Chelsea Faase

Bio

Chelsea Faase earned her Ph.D. in Urban Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction from UW-Milwaukee in 2019. Her research centers on how teachers plan for and implement strategies that motivate adolescents to engage meaningfully in literacy tasks. Grounded in the principles of urban education, her scholarship reflects a deep commitment to inclusive texts, culturally relevant pedagogy, and expanding definitions of literacy to meet the needs of all learners.

Before entering higher education, Chelsea taught for 12 years at the elementary and middle school levels. Upon graduation, she joined the Department of Literacy, Language and Social Foundations at UW-Oshkosh, where she taught undergraduate literacy and literature courses and later was elected chair of the graduate program in Literacy. She has presented at eight national conferences and has published in peer-reviewed journals including Reading Professor and Research in Teaching English. For the past five years, she has contributed to the RTE Annotated Bibliography of Research, critically analyzing annual scholarship related to social justice and critical approaches with the lens of literacy.

Chelsea currently serves on the faculty at UW-Stevens Point as a teaching assistant professor, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses. Outside the university, she serves on multiple state and local nonprofit board of directors and can most often be found reading middle grade, and young adult novels, and most recently, picture books with her three-year-old cuddled on her lap.

Experience and Interests

Teaching

  • Teaching Assistant Professor, School of Education, UW-Stevens Point (2025-present)
  • Teaching Assistant Professor in Literacy, UW-Oshkosh (2020-2025)
  • Sixth-Grade ELA Teacher (2013-2020)
  • Fourth Grade General Education (2008-2013)

Professional Experience

  • Youth Outreach Coordinator, UW-Green Bay
  • Educational/Literacy Coach, independent contracts
  • Graduate Coordinator for the Master’s in Literacy, UW-Oshkosh

Research Interests

  • Children’s and Adolescent Literature- particularly the voices and story lines being amplified
  • Expanded definition of Literacy
  • Motivation and Engagement in Literacy tasks

Curriculum Design

  • Green Bay Chamber of Commerce Leadership Green Bay program
  • LeadGB Girls Youth Leadership and Development summer program – UWGB
  • Integrated Children’s Literacy and Literature UWS/WTCS Associate to Bachelor’s Degree for Licensing Educators

Awards

  • 2024 Future 15 Young Professional – Green Bay Chamber of Commerce
  • 2022 Armbrust Impact Award – Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay Foundation

Presentations and Publications

Publications

  • Penick, M. W., Leininger, K., Faase, C. (2023). Sugarcoated History: Turning the Spotlight on “Woke” Books to Expand the Narrative. The Reading Professor, 46(1).
  • Faase, C., Kohl, S., & Lau, J. (2022). Coping with Tensions: A Catalyst for Transformative Change for Teachers and Administrators. Rowman & Littlefield.

Involvement

Community

  • CCBC in Madison board member
  • Brown County United Way board member
  • YWCA of Greater Green Bay board member
  • Green Bay Chamber of Commerce Leadership Green Bay program curriculum designer
  • UW-Green Bay youth outreach coordinator
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast WI past board member

Professional Memberships

  • Professors of Reading – Wisconsin Colleges and Universities Literacy Research Association (LRA)
  • Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC)
  • Wisconsin State Reading Association (WSRA)
  • International Literacy Association (ILA)

Fun Facts

Last book you read?

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Best advice you ever received?

Comparison is the thief of joy.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I have always wanted to be a teacher. I came from a family of teachers, so being a teacher literally runs in my blood!

What do you enjoy most about teaching?

The chance to be curious in what I do each and every day, and watch the curiosity among my students. I love learning from my students which I believe is a critical component of being a good teacher.

A piece of advice for students in your school?

Be curious and have fun! The students you will have one day need to see your passion and joy. It’s your greatest gift to them.