GET - Staff

GET Core Staff

		PROGRAM COORDINATOR Susan Ermer Susan's interest in the environment flourished after transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) in 1995 to receive her Bachelor of Science degree. She later served as a Peace Corps Volunteer ('98-'00) teaching chemistry in Tanzania, East Africa. Upon her return to the U.S., Susan worked as an assistant ESL teacher in a Chicago area elementary school and later as Programs Coordinator for a non-profit student exchange agency. She has worked with the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE) since December 2001 and earned her Masters Degree in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Environmental Education from UWSP in 2005. Susan is committed to connecting schools and communities to the natural environment worldwide.

		ONLINE COURSE INSTRUCTOR Mai Morshidi Phillips, PhD Dr. Mai Morshidi Phillips was born and raised on the island of Borneo (Sarawak, Malaysia), one of the world’s greatest hot spots of biodiversity. She has a B.S. in Mathematics (Iowa), a M.A, in Environmental, Organismic, and Population Biology (Colorado), and a Ph.D. in Horticulture (Hawaii) specializing in conservation of plant genetic resources. At UWSP, Dr. Phillips is a Senior Scientist in the WCEE and a graduate faculty member of the Forestry discipline in the CNR. She coordinates the Global Online Long Distance (GOLD) education program in the WCEE. With her extensive international experiences, she develops and teaches online courses. She also conducts research in genetic resources conservation and the genetics of invasive species.

		PROJECT ASSISTANT *Jesse Haney* Jesse Haney, the GET Project Assistant, has a B.A. in political science and Spanish with an emphasis in international relations. She recently spent an academic year studying in Spain and has extensive travel experience within the United States and Wisconsin. Jesse is responsible for assisting with the development, organization, promotion, and coordination of the 2008 GET Multinational Teacher Exchange Program. She manages logistics and maintains communications with partners in China, South Africa, Puerto Rico and Wisconsin to facilitate their successful participation in the Wisconsin portion of their educational exchange experience.

GET Outreach Support

Tim Byers

Outreach Program Manager

Tim is the liaison between the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE) and the University of Wisconsin-Steven Point (UWSP) Continuing Education. He facilitates credit courses in environmental education, natural resources, and environmental studies. Tim earned his is B.S. at UWSP in 1984 in Environmental Studies and his M.S. in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Environmental Education at UWSP in 1990. Tim has worked with UW-Extension, the WI Department of Natural Resources, and UWSP in a number of EE capacities since 1982.

Angela Lemar
EE Outreach Specialist

Angela Lemar is the Outreach Specialist for the WCEE/Continuing Education. She works with Tim Byers and supports GET by helping with course registration and various other projects. Angela earned her B.S. in Waste Management from UW-Stevens Point's College of Natural Resources in 2006. She is passionate about waste reduction and composting. Angela has spent time traveling in Europe, Peru (through a GEM Ambassadors program) and many places around North America. She has been with the center for 4 years. When Angela is not assisting GET she is working with the other programs in the WCEE like KEEP, LEAF and the Extended Masters Program for K-12 Teachers.

line

GET Administration

Randy Champeau, PhD

Director

Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE)

As founding director of the WCEE, Dr. Randy Champeau provides leadership related to the development of environmental education (EE) in the K-12 schools of Wisconsin. Champeau is credited with developing one of the largest EE graduate degree programs for teachers in the nation. He is also the Associate Dean of Extension and Outreach in the College of Natural Resources (CNR) at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP).

line

GET Advisory Committee

During the development and initial implementation phase, GET worked with a diverse group of professionals from Universities, the non-profit sector, and governmental organizations to ensure the best international educational exchange experience possible. This well balanced group of individuals worked to help design the GET program. We are sincerely grateful for their time and effort.

Advisory Members Include:

Rhonda Ambuehl	GEM Rural Leadership & Community Development
Randy Champeau, PhD	Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education
Randy Colton	Weston Elementary School
Julie Kline	Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Dolly Ledin	Center for Biology Education, UW Madison
Kim O'Flaherty	UW Extension
Doug Savage	UW System Institute for Global Studies
Dan Sivek, PhD	UWSP Associate Professor
Leslie Owen Wilson, PhD	UWSP College of Education
Dennis Yockers, PhD	WCEE & UWSP Associate Professor

line

Where are they now?

		Jamie (Hiler) Mollica *Program Assistant* Jamie joined the WCEE staff in January 2006 as Program Assistant for the K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) and the GET program. In her half-time position with GET, she assisted in developing new programs, managing program logistics, updating the Web site, and compiling the bi-annual newsletter. In September of 2007, Jamie accepted a full-time position with the KEEP program as the Project Assistant administering KEEP professional development courses, coordinating a resource lending program, and working with student involvement and outreach. She is still right down the hall from GET!

		Wang Yu *Graduate Assistant* Wang Yu joined the GET program as a graduate assistant in September 2005. Yu was a fellow of the Ford Foundation’s International Fellowship Program and finished her Master’s studies in environmental education at UW-Stevens Point in Spring of 2007. Yu developed an online course for GET about environmental issues in China and she assisted with the China international exchange activities in 2007. Wang Yu also coordinated the GET International Photo Contest. She has since moved back to Kunming, Yunnan, China to continue her environmental efforts there. Best of luck to Yu and her family!

		Patrick Mootz *Student Worker* Patrick joined the GET staff as a student worker in September, 2005. He left GET in January of 2007 to finish up his degree by student teaching. His hard work and enthusiasm will be missed. Good luck Patrick!

No photo available		Jill Weiss *Program Assistant* Jill joined our staff in June 2005. She left GET to take a job more related to her educational background in economics in February 2006 working in rural community development for the USDA. She was a great asset to the GET Program and she will be missed. Best of luck Jill!

		Lindsay Dahl Program Assistant Lindsay joined GET in September 2004 and worked with us for about a year. She brought wonderful skills and a great attitude to GET. Her work with the Puerto Rico Program in 2005 really enhanced the exchange for the participants. Her efficient organization style and work ethic will be missed. Lindsay is currently the Public Policy Advocate for the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG), where she lobbies on behalf of Minnesota college students on policies related to clean energy, global warming, biofuels and public transportation. In addition to lobbying at the capitol, Lindsay conducts workshops at campuses across the state to teach college students how to effectively lobby for themselves. While working with various colleges, she also helps connect the bridge between campus administrators and their students to achieve campus sustainability goals.

line