Meet the
Teaching Channel Team
Leadership Team
Mike Smith
President
Mike Smith leads Teaching Channel, setting the strategic direction to deliver best-in-class professional learning for educators nationwide. He drives initiatives focused on product innovation, customer experience, and strategic partnerships that expand Teaching Channel’s impact. Passionate about designing flexible, relevant learning opportunities, Mike collaborates with K-12 districts and higher education institutions to align professional learning with classroom needs—supporting educators throughout their careers and improving student outcomes at scale.
Prior to starting Teaching Channel in 2021, Mike led the Higher Education division at WorldStrides, where he developed experiential learning programs serving more than 500 universities across 100+ countries annually.
Mike holds a B.S. in Accounting and Marketing from Ohio State University and completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.
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.
Jim Hall
Chief Executive Officer
Jim Hall is the CEO of K12 Coalition, parent company of Teaching Channel. Jim helped grow a small educational travel business into a global provider of study-abroad opportunities to students in over 100 destinations. After leaving WorldStrides in 2019, he earned a master’s in education from Northwestern University and taught high school in suburban Chicago before leading K12 Coalition—under whose leadership the organization earned B Corp certification in July 2024 in recognition of its social and environmental impact.
Registration & Advising
Tracey Schantz
Senior Director of Registration
Tracey Shantz has been a dedicated member of the team for over 10 years. In her role, she leads the registration experience with a focus on ensuring every educator has a smooth, supportive, and high-quality journey from enrollment through course completion. She also works with states and districts on strategic course initiatives, helping expand access to meaningful, research-based professional development that strengthens teaching practice and supports student success.
Learning Advisors
Alexa Anastos
Learning Advisor
Alexa holds a B.S. from the University of Rhode Island. She supports educators in navigating professional learning opportunities aligned to their goals and classroom needs, providing clear, personalized guidance on course selection and helping them move forward with confidence.Alexa brings experience as a classroom teacher, curriculum leader, and AmeriCorps literacy specialist, which informs her approach to supporting educators with practical and meaningful learning experiences.
Abigail Capers
Learning Advisor
Abbey has been with Teaching Channel since 2024, helping educators find relevant courses to meet their goals for license renewal and salary advancement. In this role, she supports Teaching Channel’s mission to provide high-quality learning resources that empower educators to make a meaningful impact in their classrooms. She holds an MSEd degree.
Deeanna Francis
Learning Advisor
Partnership Specialists & Advisors
Daija Graves
Partnership Engagement Advisor
Daija, B.A., is a Partner Engagement Advisor for Maryland and Washington, DC at Teaching Channel, where she has been supporting educators for the past year. In her role, she works closely with school districts, unions, and education leaders to build meaningful partnerships that expand access to professional learning opportunities for all educators. She is passionate about helping educators find resources that support their growth and impact in the classroom.
Leah Nelson
Sr. Partnership Engagement Advisor
Leah Nelson holds a B.A. in Family Science. As a senior team member, she mentors colleagues and advises on key accounts, aligning her work with broader sales and customer experience goals. Her work includes building and maintaining long-term relationships with districts, unions, and education leaders, while promoting professional development and continuing education opportunities. She presents solutions and provides educators with tools and resources to expand their learning.
Jeremy Rembert
Partnership Engagement Advisor
Jeremy is a doctoral student at Hampton University and has been with Teaching Channel since 2025. In this role, he builds relationships with schools, districts, and community partners, connecting educators with professional learning, graduate coursework, licensure renewal support, and free classroom resources. His work focuses on expanding access to practical, flexible learning opportunities that support educators and student success.
Devin O'Brien
Partnership Engagement Advisor
Devin, M.Ed., joined Teaching Channel in 2025. With a background as a classroom teacher and instructional leader, she is passionate about making professional development accessible and relevant to support teachers in their day-to-day work and improve student success. One of the most rewarding parts of her role is connecting educators with graduate-level coursework that supports licensure advancement and career growth.
Jenna Nakamura
Partnership Engagement Advisor
Jenna holds a B.A. in Studio Art from UC Irvine and an M.S. in Instructional Design Technology from Cal State Fullerton. In her role, Jenna works to expand the impact of Teaching Channel courses and professional learning experiences at the school and district level by connecting directly with teachers, principals, and district leaders.
Katie Baver
Partnership Engagement Advisor
Katie earned a degree in Jazz Voice Performance from Temple University in Philadelphia. She has spent much of her career partnering with schools and is passionate about helping educators access practical, immediately applicable resources that make a real impact in the classroom.
Hilary Meulenberg
Program Research & Development Manager
Hilary, M.Ed., brings over 25 years of experience in education as a literacy coach, mentor, and higher education instructor. As Program Research and Development Manager, she leads outreach, partnerships, and program alignment, working with district leaders to ensure offerings meet state and local priorities.
Andrew McKirdy
Education Partnership Specialist
Andrews holds a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Oregon. He partners with school and district leaders to strengthen instruction and personalize professional learning through classroom video, coaching tools, and professional development courses. His work supports Teaching Channel’s mission to make high-quality professional learning more accessible, practical, and impactful for educators.
Katie Dammann
Education Partnership Specialist
Katie holds a B.A. in Education with an emphasis in Physical Education and Health. She has spent the past nine years with Teaching Channel. In her role, she builds and manages relationships with schools, districts, and educational organizations, supporting them from initial outreach through onboarding and beyond. She is passionate about helping clients successfully implement courses and video resources, and values seeing the positive impact on educators.
Curriculum & Instruction
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.
Sarah Murphy
Evaluation Manager and Professional Learning Specialist
Sarah 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, who provide personalized feedback and grading for educators taking our Continuing Education courses. Sarah is also a coursewriter and content creator, specializing in edtech, educator wellness, and content area teaching.
Betsy Butler
Professional Learning Specialist
Betsy 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.
Amy Szczepanski
Professional Learning Specialist
Amy 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.
Jessica Price
LMS Support Specialist
Jessica 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 course syllabi, and building intuitive Canvas courses as our certified Canvas expert. Jessica’s expertise lies in streamlining the "behind-the-scenes" technology to empower our customers and create a clear, easy path from enrollment to instruction.
Suzanne Leslie
Professional Learning Specialist
Suzanne 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.
Rebecca Kay-Lewis
Instructional Support Specialist
Rebecca 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.
Jennifer DeLucia
Evaluation Manager
Jennifer 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 before starting in 2024. 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.
Caity McGuigan
Content Development Specialist
Caity holds a B.A. in Integrated Educational Studies and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction. Caity has a dual credential in Multiple Subject and Special Education. She specializes in course development, drawing on her experience as a special education teacher to design accessible learning that meets diverse individual needs. She dedicates her time empowering teachers to feel confident and continue to find joy in their work.
Evaluator Leads
Kayla Hasvold
Evaluator 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 our customers. Additionally, I evaluate coursework focused on multilingual learners, which has provided valuable opportunities to learn from the innovative instructional practices of exceptional multilingual learner educators.
Dr. Laura Thorvilson
Evaluator 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.
Rachel Steil
Evaluator 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.
Ally Beggs
Evaluator 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
Evaluator Lead
Jamie enjoys podcasts and playing board games.
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.
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!
Administration & Marketing
