Educational Foundations Department

Meet Your Faculty


Dr. Elizabeth Blair
Dr. Elizabeth Blair

She/her/hers

Associate Professor

Winther 6049

blaire@uww.edu

262-472-5433

Liz Blair teaches psychological and social foundations courses for undergraduate and graduate students. As a teacher educator, Liz aims to support preservice teachers to understand the centrality of authentic relationships and critical, reflective practice to promote equity and support the success of all students. Her interdisciplinary scholarship explores connections between student identity development, achievement, and student and teacher relationships in K-16 settings, with a particular focus on gender identity and equity. Liz's research has appeared in journals including Teachers College Record, Teaching and Teacher Education, Gender and Education, and the Journal of Engineering Education, and she co-edited the volume Education and War (Harvard Education Press).

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Dr. Anne Durst

She/her/hers

Associate Professor

Winther 6046

dursta@uww.edu

262-472-4874

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Dr. Kathleen Elliott

Associate Professor

Winther 6058 (?)

elliottk@uww.edu

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Dr. Beth King

She/her/hers

Associate Professor

Winther 6059

kinge@uww.edu

262-472-5421

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Dr. Eric Luckey

He/Him/His

Assistant Professor

Winther 6052

luckeye@uww.edu

Eric Luckey teaches in the Educational Foundations department.

Jenni Petersen Headshot

Dr. Jenni Petersen

She/her/hers

Department Chair and Associate Professor

Winther 6043

petersej@uww.edu

262-472-5408

Jenni Petersen teachs psychological foundations courses for undergraduate and graduate students, with a special interest in human development and education. Her research is primarily focused on the psychosocial development of school-aged children. This interest has resulted in publications about gender development, intergenerational programming, and psychometrics such as meta-analysis.

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Dr. Mark Schroeder-Strong

He/him/his

Associate Professor

Winther 6051

schroedm@uww.edu

262-472-5429

Dr. Gardner Seawright

He/him/his

Assistant Professor

Winther 6045

seawrigg@uww.edu

262-472-5432

Gardner Seawright teaches courses on the social, historical, and philosophical foundations of education. Before joining the faculty at Whitewater Gardner was a middle school social studies teacher. His research examines the ways that race influences the everyday act of teaching. In particular, his work explores the relationality and phenomenology of whiteness in the classroom, as well as the development of antiracist, anti-colonial, and place-based pedagogies and curricula. From these lenses, using both qualitative and theoretical approaches, Gardner's scholarship analyzes teacher-student relationships, place-based education, qualitative methodologies, teacher education, and social studies education.

Dr. Nicole Weber

Assistant Professor

Winther 6052

webern@uww.edu

262-472-5407

Nicole Weber coordinates and teaches in the Instructional Design and Learning Technology (IDLT) master’s degree program. Prior to her current position, she served as the Associate Vice President (AVP) of Learning with the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), where she worked closely with staff, educators across sectors, and global partners to advance professional learning opportunities, continuous improvement efforts, and research in support of quality digital, blended, and online learning. With a depth of experience leading global, national, and campus initiatives that support continuous improvement of digital, blended, and online learning, Nicole has presented widely at conferences in the field, as well as published various blogs, reports, playbooks, and articles sharing her work. Her research interests focus on the impact of technology on the learning environment and research-driven practices for effective digital, blended, and online learning, support, and leadership.

Tara Schmidt

She/her/hers

Lecturer

schmidttr@uww.edu

Lex Schuhmacher

She/her/hers

Department Assistant

Winther 6036

schuhmacam30@uww.edu

262-472-1380