Faculty

I have my Ed.S. in School Psychology and my Director of Special Education and Pupil Service license from the U.W. Eau Claire, as well as my Ed.S. in Educational Leadership-Superintendent and Principal License from Concordia University. I have had the opportunity to serve as a director and school psychologist for about 16 years, and I currently work at the Gilmanton School District in this capacity. I am passionate about reaching students and families that are often marginalized in our current educational systems. This passion extends to students with significant emotional and behavioral barriers, as well as to students who are often excluded from the general education classroom setting for social, intellectual, and academic reasons. I am committed to connecting with families and creating open lines of communication, so that schools and parents are able to effectively collaborate to meet students' learning and social-emotional needs. I love being part of the Educate-WI team, as our school across the state need great teachers. Now in my fourth year with the team, I continually hear stories from current students of how this program positively impacted one of their colleagues in obtaining their education license. It is a great joy to be part of an organization that has a high reputation of instructional excellence and flexibility in helping expand our special education teaching force. I am proud of our courses and material, as the feedback I receive from students informs me that we are truly preparing students for the skills and demands of the classroom.

My wife and I live in Eau Claire, WI. We have four children, and we love attending and supporting them in their sports and activities. I enjoy being outside, running, playing Kubb, and having a quiet evening around a fire. I'm also a board game enthusiast, and I'm continually looking for a fun new strategy game to add to my collection.

 

I have been in education for 26 years, all in Special Education! I was a teacher for 20 of those years before becoming a Director of Pupil Services. I am passionate about using a collaborative team approach to meet the needs of all learners. I truly believe all students can learn! I have enjoyed my first year teaching for Educate-WI! It has been inspiring to discuss what is means to be a Special Education Teacher with new teachers and reminds me of why I am in the field!

I am blessed with 3 children who are active in many sports and activities, so I am a busy mom! Outside of spending time with my family, I enjoy being outdoors, running and spending time with friends and lots of laughing!

 

 

 

 

I have over 20 years of experience working in Special Education, working as a paraprofessional, teacher, and administrator. Including teaching students Emotional Behavior Disorders and Learning Disabilities for seven years in the South Washington County School District in Woodbury, MN and serving as a Director of Special Education and Student Services for the past five years. I am currently the Director of Student Services for St. Croix Central School District in Hammond, Wisconsin. I have earned my undergraduate degree in Education from Augsburg College, a Master's in Special Education from Bethel University, and hold licensure in special education and pupil services administration.

I am married and have two grown sons, a grandson, and a wonderful daughter-in-law. I currently live in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, with my husband and enjoys spending time with family, fishing, golfing, and cheering for the Packers.

 

I have been an educator since 1998 enjoying a diverse set of roles in education. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1998 earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Child and Family Studies leading to certification to teach in grades pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade. I taught 4 year old kindergarten and kindergarten for 10 years between a rapidly growing school district (Gwinnett County Public Schools) outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and districts in Wisconsin (Nekoosa and Adams-Friendship). I earned a Master's degree from Georgia State University in Early Childhood Education and in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Superior. I served as a  principal for 10 years for the Nekoosa School District, Marshall Public Schools, and Sun Prairie Area School District. In 2016, I earned my PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the area of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Since 2018, I have been the Director of Human Resources for Sun Prairie. One of my proudest accomplishments while in my current role was the successful collaboration of opening a second high school in Sun Prairie (sun Prairie West High School) and the reconfiguration of 2 middle schools into 3 middle schools serving students in grades 6-8. I have been an instructor in the WiscAd program since the fall of 2019. I enjoy the ability to support aspiring school leaders in their initial journey in the important field of buildingwide and districtwide continuous improvement all focused on improved outcomes for students. 

 

My wife Erin and I have three children, Kate, Ben, and Grace. I love to watch my kids play sports, play sports myself, play any type of card or board game whenever possible, and be outside. My family and I love to waterski, fish, hike, and travel, especially to the southeast area of the United States in the Smoky Mountains.

 

 

 

Born and raised in Arizona, I retired after my 34th year as an educator on June 30, 2022. My career is diverse and illustrates the extremes that have molded my leadership philosophy. I earned my Bachelor's and Master's Degree from Arizona State University and my Doctorate from Edgewood College. I was a special education cross-categorical teacher for 20 years teaching students of all disabilities, ages 3 through 12th grade, from locations including inner city Phoenix to a remote Alaskan village to Central Wisconsin. I truly enjoyed my years as a Special Olympics volunteer and my experiences coaching football, wrestling and track & field. I was the Director of Special Education/Pupil Services for eight years and followed by my tenure as the Superintendent for six years while at Merrill Area Public Schools. I strongly believe that all students can learn, relationships matter, integrity is critical and Event + Response = Outcome (E + R = O). The culture of any organization is extremely critical as student achievement is most effective in a healthy environment. And finally, students are the only ones with the right to be in our districts. I love the real-world experience and education that the Wisc-Ad program provides future administrators.

My beautiful wife Kim and I were married on July 4, 1993 and reside in Irma, Wisconsin. She retired as one of the art teachers in Merrill on June 30, 2023. We both love traveling, creating new adventures, the time we spend outdoors and each moment we spend with our wonderful granddaughter. I enjoy gardening, landscaping our property, fishing, kayaking, hunting, bike riding, riding our ATVs, flying my drone and pontooning.

 

Jacalyn Amant has been working in the field of education for over eighteen years. She taught high school English for the first eight years and for the remainder of her time she has served as a high school reading specialist and literacy coach at Baraboo High School. Jackie also teaches graduate courses for educators during the summer months, and is a literacy consultant for other Wisconsin school districts.

Jackie enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My name is John Hagemeister and I have been serving in various roles in public education since 1995. I have taught in both middle school and high school science and served in various administrative roles throughout my career. Currently, I am serving as the Executive Director of Bridges Virtual Academy, the top rated virtual charter school in Wisconsin. I have a large amount of experience serving as a teacher and administrator in non-traditional educational settings and have a real passion for alternative approaches to education in order to better serve students and parents - our primary customers. I thoroughly enjoy my role with Educate - Wisconsin as it has allowed me to provide prospective teachers with insight I have gained in my 28 years in education. I enjoy the discussion and being able to support those who are interested in serving the public in this career!

I am very blessed to be married to my wife Michelle (26 years). We have 9 amazing children ranging in age from 25 to 10. We have a very busy household and love to spend time outdoors as often as we can. We live in Merrill and attend Highland Community Church.

 

 

After teaching business and marketing education at Oshkosh West HS for 13 years, I transitioned to the Assistant Principal position at Mosinee HS where I spent the past 8 years. I will be moving to the DC Everest Junior High to be the Assistant Principal there starting in the 2023-24 school year. I find the growth of both students and staff to be one of the most rewarding things about my position. Seeing students grow into young men and women that are ready for life after high school inspires me to keep doing what is best for kids. I enjoy sharing my experiences with others as we all strive to prepare students for adulthood. I have found that teaching in the Educate-WI program is equally inspiring and rewarding. Schools around the state and country need top-notch teachers and I am honored to be a part of a program that gets more people ready to become teachers. I look forward to continuing to be part of the teacher shortage solution.

I am married to my high school sweetheart and we live in the Wausau area with our three children; two of them are in high school and the other in middle school. We enjoy traveling and trying new foods on our adventures. I enjoy watching my kids in their activities and you can usually find me around a grill on the weekends. I also like to stay active and enjoy being outdoors.

 

 

I started my career teaching social studies at Kaukauna High School and then became a Lead Teacher at a project based learning school in the Kimberly School District. During that time, I was awarded the James Madison Fellowship and earned my Masters in the Teaching of History from UW - Stevens Point. I then obtained my Principal and Curriculum and Instruction licenses through WiscAd. Currently, I am serving as an assistant principal at SPASH in Stevens Point, WI. I have served in that role for the last ten years. I am passionate about helping ALL students have access to an education where they feel they belong, have teachers who believe they can learn and in turn allows them to reach their true potential. One of the many reasons I love working for Educate is because the training a teacher receives in this program is grounded in this philosophy and provides aspiring teachers with the skills and strategies they need to meet all students needs.

I am a mom to two active boys, Cohen (16) and Clayton (10). You can usually find me in a hockey rink or at a baseball field on the weekends cheering them on. I am currently working on my Doctorate in Ethical Leadership through Viterbo University. In my spare time, I enjoy concerts, walking, being on the water, and spending time with friends and family.

 

 

 

 

 

I have had the privilege of working for Educate-WI for 4 years. I served as a 10 Sped Instructor for 4 years and am now the Executive Director and EdNova Instructor. I hold a Bachelor's Degree and certification in special education from UW-Eau Claire, a Master's Degree in Reading from Concordia University and certifications as Director of Pupil Services and Principal from Viterbo University. I have served in many roles in education. I was a special education teacher at the elementary and middle levels for over 13 years, a special education instructional coach, and Director of Student Services in the Hudson School District for 5 years. I have been working in the field of education for over 20 years and it is truly my passion! I love being a part of the Educate-WI team helping future teachers and administrators reach their goals and ultimately make a positive impact on youth in our school districts. 

My husband Ed, a special education teacher, and I have two girls who keep us very busy with sporting events and activities. In my free time I enjoy cooking,  traveling, camping with my family, and staying connected to extended family and friends