field as both a direct worker and supervisor for nearly ten years before transitioning into the Health Education. Rachel has worked in government and private agencies supporting families and staff in a variety of communities across the state. She currently works in direct practice, supporting afterschool programs, as well in macro practice for the Wisconsin Afterschool Network. Worker wellness, strengths-based initiatives, and Trauma-informed care have been primary focuses of Rachel’s work. She completed a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program in 2019 and continues to seek out ways to learn, grow, and promote wellness in others.
Alex Corona (she/hers), Director of Community Programs, Diverse & Resilient
Alex is a transgender bisexual fat Latina activist, community organizer, and journalist. Alex advocates for the inclusion and safety of trans folks and other system-impacted people in Milwaukee and around the world. She consults with organizations of all sizes to inform best practices, creates programs based on community needs, navigates grants and policy administration, and facilitates the movement of trans liberation. She is a national advocate for trans justice, abolishing the prison industrial complex, sexual health education, sex workers’ rights, and body autonomy & empowerment. Alex is involved in many local and national coalitions and organizations, and she cofounded Rights Not Rescue to push for decriminalization and help sex workers in Wisconsin. Alex has recently worked for Sex Workers Outreach Project – USA (SWOP-USA), Third Wave Fund, Black & Pink National, and the Red Umbrella Fund in Amsterdam. Alex is also a comedian & nightlife performer, and she was named one of 2021’s “Unsung Heroes” by the Wisconsin Law Journal.
Michelle Doughty, Licensed Program Professional Development Manager, Kettle Moraine YMCA
Michelle has 25 years of experience in the field and has worn just about every hat one can wear. She has her Master Degree in Early Childhood and Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Administration. Michelle has spent the last five years training other teachers and is currently the Professional Development Manager at the Kettle Moraine YMCA. Michelle is a Tier 3 Trainer and Technical Assistant. Michelle's biggest goal as a trainer is that every participant walk away with at least one thing they can implement in their current position.
Jessica Frain, MSW, School Mental Health Consultant, Student Services/Prevention and Wellness, WI Department of Public Instruction
Jessica is a School Mental Health Consultant for the Department of Public Instruction. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of WI-La Crosse and a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of WI-Madison. Prior to joining DPI, Jess worked as a School Social Worker in WI public schools where her roles included homeless services, AODA intervention, trauma sensitive schools implementation, alternative project-based education, and restorative justice. She is currently a Coordinator for the Wisconsin School-based Mental Health Services Grant, the Get Kids Ahead Initiative, and the Wisconsin School Climate Transformation Grant. As a member of the Student Services/Prevention and Wellness Team at DPI, she also provides technical assistance and training in the areas of Bullying Prevention, Social and Emotional Learning, and Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems.
Erin Gernetzke, ECE Quality Initiatives Section Manager, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
Erin administers Wisconsin initiatives related to improving the availability and quality of early education statewide. She has worked with several of the same programs in a direct service role, evaluating and improving the impact they have on high-quality care. She led the completion of several early education research and evaluation efforts such as the 2010 statewide workforce study, the 2019 QRIS revision process, and the statewide credit for prior learning project. Based on research, she recommends policy initiatives to support children, families, and the early education workforce.
Ben Gunderson, Director of Youth Outreach, Greater Green Bay YMCA
Ben believes that each young person has a dream, and that dream can be translated into goals. The Y’s role is to help young people translate their dreams into goals, and to help them build action steps to reach success. Ben attended Luther College where he graduated in 2008 with a double major in both Political Science and Theater/Dance. Ben began his YMCA career in the summer of 2006, when he started with The YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities (now YMCA of the North). His career with the YMCA in Minnesota continued for 11 years taking him from Eagan to West St. Paul, East St. Paul, Midway, and finally to the Association level building programming and curriculum for all 23 branches. While working at the Y he had the opportunity to bring young people across the nation, giving them experiences and expanding their mindset. Whether it’s touring an Amish Community, exploring skyscrapers, or leading youth through the haunted tunnels at Illinois College; Ben’s passion has always been working with and developing young people from 12-26. After spending the last four years working for Footlocker Inc. leading the Learning and Development team, Ben has landed in the Green Bay Community and is working with his team to “change the world.”
Michael Hartwell, 3rd-12th Grade Education, PBS Wisconsin Education
Michael Hartwell is a 3rd -12th Grade Education Engagement Specialist with PBS Wisconsin Education. Michael is passionate about public education and advocacy that is practical and equitable. In his role facilitating professional learning opportunities, he strives to support educators with equal parts engagement, inclusivity, and empowerment. Prior to his work with PBS Wisconsin Education, Michael taught middle school Humanities for ten years in Baltimore City Public Schools, was the Education Director of Baltimore Improv Group, facilitated as an Arts Integration Specialist with Maryland Arts for Learning, and was an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, teaching courses in applied improvisation, public speaking, and oral presentations.
Molly Herrmann, Education Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Molly Herrmann is an education consultant with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. She oversees a federal school mental health grant and serves as a resource for school staff, parents, and students with questions about supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning youth. Molly brings over 20 years of experience as a health educator with a focus on prevention, harm reduction, and best practices.
Jami Hoekstra Collins, Early Learning Engagement Specialist, PBS Wisconsin Education
Jami Hoekstra Collins is an Early Learning Engagement Specialist with PBS Wisconsin Education and a Tier 3 Registry Trainer. Jami is committed to promoting developmentally appropriate play-based learning where every child and family experience wonder and joy while learning together. In her role, Jami facilitates professional learning opportunities for educators around the state of Wisconsin that are integrated with PBS learning media and resources. Prior to her work with PBS Wisconsin Education, Jami taught four year old Kindergarten for twenty seven years in Peterborough, England as well as Marshall and Madison, Wisconsin Head Start programs and public schools.
Julie Kosher, Retired CLC Grant Coordinator for Two School Districts, Current Contracted DPI Monitoring Specialist
Julie Kosher coordinated 21st Century Community Learning Centers for two school districts. She was part of the writing team for the original federal CLC grant and has written many CLC state grant and renewal proposals. Since retiring, she is a contracted employee for the DPI. She serves as a grant proposal reader and conducts monitoring visits.
Dolly Ledin, Wisconsin Afterschool Network STEM Content Specialist
Dolly Ledin coordinated outreach for UW Madison WISCIENCE for 27 years where she built long-term partnerships between the university, local K-12 schools and community organizations. She worked as an elementary and middle school teacher, an environmental educator with the Wis. Dept. of Natural Resources and adjunct faculty with UW Stevens Point. She has also led courses for teachers in Puerto Rico, led university students on a study-abroad course in rural Ecuador and spent a year as the environmental education coordinator at the Cloud Forest School in Monteverde, Costa Rica. She has an MS in Land Resources from UW Madison Institute for Environmental Studies. She received the Sister Joel Read Civic Leadership Award from the Wisconsin Campus Compact in 2015 and has received partnership awards from the Madison School District and UW Madison. Dolly now volunteers as Education Co-Chair for Wisconsin’s Greenfire.
Tou Fong Lee (he/they), Community Programs Coordinator, Diverse & Resilient
Before working at Diverse & Resilient, Tou Fong served as the career advisor for the Carmen Schools of Science and Technology Northwest High School and their GSA advisor. Previously, They have worked with the City of Milwaukee Health Department, Medical College of Wisconsin, and in the nonprofit sector as a domestic violence and sexual assault advocate. Tou Fong has also worked at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee LGBTQ Resource Center developing programs like Pride Camp, GSA Project, and the UWM Drag Show.
Tacara Lovings, Policy Initiatives Advisor-Office of the State Superintendent, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Tacara Lovings is a Policy Initiatives Advisor in the Office of the State Superintendent at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. She attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Adapted Physical Education. She then attended the University of Utah for her master’s degree in Specially Designed Physical Education. In her ten years of being a certified Physical Education, Health Education and Adapted Physical Educator, she has worked in public and private schools and with students in grades K-12 in Utah, California, Arizona, and Wisconsin. Her passions are to help people find movement that they enjoy and to increase the access to wellness for all. Equitable instruction is the central theme of her professional work.
Victoria Rydberg, Environmental Education and Service-Learning Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
As the environmental education and service-learning consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Victoria works with educators and organizations statewide to increase capacity for meaningful place-based education. She is also the co-founder FIELD Edventures, a non-profit dedicated to taking learning outdoors. As a teacher passionate about constructing authentic, real-world learning experiences, Victoria designed and led a project-based, environmental school for seventh and eighth-grade students. She is the author of “Hands-On, Feet Wet: The Story of River Crossing Environmental Charter School” and editor of “Hands-on, Earth Math: Digging Deeper into Environmental Topics.” Victoria holds teaching licenses for grades 1-8 as well as 6-9 English with formal classroom teaching experience ranging from first grade to graduate school. She has served on state and national boards to advance environmental education and has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Green Building Council Center for Green Schools, among others.
Rachel Schroeder, Senior Director of Youth Development Services, Boys and Girls Club of the Fox Valley
Rachel Schroeder has been with the Boys & Girls Club movement since being a Club member herself as a child. Professionally, she has been with the Boys & Girls Club for nearly 10 years in various capacities. Most recently, as the Senior Director of Youth Development Services for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley, she works to prioritize program quality and youth safety at 14 locations across the Valley. Her leadership skills helped to drive the expansion of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley into five new school-based Club locations over the last two years. She is the recipient of the 2021 Service to Youth Award, which is given to an individual whose work over the long term has had an extraordinary life-changing impact on those we serve.
Jen Smith, M.Ed., Program Coordinator, Center for Community Health Advancement, Marshfield Clinic Health System
Jennifer began her career as a special education teacher supporting youth with learning and emotional-behavioral disabilities after earning her M.Ed. from University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She has since worked in community based organizations, afterschool programs and now Marshfield Clinic Health System. In her current role she supports youth based initiatives in communities throughout the clinic service area and provides training and technical assistance to youth serving organizations statewide through the Wisconsin Afterschool Network. In recent years, Jennifer has expanded her knowledge around Adverse Childhood Experiences, the impacts of trauma and the interventions youth serving organizations and community agencies can implement to help youth build a more positive future.
Amanda St. Martin
Bio TBA
Lisa Stein, School Mental Health Consultant, Student Services/Prevention and Wellness, WI Department of Public Instruction
Lisa has been an educator for more than 20 years, working as an Instructional Coach in both the Madison and Sun Prairie school districts, and most recently served as a statewide coach for the Wisconsin Center for Resilient Schools. Her core values include community and equity through social justice. She recognizes that everyone deserves to feel safe and have a place of belonging. Lisa strives to incorporate learning about self-care, weaving best practices into the principles of resilience for better outcomes for individuals, staff, students, and the community. She is a wellness champion and teaches yoga to athlete participants in the Special Olympics. Lisa has a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, is a certified Coach of Presence-Based Coaching, and teaches Mindful-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She lives in Madison, WI with her spouse. When not working Lisa and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening, live music, and spending time with their adult children and grandchildren.
Angel Stoddard, MS, Founder/Educator/Trainer, Spark Early Education
Angel Stoddard, MS is driven by a deep belief that all leaders must be learners and aims to inspire the joy of learning in others. She strives to elevate the role leaders hold in ensuring quality programming. Her mission each day is to show up with passion and purpose, with curiosity and courage. Throughout her career, Angel has designed and presented professional growth opportunities for local, state, and national audiences. Most recently, Angel was recognized as an Exchange Leader.
Shaheen Sutterwala, STEM Content Specialist for the Wisconsin Afterschool Network
Shaheen’s childhood was spent observing and comparing life in India and Bahrain followed by college in England and the States. She has a pHD in Immunology and completed post doctoral work at UW- Madison. During her time at UW-Madison she led a weekly science club at an after school site as part of a service learning class, ‘Engage Children in Science’ taught by Dolly Ledin. This experience ignited a passion for engaging in science inquiry with children. In 2009, Shaheen made a career change from science research to education and spent the next eight years working as a science outreach specialist with UW WISCIENCE followed by three years in a similar role at Edgewood College. She also obtained a K-8 teaching certificate with a focus on science and math education. She is most interested in making STEM relevant and accessible to all learners and has provided professional development in the form of coaching, training sessions and collaborative teaching with both after school and classroom educators.
Ken Taylor, Senior Director of Public Systems Support, Shine Early Learning
Ken Taylor, Senior Director of Public Systems Support, Shine Early Learning, leads public systems systems change projects in numerous states across the country. He has extensive experience in public sector systems change, non-profit leadership, and community engagement. At the end of 2020, Ken stepped down from his position as the Executive Director of Kids Forward. Kids Forward is a statewide research, engagement, and advocacy organization with a mission to promote access to opportunity for every kid, every family and every community in Wisconsin. Prior to his leadership of Kids Forward, Ken was a Policy Advisor in the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.
Nathan Werley, Education Consultant, Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant Program, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Nathan Werley is a consultant with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) with the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant program. Prior to his work with the DPI, Nathan served in a number of capacities in out-of-school time programs funded through 21st CCLC grants as well as Fund 80. Most recently, Nathan supervised the extended learning department in Menasha Joint School District. Nathan is committed to building collaborative relationships to support grantees in providing accessible and engaging programming to students in their communities.
Kari Wilder (they/them), Transgender Outreach Coordinator, Diverse & Resilient
Kari is a Black transmasculine community leader and advocate. They’re actively part of the Milwaukee community, and they’re always searching for ways to aid marginalized QTPOC folk who are often left unseen. They have a background in helping black trans folks in health care resource building, housing, and food insecurities. They intend to create new pathways for people to grow and flourish in the Milwaukee community.
Quinn Wilder, Youth Work Educator, Principal, Quality Youth Development Consulting
Starting with camp counseling and youth crisis intervention, I worked in a wide variety of youth programs before completing a Master's degree in Social Work and focusing on professional development, first at the Youth Work Learning Center at UW-Milwaukee, and currently through the UWM School of Social Welfare. I have been working with WAN since its inception about 17 years ago. I have 2 children who are 18 and 26 years old, live in the Riverwest neighborhood in Milwaukee, and enjoy biking and making tacos.
Connie Williams, Consultant and Trainer, Williams Training & Consulting
Connie has worked within the fields of school-age and early childhood education for over 30 years, as a teacher, director, part-time technical college instructor, and child care program specialist for the City of Madison's Accreditation Program. She is currently an independent consultant and trainer, involved in a number of out-of-school-time projects that have included teaching "Introduction to the School-age Care Profession". Her interest in and perspective on building effective parent-program relationships stems from her years as a provider, accreditation specialist and afterschool parent."
Alison Wineberg, Education Consultant, Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant Program, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Alison Wineberg has served as statewide consultant to the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant program for nearly 16 years at the WI Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and is a senior member of the leadership team for the Wisconsin Afterschool Network. Prior to joining DPI, Alison coordinated afterschool programs in a variety of school and non-school based settings, developed curriculum for use in camps and afterschool programs, and facilitated service-learning and environmental education experiences for youth and adults. Alison is dedicated to supporting, promoting, and expanding access to quality out-of-school time program services for Wisconsin youth.
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