Click here to read Sarah Walker's complete report on her teaching experience in Australia (excerpt on page 5):

Sarah Walker, at left center, with her International Student Volunteers in Australia.

Welcome New Faculty and Staff:

Karen Cole began her new role as Program Coordinator for the Human Services Cyber site during the past academic year. She was already a familiar face to many of us after eight years of employment with WWU Human Resources/Benefits. Karen especially enjoys gardening and traveling with her husband.

Patricia Fabiano has joined Educational Leadership as specialty faculty in the Student Affairs Administration Program.  Pat has been at WWU for 15 years as Director of Prevention and Wellness Services. Pat completed a Master’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Educational Psychology and a second Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling from Southern Illinois University.  In 1999, she earned her doctorate from The Union Institute, where her dissertation on “health and social support in a working-class community” won the Marvin B. Sussman Award for Excellence.  Her specializations are assessment/research, peer education, and students as social justice allies.  She has authored $4 million dollars in grants and published on student alcohol misuse.

Mark Gray is the TESOL program director for Western’s Everett Site.  He comes to the Department of Educational Administration after several years as a classroom teacher, learning specialist, and program administrator in K-12 education.  He is currently completing his dissertation at the University of Washington, where his work has included appointments as a teaching assistant, research associate, and adjunct professor.  His specialty is second language literacy, and his research interests include educational policy, issues of race in education, and teaching for social justice. 

Dr. Pamela Hopkins is a half-time specialty faculty member in the Educational Administration Program in Seattle.  She also serves as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning in the Edmonds School District, where she has been supervising P-12 schools for eight years.   She has over 30 years' experience in the P-12 system as a teacher, principal, Special Education Director, Curriculum Director, Director of Elementary Education, and Assistant Superintendent.  She holds a Ph.D. in Administration, Curriculum, and Supervision from the University of Colorado. She and her husband live in Edmonds and have 5 children and 6 grandchildren.

Mitchell Jancic has joined the Elementary Education Department as lecturer in Educational Psychology. He is a former public school teacher and administrator; and program coordinator for incarcerated juvenile offenders in the California Youth Authority (CYA). His teaching experiences include: multiple subject, single subject, special education mild/moderate, moderate/severe, resource specialist, English Language Development, and administrative. He holds Master’s degrees in Special Education and Educational Administration, and a PhD in Educational Leadership. He is especially interested in assessment and evaluation of teachers. Mitch is married, with four children, and enjoys travel.

Laura Jensen, Department of Human Services and Rehabilitation Office Assistant. Laura came to Western after having working within the local human services community.

Damian Jordan, program manager for WWU's self-sustaining teacher education programs.  He previously worked for Campus Compact, Washington and more recently the Office of Student Affairs.

Donald Larsen, Assistant Professor of Educational Administration, has joined WCE’s Department of Educational Leadership, following a similar role at the University of the Pacific. He holds a B.A. in English/Education (SPU), Master’s degrees in both Humanities and Educational Administration (PLU), and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership (WSU). His research interests range from retention in grade, to professional ethics and policy development. He quotes John Dewey (The School and Society, 1899) “What the best and wisest parent wants for his [or her] own child, that must the community want for all of its children.” His wife, Janice, is a pediatric nurse. They have two sons.

Kristen L. MacConnell is a new full-time Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education. She holds a B.S. in Psychology (1996), a M.S. in School Psychology (1999) and a Ph.D. in Special Education (2005). All three degrees were received from the University of Oregon. In between her M.S. and Ph.D. she worked as a School Psychologist for three years in Phoenix, AZ. Her areas of specialization are the prevention of reading disabilities, instructional design, assessment, and the implementation of school-wide reading models. She also conducts national trainings on the administration, scoring, and interpretation of early literacy assessments.   

Diane R. Majors has joined the Department of Educational Leadership as a full-time Specialty Faculty member in the TESOL program, following a part-time adjunct role in the same program. Previously she served as Faculty and Curriculum Coordinator for the Intensive English Program at WWU, and prior to that as Faculty in Academic and Immigrant programs at Whatcom Community College. Her professional preparation includes a MA in Linguistics from the University of Oregon. She is especially interested in language acquisition, English grammar, and cross-cultural communication. Diane has two college-aged children and enjoys watercolor painting and church activities.

Cheryl Mathison joins WCE as an Office Assistant for the Department of Educational Administration. Previously, she has served as the Director of Community Based Programs for Big Brothers / Big Sisters of NW Washington and as an Office Manager for HW Energy Services in Arlington. Her professional preparation includes a B.A. in Human Services and an M.A. in Adult Education from WWU. The focus of her professional interest is systems theory, organizational structure, and leadership. 

Lori McLean joined WCE during the past academic year as Program Coordinator for the office of Woodring / School Partnerships. Previous professional experience includes five years as Administrative Support Coordinator for the Nursing Department at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. This was preceded by seven years as an Administrative Support Coordinator in the Architecture Department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Lori is married and has three children and one grandson.

Matthew Miller has joined the faculty in the elementary education department. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 2005. Prior to beginning his graduate studies, he worked as a literacy specialist, arts specialist, and classroom teacher in Minneapolis and as a lead teacher and curriculum specialist at the Minnesota Historical Society. His research interests include the structure, design, and pedagogy of preservice teacher education programs, the intersection of literacy and teacher education, and arts-in-education. He is thrilled to be joining such a dynamic and collaborative faculty and to be in a region where he can venture into the outdoors and pursue his interests in music.

Tracy Thorndike-Christ is a new Specialty faculty member in the department of Special Education. Tracy comes to Woodring from Western’s psychology department where she taught educational psychology, statistics and measurement, and numerous other courses for 12 years. She is currently teaching two new Educational Psychology classes for Woodring.  Tracy earned her BA and MS degrees in psychology at WWU and her PhD in educational psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her areas of specialization are child development, academic achievement motivation, and statistics and educational measurement. Tracy is actively involved in consulting with colleagues at Western and in local schools and currently has two textbook projects in development.

Bill Warner is an Information Technology Specialist III.  Previously, Bill taught project management and technology courses for Capilano College, City University, BTC; Skagit Valley College, Ren Min University (Beijing).  In late November, Bill teaches an MBA course at Beijing University of Technology.  For 2003-2005, Bill oversees the Project Management Institute’s Region 1 (two provinces and five states).  Over a 30-year career, Bill has served as a school psychologist, special education director, and superintendent.  Bill earned: B.S. (education) and M.A. (psychology) from the University of Minnesota; Master of Divinity; school administration licensure in a specialist degree program; Ph.D. (education) from Iowa State University.  Bill and his wife, Peggy, live in Lynden.

Staff News: