About
Wendy began her professional career as a high school English teacher in central Minnesota and holds both master’s and doctoral degrees in Teaching and Teacher Education from the University of Arizona. Wendy arrived at UW-Superior in January 1996 as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in educational foundations, human development, classroom management, literacy, middle-level education, and instructional assessment practices in addition to supervising tutoring in early literacy in the elementary schools and supervising student teachers in grades k-12 classrooms. In January 2010, Wendy entered the World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Department to lead the middle and high school English education programs, teaching courses in middle and high school language arts, literacy, and various literary studies. In February 2019, she accepted an appointment as UW-Superior’s inaugural Assistant Dean of Educator Preparation Programs, providing campus-wide leadership of and support to faculty and students in all undergraduate and graduate programs leading to licensure through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
In her spare time, Wendy enjoys hiking, reading, playing the piano, and dogs.
Research Interests
Wendy’s efforts in research and scholarship focus largely on the areas of literacy instruction and curriculum development. Notable projects include work as a site evaluator for the School Yard Ecology for Elementary Science Teachers (SYEFEST) project, leading a multi-year ESEA/WITQ grant supporting reading and writing to learn in the content areas, and guiding students through the development of classroom curricula for the regional American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life program and for The Lake Superior National Estuarine Reserve Rivers2Lake program. She has also presented workshops at numerous state, national, and international education conferences in support of teachers’ continued professional development.
Education
- 1999 – Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) – Teaching and Teacher Education, University of Arizona
- 1994 – Master of Arts (M.A.) – Teaching and Teacher Education, University of Arizona
- 1990 – Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) – English, Gustavus Aldophus College