Boettcher Teachers Program Faculty
Dr. Andra Brill, co-director for the Boettcher Teachers Program and an instructor, completed her PhD in Educational Leadership and Innovation from CU-Denver; her dissertation is entitled "Listening, Learning, and Writing: Understandings, Perceptions, and Experiences of Fifth Grade Writers." Her master's degree is in Curriculum and Instruction, also from CU-Denver, and she received her bachelor's degree in Politics from Brandeis University. Andra is fluent in Spanish and has worked in urban public schools throughout her career. Some of her positions have included work as a bilingual literacy coach, English language acquisition instructor and bilingual teacher for grades two through five.
Dr. Karen Lowenstein, co-director for the Boettcher Teachers Program and an instructor, has worked with the program since its beginning, serving as Associate Director of Secondary Education and clinical faculty for all secondary fellows. She completed her PhD in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy at Michigan State University, where she taught courses in the foundations of education and teacher research and worked with student-teachers and mentors. Prior to her doctoral work, she obtained a master's degree in Spanish Language and Literature from Middlebury College in Madrid, and a bachelor's degree in Spanish and Secondary Education from Rutgers University. Karen taught Spanish and advanced placement Spanish literature in two high schools in New Jersey.
Dr. Maria C. Salazar-Jerez, clinical assistant professor at the University of Denver, completed her PhD in Education, Equity & Cultural Diversity - Social, Multicultural, & Bilingual Foundations from the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU). Her dissertation is entitled, "Echandole Ganas: The Factors that Support and Constrain the Academic Resiliency of Mexican Immigrant Students in a High School ESL Program." Maria was the recipient of a Title VII Fellowship at CU-Boulder. In her time at CU, she worked as a research assistant in a three-year ethnographic study on effective schooling for Latina/o students. Maria has a master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Denver and a teaching credential in secondary social studies also from DU. She taught for six years in urban high schools. She was born in Mexico and grew up in Denver. She is bilingual and bicultural.
Elizabeth Johnson has been a bilingual educator in a large urban school district for 21 years. All of her experience has been with students and teachers in schools that have been heavily impacted by poverty and second language issues. Her teaching experiences include five years in third and fifth-grade bilingual classrooms and four years working with struggling readers in first through fifth grade as a Title I teacher. In addition, Elizabeth has worked as a literacy coach and literacy specialist for the last 12 years. Most recently, Elizabeth has continued to share her literacy expertise as a literacy and English Language Acquisition specialist in the Northeast area of Denver. She served as a consultant in Mapleton and Adams 50 school districts.
Michelle Morris Jones is currently a staff developer for the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC). Most of her work takes place in secondary schools working with teachers and students on developing an understanding of being thoughtful and meta-cognitive readers and thinkers. Prior to working as a staff developer, Michelle was a classroom teacher at both the elementary and middle school level. She has a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver where she occasionally serves as an adjunct instructor.
Excier J. (E.J.) Rodriguez, secondary math methods instructor for the Boettcher Teachers Program, has been serving as an educator and mathematics specialist in Denver Public Schools (DPS) since 2003. His most recent teaching experience in the fields of math and science comes from Lake Middle School in DPS. E.J. was awarded an honorary fellowship for the University of Denver Ritchie Program for School Leaders, from which he graduated with his Colorado Principal License in May 2006. He also holds a master's degree in music performance degree and bachelor's of science in chemical engineering. E.J. is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Allyson Sudborough has been an educator in Adams 12 Five Star Schools District since 1996 as an elementary teacher and a clinical professor in staff development. For the past three years, she has mentored teachers in their classrooms and taught social studies methods for CU-Boulder as well as for the Boettcher Teacher Program. She has a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a K-12 Reading Endorsement.
Wendy Ward Hoffer, science methods instructor for the Boettcher Teachers Program, is a National Board Certified middle school teacher now working as a staff developer with the Public Education and Business Coalition (PEBC). She taught math and science at the middle school level for many years and now enjoys working with math and science teachers and teachers in training. Prior to her work in classrooms, Wendy led youth trips for an adventure-based character development program in British Columbia, Canada. She received her MA in education from Stanford University.