The Team
Paul Teske, PhD, founder, Senior consultant
I have been in education for over 25 years. A former ELA teacher, I found myself in educational technology designing and researching content in the context of classrooms for its effectiveness. I ran k8 after school technology programs in South Seattle, instructed in teacher education programs, and helped build a two nationally known education nonprofits: Educurious, as Senior Director of School Partnerships; and Teaching Channel, as VP of Engagement. Uniquely, video-enhanced learning was woven through most of these experiences.
I started EIX to:
elevate and honor teachers’ voices by put them in front of professional learning as knowledgable professionals
promote student-centered learning and instructional approaches nurture the minds of children and youth
support teachers and by extension their students in creating joyful academic experiences that position students as knowledge makers while elevating their identities and natural gifts
assist organizations connected to education make the shift from face-to-face learning to engaging digital solutions in order to scale and share their knowledge more readily.
Specialities: scaled education content design and development, blended & flipped instruction, PBL, R&D, program design, and digital education solutions
Nicole Shimizu, Chief Academic Officer - Language & Culture
In 2023, I will be celebrating my 20th year in education! My career started in the classroom as a kindergarten teacher and since then, I have served as a Multilingual Learner (ML) Facilitator, Professional Developer, Course Developer and Instructor for Seattle University, Curriculum Developer, blogger, and consultant for Efficacy Consulting, Pacific Educational Group, Project GLAD®, CollegeBoard, and more. In addition to my work with EIX, I am currently a Multilingual Instructional Coach for Seattle Public Schools, serving some of the same schools I attended as a student.
I am passionate about culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogy and practice. I dream of a school system where students graduate as multiliterate global citizens with hearts and minds open to boldly expand the definition of “success.”
My work centers on supporting educators in identifying, describing, and dismantling subtractive and assimilationist ideas that continue to harm multilingual students in our education system. I believe languages are a gift that educators should honor, explore, and extend in the classroom. I am excited to work alongside you to create new culturally and linguistically sustaining environments for our communities.
Specialities: multilingual students & learning, race, culture, equity & inclusion, leadership coaching, program and curriculum design
Krischanna Roberson, ABD, Senior Consultant
One of the core team members at EIX, I have spent 12 years in education as a consultant, educator, director, and school board member, where I’ve been devoted to making educational systems inclusive, equitable, and just for students of color who are often underrepresented. I currently guide districts and companies through understanding race and culture personally and systematically to transform their systems. In addition to being trained and a coach in Courageous Conversations®, I have a graduate degree that focuses on equity, inclusion, and systemic change in education.
Specialities: race, culture, equity & inclusion, leadership coaching, program and curriculum design
Heidi LaMare, MEd, Consultant
I have served as an English Language Learner Coach, Teacher, Teacher Trainer, and District Administrator for nearly 35 years. Straight out of college, I started working in training programs for adult refugee learners while living and working in refugee resettlement communities in Thailand and Cambodia. I pursued my master's in education at New York University while leading work on adult learning as part of the World Trade Institute. After arriving in the Northwest, I became involved with K-12 teaching and leadership and also taught in teacher education programs at Seattle Pacific University and the University of Washington. 12 years ago, I was gifted with the complex task of opening dual language programs to best serve English Learners. Additive bilingualism has become my passion and reason for remaining hopeful that public schools will recognize the gifts that children bring into our diverse systems.
In addition to my work with EIX, I'm currently working at a regional ESD as the coordinator of Multilingual Continuous School Improvement.
I am deeply passionate about assets-based instruction for multilingual students of color, dual language education, and social justice for linguistically diverse students.
Specialties: ELL/MLL, dual language implementation, collaboration and co-teaching and school- and district-based leadership
Stevie Norman, MEd (they/them/elle)
Multilingual and Dual Language Specialists
I have spent over a decade working in dual language elementary schools in public education in Texas and Washington as an instructional assistant, classroom teacher, instructional coach and soon to be administrative intern. I am passionate about co-creating spaces of liberation and justice through culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogies. My work centers on the premise that multilingual students are the protagonists of their own learning and it is our responsibility as educators to cultivate the conditions necessary for this to be true. Transforming our environment starts with transforming ourselves, so I remain committed to loving accountability as I interrogate and work to dismantle implicit bias and white norms in my practice and in the practice of the educators I support.
Specialties: Master in Arts and Teaching, MLL and Dual Language