Faculty & Staff
Get Access to the Best Minds in Education – Online
Dominican University’s School of Education online faculty members are leaders in education who are actively engaged in national decision-making bodies such as the Association of American Higher Education, the Council of Exceptional Children and the National Adolescent Literacy Coalition. In addition, Dominican’s instructors have earned numerous honors including the prestigious Samuel Kirk Special Educator of the Year from the Learning Disabilities Association of America.
The faculty also includes past presidents of the Illinois Association of Teacher Educators in Private Colleges and the Illinois Association of Gifted Children.
Dominican’s accomplished education faculty are widely published in industry journals and are sought-after presenters for workshops and conferences nationwide. In short, you can feel confident that your Master’s in Education curriculum will cover the latest techniques from the brightest minds in education.
- Learn from nationally recognized experts
- Discover new resources to enhance your skills
- Refresh your skills with the latest techniques
- Develop strategies to better manage the learning environment
Master of Arts in Education Faculty
Patricia Belanger | Bridget Burns | Patti Chow | Catherine Cohoon | Carolyn Croft O.P. | Lindsay Garvin | Wendy Rybinski
Patricia Belanger
I received a Bachelor’s in Science in Elementary Education from Northern Illinois University, and received a Master’s in Reading from Governor’s State University. I also have a Reading Specialist Certificate from the state of Illinois. I have taught grades Kindergarten, 1st and 4th, and was also a Reading Specialist in the school district for six years. My school was the pilot school for the RtI initiative within my district. I was in charge of testing, grouping students and implementing interventions in the classroom, as well as overseeing tutors and aides with these interventions. I have some background on interventions to give when working with students at different levels. I have a great deal of experience with administering different assessments for reading.
Bridget Burns
I am a native of the Chicago-land area, and I received my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with concentrations in Language Arts and Social Studies from Loyola University in Chicago. I then earned my master’s degree in Educational Administration from Governor’s State University. I have taught 4th, 5th and 6th grades, as well as serving as a resource teacher for grades 1st through 3rd. Using my teaching experience and administrative certification, I assumed the position of Assistant Principal in a K-6 building. Since coming to Dominican, I have served as a Field Supervisor for student teachers, an academic advisor to online students, and have taught courses both on campus and online. The courses include: Math Methods for Elementary and Middle School Teachers, Reading in the Content Areas, Tools and Techniques of Assessment, and Rethinking Curriculum. I was a key developer in the implementation of the online program, and currently hold the position of Coordinator of the Online Programs.
Patti Chow
I am a state-certified Reading Specialist with a Master of Arts in Education: Reading from Concordia University. My undergraduate degree is from the University of Illinois, Urbana – Champaign. I have been teaching in the education field for over 20 years, which includes teaching ESL, Kindergarten, 4th grade (bilingual and general education), and serving as a District Literacy Support Teacher for grades K-8. I have been a Reading and Language Arts Program Supervisor in Cicero, IL District #99, as well as K-5 Reading and Social Studies Coordinator for Valley View District #365 in Bolingbrook, IL. In addition to teaching children, I have provided extensive professional development to teachers, have taught Adult ESL classes at College of DuPage, and have taught two graduate-level courses at Columbia College in Chicago. Five years ago, I decided to return to teaching children, and am currently the Intermediate Reading Specialist at Wood View Elementary School in Bolingbrook, IL. I work with struggling 2nd through 5th grade students, many for whom English is their second language. I am also very involved with education in our community, as I serve on the board of a local grassroots organization called BAAWG – Building Academic Achievement Within this Generation. As I believe that we are all lifelong learners, I am so excited to be an instructor at Dominican University and sharing this journey with you.
Catherine Cohoon
I started my career in education as a 2nd grade bilingual teacher in Cicero, IL, and completed the coursework for the ESL and Bilingual Spanish endorsements. I later completed my Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership at National-Louis University. Upon completion of my MAEd, I worked for two years as an assistant principal in an elementary school in Alsip, IL. I am currently in my ninth year as the Director of English Language Learning Services for Naperville Community Unit School District #203.
Carolyn Croft O.P.
I have been a teacher and Dominican Sister for 45 years. Throughout my career, I have educated and designed curriculum programs for at least 1,000 children in both the public and private school systems. I have worked with children and adults who have severe-to-mild disabilities, monitoring their behavior, discovering their learning styles and teaching to their strengths in order for them to reach their potential. I have advocated for parents and designed behavior programs that work in the home and in school. I have assessed, tested and observed children for the referral process so that they would be eligible to receive services to complete their education. My education includes two Master of Arts degrees – one in Special Education and one in Educational Administration. I hold state certificates and have earned several awards for my service to the students with disabilities. Currently, I have the 4 A Center which tutors, tests and consults with parents and schools. I have been an adjunct faculty member of Dominican University for many years, and am currently teaching online courses for the Graduate School of Education.
Lindsay Garvin
I attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, and completed my undergraduate degree in 2004. I have a major in K-12 Spanish Education and K-12 Endorsement in English as a Second Language. I began teaching elementary K-5 ESL in 2005 in Waukee, Iowa. In 2009, I moved to Waukee Middle School and have been teaching 6th-8th grade ESL classes. Also, in 2009 I started my master's degree in ESL at Dominican University, and graduated in 2010. Since the completion of my master's, I have taught online ESL endorsement classes for William Penn University. Some of the courses include Theory of Language and Linguistics, Language and Culture, Methods of Teaching ESL and Language Acquisition. I especially have a love for the linguistics class! I have also taught ESL at Mercy Medical College to refugees wanting to obtain a medical degree. Most of my free time is spent reading professional development books for my own classroom and the many classes that I teach. However, I do find time to run (training for my first marathon!), bike, attend Iowa Hawkeye football games, and spend weekends in Okoboji with my family.
Wendy Rybinski
I have been in the field of education in some form or another for close to 40 years. I earned my bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Florida and my master’s in education from the University of South Florida. My teaching assignments have ranged from Director of Education for a mental health hospital, resource teacher for 17 years in the public school system, and over a decade as an adjunct faculty member for online graduate education degrees and community colleges in the Tampa, Florida area. I am currently the Director of Curriculum and Faculty Development at Bisk Education in Tampa, where I direct a team of over 30 instructional designers, digital media specialists, Flash developers, and graphic artists to create online education for a variety of universities. In the 1980s, while teaching in the Tampa area public school system, I became involved with the advent of technology in the classroom. As part of the Technology Committee, I co-authored a grant for retrofitting my school with a computer network and soon afterwards was drawn into a variety of local and regional groups dedicated to furthering this cause throughout the county. After augmenting my education with post-graduate courses in Instructional Technology, I left the public school system for my current position, allowing me to direct my passion for pairing teaching and classroom technology toward higher education. An avid reader, I spend free time with fiction of all types, but recommend books by John Taylor Gatto and Richard J. Light’s Making the Most of College for professional enrichment.
