Faculty and Staff
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Dr. Barb Meyer, Acting Executive Director |
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Tracy Berner, Budget Manager Tracy Berner is the business administrative Associate for the Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline. She received her MBA from Illinois State in December 2011.
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Shannon Mittleman, Director Shannon started her career with the Decatur Public School district in 2006 as a middle school science teacher. She transitioned into the position of science and social studies curriculum coordinator in 2011. During her nine years with the district, Shannon earned two Masters degrees and developed a passion for helping teachers meet the needs of Decatur students. Shannon is able to leverage her extensive relationships with DPS61 district administrators and teachers to develop and grow the Decatur Teacher Education Pipeline. She works closely with ISU’s Macon–Piatt Field Base Program and the Macon County Education Coalition.
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Jennifer O'Malley, Director of Programs and Partnerships During her professional life, Jennifer O'Malley has become well versed in the education system of Chicago. After receiving her undergraduate degree in English, Jennifer earned her Masters in writing and education at DePaul University in Chicago. She also taught writing, English, and language arts in Chicago Public Schools for six years before joining the Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline ™ staff. As Project Manager, Jennifer coordinates Chicago student teaching placements for pre-service teacher, as well as organizes university clinical visits to CTEP's partner communities.
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Brent Showalter, Senior Research Fellow After graduating from Illinois State University with a Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Brent Showalter began work with the Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline in 2008. Since joining, he was worked to coordinate research efforts and develop evaluations for the campus, community, and school-based initiatives. He has expertise in quantitative research designs, methodologies, and statistical analyses.
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Cliff Cobert, Associate Director Cliff Cobert, a retired Superintendent of Schools, brings over 38 years of school experience to ISU and the Teacher Education Pipeline. Cliff began his education career as a secondary mathematics teacher and has 29 years in school administration, 16 of which he served as Superintendent. Cliff’s experience in the areas of school personnel, curriculum, finances, and grants enhance his efforts, working with the Peoria Public Schools and Peoria community partners, to build and maintain a vibrant and effective Peoria Teacher Education Pipeline.
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Kevin Wiand
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Valentina Gamboa-Turner, Program Coordinator Valentina is a Chicago native and Chicago Public School graduate who is committed to improving opportunities for underserved communities. Upon receiving her B.A. in Women's Studies from Knox College, she developed and implemented a social responsiblity internship program for the Young Women's Leadership Charter School. Valentina has also served as a Community Services Director in South Chicago and led a City of Chicago Climate Action Community pilot project. She is an active parent in CPS and works from an asset-based community development philosophy.
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José Alfredo Guerrero, Program Coordinator Clinical Team
As a product of the Chicago Public Schools system growing up in the Little Village community, José seeks to positively effect practice and service in teaching. After graduating from DePaul University with his B.M. in Music Education he began his career with Chicago Public Schools and taught for six years throughout the district. His passion for Bilingual Education led him to attain his M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago. At the Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline, José works with community partners and ISU staff to coordinate clinical visits to Chicago for pre-service teachers.
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Mentoring and Induction Apryl earned her degree in English from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Arts in Secondary Education from National-Louis University. Apryl is a product of a south side Chicago Public School. When she returned to the system as a teacher, she was in awe of how much urban education had changed, which led her to her passion to have a positive impact in the movement. During her 11 years as a teacher, Apryl earned a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction where she lead many curriculum teams and initiatives, including a nationally recognized college preparatory program for 5 years, teaching the elective class for 8 years. Currently working on her doctorate, she is passionate about helping new teachers get successfully acclimated to the profession of teaching in an urban environment and especially Chicago Public Schools.
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Joanna Oceguera, Project Manager After graduating from Saint Xavier University with B.A. in English Education, Joanna began her career in education with Chicago Public Schools. This experience proved to be great, as only a few years later, she was promoted to Literacy Coach at her high school. Today, Joanna's love of coaching has brought her to the Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline, where she will continue to grow professionally, by supporting new teachers as they begin their careers in education.
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Elisa Valles
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Ashley Wolinski-Norton, Clinical Assistant Professor, Special Education Ashley Wolinski-Norton is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Special Education at Illinois State University and coordinator of the CPS Field-based program. Prior to her position with Illinois State University, she spent seven years as a Learning and Behavior Specialist and in administrative roles in Chicago Public Schools. She has also served as a mentor for beginning special education teachers. She teacher SED 390 Assessment to Instruction, SED 391 Current Laws and Initiatives, and SED 392 Content Strategies, Analysis, and Collaborations during the CPS Field-based semester in Chicago. In addition, she supervises Field-based students and student teachers at their CPS clinical sites along with securing their placements in collaboration with the Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline. Ashley has been an educational consultant on 20 books published by Heinemann Library including the following series: Disabilities and Differences, Understanding Health Issues, and My Science Investigations. Currently, Ashley is pursuing her doctorate in special education at Illinois State University.
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Dr. Elizabeth Skinner, Associate Professor
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Dr. April Mustian, Assistant Professor Dr. April Mustian is an assistant professor in Special Education. Prior to her position at Illinois State University, she spent five years teaching middle school and three years conducting intervention research across three urban school systems in North Carolina. She provides in-depth instruction to preservice teachers and graduate students on culturally responsive RtI/MTSS practices, Applied Behavior Analysis, effective behavioral strategies in urban schools, and single-case research design. Dr. Mustian's research and teaching center on culturally responsive behavioral practices that mitigate the issue of disproportionality of African American students in special education and disciplinary action. She is also the faculty liaison and coordinator of INFUSE (Innovative Network of Future Urban Special Educators) at ISU. Developed in partnership with CTEP, INFUSE is an urban-focused course sequence beginning in the freshman year for interested Special Education majors. This specialized sequence systematically fuses urban education and special education preparation together at the undergraduate level.
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Dr. Brian Horn, Assistant Professor Brian Horn is an assistant professor of reading and literacy in the School of Teaching and Learning at Illinois State University. Brian taught for eight years in urban elementary and middle schools in Kansas and Michigan prior to coming to ISU. Brian's research interests include urban teacher identity and preparation, critical literacy, and action research. Most recently, Brian's research has been published in Voices from the Middle (2012), Networks: An On-Line Journal for Teacher Research (in press), and in the forthcoming book, "A Poverty, Equity, and Education Reader in Many Voices" (in press).
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Lois La Galle, Site Coordinator Lois taught in Chicago Public Schools for 23 years as a dual language classroom teacher, school librarian and ESL teacher. She helped develop and coordinate and internship program for student teachers from Chicago State University and has mentored numerous student teachers and new teachers in CPS. As the Chicago PDS Site Coordinator, she coordinates and mentors ISU student teachers in Chicago.
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