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 and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia. She holds an MBA from James Madison University in Strategies for Competitive Advantages in Complex Industries.
Wendy began teaching in 1991 at Universite Blaise Pascale in Clermont Ferrand, France. She has served as a classroom teacher and Middle School Administrator, and still teaches at UVA’s School of Education.
Since 2020, Wendy has been the Chief Academic Officer of K12 Coalition, parent company of Teaching Channel. She support teachers and teacher educators across the country and around the world.
Her publications, presentations, and research interests center around culturally sustaining pedagogies, literacy, and teacher formation. She was named EdTech Digest’s Top 100 Influencers in the State of EdTech for 2026-2027.
Marcee Harris
Vice President of Academics
Marcee Harris holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and Sociology, as well as an M.A. Ed. in Education. As VP, Marcee oversees the Curriculum and Instruction team, guiding the development of high-quality professional learning experiences for educators. She works to ensure that content and products align with both the evolving needs of teachers and broader organizational goals. With over 25 years in education, Marcee brings a deep understanding of classroom practice and a strong commitment to empowering educators through meaningful, relevant professional development.
Fun Fact: Marcee once hiked the Napali Coast on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii.
Sarah Murphy
Director, Curriculum & Instruction
Sarah Murphy holds a B.A. in History and a Master’s in Education. Grounded in years of elementary classroom experience, Sarah brings a practical educator lens to Teaching Channel’s professional learning. As Director of Curriculum & Instruction, she guides the development and refinement of graduate-level continuing education courses, helping ensure they are engaging, relevant, and rooted in strong instructional practice. Sarah works closely with the Curriculum & Instruction and Instructor teams to support meaningful feedback for educators, thoughtful course design, and effective online learning experiences in Canvas. Sarah is also a coursewriter and content creator, specializing in edtech, educator wellness, and content area teaching.
Fun Fact: Sarah enjoys training and competing with the Mill City Running Race Team in distances from 1 mile to the marathon.
Betsy Butler
Professional Learning Specialist
Betsy Butler holds a B.A. in English, a Master’s in Education, and has been a professional development specialist with Teaching Channel for 16 years. Betsy uses her three decades of teaching experience in her role, to write graduate-level continuing education courses that help educators retain their licensure, and to move up salary steps and lanes. 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!
Samantha Lundberg
Associate Director of Content Development
Samantha Lundberg holds a B.S. in School Health Education and an M.A. in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis. She draws on her extensive knowledge to develop and refine engaging, research-based courses. Her work centers on helping educators create inclusive, supportive learning environments where social-emotional growth is prioritized and both students and teachers feel seen, supported, and mentally well.
Fun fact: Samantha has been to all of the U.S. Disney parks, as well as 3 of the international parks! She hopes to visit all of the parks someday.
Amy Szczepanski
Professional Learning Specialist
Amy Szczepanski is a Professional Learning Specialist at Teaching Channel since 2024. 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
Sr LMS Specialist
Jessica Price holds a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies, with a minor in Health and Fitness. As Senior LMS Specialist and our Certified Canvas Expert, Jessica oversees the technical lifecycle of product launches and manages the integrity of our Canvas environment. She bridges academic requirements and digital execution by coordinating university approvals and ensuring all course content meets rigorous standards. By optimizing “behind-the-scenes” workflows, Jessica streamlines the path from enrollment to instruction, empowering educators with a seamless and reliable learning experience.
Fun Fact: Jess loves to go on winter hikes with her trusty canine companion, Blue!
Jennifer DeLucia
Manager, Continuing Education Instructors
Jennifer DeLucia holds a B.A.S. in History and Secondary Education and a Master of Arts in Teaching. Before starting with Teaching Channel in 2024, 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 Instructors
Our Course Instructor team includes over 100 educators hailing from 19 states across the country. Each course instructor has 5+ years of Pre-K-12 school experience that aligns with course content, bringing relevant experiences from their roles as classroom teachers, specialists, instructional coaches, administrators, and more. Course instructor provide specific feedback on each course module participants complete, solidifying our commitment as your Education Ally.
Instructor Leads
Rachel Steil
Instructor Lead
Rachel is a 28+ veteran English teacher at Stillwater Area High School. She has been with Teaching Channel since 2018. She holds a Masters in Education and K-12 Public Administration and has a Master Journalism Educator certification. She has taught a variety of English courses, including Enriched 10, English 11, and the award-winning Newspaper Journalism class. Rachel has been named Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2015 and 2020 and Minnesota Journalism Advisor of the Year in 2018.
Dr. Laura Thorvilson
Instructor Lead
Laura holds a BA in Elementary Education, MA in Curriculum and Instruction, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and has been with Teaching Channel since 2016. In her leadership role, she collaborates with a dedicated team of Evaluators, providing guidance and support as needed. She values her work as a Course Evaluator, where she reviews educators’ coursework submissions and gain insight into the impactful ways teachers support children, families, and communities across the nation.
Kayla Hasvold
Instructor Lead
Kayla holds a Master’s degree in English as a Second Language and has been with Teaching Channel since 2016. She oversees a team of evaluators to ensure a high-quality experience for customers. Additionally, she evaluate coursework focused on multilingual learners, which has provided valuable opportunities to learn from the innovative instructional practices of exceptional multilingual learner educators.
Ally Beggs
Instructor Lead
Ally earned her undergraduate degree in social studies education from MSU Mankato and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Catherine University. Ally is passionate about supporting educators in their professional growth. She also completed her student teaching in Australia!
Jamie Fredericksen
Instructor Lead
Jamie holds a Master’s degree in Special Education with a concentration in Specific Learning Disabilities, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing Management. Jamie has been with The Teaching Channel since 2019. She cherishes the opportunity to continually grow alongside a network of talented and passionate educators, a reminder that the best teachers never stop learning themselves.
A few of our talented Course Instructors...
Deidre Swoope
Instructor
Deidre loves to travel to presidential historical sites/homes.
Stacy Sanders
Instructor
Stacy has completed two Ironman Triathlons.
Jake Matheson
Instructor
Jake holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of South Dakota and a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University, with 11 years of experience in education, including teaching music to students from kindergarten through adulthood. Since 2023, he has served as an Instructor at Teaching Channel, bringing his passion for helping educators apply research-based strategies in meaningful ways to support their professional growth.
Lela Goettl
Instructor
Lela has been to all 50 states.
Abbie Pannell
Instructor
Abbie holds a Master's degree in Leadership Studies with a focus on Administration, Curriculum, Instruction, and Evaluation, along with an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education K-8, and is a Certified Evaluator of Teachers, Principals, and School Counselors. For 3 years, she has served as an Instructor at Teaching Channel, where she encourages educators to achieve their learning goals.
David Higley
Instructor
David holds a BS in Elementary Education and a Master's in Educational Leadership. For 12 years, he has served as an Instructor at Teaching Channel, valuing the opportunity to learn alongside teachers across the US and world—work that makes him happy to be in education and proud of the children of tomorrow.
Elizabeth Contreras
Instructor
Elizabeth holds a doctorate in education and a master's degree in history, with over 20 years of teaching experience spanning grades 6–12 through the college level in social studies, art appreciation, and English/language arts. Her areas of expertise include student-driven pedagogy, gamification, trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive teaching, and test-preparation strategies. Since 2023, she has served as an instructor at Teaching Channel, alongside her work as an AP Social Studies teacher, history adjunct professor, curriculum writer, and longtime reader for the AP U.S. History Exam.
Anwar Mustafa
Instructor
With over 10 years of teaching experience, Anwar holds a Bachelor's degree in Special Education and a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction, currently serving as a 1st and 2nd grade special education teacher and member of the school's intervention (MTSS) team. Anwar's background in special education and MTSS allows for sharing real-world strategies for supporting diverse learners, addressing behavior challenges, and creating inclusive learning environments in the role of instructor at Teaching Channel, a position held since 2023.
Travis Edwards
Instructor
Travis has six kids ages 16 to 6.
Beth Halbach
Instructor
Beth holds a master's degree in education and graduate certificates in Online Teaching and Learning, with over two decades of educational experience as a middle school science teacher, technology integration specialist, and instructional specialist. She is a certified Google Trainer and Coach with expertise in staying at the forefront of educational advancements and supporting educator growth at every career stage. Since 2018, she has served as a instructor at Teaching Channel, providing individualized feedback and guidance that helps K-12 teachers implement new strategies in their classrooms.
Bryan Draxten
Instructor
Bryan has never had a cavity!
Angela Salinas-Oviedo
Instructor
Angela holds a Master's Degree in Education with certifications in Secondary English, English as a Second Language, Library Science, and Reading, and has 30 years of experience in education. She has been an instructor since 2023. She enjoys being part of a community committed to helping educators thrive and seek transformational outcomes.
Diane Coffman
Instructor
Diane wanted to be an astronaut.
