Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology

Wilson Bull
Wilson (Will) Bull serves as a Coordinator for the TechREACH Alliance Project (TAP) through a one-year AmeriCorps*VISTA position with the CTC*VISTA project. Will graduated in May 2008 from Kenyon College in Ohio, where he double-majored in music and Spanish area studies. He has experience working with low income communities and organizing systems for trainings, which will be a large part of his job responsibilities. Will's fluency in Spanish will also be a great asset to the TechREACH program. He enjoys seeing people learn how to use the internet and is excited about teaching people computer skills so they can improve their lives.

Mariann Farrell
Mariann Farrell is the graphic designer for Web and print at the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology. A PSCTLT employee since 2000, her responsibilities include overseeing the Center's overall style as well as creating a unique visual identity for each of the project groups within the Center. She has designed and produced the Center‘s Web sites, project logos, marketing materials, conference banners, posters, e-newsletters, CD covers, mousepads, annual reports, and replication guides.

As a BFA graduate of the Maine College of Art, Mariann began her formal design career as a jewelry designer/metalsmith transitioning to digital interactive media and graphic design in the late 90’s.

Chris Florez
Chris Florez, TechREACH Program Manager, joined the Puget Sound Center in the fall of 2008. He has ten years of extensive information technology (IT) experience, including multimedia and database design, web-based curriculum development, and the integration of Web 2.0 technologies for education-based data analysis. He is a certificated K-8 teacher and will receive his M.S. in Educational Technology in the spring of 2009. Prior to joining the Puget Sound Center, Chris managed a Seattle-based K-8 after school program emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills for underrepresented youth.

Les Foltos, Ph.D.
Les Foltos is the Director of the edLAB division of the Puget Sound Center. Prior to this, he served as the Director of Instructional Technology for Seattle Public Schools from 1990 to 2001. Les led the development and implementation of the District’s K-12 Instructional Technology Plan, including the training program to provide teachers with necessary technical skills and teaching strategies to infuse technology into the curriculum. He has also played an important role in shaping statewide professional development programs by helping to shape the Smart Tools Leadership Academy and the Technology Alliance’s Instructional Technology in Education Task Force Report in 1998. He is a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences including the NECC and Microsoft’s Connected Learning Community Summit and Anywhere, Anytime Learning Conference. Les earned a Ph.D. in American History from University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and has six years of teaching experience at the university level.

Shane Hendrix
Shane Hendrix is an application developer for the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology. Shane has eight years of experience working with Web application programming and databases. Prior to joining the Center, he worked for the City of Seattle on the SafeHarbors project developing a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). This was preceded performing similar development responsibilities at companies such as Real Networks, Edgar-Online, and Humongous Entertainment.

Matt Huston
Matt Huston is a Program Manager in the edLAB group at the Puget Sound Center. At the Center since 2003, Matt develops powerful professional learning environments, designs electronic collaboration tools, and leads professional development workshops online and face-to-face. Prior to joining the Center, Matt developed and led online courses for high school students and education professionals. Matt is a graduate of Concord Consortium's advanced online facilitation course, a veteran online and face-to-face English teacher, and a professional development specialist.

Shelee King George
Shelee King George, M.A. Ed. Admin is a Program Manager for the Puget Sound Center's edLAB division. She is responsible for the coordination and implementation of several of Puget Sound Center’s professional development initiatives. Shelee has been a facilitator for the Peer Coaching Program and has served on its advisory team since its inception.

Shelee has 25 years of experience in public education as a classroom teacher, an adjunct university professor, a technology integration specialist, and a facilitator for professional development programs. Working with a team of educators, Shelee collaborated to plan, design, and implement a technology competency program for teachers. She also served as a member of the Professional Development Cadre for the State of Washington’s Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI).

Shelee frequently presents at conferences and events and continues to provide on-site, e-mail, and voice support for the educators she networks with. She delivers the Peer Coaching Facilitator Training to educators world wide helping them build capacity for professional learning. Shelee has a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration with a Technology Endorsement from Seattle Pacific University.

Karen Kniep Blanton
Karen Kniep Blanton, M.S. is the Grantwriter for the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology. She has five years of experience in developing, managing and evaluating state, federal and private foundation grants in informal and formal pre-K-16 education, employment and training, human services, and community development. Her grant writing expertise and grant development assistance has helped secure over $16 million in grant proposals over the past three years. Karen has also taught an accelerated online bachelor’s degree program in leadership for the past four years, including curriculum development, and taught freshman seminar courses for four years. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Washington State University and her Master’s degree in Leadership Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Carrie Liston
Carrie is a member of the Evaluation & Research Associates of the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology. Prior to joining the Center, she worked on qualitative-based evaluations of a university science outreach program at Ethnography & Evaluation Research in Boulder and on large scale research projects at the L.A. Unified School District. Carrie did her undergraduate work at Occidental College and has an M.A. in Educational Psychology from the University of Colorado.

Karen Manuel
Karen Manuel, M.A.Ed. is Director of the TechREACH program and an Evaluator with the Evaluation & Research Associates at the Puget Sound Center. She has over nine years of experience in education, teaching technology and job skills to youth, and managing K-12 school improvement initiatives. She has managed partnerships, programs, and professional development initiatives that improve the teaching of science, technology, and math in K-12 schools. Karen has expertise in conducting focus groups and evaluating conferences, training, and initiatives focused on increasing girls’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Karen Meyer
Karen Meyer, M.Ed. is a Curriculum Developer and a Peer Coaching master trainer. Karen is involved in several of the Puget Sound Center’s programs. She is the lead curriculum designer for the Peer Coaching Program, an international staff development program that is part of the Partners in Learning Program sponsored by Microsoft. She is currently designing curriculum for TechREACH, an after school program for middle school students.

For over 20 years, Karen has been involved in K-12 education. Karen’s work experiences include: technology curriculum specialist, classroom teacher, adjunct university faculty, and instructional designer. She is one of the creators of: New Tools Teaching with Technology, a video-based staff development program that showcases teachers integrating technology into their classrooms. She is a graduate of the University of Washington with a M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction focusing on instructional design. Karen frequently presents at the National Staff Development Council’s annual conference.

Jill Perkins
As the Program Coordinator for PSCTLT’s education work including Microsoft Peer Coaching, Jill Perkins provides support for the international and domestic areas of the program. She also provides support for the TechREACH program. Before joining PSCTLT, she worked for nearly five years at a Seattle biotech company in the Quality Assurance department. In her spare time, Jill enjoys gardening, travel and spending time with her family and friends. Jill has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Social Service from Seattle Pacific University.

Karen A. Peterson
Karen A. Peterson, M.Ed. is the Executive Director for the Center, Director of the Diversity in Technology Group, and an Evaluator with the Evaluation & Research Associates. She has managed two U.S. Department of Education grants designed to provide professional development opportunities to Puget Sound area teachers and serves as Principal Investigator on the National Science Foundation grant “The National Girls Collaborative Project”.

For over 20 years, Karen has been active in education as a classroom teacher, university instructor, pre-service and in-service teacher educator, program administrator, and researcher. Serving as Western Washington University’s first "Internet Librarian," she assisted teacher education faculty and students in the integration of technology into K-12 classroom teaching. She currently serves on the board of SMARTgirls, a Seattle-based non-profit organization that develops and administers programs designed to increase girls’ interests in math, science, and technology. A graduate of the University of Washington, Bothell campus, her Master’s thesis focused on gendered attitudes towards computer use in education.

Vicky Ragan
Vicky Ragan, Ed. D. is the Director of Evaluation & Research Associates at the Puget Sound Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology and a Peer Coaching master trainer with edLAB.

Vicky's work experiences include: classroom teacher, library media specialist, adjunct university instructor, technology integration specialist, program manager, program evaluation and technology coach. Serving as a technology integration specialist, she co-developed and implemented a comprehensive program of teacher technology competencies that focused on the integration of technology into K-12 classrooms. She also created and managed a pilot program to help librarians collaborate with classroom teachers to infuse project-based learning activities into their classrooms. Vicky has worked on several evaluation projects including a federal DOE grant, a NSF project and many independent program evaluations. A graduate of Nova Southeastern University, her Doctorate is in Instructional Technology and Distance Education.

Mary Swift
Mary is Program Coordinator for the National Girls Collaborative Project. She also provides support for the Evaluation and Research Associates. Mary helps manage the National Girls Collaborative Project’s Program Directory, SharePoint site, calendar, webcasts, mini-grants, listservs, and monthly NGCP newsletter. Mary is a Seattle native and loves the Northwest. Before coming to the Puget Sound Center, she worked for seven years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as an Editor and Communications Specialist. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in history from Santa Clara University in California. At Santa Clara, she worked as a tutor and peer educator in English and writing.

Bev Walker
Office Manager

Tim Wiseman
Tim Wiseman provides network administration and technical support for all PSCTLT programs and services. Tim has a Bachelors degree in Industrial Technology from the University of North Dakota, additional course work in Education, and is an A+ and Network+ Certified Professional. Prior to joining PSCTLT, Tim served as a Software Test Engineer for Microsoft and a Network Administrator for the Sacred Heart School system.