Faculty

Our professors are distinguished scholars, active researchers, published writers, and faithful Christians who demonstrate what it means to be both Christ-followers and leaders in their academic fields. As mentors and role models, they play a huge role in the integration of faith and learning at Bethel.

Department chair

Jill Martin

Associate Professor of Education | jmartin@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1996

Martin's scholarly interests include content area literacy, reflective teaching, and teacher's use of metacognation. Her teaching specialties include secondary social studies, middle level philosophy and pedagogy, and educational psychology.

Faculty

Nadine Johnson

Education Licensing and Advising Specialist | n-johnson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2012

Johnson focuses primarily on advising incoming first-time students and transfer students to the education department while also advising seniors through the licensure process as they journey forward into a teaching career.

Elisabeth Lefebvre

Associate Professor of Education | eel54258@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2018

Dr. Elisabeth E. Lefebvre is an associate professor in the Department of Education at Bethel University. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative and International Development Education with a minor in Sociocultural Studies in Education from the University of Minnesota, and an M.A. in International Studies from the University of Oregon. Before attending graduate school, she worked as an elementary school teacher in Louisiana, USA, and in Morocco. Lefebvre's interdisciplinary research examines the m. . . read more.

Mary Lindell

Professor of Education | mlindell@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2015

Dr. Lindell is interested in practices and interventions that support student success in inclusive environments. She enjoys facilitating general and special education teacher development and partnering with schools to better prepare teachers and serve (P-12) students well. Her research agenda centers on the impacts of inclusive post-secondary programs and Bethel's BUILD program.

Peg McCormick

Professor of Education | p-mccormick@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2009

Peg McCormick's interests and areas of specialization include Behavioral Theory, interventions for the EBD classroom, resilient health and occupational longevity for teachers, and best practices for the support of international student teachers.

Danny Swensen

Professor of Education | d-swensen@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2008

Areas of expertise include mathematics and physics education, education technology, and statistics.

Geri Von Grey

Associate Professor of Education | geri-vongrey@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2012

Professor VonGrey has been in the field of education for over 25 years. She has spent many years teaching in various schools including public, private, Montessori, and International school contexts. She began her work at Bethel in 2012 and works with Elementary Education majors. Her interests include best practices in social studies education, integrating educational psychology, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed teaching practices. Additionally, she is interested in supporting . . . read more.

Adjunct faculty

Lisa Bekemeyer

Adjunct Instructor of Education | ldb86486@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2001

I am passionate about teaching multi-lingual learners and helping our teacher candidates prepare for this worthy profession. In my courses, I emphasize teaching language through a wide variety of strategies that fit under the umbrella of CI (Comprehensible Input); I strive to help my learners actively engage and practice these strategies for teaching language through content.

Becky Carlson

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Education and Placement and Partnership Specialist | becky-carlson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2003

Becky Carlson formerly served ten years as a fourth and fifth-grade elementary teacher and began at Bethel University in 2003 serving as a supervisor for student teachers and practicum experiences. Carlson's work focuses on placing student teachers and field experience students in elementary schools and working with local Twin Cities school districts. Her current partnerships focus on research in induction and mentorship support for new teachers.. . . read more.

William Derden

Adjunct Instructor of Education | wid88763@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2019

Adjunct Professor Specializing in Special Education Due Process and Law Graduate of Bethel Educational Doctorate Program.

Elise Erlandson

Adjunct Instructor of Education | e-erlandson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2024

Adjunct Instructor of Education

Amy Fox

Adjunct Instructor of Education | beiamy@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2019

Secondary Science, Trauma Informed Instruction, Education Equity, Environmental Education

Katelin Held

Adjunct Instructor of Education | k-held@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2023

Adjunct Instructor of Education

Sara Jones

Adjunct Instructor of Education | slj22393@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2024

Adjunct Instructor of Education

Rachel Jorgensen

Adjunct Instructor of Education | rra35368@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2017

Dr. Rachel Jorgensen is a leader in work-based learning with experience in both general education and special education work-based learning programs. She also has expertise in the area of special education and parental support for students with disabilities. She is the author of two books published by Routledge. The first, Loving Your Job in Special Education: 50 Tips and Tools, is a resource on burnout prevention to help educators find lasting peace and joy in their work as special educato. . . read more.

Lisa Kepple

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Health Education | patlis@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2015

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Applied Health Sciences

Tyler Krebs

Adjunct Instructor of Education | tyk22897@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2022

Adjunct Instructor of Education

Alanna Lienig

Adunct Instructor of Education | a-lienig@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2024

Adunct Instructor of Education

Amie Lorence Grubidge

Adjunct Instructor of Education | amie-lorence@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2016

Adjunct Instructor of Education

Glenn Morehouse Olson

Adjunct Instructor of Education | olsgle@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2019

Glenn Morehouse Olson is an adjunct professor for Bethel University, teaching the Language Arts Methods course in the CAPS/GS program. She is a Certified Journalism Educator who also has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater performance. Now in her 17th year as an educator, she teaches AP Lang and Comp, journalism (on-line, broadcast, social media, and print), theater, playwrighting and Language Arts (grades 9 - 12) at St. Francis High School. She has three daughters and her husband is also a. . . read more.

Sara Nelson

Adjunct Instructor of Education | smn49478@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2017

Adjunct Instructor of Education

Lisa Ouren

Adjunct Instructor of Education | Lmo72847@Bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2016

Lisa Ouren is an adjunct professor in the CAPS/GS Special Education Program.

Amanda Wallrich

Adjunct Instructor of Education | amw75724@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2024

Adjunct Instructor of Education, Student Teacher Supervisor

Emeritus/emerita faculty

Susan Brooks

Professor of English Emerita | susan-brooks@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1998

Dr. Brooks works primarily with the Communication Arts and Literature Education major, preparing students to be high school and middle school English teachers. Her scholarship focuses on best practices in reading and writing--particularly how people's underlying ideas about the nature of literature affect the ways they read, write and teach. She specializes in young adult literature and recently had a chapter published in Teens and the New Religious Landscape: Essays on Religion in Young. . . read more.

Scott Brown

Professor of Mathematics Education Emeritus | sbrown@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1996

Brown has years of practical classroom experience as a mathematics teacher in the public schools of Cody, Wyoming. He teaches a wide range of courses in both mathematics and education and oversees Bethel's 5-8 and 5-12 math education programs, ensuring compliance with Minnesota teacher licensure requirements.

Patricia Danforth

Assistant Professor of Education Emerita | danpat@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1991

Assistant Professor of Education Emerita

Adele Greenlee

Professor of Education Emerita | a-greenlee@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1993

Professor of Education Emerita

Steven Henkel

Professor of Human Kinetics and Applied Health Science Emeritus | s-henkel@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1986

Henkel speaks and writes about creative movement, motor skill development, character development, and developmentally appropriate games for children and youth.

Sandi Horn

Associate Professor of Education Emerita | sandi-horn@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1997

Horn's research interests include charter school development, experiential learning for teacher education candidates, and integration of social studies concepts into elementary curriculum. Her teaching specialties include introduction to education and elementary social studies methods.

David Klostreich

Associate Professor of Physical Education Emeritus | klolois@comcast.net | Started at Bethel: 1970

Associate Professor of Physical Education Emeritus

Patricia Paulson

Professor of Science Education Emerita | patricia-paulson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1999

Paulson focuses her research on trustworthy practices for teaching and learning, focusing specifically on integrating scientific practices. She has led the GEMS program, coordinated the STEM program, and taught Life Science Concepts, Applied STEM Practices, and Science Curriculum and Methods at all levels. With the completion of her phased in retirement in June 2020, Paulson serves as an adjunct instructor in the Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership program, teaching the Curriculum and Inst. . . read more.

Jolene Pearson

Associate Professor of Education Emerita | jolene-pearson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2012

Dr. Pearson has focused her research on pre-service teacher preparation. Her dissertation was entitled: Too Important to Ignore: Teaching Pre-Service Teachers about Infants and Toddlers. Her current research is focused on analysis of student's reflective journals to understand how they interpret their experiences in early childhood classrooms during practicums. In Fall 2018 her sabbatical research will take her to the University of Iceland, Queen Maud University in Norway, Roehampton Univ. . . read more.

Jay Rasmussen

Professor of Education Emeritus | rasjay@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1997

Jay has served for 27 years as a teacher educator and is currently a Professor Emeritus of Education at Bethel University. Teaching responsibilities included undergraduate and graduate level courses in literacy education and assessment. His previous administrative responsibilities included serving as a Faculty Development Coordinator at Bethel and as the Program Director for the M.A. Program in Education: K-12. From 1997-2006 which he helped develop and oversee four master's programs and on. . . read more.

Mark Rhoads

Professor of Music Emeritus | rhomar@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1988

Rhoads teaches courses in church music, music education, and gen. ed. arts courses. He is a member of the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada and is active in discussions on music and worship, with current research in American hymnody, especially the reform movement in the American Protestant church in the early 19th century. Rhoads is active in church music as director, hymn and tune writer, and worship planner. He also writes and publishes poetry.. . . read more.

Steven Thompson

Professor of Music Education Emeritus | s-thompson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 2002

Professor of Music Emeritus

Louise Wilson

Associate Professor of Education Emerita | louise-wilson@bethel.edu | Started at Bethel: 1999

Associate Professor of Education Emerita