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Announcing our Winter 2025 Coaching Cohort!
We are seeking a select group of educators to join our first coaching cohort of the new year, running from January through April 2025 on the last Wednesday of each month from 7:00-8:00 pm et on Zoom.
The cost for this special inaugural cohort is only $100.00 total for the four sessions PLUS there's the opportunity to sign up for individual coaching beyond the group sessions!
Seats are limited to optimize a quality, personalized experience for every participant.
Learn more and register here:
Gretchen A. Oltman, JD, PhD
Dr. Gretchen Oltman is a veteran educator with more than twenty years spent in the classroom and in educational leadership positions. She currently serves as an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Program Director of the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership. In addition, Gretchen is a licensed attorney with a Ph.D. in Educational Studies, and she maintains her professional Nebraska 7-12 teaching (English and Political Science) in addition to a 7-12 principal’s/administrative certificate.
As a public school teacher, Gretchen developed curriculum, taught reading and writing courses, and managed multiple aspects of assessment. She also supervised multiple K-12 student teaching candidates throughout Nebraska and Iowa.
Gretchen regularly presents at local and national conferences, including the National Conference for Teachers of English and the Education Law Association. She is an Executive Committee Member on the NCTE's Standing Committee Against Censorship, a group dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment in our nation's schools.
Beyond this, Gretchen is the author and co-author of five books including Violence in Student Writing: A Guide for School Administrators (2010), Law Meets Literature: A Novel Approach to the English Classroom (2015), Prepare to Chair: Leading the Thesis and Dissertation Process (2019), The Themes that Bind Us: Simplifying U.S. Supreme Court Cases for the Social Studies Classroom (2018), The Supreme 15: Cases and Materials for the AP Government and Politics Exam (2019) and What's Your Leadership Story: A School Leader's Guide to Aligning How You Lead with Who You Are (2021). Her research interests include studying the intersections of law, education, and leadership.
Speak with educators who have worked with Gretchen as a coach and mentor, and you will hear glowing recountings of how she both supports their passion and pushes their thinking to achieve new levels of success. She is an asset to everyone who knows her. We look forward to introducing you to Gretchen, too!
Walter McKenzie, MEd
Walter McKenzie is a career educator with forty years of experience in K-12 classroom, building and district-level leadership . He possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Early and Middle Childhood Education from The Ohio State University and a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Educational Technology from George Mason University. In addition, he has earned an Advanced Board Development Certification from BoardSource, a Digital Transformation Strategies Certificate from the University of Cambridge, and a Next Generation Enterprise Certificate from Columbia University.
Recently retired after fourteen years of serving as a Senior Director of Member Communities for ASCD, Walter was instrumental in launching and leading online professional development programs and educator communities, providing board development, strategic planning, mentoring and coaching supports.
In the classroom, Walter taught grades K-6 and served as district gifted coordinator, and was named the 1989 Teacher of the Year for King George County Schools. His leadership roles included stints as an Instructional Technology Coordinator, district Director of Technology, and Assistant Superintendent for Information Services.
Beyond public education, Walter was a Senior Trainer for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, serving staff at headquarters and in field offices across the country. His experience in board leadership includes serving as President of Massachusetts Computer Using Educators and founding the first ever regional affiliate, the New England Society for Technology in Education.
Walter is an internationally known presenter with a number of books authored, co-authored and edited. He is known for his passionate advocacy for educators and their work, and as a visionary espousing a new era in public education. He is most proud of the work as a champion for colleagues, helping them fan the flames of their passion and chart their way forward to success. You will want Walter to champion you and the legacy you are building, too!
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