Presenter Bios

As Chief Diversity Officer, Amy Bergstrom is responsible for leading the College’s diversity and inclusion efforts and achieving the college's strategic inclusive excellence goals. Bergstrom has been with St. Scholastica since 2010. She holds a Doctor of Education from the University of Minnesota, a Master of Education and Graduate Certificate from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Education and Social Work and is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe.

Dr. Rev Hillstrom is one of this country’s foremost indigenous scholars leading systemic change for educational excellence and equity. Through the pillars of his CLEAR model (Culture, Learning, Equitable, Achievement and Responsive) he guides systems in generating the equity consciousness needed for conceptual, behavioral and structural transformation.

Melissa Goodson @melissaagoodson is an Associate Professor of Business Management and Marketing at The College of St. Scholastica. She received a B.S. in Mass Communications, and M.B.A. in Marketing and a Ph.D. in Organization and Management. Dr. Goodson is a certified Social Media Strategist through the National Institute for Social Media where she was Past Advisory Board Chair. Prior to joining St. Scholastica, Goodson worked in Marketing and Digital Media at The Arizona Republic in Phoenix, AZ and at the Star Tribune (largest daily newspaper in the Twin Cities). She has also served as a Marketing Manager for several small businesses.

Heidi Johnson has been a faculty member at The College of St. Scholastica for 18 years. She serves as a librarian focusing on reference instruction and research as well as the College's archivist. Before she went to graduate school to become a librarian, she was a high school English and German teacher, so she understands the challenges of writing and incorporating research for students at all levels.

Liesa Klyn taught high school math for 9 year in Columbus, OH, then 4 years in Chicago, IL. She is currently teaching computer science and design in Hermantown. Throughout her career she has been working to add Project Based Learning and Design Thinking opportunities to the student learning experience. In Chicago, she partnered with Northwestern University to create the first STEAM Design Thinking and Innovation course for high school seniors at Evanston Township High School. At Hermantown, she is working to develop a computer science and STEAM program for middle school students.

Karen Mehle is currently a non traditional graduate student in the thick of her Masters program. Not having been in school since 1995, she realizes there is a lot to catch up on, and greatly appreciates access to and support from her instructors. She is learning about many tools that make planning and processing easier, and is eager to share them with her peers and instructors. She has also learned to advocate for herself as a nontraditional student using new technology for the first time. She believes that technology supports are helpful, but support for the writing process are also important.

Karen Rissling is an assistant professor in the Department of Education and Social Work at The College of St. Scholastica. She is a Canadian transplant from Vancouver, British Columbia. Her teaching background is in secondary education, and she was an ESL (English as a Second Language) certified 7th grade English Language Arts teacher in El Paso, Texas for 9 years. Teaching in a Title 1 school located in a border town really opened her eyes to some of the obstacles these students encountered, and the lack of equitable educational opportunities. She moved to Duluth, Minnesota from Pittsburgh almost three years ago, where she completed her PhD in the Language, Literacy, and Culture program at the University of Pittsburgh. Her dissertation research involved partnering with high school students from immigrant, refugee, and visiting professional families, and exploring their perceptions about their schooling experiences in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Judi Roux completed a B.A. in Biology from St. Olaf College in 1990. A Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree from Mankato State University in 1994 provides relevant connections to her position in the Graduate Teaching Licensure program. Experiences in teacher leadership and professional development facilitation led to the completion of a Doctorate in Teaching and Learning (Ed.D.) in 2013 from the University of Minnesota Duluth. As an educator for over 25 years, Dr. Roux has taught secondary life science, informal science classes for elementary students, and courses in education, science education, and biology for undergraduate and graduate students. She has also facilitated professional learning sessions in research-based teaching strategies, digital tools, classroom assessments, and culturally responsive teaching. In recent years, she wrote and edited an instructor guide, test banks, and PowerPoint lectures for two editions of a college-level introductory biology textbook.

Dr. Michele Sneed received her Doctoral Degree in Social Work from Capella University and has spent the majority of her career working within the child welfare field. She has been trained in Infant Early Childhood Mental Health through the University of Minnesota. She currently provides individual and family therapy part time for a local non profit and is an Assistant Professor for The College of St. Scholastica.

Darci Weets has been a high school special education teacher for the last 17 years. She has worked with students at all grade levels, and with varying disabilities. Darci has also worked as an adjunct with The College of St. Scholastica for the last seven years. She is very passionate about education and wants to help students and families.

After teaching English, German, and Television Production at the high school level for 30 years, Neil joined the CSS faculty in 2012, where he has taught in the School of Education. Neil also directs the CSS Center for Teaching and Learning.