October 1

Dennis White

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College

Dennis White is cultural coordinator and a mathematics and art faculty at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College in Hayward, WI. He has been honored for his lifetime achievements (30+ years) in education and leadership in Northern Wisconsin. In 2009 he was invited to participate in the Smithsonian Institute’s Arts Leadership Program and the Smithsonian’s American Indian’s Indigenous Contemporary Arts Program in Washington, D.C. In 2017 he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Wisconsin-Superior where he completed his undergraduate studies in mathematics before earning a master’s degree in mathematics from UW-Madison. UW-Superior established the Dennis White Scholarship for members of Ojibwe Tribes seeking a degree in education.

Vicki Besaw

College of Menominee Nation

Vicki L. Besaw has devoted her life’s work to education at the Menominee Nation. She is an English instructor at College of Menominee Nation, while seeking an E.D. in First Nations Education at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. She earned an M.A. Degree in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a B.S. Degree in Secondary English Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was recognized for academic excellence at both universities. Prior to joining CMN in 2006, she taught at the Menominee Tribal School (K-8) and the Menominee Indian High School. In 2018, Vicki was recognized as Faculty Member of the Year at College of Menominee Nation by the American Indian College Fund.

Dr. Chia Youyee Vang

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Chia Youyee Vang is Professor of History and Interim Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at UW-Milwaukee. Her teaching and research interests include twentieth century U.S. international history, the Cold War in Asia, Asian American history, Hmong history, refugee migration and transnational and diasporic communities. Dr. Vang’s research is global in scope but intimately informed by her own refugee experiences as a child. She is interested in not only understanding larger political and military transformations, but also, the lived experiences of those who experience wars not of their own making but fought in their environments. Her documentation of Southeast Asian refugee lives and that of their descendants across four continents help us to better understand the lasting impact of one of the most controversial wars of the 20th century. Dr. Vang received her Ph.D. and M.A. Degree from University of Minnesota, and a B.A. Degree at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Dr. Tyler R. Flockhart

Viterbo University

Tyler Flockhart is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Social Work, Sociology, and Criminal & Community Justice at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. Both his teaching and research interests center on exploring how inequalities are reproduced and preserved in the contemporary United States. Dr. Flockhart received his Ph.D. at North Carolina State University, M.S. Degree at Illinois State University, and B.A. Degree at University of Northern Iowa.

Heather Cox

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

Heather Anderson Cox is a Pathways to Academic Success Instructor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, WI. She teaches GED, HSED, Alternative High School, Career Pathway Bridge, and College 101, a first-year student success course. She also serves as a curriculum developer, speaker, writing, and community advocate. After several years in science textbook publishing, Heather began teaching in the technical college system, first in South Carolina and currently in Wisconsin, where she has been teaching for 17 years. Professionally, she is focused on the impact of mental health, trauma informed in the classroom, and bandwidth recovery on student success and persistence. Outside the classroom, she is a founding and executive board member of the non-profit Hands on Deck, which seeks to pair community youth and mentors through woodworking, boatbuilding, youth apprenticeships, and sustainability of the bay of Green Bay. Heather holds a BS in Biology and Technical Writing and an MA in Professional Communication from Clemson University.

October 15

Michelle Haskins, M.Ed.

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College

Michelle P. Haskins is an enrolled member of Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. She is a 15-year veteran teacher who earned her Master of Education Degree and a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree with a minor in Ojibwe Language at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Michelle completed the Gekinoo'amaagejig Teacher Training Program and holds Elementary Education Certification. Most of Ms. Haskins' career has been devoted to Ojibwe immersion education. Michelle is currently the lead faculty of the Early Childhood Education program at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College and takes great pride in training teacher candidates. Her passion is student empowerment whether it be in the early school years or collegiate level. Michelle is President of the Faculty Senate at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College.

Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Selika Ducksworth-Lawton is an educator, advocate, activist, community-builder, jazz musician, and leader. She is Professor of History specializing in Twentieth-Century African American Military, National Security, and Civil Rights History at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In 2021, she received the prestigious UW Regents’ Diversity Award. She is President of Uniting Bridges of Chippewa County, and serves on the executive board of ACLU of Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley Chapter, and the Eau Claire Police and Fire Commission. She co-hosts a weekly radio show and podcast, Conversations of Color, and is writing a book, Honorable Men: Armed Self Defense and the Deacons for Defense and Justice. She co-authored Minority and Gender Differences in Officer Career Progression. Dr. Ducksworth-Lawton earned her Ph.D. in 20^th Century Military and African American History from Ohio State University.

Kelli Chelberg, Ed.D.

College of Menominee Nation

Dr. Kelli Chelberg is Chair and Associate Professor in the Teacher Education Department at the College of Menominee Nation in Northern Wisconsin. Kelli serves as project director for both CMN’s Aspiring Educators and Early Educators grant projects, which provide financial and induction support for American Indian students in the early childhood field. In addition, Kelli is committed to student learning and success as she mentors and coaches first-generation college students through the challenges of higher education. In 2020, Dr. Chelberg received the American Indian College Fund’s Faculty Member of the Year at CMN. Prior to her work at CMN, she spent many years teaching in a variety of K-12 settings. Dr. Chelberg is a doctoral graduate of Edgewood College in Madison. She received an M.S. Degree in Education from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and a B.S. Degree in Education from Greenville University in Greenville, IL. This is her 18th year at CMN’s Keshena campus.

Dr. Catherine Homan

Mount Mary University

Catherine Homan is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Theology and Philosophy Department at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, WI. She regularly teaches introductory and upper-level philosophy courses in a variety of formats. She is the author of A Hermeneutics of Poetic Education: The Play of the In-Between (2020). Her research interests are primarily in aesthetics, the philosophy of play, and philosophy of education. Dr. Homan received her Ph.D. and M.A. Degree in Philosophy at Emory University, and a B.A. Degree in Philosophy and German at Creighton University.

Katie Walk

Chippewa Valley Technical College

Katie Walk is the program director, instructor, and student internship coordinator of the Human Resource Management Program at Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire, WI. She worked in various HR leadership roles for a Fortune 500 workforce solutions organization for 20 years prior to joining the faculty at CVTC five years ago. Her areas of expertise include employee recruiting & retention, employee relations, project management, sales, safety, security, and worker's compensation management. Throughout her career she’s been an active volunteer leader for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) having served in Chapter and State Council leadership roles. In addition, she’s been active in other organizations including Junior Achievement and Junior League of Eau Claire. Katie’s educational background includes a bachelor's degree in Organizational Communication from Winona State University and a master's degree in Business Administration from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Additionally, she holds the SHRM-SCP and SPHR certification. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D. degree in Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia.