Anne Love
Educator Programs Director

Anne joined Keystone Science School in 2010. She moved to the mountains of Colorado from Washington, D.C., where she taught 9th grade science in a public charter school for three years. Anne graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Wildlife Ecology and then continued her education at Stony Brook University where she earned her masters degree in Applied Ecology. Her previous work experience includes primate research with the World Wildlife Fund in Cameroon and as a wetland ecologist with the State of Delaware.

Wendi Liles
Educator Programs Facilitator

Wendi joined the staff at Keystone Science School in November 2005. After graduating from the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in education, Wendi moved to Texas where she taught 6th and 7th grade math and science for the Nationally Recognized Grapevine-Colleyville School District for seven years. As a district "model classroom", Wendi mentored new incoming teachers to the district each year as well as served as department chair for her school. While serving as the math and science coach for her school, her team of students led their way to the top of the state of Texas. As a member and current presenter for the National Science Teacher Association and National Middle School Association, Wendi is able to stay up-to-date on the latest educational student and classroom research. As Programs Facilitator for the Educator Program offerings at the Science School, she is able to lead hundreds of educators each year to be re-inspired in their classrooms after attending our various trainings as well as designing curricula around the current events and critical issues important to educators and their students.

Elusia Andrus
Educator Programs Coordinator

Elusia has been with Keystone Science School since 2007. She is also the Educator Programs photographer. Elusia is originally from Maine. Over the years, she has worked at other nonprofits in Colorado, as a copy editor for the Summit Daily News and a graphic designer for Hannaford Bros., Inc. Elusia received a B.A. in Visual Communications from Kendall College of Art & Design in Michigan.

Rick Broniec
Facilitator, The Balanced Equation Institute

Rick taught Chemistry, International Baccalaureate Chemistry and many other science courses in Wisconsin for 33 years. Rick has also been very active in state and national science teaching organizations such as the National Science Teaching Association, the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers, The American Chemical Society and the Association of Presidential Awardees. He has served as an officer and on many committees for these organizations. In addition, Rick has presented hundreds of workshops and sessions at state and national conventions and has had over 15 articles published in state and national journals. He has been honored to receive many teaching awards including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching (1987), the Tandy Award (1989), the ACS Teacher of the Year Award (1990) and induction into the Southeastern Wisconsin Educator’s Hall of Fame (2007).

Carol Carroll
Facilitator, CSI: Climate Status Investigations and The Balanced Equation Institutes

Carol is a 6th grade teacher at Fitzhugh Park School in Oswego, New York. She has been teaching at FPS for the well over a decade. She teaches science to three classes and ELA in the afternoon to her homeroom. During her years of teaching, she has taught Enrichment, 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th grades. Carol graduated from SUNY Oswego with a N-9 Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with a concentration in science and a Masters in Literacy. She has over 500 hours in computer in-services and is currently a web developer for her district. She creates lesson and practice pages for the Oswego Testprep Math Site for grade 6. She has worked with SUNY Oswego Project SMART during the summer for the past 15 years. She is currently working on the second year of a grant with Entergy and SUNY Oswego Project SMART.

Patrick Dorcus
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

Patrick graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Wildlife Management degree and started his career as a ranger and smoke jumper for the fire service in Colorado. Years later, he began a career in environmental education with Audubon. After 15 years of teaching hands-on science both outside and in the classroom he finally restarted his career in 2002 as a classroom science teacher. His favorite education experience was teaching William Rehnquist about owls. Patrick attended Key Issues in 2005 and came on staff in 2006.

Janeen Gill
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

Janeen has been part of the KI staff for 4 years. She has been a teacher in Indiana for 24 years and has taught science and biology for about 11 of those. Genetics and ecology are her favorite areas to teach. Janeen was a 2004 Key Issues participant and joined the staff in 2007.

Joy Hobbins
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

Joy has been in education for 32 years. She taught grades 3 & 4 self-contained for 17 years and science in grades 6-8 for 11 years. She presently serves as the Science Coordinator for two school districts. Joy facilitates a Hands-on Science Materials Center funded by DOW Chemical Co. and shared by both districts. The Science Materials Center houses 342 hands-on science kits available for check out by teachers. Joy spends most of her days helping teachers design science lessons along with assisting in gathering materials for those lessons. She also assists in the implementation of hands-on science programs throughout both districts. Her present position has offered a unique opportunity for her to share her love of science with many teachers and students. Joy earned National Board Certification in Early Adolescence Science in 2002 and recently became a Louisiana Master Gardener. Joy was a 2000 Key Issues participant and joined the staff in 2001.

Larry Jozwik
Facilitator, CSI: Climate Status Investigations, The Balanced Equation and Students for Sustainable Cities Institutes

Larry was founder of, and science facilitator at, McKinley Middle Charter School (MMCS), the largest middle-level charter school in the state of Wisconsin. He taught science at MMCS since 1971. In 2006, Larry “retired” from full-time teaching, but is still very active with projects at the school. He is presently community advisor of the school’s documentary film crew that has won four national competitions in the last two years. Larry attained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Miami, Florida. His major was Marine Biology. He received his Master’s Degree in Professional Education from the University of Wisconsin. Larry is a curriculum design specialist whose ideas and programs have appeared in numerous articles and on local and national television. He has designed and published a professional game called “Community” based on the concept of sustainability. He is also owner of Graphtec, an educational consulting company. Recent recognition of Larry’s contributions to education include: The Wisconsin Science Teacher Award of Excellence, the Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth Certificate of Excellence, a listing in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, the Greater Racine Sustainability Award of Excellence, and PTSA Citizen of the Year. Larry has worked for Keystone since 1992 as an independent contractor.

Andy Lyon
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

Andy has been teaching science to middle school students since 1998. He is always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to engage, interest and otherwise gross-out the 13-year-old mind. He is also happy to share what he has gleaned from others in that grand dance in education called "how do you do that?" Andy has been involved in many enriching programs benefiting his students and himself. For two years he has invited a graduate student into his classroom through the University of Texas GK-12 program to bring their science expertise into the middle-school class throughout the year. They helped to create curriculum, plan exploratory field trips and presented at a GSA conference on geological education and the Biomedical Engineering Conference this past year. Andy writes curriculum integration for the district focusing on bringing technology into the classroom and helping teachers overcome “techno-phobia” in their teaching. He also takes classes of students to the Texas coast for a water ecology unit each year. Andy was a 2005 Key Issues participant and came on staff in 2006.

Carman Mason
Facilitator, CSI: Climate Status Investigations Institute

Carman is currently a 7th grade Language Arts teacher at Trinity Springs Middle School, an exemplary-rated school of the Keller Independent School District, in Keller, Texas. She has been privileged to serve as her campus Literacy Coach and as a member of Keller ISD’s “Writing/Reading Workshop” professional development team. As her campus’s English Department Head, she mentors new teachers, facilitates department goals, and partners with teachers of all content areas incorporating literacy “best practices”. During her 23 years of teaching, she has also taught 3rd, 4th and 6th grade. Carman graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.S in Elementary Education.

Tommie Paul
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

Tommie is a retired educator with the Gaston County School System and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. She taught Kindergarten through 7th grade in all curriculum areas. Tommie received her undergraduate degree from Western Carolina University and MA from Appalachian State University, both in NC. She received her National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification in 2001 in Early Adolescence/English & Language Arts. Tommie also serves as an educational consultant with Beaufort Historical Society and the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Tommie attended Key Issues in 1999 and joined the staff in 2004.

Amy Rahne
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

Amy was voted “Future Teacher” by the faculty at her college, she has happily lived up to that award since 1998. Recently, she received the Apple Award in Douglas County School District for outstanding elementary teacher. Teaching 6th grade in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, since 2000, she loves outdoor education and the fact that her students always keep her on her toes. Amy holds a Master’s degree in education with a literary emphasis and recently completed her principal’s license. Amy joined the Key Issues staff in 1998 as an intern and become a facilitator in 2000.

Mary Riepenhoff
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

Mary currently works for the Race To The Top program in Ohio. Prior to that, she was the superintendent of St. Marys City Schools for 3 years. Mary was also principal of Van Wert Middle School for 8 years. Van Wert Middle School was recognized as a National and Ohio School to Watch 2005-2008. She was named Ohio Middle Level Principal of the Year 2008. Mary taught 8th grade science, history, reading and Spanish for over 13 years. Additionally, she taught 4th grade for five years. Mary graduated from Ohio State University in 1982 and returned to receive her Master’s in Educational Theory and Practice in 1992. She earned her administrative licenses in 2000 and 2007 from the University of Findlay. Mary was a Discovery teacher (NSF’s inquiry-based science program in Ohio), wrote science and interdisciplinary units for her county’s educational service center and began an outdoor education program at her former school. She began working with Keystone as a Key Issues participant in 1996.

Gail Smith
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

Gail began teaching in 1979 and has taught all subjects in grades 1 through 8. Gail has 13 years of middle school experience including environmental studies, earth and physical science. She is currently the science coordinator and teacher at Edith Teter Elementary School in Fairplay, Colorado.  In addition, Gail has been involved with local water quality issues and has participated with the Colorado Division of Wildlife's 'Riverwatch' volunteer river monitoring program. She has conducted well-water testing for Summit County’s Environmental Health Department and was a trained facilitators with Shaping Our Summit, a former sustainable communities' organization. Gail also served as the Northwest Colorado School-To-Career resource coordinator serving 14 school districts. She began facilitating the Key Issues program in 1994.

Danny Thornburg
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

After service in the U.S. Air Force, Danny attended Ball State University and received his degree in English. He later attended Oral Roberts University receiving his Masters in Administration. For the past 25 years, Danny has been teaching at the middle- and high-school levels, with 10 of those years in various alternative education programs from a juvenile detention center to a middle school self-contained classroom. In addition to his teaching and coaching responsibilities, Danny volunteers his time as a 'Hoosier Riverwatch' river monitoring volunteer, a district merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts, and a trainer for the Leave No Trace program. Twice, in 1999 and 2010, he received the Lily Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship Grant. The most recent grant was inspired by a outdoor trip while attending the Key Issues Institute as a participant in 2009. He joined the staff as a facilitator in 2010.

Linda Trawick
Facilitator, Key Issues Institute

Linda currently teaches 7th grade math at Lovinggood Middle School in Cobb County, Georgia. She previously taught middle school science and earned her National Board Certification in Early Adolescent Science in 2002. Her job as Advanced Learning Program Lead Teacher at her school affords her the opportunity of working with students and teachers who have been identified as gifted. Additionally, Linda coordinates the after school remediation program at her school. She has been involved with Key Issues since she was a participant in 1999.