Meet Our Coaches

This page introduces you to several folks who's work continues to align and strengthen Wisconsin's statewide efforts to build collective understanding and consistent messaging related to coaching services and supports. Read about what fuels their passions and learn more about each of the projects that fund their work. 

Joseph Kanke - Statewide Coaching Coordinator

Joseph serves as the Statewide Coaching Coordinator. Prior to this position he worked as a coach for an Educational Service Center in Austin, Texas and as a campus-based instructional coach. His mission is to act as a liaison between the field and the state with the intention of creating a statewide system of coaching supports for regions, districts and schools to access as they develop their own coaching programs. He is also passionate about equity and how coaches can hold equity at the center of their work. Joseph's coaching support reaching many projects across the agency. He works collaboratively with the Special Education Team and develops partnerships with CESAs to provide capacity building opportunities across the state. He spends much of this time supporting the statewide system of coaching supports within the Research to Practice Inclusive Communities (RPIC) project. Click here to learn more about the RPIC project.

Katie Berg - Supporting Neurodiverse Students Professional Learning System

Katie has been supporting students for more than 20 years. In the private sector, public education and now statewide her experiences include providing one on one therapy, classroom teaching, administration, technical assistance, coaching and district and statewide training. Katie has extensive experience working with unique neurodiverse learners focusing on the Social Emotional Learning skills that help students and educators problem solve around behaviors that are challenging. She is currently supporting the districts across the state, upon request, providing support to educators serving students with needs in the area of social and emotional learning using evidenced-informed improvement strategies. Using tools such as the Coaching Competency Practice Profile and adult learning standards Katie is helping WI school districts use effective methods of professional learning to grow adult capacity in disability-related need areas under the Social and Emotional Learning Competencies. Click here to learn more about her projects.

Melissa Emler - Universal Design for Learning Statewide Systems Coach

Melissa serves as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Statewide Systems Coach. She is often heard saying, "I'm not asking you to change; I'm asking you to learn!" Melissa is a trained facilitator in the Minds At Work Immunity to Change coaching framework for individuals and organizations. She uses the framework to support people and systems in recognizing competing commitments that stall systemic change efforts. Stalled change efforts impact student experiences and outcomes. When the Immunity to Change framework is paired with the constructs of Universal Design for Learning, moving schools and districts forward in their effort to create more equitable systems can happen because they find clarity around their commitments. Clarity helps avoid initiative fatigue and overload. UDL is a framework for proactively designing learning environments and experiences – from the beginning – that enable ALL students to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning needed to be expert, lifelong learners. Click here to learn more about UDL in Wisconsin. 

Resa Hawes - District Coordinator, Supporting Neurodiverse Students 

Resa has been supporting students for more than 25 years in public education. Career experiences include the roles of special education teacher, program support coordinator, and inclusion coach. She has extensive experience in working with neurodiverse learners and supporting educators through challenging and unique situations. Resa is currently supporting districts across the state that have received the Enhancing Social and Emotional Skills in Students with IEPs (ES3) three year grant and will soon be supporting districts receiving the ES3 one year grant. The goal of the ES3 grant is to provide public school districts with the structures and processes to identify and support the beliefs, skills, and systems needed to improve outcomes for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Resa assists districts and school-based teams through coaching, training, and providing resources to implement evidence-based improvement strategies to support the growth of students with significantly divergent social and emotional learning needs. Click here to learn more about the ES3 grant.

Cheri Sylla - WSPEI Statewide Family Engagement Coaching Coordinator

Cheri is the Family Engagement Coaching Coordinator for the Wisconsin Statewide Parent-Educator Initiative (WSPEI). She has worked with the WSPEI grant since 2003 and served as a school board member for eight years in the Elmbrook School District. She is passionate about working with educators and teams as they explore their beliefs and practices around engaging families and implement evidence-based practices into their work. She works with teams and individuals to focus on what truly matters most to them, work through situations, and identify their next steps. Her mission is to provide the support school staff need to create and sustain a welcoming school culture where all families are respected as partners and supported, as needed, to engage in their child’s learning. Central to the work is the embedding of family engagement strategies within the educational system that enhance opportunities for all students and their families. Click here to learn more about WSPEI.