LADDER Staff
Stephen Kailin, Ph.D.
LADDER Project Co-Manager
Phone: 608-263-4249
Email:
smkailin@wisc.edu
Dr.Stephen Kailin is a former teacher and principal in the Madison, Wisconsin school district. Recent responsibilities have included working as a Senior Trainer at the Comprehensive Center® - Region VI where, among his many roles, he specialized in school improvement planning
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Merideth R. Trahan
WIDA Operations Manager
LADDER Project Co-Manager
Phone: 608-262-4404
Email:
mrtrahan@wisc.edu
Merideth Trahan oversees the human resource efforts for the WIDA project including managing staff recruitment and retention, internal communication, and the coordination of strategic planning for the leadership team. In addition, she manages the WIDA LADDER grant, a National Professional Development project to enhance the assessment and data literacy of school-based ELL leadership teams.
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LADDER Core Development Team
Tim Boals, Ph.D.
WIDA Executive Director
LADDER Principal Investigator
Phone: 608-263-4326
Email:
tjboals@wisc.edu
As WIDA's Executive Director,
Tim Boals oversees operations at WIDA and long range planning efforts. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in curriculum with an emphasis in the education of English language learners.
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Mariana Castro
WIDA Professional Development Director
LADDER Project Director
Phone: 608-263-3976
Email:
mcastro@wisc.edu
Mariana Castro helps states build capacity through trainings, workshops, the dissemination of information, and the implementation of language standards across their curricula. She also delivers professional development and represents WIDA at state and national conferences. Read more 
Lorena Mancilla
WIDA Professional Development Outreach Specialist
LADDER Core Development Team
Phone: 608-890-4260
Email:
lmancilla@wisc.edu
Lorena Mancilla has seven years of experience as an ELL educator. She is the project manager for the SALSA (Spanish Academic Language Standards & Assessment) grant and will serve as the professional development team's link to the ACCESS for ELLs test development team, as well as supporting WIDA's other ongoing PD projects including LADDER for ELLs.
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Emily Evans brings to her work her elementary and post-secondary teaching experiences, as well as her background as a research associate working on projects ranging from the development of language proficiency tests, to research efforts on academic vocabulary and sheltered instruction, to the design and facilitation of professional development offerings.
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Anupama Shekar works on the LADDER for ELLs™ professional development program to assist consortium schools in making data-driven decisions about their English language learners. She is a doctoral student in the department of Education Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and comes to WIDA with a background as an education writer and researcher in India.
Amanda Spalter works on the LADDER for ELLs professional development program to assist consortium schools in making data-driven decisions about their English language learners. She is a doctoral student in Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
LADDER Consultants
Margo Gottlieb, Ph.D.
WIDA Lead Developer
Phone: 224-366-8532
Email:
mgottlieb@cntrmail.org
2626 S. Clearbrook Dr.
Arlington Heights, IL 60005-4626
Margo Gottlieb is nationally recognized in the field of English language proficiency education. She has led the design and development of the
WIDA ELP Standards, authored the accompanying guides, and assisted in the development and realization of WIDA's comprehensive assessment system.
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Christy Reveles, Ed.D., a certified leadership and instructional coach, has spent the past decade immersed in the study, design, and development of coaching programs to support schools in their implementation of instructional change initiatives.
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Judy K. Sargent, Ph.D.
CESA #7
Phone: 920-617-5631 (office)
Email:
jsargent@cesa7.k12.wi.us
595 Baeten Road
Green Bay, WI 54304
Judy Sargent has a wealth of experience leading data-driven decision-making and school reform, and has worked extensively in public schools and educational publishing and consulting.
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Judith Wilde, Ph.D.
Executive Director, NCELA
Email:
jwilde@gwu.edu
2011 Eye St. NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006
Judith Wilde is the principal in ßeta Group Consulting, a small organization focusing on program development and evaluation. She is also the Executive Director of the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA).
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