Class Notes

David Blievernicht
Ph.D. 1971 — Kinesiology
David reports that he and his wife Jean are enjoying retirement from Wayne State University after 38 years, spending their time traveling and visiting their children and grandchildren.

Barbara Barry Levin
MS 1971 — Curriculum and Instruction
Barbara recently retired after teaching for 25 years in the University of North Carolina- Greensboro’s Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education.

Ronnie Jo Sokol
BS 1971 — Education and Behavioral Disorders
Ronnie is a docent for the Chicago Architecture Center. She gives Chicago River cruises, bus tours of five historic Chicago neighborhoods, and a Frank Lloyd Wright bus and walking tours in Oak Park.

Julie Gebauer
BS 1972 — Art Education
Julie has retired after teaching elementary art for 32 years, of which she spent 25 years in Sturgeon Bay Public Schools. She is now a practicing artist. Julie also sits on the current Board of Directors for the Door County Historical Society and the current Board of Directors for the Rogue Community Theater. She is a loving grandmother of eight grandchildren.

Robert S. Newsom
MS 1970 — Educational Psychology
Ph.D. 1972 — Cognitive Science
Robert, following 22 years of service, interrupted by 20 years in the private sector, retired as an emeritus senior scientist from UW-Madison in April 2018. He lives with his wife in Madison and consults on health services research, economics and quality issues.

Terese Berceau
BSE 1973 — Communication Arts
Terese retired from the Wisconsin State Legislature, after serving for 20 years in the Assembly. 

Lori Ann Enzenroth
BSE 1973 — Elementary Education
Lori will be retiring in 2019, after 41 years in the classroom.

Lynn Matluck Brooks
BS 1974 — Dance
Lynn recently retired from Franklin and Marshall College, after founding the dance program there and leading it since 1984. She also retired from co-editing the journal, Dance Chronicle: Studies in Dance and the Related Arts. Lynn is still living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and remains active as a researcher, writer and presenter in dance history, and as a writer and editor for Thinking Dance.

Mark Dennis Thering
BS 1974 — Art Education
Mark has retired from teaching art at Edgewood High School in Madison after 44 years. He was the advisor for the school’s yearbook and set director for the school’s drama and musical productions.

Carol Clements
BS 1975 — Dance
Carol’s new book, “Better Balance for Life: Banish the Fear of Falling with Simple Activities Added to your Everyday Routine,” was released in November.

J.A. Scott Kelso
MS 1973 — Education
PhD 1975 — Education
J.A. published his book, “Learning to Live Together: Promoting Social Harmony,” with Springer International Publishing. It contains contributions from Nobel Laureates Leon Lederman, Martin Perl and Yuan T. Lee.

William R. O’Brien
MA 1969 — Educational Leadership
MS 1975 — Educational Leadership
William retired as an associate professor of education at Marian University. He is currently a member of the St. Francis Xavier School System’s board of education. William is also actively involved with the area’s hospice program.

Shehu A. Sulekman
BS 1975 — Education
MS 1976 — Education
Shehu had a successful civil service career and retired in 2007 as federal permanent secretary of Nigeria. Shehu is currently involved in farming and commodity exports.

David Harris
MS 1970 — Education
Ph.D. 1976 — Education
David retired as a professor of teacher education at the University of Michigan. He has recently published a second edition of “Reasoning with Democratic Values: Ethnic Issues in American History.”

David J Miller
MS 1976 — Educational Pyschology
David returned to California and eventually completed a doctorate after finishing his master’s. His career started in the corporate world of training and development, in particular team-building and conflict resolution. This prepared David to teach psychology and counsel students at the college level until he retired in 2015.

Janet Ellen Norsetter
BS 1973 — Art
MA 1975 — Art
MFA 1976 — Art
Jan received the Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum Gold Medal in rosemaling in July, 2018. Rosemaling, a Norwegian folk art, is alive and well in Norway, the United States and countries around the world. She continues to pursue her plein air landscape painting and has a show at the Zazen Gallery in Paoli, Wisconsin, called “Landscapes and Pastries from Far and Near” running from Oct. 14 to Dec. 29, 2018. The show has 28 paintings of landscapes from Wisconsin and Norway, and 18 paintings of pastries from Paris and Wisconsin.

Robert Allan Stevens
MS 1979 — Education and Educational Administration
Robert’s book — “Anticipation Exceeded Realization: Saga of an antebellum college: the Story of the original Illinois State University” — has been awarded a commendation by the Concordia Historical Institute Department of Archives and History of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Joan Lee Killingsworth
BS 1977 — Education
Joan has just begun her 41st year as an educator. She is currently working in Arlington, Virginia, as a reading specialist, primarily teaching kindergartners to read and write. She still loves working with kids. In Joan’s spare time, she works on Democratic campaigns, ranging from school board to presidential races. Joan has been married to Herb Reuss for over 32 years; they have two daughters, Lea and Michelle. They’ve moved all over the United States during their marriage and plan to retire to the Pacific northwest in a few years. 

Elfner Eliot
Ph.D. 1977 — Educational Administration
Elfner was elected to the Board of Trustees at Bellin College in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in May 2018.

Maria Raguz
MS 1977 — Educational Pyschology
Maria studied at UW-Madison with a Fulbright scholarship and came back to Peru and became a full-time professor at one of the highest-ranked universities there, where she had studied psychology, mainly from a clinical psychoanalytical approach. With some colleagues, she changed the psychology pre-graduate curriculum to specialize in educational psychology, social psychology and clinical/health psychology. Maria has been professor for 47 years. She was the chief of psychology and is now dean of the psychology faculty. She opened and directed the first master’s in psychology program in Peru and, later, opened and directed for some years the Ph.D. psychology program. Maria founded, presided and directed for 24 years an organization for adolescent youth that received an international award. She received many awards for her research, such the Psychologist of the Year Award in 2016 by the Peruvian Academy of Psychology. Maria has also published psychology books and articles in Peru, Spain, the Netherlands and United States. She has been an expert member of the UN Peruvian Delegation for many years and a consultant for different UN programs, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Pathfinder International, Ford Foundation, and other organizations, and for the government designing public policies in health, education, women, youth, family, at national and international levels. Maria has been an invited professor lecturer in Latin America, the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia. She reports that UW-Madison was key in her personal and professional development, a Badger always!

Lisa Skriloff
BS 1977 — Education
Lisa is celebrating 25 years in business as the owner of Multicultural Marketing Resources, Inc. and as the publisher of Multicultural Marketing News. Over the past year, as a travel writer, she has visited Ireland, Madeira, Kentucky, Las Vegas and Madrid among other destinations, and has cruised on the Danube and Mississippi rivers. Her articles appear in her blogs, “Multicultural Travel News” and “Dance Travel News” based on experiences such as a private waltz lesson in Vienna and participating in a swing dance festival in Sicily, as well exploring the Hispanic heritage of San Diego. She also wrote an article for Skift on multicultural meetings and events, and wrote about a casino in Las Vegas marketing to Asian-Americans for Successful Meetings Magazine.

Christine Ann Gowey
BS 1978 — Physical Education and Coaching
Christine is a published children’s book author. She has published five books, including “Zip and Zap Take a Nap.” This book explores adrenal fatigue in an illustrated format that captures the imagination, making it easy for kids and parents to understand and discuss. Another of her books, “Moranda and the Mountain,” takes Moranda and her friend Corky on an adventure to a magical, purple, crystal mountain. Christine’s book “Mother Grace” is a heart-warming story about a mother Hickory Tree who takes care of all the plants in the forest. When her tiny son Hickory passes away due to a forest illness, she learns that she must keep on with her life because the whole of the forest depends on it. This story can help children as well as adults with grief. “The Adventures of Coco in Dinosaur Valley” joins Coco in this charming tale as he dreams about teaching young dinosaurs to swim in Dinosaur Valley. “Five Legged Louie” is a delightful tale about a six-legged walking stick who loses one of his legs in an accident. Although saddened over his loss, he learns that with the help of friends and a positive attitude, life can still have joy and purpose no matter what happens. Each of the books has a special purpose and message. All books are available on Amazon and all sales support the nonprofit organization, DR DNA, which provides medical care to people in need and does cancer research.

Akira Tachikawa
Ph.D. 1978 — Educational Policy Studies
Akira has been retired from teaching since 2009, but still continues research in the history of higher education. With a few friends, he has edited and published a major encyclopedia of universities in Japanese.

Marilyn Portnoy CooperMS 1980 — Adult Education
Marilyn has retired from a varied and interesting career spanning all levels of education, grant writing, and economic development of minorities. In retirement, she has become a writer with a recipe page in a local neighborhood magazine and writes biographical profiles of local residents in newsletters.

Jill Pinzer Krogstad
BS 1980 — Physical Education
Jill has recently retired.

Fredrick Schrank
MS 1975 — Counseling and Guidance
Ph.D. 1980 — Counseling and Guidance
Fredrick was named a 2018 J. William Fulbright Specialist by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. He was hosted by the applied child psychology program of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec.

Kim Fenske
BSE 1981 — Education
Kim will release his latest Colorado hiking guide on Amazon Kindle Books this year. “Fourteeners for the Rest of Us” targets beginner and intermediate hikers who seek to safely summit many of those peaks in Colorado higher than 4,300 meters. His third publication joins “Greatest Hikes in Central Colorado: Summit and Eagle Counties;” and “Hiking Colorado: Holy Cross Wilderness.”

Stephen J. Langendorfer
Ph.D. 1982 — Physical Education and Dance
Stephen has retired from Bowling Green State University with rank of professor emeritus after serving as director of the School of Human Movement, Sport, and Leisure Studies. He received Ireland Medal from the Irish Lifesaving Foundation for contributions to international drowning prevention efforts. Stephen is the founding editor of the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education. He currently is a chair on the City of Bowling Green’s Bicycle Safety Commission and coaches the Bowling Green Swim Club master’s swim program.

Paul Prefontaine
BS 1983 — Physical Therapy
Paul retired in January 2018 from the position of executive director of rehabilitation at Northern Arizona Health Care.

Terry Austin
Ph.D. 1984 — Curriculum and Instruction
Terry recently became the interim chair of the Department of Music at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, where he has served as the director of bands and a professor of music for 32 years. He is a regular guest conductor of the wind ensemble at the Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo, Japan, and is a guest professor at the Center of General Education of Guangdong University of Technology in Guangzhou, China.

Robert Scott Beck
BM 1984 — Music and Music Education
Robert has retired from public school teaching after 31 years of dedicated service as a Texas music educator. Two-thirds of his time as an educator were spent teaching in Title 1 schools. He is a six-time Texas state instrumental music finalist with his orchestras, more than any other band or orchestra director in the history of McAllen and Conroe school districts. Robert is a recipient of the Richard C. Church award for Outstanding String Student in Music Education from UW-Madison. Robert and his wife Rosa, who has also retired from public school teaching, reside in Spring, Texas. 

Dee Boyle Clapp
BS 1984 — Art and Art History
Dee, the director of the Arts Extension Service at the University of Massachuesetts-Amherst, is working to help arts organizations reduce their carbon footprint, save resources, increase their community connections, and become both environmentally and economically sustainable. In 2018 she presented “Sustainability and Resiliency” with Tina Newhauser, a core faculty member in arts management at Michigan State University, at the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) conference in Houston. In 2017, Dee presented the talk “Sustainability” at the AAAE Conference in Edinburgh Scotland with colleagues Ben Twist, the executive director of Creative Carbon in Edinburgh, and Ian Garrett, the co-founder and director of the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts in Toronto, Canada. Dee and Sarah Sutton co-wrote “Greening Your Arts Nonprofit Organization: The Role and Practice of Environmental Sustainability in Arts Management, a chapter in the Fundamentals of Arts Management, 6th Edition.” Her goal is to continue to create arts-specific information and outreach to help arts leaders and arts organizations start their carbon-reduction journey.

Barbara Natzke Gruener
BSE 1984 — English Education
After 34 years of service in education, Barbara has retired from Friendswood ISD in Texas this past May to launch her encore career in speaking, coaching, mentoring and writing. Now in its second printing, her book, “What’s Under Your Cape?” a Mom’s Choice gold award recipient, comes in handy as she works with the intention to model the importance of building relationships with a focus on character development and social and emotional learning with school families. She has traveled nationally and internationally keynoting and leading SEL growth sessions; most recently, she returned to Wisconsin to lead a power rally with some superheroes at Pacelli Middle School in Stevens Point, just 30 minutes from where it all started with her first teaching position in Plainfield. She considers it serendipitous when a season completes a circle like that and is grateful to say that empathy and kindness made the news that day. Barbara hopes to be back home in February to present a mindfulness session at the School Counselors Conference. Visit Barbara online at The Corner on Character blog or on twitter @BarbaraGruener for resources and tools on character building. Keep on crusading for good … and Go, Badgers!

Kirstin A. Anglea
BSE 1984 — Elementary Education
After 30 years in education, both as a public education teacher, leader, and professor in higher education, Kristin has started her own consulting and coaching business, Nourish Courage, based on the foundational work of Parker Palmer.

Nancy H. Hornberger
Ph.D. 1985 — Educational Policy Studies
Nancy writes from Umeå, Sweden, where she has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Umeå Faculty of Arts.

Michele Hoffman
BS 1986 — Education 
Michele is currently a volunteer at the Next Door Foundation in Elmbrook, Wisconsin. From 1987 to 2000, she was a kindergarten teacher in Tempe, Arizonia. From 2000 to 2014, Michelle taught kindergarten in Wauwautosa, Wisconsin.

Matthew Hollern
BS 1987 — Art
Matthew is a professor and chair of jewelry and metals at the Cleveland Institute of Art. He is in his 30th year of teaching at the Institute.

Julie A. Nichols
BSE 1987 — Elementary Education
Julie is entering her 30th year of teaching for Milwaukee Public Schools.

Kim Hlavacek Suhr
BS 1987 — Secondary English Education
Kim’s debut collection of short stories, “Nothing to Lose,” was to be released on Dec. 6, 2018. Kim is the owner and director of Red Oak Writing, an organization in the Milwaukee area that supports writers through critique groups, workshops, one-on-one coaching and creative writing camps for youth.

Cindy M. Payne
BS 1988 — Rehabilitation Psychology 
Cindy is currently a director of student services and school psychologist.

Nancy Winokur Streim
Ph.D. 1988 — Educational Psychology 
Nancy is currently the associate vice president for School and Community Partnerships at the  Teacher’s College of Columbia University, where her work focuses on coordinating the university’s intellectual, human and financial resources toward improving New York City public schools. A signature project is the Teachers College Community School, a preK-8 public school in Harlem founded and supported by the Teacher’s College as a beacon for the neighborhood and a model for other universities to engage in long-term partnerships with schools in their communities.

Sue A. Will
BS 1988 — Elementary Education 
Sue received a master’s degree of education in professional development from UW-La Crosse in 2006.

Marjorie Anne Pomper
Ph.D. 1989 — Educational Technology
Through a partnership between Atlanta’s Northside Hospital Cancer Support Network and the Chattahoochee Nature Center, Marjorie is facilitating “forest bathing,” mindful healing presence in nature, for cancer patients, survivors and their families. This project was mentioned recently in an article on forest bathing by the New York Times.

Sandie Soldwisch
Ph.D. 1990 — Continuing and Professional Education
Sandie was selected as the inaugural president for the OSF College of Health Sciences. This college is part of OSF HealthCare, which has two-century-old Colleges of Nursing and is committed to expanding within the healthcare education realm.

Fred Swanson
MS 1990 — Counseling and Rehabilitation Psychology 
Fred has retired after working for 28 years at Madison West High School as a transition specialist for students with special needs. Prior to that, he worked in similar capacities for the Janesville, Wisconsin, and Las Vegas, Nevada, school systems. Fred has taken a full-time position with The Dancing Goat Distillery in Cambridge, Wisconsin, as the national brand ambassador.

Frances Schiff Wills
Ph.D. 1990 — Educational Administration
Frances is completing her final year as superintendent of schools in New York State at Putnam Valley, and teaching in the doctoral programs at St. John Fisher College and Long Island University. She has served as a superintendent since 1990 in Belfast, Maine; Briarcliff Manor, New York; and Putnam Valley, New York.

Andrea Teresa Arenas
MS 1986 — Education
Ph.D. 1991 — Educational Administration
Andrea published “Somos Latinas: Voices of Wisconsin Latina Activists,” in 2018. It features 25 activists’ overview and exploration of motivations, role models, support systems, and positive risk taking. She has also published the “Somos Latinas History Project” with 43 video documentaries produced by UW-Madison Chicanx/Latinx students of Latina activists.

Renee Wilberg
BS 1991 — Education
Renee was a recipient of the Herb Kohl Teacher Fellowship Award in 2017. This honor is based on an educator’s superior ability to inspire a love of learning in students, leadership and service within and outside the classroom, and the ability to motivate others.

Susan L. Mielke
BM 1992 — Music Education
Susan is a professional musician, working in vocal coaching and accompanist, music theater direction, orchestra, and private instruction in voice and piano.

Jennifer Peck
BSE 1992 — Secondary Education in Science
Jennifer was recently hired to lead science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) Learning Services at CESA 10 in Chippewa Falls, Wis. She is excited to use her experiences in the classroom to help 29 member districts in northwestern Wisconsin reach their goals and bring STEM learning to every classroom and every learner. STEM learning empowers every child to be a problem solver with the inventiveness of the engineer and the habits of mind of the scientist and mathematician in combination with appropriate technology. Through this cooperative, she is able to provide one-on-one coaching, workshops, support for STEM clubs and events, and supply their IMC with up-to-date STEM kits and materials. She is proud to be given the opportunity to support the great work of the teachers in CESA 10.

Marilyn Pongowski
MS 1992 — Library Media Specialist and Teaching Certification
Marilyn worked as a library media specialist from 1992-2008 in Green Bay Area Public Schools and retired in spring of 2008.

Jennifer Elaine Sommerness
BS 1992 — Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education
Jennifer is the executive director of the Inclusive Schools Division at Kids Included Together (KIT). KIT is a non-profit organization, and a world leader in disability inclusion and behavior support. For the past 20 years, KIT has been supporting out-of-school-time organizations to best include kids with disabilities within their communities. Now, KIT has launched a new K-12 division to bring those services and supports to schools, districts and families.

George A. Goens
Ph.D. 1993 — Educational Leadership
In January, 2019, George’s new book, “Civility Lost: The Media, Politics and Education,” will be available from Rowman and Littlefield. This is his 10th book. “Civility Lost” explores the principles and expectations for a democratic society, and how differences can be approached civilly to define and explore solutions. He believes an educated citizenry is essential to understand issues and engage in a rational and civil conversation about how to address them.

Kristin Johnson Balistreri
MS 1994 — Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education
Kristin has been working for Poehling Capital Management, a boutique wealth management firm in Madison, for the past two-and-a-half years. Her role is the director of client and business development. She focuses on strengthening their client relationships, as well as representing the firm in the community. Kristin is married to Tony Balistreri and they have two daughters, ages 13 and 11. Jennifer is grateful for the wonderful teachings and dedication of Dr. Norm Berven, Dr. Fong Chan and many others. Dr. Berven helped her to secure an internship in Chicago at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which remains a highlight of her career. Jennifer reports that she learned that listening is far more important than talking and that everyone is more alike than they are different.

Patrick W Nolten
MS 1991 — Education
Ph.D. 1994 — Educational Psychology
Patrick is currently the assistant superintendent for assessment and accountability at Naperville Community Unit School District 203.

Kris Nelson Pflaging
1994 — Kinesiology
Kris works as a physical education teacher for Arlington Public Schools in Virginia. After moving around for 19 years and having six teaching licenses in six states because of her husband’s army career, she has landed in the Washington, D.C., area. Kris tries to integrate STEM into her classes. She recently went to the Peruvian Amazon through EcoTeach to gain and share rainforest knowledge to help her students with STEM related games in physical education.

Paul Philip Rux
Ph.D. 1994 — Educational Administration
Over the past two years, Paul has been taking a break from teaching online doctoral students to focus on mentoring. He has been active with the World Future Society because of his interest in trends, and his focus on mentoring as a powerful, emerging trend. He is a founding mentor for the new University of Toronto’s graduate student mentoring program, from 2017 to present. Paul taught in Ontario for seven years. He has also published mentoring education planning books during his reset: “Time- and Field-Tested Asian Mentoring Wisdom for Survival and Success,” “Mentors: Priceless Advisors (25 Examples),” “Hidden People: Priceless Lessons,” and “Canadian Futurist: Thomas D’Arcy McGee and the Idea of National Education.” Paul is married to Jane; they have four grandchildren, ages 12, 8, 8, and 5.

Gene Delcourt
BSE 1992 — Education
MFA 1992 — Art
Gene has retired from teaching social studies at Malcolm Shabazz High School in Madison for 23 years. He is pursuing a new career as an eco-friendly casket builder. Gene mills his own lumber and hand builds beautiful, affordable, metal free caskets for environmentally conscious people.

Michael Meyer
BS 1995 — Education
Michael was promoted to full professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, where he teaches creative writing.

Diana Moran Thundercloud
MS 1995 — Curriculum and Instruction
Diana completed her superintendent license with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and now holds her superintendent license through her program at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She also is now a certified director of instruction through her practicum with the Lac du Flambeau Tribal School District last fall. Diana was invited to teach in the Department of Racial and Ethnic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; she now holds a joint “lectureship” in the Department of Ethnic and Racial Studies and Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at UW-La Crosse. Go Eagles! Diana was also honored last spring through the UW-La Crosse African American, Latina, Asian American, and Native American Women of Color (ALANA) Student Organization for their yearly Phenomenal Woman Award. ALANA students select women faculty and staff for their excellence in leadership in the areas of excellence in teaching and campus and community activism. Diana is proud to have completed her Aldo Leopold Land Ethics Leadership Training at the internationally respected Aldo Leopold Center in Baraboo, Wisconsin, this past summer.

Eric Hansen
BS 1996 — Art Education
Eric is in his sixth year as the proud principal of North Charleston Creative Arts Elementary School (NCCAE), a Title I School in North Charleston, South Carolina. In the last five years, they have founded and developed one of the premier creative arts schools in the Charleston County School District, and in the state of South Carolina. NCCAE was designated as an Arts in Basic Curriculum (ABC) Site in the fall of 2017 and hosted the statewide ABC site visit in the spring of 2018. Three of the five years as an official school, NCCAE has received the Distinguished Arts Program grant, which funds special programs within the arts department, providing additional opportunities and experiences for the students in attendance. Prior to serving in administration for the past 11 years, Eric taught art in District 5 of Spartanburg County for 11 years.

Kevin Boatright
MS 1997 — Educational Administration
Kevin received the 2018 Alumni Loyalty Award from his undergraduate alma mater, Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Sandra Rogers
MS 1991 — Education
Ph.D. 1997 — Kinesiology and Occupational Therapy
Sandra accepted the program directors position for a new entry-level occupational therapy doctoral program at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, in fall 2018.

Joel Rolefson
BS 1997— Physical Therapy
Joel started his physical therapy practice, Total Motion Therapies, LLC, in July in Franklin, Wis. Joel reports that business has been excellent. He is living in New Berlin and is a new empty-nester with his daughter at UW-La Crosse and his son at UW-Madison. Joel’s wife Peg says hi to all the classmates who came to their wedding.

Rachel Carlson
BSE 1998 — Secondary Education and Mathematics
Rachel has recently published a dietary workbook to restore health via lifestyle change. “The Paleovation Workbook” is written from the educational side: Each day presents topics and hands-on activities to keep the reader informed, motivated and accountable during a one-month elimination diet based on Paleo principles. The month culminates in a reintroduction period where the reader learns to test personal tolerance of the eliminated foods, ultimately devising a personalized dietary plan based on foods they digest well. “The Paleovation Workbook” is modeled on a five-week dietary course Rachel and her business partner designed in 2013.

Eric Hartz
BS 1998 — Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education 
Eric was selected as the Monona Grove School Board president elect for the Wisconsin Council of Exceptional Children Coordinate Madison School District dual enrollment Campus Connect Program, which serves students with disabilities in college programs at Madison College.

Erin Barbato            
BS 2002 — Rehabilitation Psychology
Erin was recently appointed the director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic and the assistant clinic professor at the UW-Madison Law School.

Jill Baker Gower
BS 2003 — Art Education
Jill, and spouse Joseph, who spent the last 15 years away from Wisconsin, have returned and are now living in McFarland. They are excited to be back, and Jill is pursuing her fine jewelry line.

Lisa Wandke Anderson
MA 2004 — Education and German
Lisa and her family recently spent two academic years living in Central America. She taught one year at the Cloud Forest School in Monteverde, Costa Rica (ESL, grades 1-7) and one year on the shores of Lake Atitlan in San Marcos la Laguna, Guatemala, teaching English as a third language in a small, indigenous Waldorf School.

Donald Fraynd
Ph.D. 2004 — Educational Leadership
After a successful exit from his first educational technology startup a few years ago, Don is now working on another new educational technology startup intended to help school districts transform the way they empower and track students’ service learning experiences. Transeo Serve is in its first year and already has seven school district customers, with more committed for the near future.

Molly McGrath
BS 2004 — Elementary Education
After teaching fourth grade in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, for 13 years, Molly has taken on a new role this year as her school’s Title I math interventionist. She is excited for the opportunity to focus on math while working hard to narrow the achievement gap.

Michael Brophy
Ph.D. 2006 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Michael, the former president of Benedictine University (Chicago and Phoenix) and Marymount California University (Los Angeles), has been named the fourth president of Hilbert College. He will take office January 15, 2019.

Sarahelizabeth Baguhn
BSE 2007 — Special Education
After receiving her degree in special education from UW-Madison, Sarahelizabeth chose to specialize in teaching children who are blind and visually impaired. After enjoyable years of direct service, she has returned to university life and is working on her Ph.D. in interdisciplinary health sciences, which she will use to research in the field of blindness and low vision studies. This summer, her first research project toward establishing reliability and validity for orientation and mobility assessment for early intervention won the Pisaneschi Prize for the highest level of research at their doctoral research presentations. She is very proud to be the first ever recipient of this prize from her field. She looks forward to completing her Ph.D. in 2020 and continuing research that will benefit children who are blind or visually impaired and the specialists who serve them.

Perry LaRoque
BSE 2000 — Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education
MS 2004 — Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education
Ph.D. 2007 — Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education 
Perry founded Mansfield Hall in 2013, a comprehensive residential college support program for students with autism and other diverse learners, a one-of-its-kind program. The program is led by Perry; his brother, who finished his undergraduate in secondary English at UW-Madison in 1990; and a team of over 50 very qualified and student-centered people. Currently, the program is serving over 100 students in both Madison, Wisconsin, and Burlington, Vermont. They work with University of Vermont, Champlain College, Community College of Vermont, University of Wisconsin, and Madison College. Perry just announced plans to open a third location in Eugene, Oregon, in the summer of 2020. They are forming partnerships with University of Oregon, Lane Community College, and Northwest Christian University. Mansfield Hall proudly employs nine Badger alums and three of their employees have gone on to seek degrees from UW-Madison after joining the team. Go, Badgers!

Zaynab Baalbaki
BS 2008 — Elementary Education
Zaynab sits on the board of the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education, and on the board and education committee of the Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals. She presented for the North American Association for Environmental Education in Spokane, Washington, on empowering marginalized high school students to transform communities. Zaynab is also a member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council for Charter Schools.

Kevin Mason
Ph.D. 2009 — Curriculum and Instruction
Kevin was promoted to full professor of science education at UW-Stout and named the assessment coordinator in the College of Education.

Robert Smiley
Ph.D. 2009 — Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
Robert announced that the School District of Janesville opened their second international office in Shanghai, China. Their first office in Nanjing, China, has outgrown its capacity, necessitating the second office in Shanghai. This will provide even more opportunities for K-12 students to travel and study in Janesville. Since 2012, Robert has been the international program director and chief information officer for the School District of Janesville.