Meet the Team Behind
Our Courses
Our courses are written and evaluated by teachers, for teachers. Teaching Channel’s Curriculum & Instruction team is comprised of former educators with a deep expertise in their fields. Our team meticulously develops courses, drawing from seminal texts and resources to ensure the highest quality and most applicable learning for teachers.
Dr. Wendy Amato
Chief Academic Officer
Dr. Wendy Amato earned her Master’s in Education and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia. She holds an MBA from James Madison University. Wendy began teaching in 1991 and served as a Middle School Administrator. She has delivered teacher professional development workshops and student leadership workshops in the US and internationally. Fun Fact: Wendy experienced her first Minnesota State Fair in 2023.Marcee Harris
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Marcee Harris holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and Sociology, as well as an M.A. Ed. in Education. Marcee specializes in curriculum development, maintaining and updating our course catalog, and partners with her Teaching Channel teammates to ensure customer success. Marcee is our resident expert for everything related to EdTech and the Science of Reading.
Fun Fact: Marcee used to be a professional cheerleader!
Sarah Murphy
Evaluation Manager
Professional Learning Specialist
Sarah Murphy holds a B.A. in History and a Master’s in Education. Sarah began teaching in 2004 at the elementary level. She now leads Teaching Channel’s Evaluation Team, managing our wonderful team of Course Evaluators. Sarah is also a coursewriter and content creator, specializing in edtech, educator wellness, and content area teaching.
Fun Fact: Sarah has camped in 18 national parks and hopes to visit all 63 someday! Betsy Butler
Professional Learning Specialist
Betsy Butler holds a B.A. in English, a Master’s in Education, and has been teaching since 1992. Betsy uses her three decades of teaching experience to write and revise our courses while selecting the perfect accompanying texts. Her specialty areas include ELA, special education topics, behavior management, and mental health.
Fun Fact: Betsy’s daily conquest is solving the New York Times crossword puzzle!
Susanne Leslie
Professional Learning Specialist
Susanne Leslie is a Professional Learning Specialist at Teaching Channel. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and a Master’s in Education. As a former parent educator, Susanne’s specialty is Culture, Wellness, and Early Childhood instruction. In her current role, she writes courses and content, and is an enthusiastic advocate for play and time outdoors as the best teaching tools.
Fun Fact: Susanne has jumped out of two (perfectly good) airplanes!
Amy Szczepanski
Professional Learning Specialist
Amy Szczepanski is a Professional Learning Specialist at Teaching Channel. She holds a B.S. in both Biology and Environmental Science, a Master’s in Teaching, and has been teaching since 2014. Amy uses her experience to create highly engaging and effective content for both teachers and students. She loves all things STEM and is passionate about teacher advocacy.
Fun Fact: Amy’s favorite hobby is taking long walks through New York City searching for delicious treats.
Rebecca Kay-Lewis
Instructional Support Specialist
Rebecca Kay-Lewis holds a B.A. in Business Administration and a Masters in Education. She is a Canvas Certified Educator. In her role, she specializes in customer support and efficient course administration, ensuring a seamless experience for our users. Fun Fact: Rebecca has run 23 marathons!Jessica Price
LMS Support Specialist
Jessica Price holds a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies, and a minor in Health and Fitness. In her role, Jess focuses on supporting Teaching Channel’s university partners, crafting our course syllabi, and is our certified Canvas expert. Collaborating seamlessly with her team, Jessica ensures a smooth and successful course experience for our customers. Fun Fact: Jess loves to go on winter hikes with her trusty canine companion, Blue!
Jennifer DeLucia
Evaluation Team Operations Specialist
Jennifer DeLucia holds a B.A.S. in History and Secondary Education and a Master of Arts in Teaching. She spent nearly a decade in the classroom, both in public and private school settings. Jennifer currently works closely with Course Evaluators and the Curriculum & Instruction Team to ensure our customers get the most out of their Teaching Channel experience.
Fun Fact: Jennifer once played Frenchy in high school in a production of Grease!
Meet Our Course Evaluators
Our Course Evaluator team includes over 100 educators hailing from 19 states across the country. Each course evaluator has 5+ years of Pre-K-12 school experience that aligns with course content. Evaluators bring relevant experiences from their roles as classroom teachers, specialists, instructional coaches, administrators, and more. Course evaluators provide specific feedback on each course module participants complete, solidifying our commitment as your Education Ally.
Evaluator Leads
Rachel Steil
Evaluator Lead
Rachel is a MN Teacher of the Year Finalist!
Laura Thorvilson
Evaluator Lead
Laura enjoys horseback riding and quilting.
Kayla Hasvold
Evaluator Lead
Kayla has gone skydiving!
Jamie Fredericksen
Evaluator Lead
Jamie enjoys podcasts and playing board games.
Ally Beggs
Evaluator Lead
Ally did part of her undergraduate degree in Australia.
A few of our talented Course Evaluators...
Deidre Swoope
Evaluator
Deidre loves to travel to presidential historical sites/homes.
Stacy Sanders
Evaluator | Hybrid/Blended Evaluator
Stacy has completed two Ironman Triathlons.
Jake Matheson
Evaluator | Fast Track Evaluator
Jake plays and teaches every band instrument.
Lela Goettl
Evaluator
Lela has been to all 50 states.
Abbie Pannell
Evaluator
Abbie is a descendent of Pocahontas.
Josefine Henderson
Evaluator | Hybrid/Blended Learning Facilitator
Josefine has coached volleyball, basketball, track, and cheer!
David Higley
Evaluator
David joined our Course Evaluation Team in 2014!
Elizabeth Contreras
Evaluator
During Elizabeth’s first teaching interview, the school lost power!
Kim Moore
Evaluator
Kim has been skiing since age 3 and can slalom ski.
Anwar Mustafa
Evaluator
Anwar became a teacher because she is a lifelong learner.
Paige Danielson
Evaluator
Paige was once a flight attendant.
Travis Edwards
Evaluator
Travis has six kids ages 16 to 6.
Sarah Nelson
Evaluator
Sarah played both basketball and volleyball in college.
Kim Rose
Evaluator
Kim is ambidextrous.
Beth Halbach
Evaluator
Beth has visited over half of MN’s 65 state parks.
Bryan Draxten
Evaluator
Bryan has never had a cavity!
Angela Salinas-Oviedo
Evaluator
Sarah is a “plant lady’ and has a butterfly garden.
Diane Coffman
Evaluator
Diane wanted to be an astronaut.
Amie Hohenstein
Evaluator
Annie loves to clean/organize while listening to 90's hip hop!
