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Faculty

Director of Lutheran Teaching Program | Associate Professor of Education

Biography

Dr. Cari Chittick is the Director of Lutheran Teaching Programs and LCMS Placement and an Associate Professor in the School of Education and Christ College at Concordia University Irvine. She has a passion for the ministry of Lutheran schools and for encouraging professional growth of future educators in their ministering to children with varying abilities; to enhance students’ academic potential, while nurturing their faith.

Prior to joining CUI, Dr. Chittick was the Director of Special Education at Concordia University Texas where she began the major and developed the program to equip future educators to support exceptional learners in all classroom settings. She has also developed elementary resource programs in two Lutheran schools.

In her spare time, Dr. Chittick enjoys exploring God’s creation and serving God through service and mission trips around the world.

Gomes, Robin

Assistant Professor of Education

Biography

Robin Gomes has been serving in Lutheran education for over 20 years. Before serving at Concordia University, Robin worked as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in Lutheran elementary schools in Nevada and California. Throughout that time, Robin led in the areas of teacher recruitment and retention, curriculum and assessment, and school consultancy in the Pacific Southwest District.

Robin is married to Domingo, a middle school teacher who she met as a student at Concordia University. They have two college-age children. Their pastimes include musical theater, going to Disneyland, enjoying the beach, and baseball.

Education

  • M.A.Ed, Curriculum and Instruction, Concordia University- Irvine, 2007
  • California Multiple Subject Clear Teaching Credential, 2000
  • B.A., Behavioral Science: Anthropology, Concordia University- Irvine, 1999
Teresa Hess

Associate Professor of Education

Biography

Dr. Hess guides students through the process to become a teacher from student teacher placement to a Clear Credential.

Dr. Teresa Hess leads the student teaching program, which is the final requirement before filing for a Preliminary credential. 

Dr. Hess holds a Ph.D. in Education, with an emphasis in Disability Studies, from Chapman University in Orange, CA, a Master of Science Degree from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. In addition to her work at the university level, Dr. Hess has over 30 years of elementary teaching experience in both general and special education classrooms.

Education

  • Ryan Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
  • Learning Handicapped Credential
  • Resource Specialist Credential
  • Cross Cultural Language and Academic Development Certificate (CLAD)
  • Autism Authorization Certificate
Lori Jaeger

Assistant Professor of Education | Director of Induction

Biography

Dr. Lori Jaeger serves as the Director of Induction and as an Assistant Professor in the School
of Education. Prior to joining the Concordia faculty in 2016, Dr. Jaeger spent thirty years
teaching in elementary school classrooms with experiences in planning and assessment,
implementing innovative teaching methods and developing curriculum. Dr. Jaeger is
committed to the teaching profession and cultivating lifelong learners.

In 1986, Dr. Jaeger began her teaching career in an urban setting, serving at First Lutheran,
Long Beach as a second grade teacher, athletic director and coach. Dr. Jaeger was called to
Bethany Lutheran, Long Beach in 1989, where she taught third grade, researched assessment
and mentored new teachers. In 2000, Dr. Jaeger accepted a new call to St. John’s Lutheran,
Orange and taught fourth grade for sixteen years. There she served as department chair for
the intermediate grade levels, where her responsibilities included curriculum mapping,
assessment of student learning and continuous curriculum reviews. Dr. Jaeger continues to
train preservice teachers, provide professional development and implement strategies for the
CalTPA teacher candidates.


Education

  • M.A., Curriculum and Instruction, Concordia University, Irvine, CA
  • B.A., Education, Concordia College, River Forest, IL

Areas of Expertise:

  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Planning and Assessment
  • Instructional Strategies
  • Curriculum Mapping
  • Classroom Management
Sara Morgan

Director of Special Education Credential Programs

Biography

Dr. Sara Morgan is a graduate of Chapman University, where she earned a B.A. in Communications. After graduation, she continued on to receive two teaching credentials (Multiple Subject and Education Specialist) and a Master's Degree in Special Education. She taught, as a resource teacher, for Lutheran Special Education Ministries, a special day class teacher for the Westminster School District, and served as a Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) and Program Specialist for the Garden Grove Unified School District. Sara has her Ph.D. in education with an emphasis in Disability Studies. Her research interests include Universal Design for Learning, Social Emotional Learning, and Inclusive Teaching Practices.

Education

  • B.A.: 1999, Chapman University, Communications: Speech Communications
  • MAED.: 2003, Chapman University, Special Education
  • Ph.D.: 2023, Chapman University, Disability Studies

Teaching

  • Introduction to teaching Diverse Populations
  • Typical and Atypical Development of Diverse Populations
  • Advanced Curriculum Methods for Teaching Special Populations
  • Linguistics for Educators
Charlie Rodrigues

Associate Professor of Education

Biography

Dr. Charlie Rodrigues currently teaches and serves as a subject matter expert in the Teacher Credential Program. Dr. Rodrigues also serves as the Director of SOE Data Management and Logistics. In this role he guides our new adjunct instructors through the onboarding process. His doctoral research studied the effectiveness of onboarding for university faculty. 
Prior to his full-time faculty appointment, Dr. Rodrigues served as Assistant Registrar for Graduate Programs at Concordia University Irvine. He has over 20 years of experience teaching in Lutheran elementary classrooms and higher education administration. 
Dr. Rodrigues received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies, Master of Arts in Education and Doctorate of Education from Concordia University Irvine. He and his wife are raising two active boys. In their free time, they enjoy spending time with extended family, traveling and reading.  

Professor of Science Education; Co-Director of Undergraduate Teacher Credential Programs; Director of MEd

Michael Schulteis

Biography

Dr. Michael Schulteis has been a full-time faculty member in the School of Education since 2003 specializing in science and math education, teaching instructional methods, classroom management and research methods courses, and supervising graduate research projects. His educational research has focused on evolution education in parochial schools.

Dr. Schulteis is currently a mentor for the American Meteorological Society Datastreme program. He also conducts seminars and makes presentations to educators across the United States and from Korea, Japan, China, South Africa, and Australia on such topics as instructional methods and evolution education. Prior to arriving at Concordia University, Dr. Schulteis taught multiple subjects at the junior high and senior high school levels.

Education

  • Sc.Ed.D., Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia
  • M.A.Ed., Curriculum and Instruction, Concordia University, Irvine
  • B.A., Biology: Pre-Med, Concordia University, Irvine

Areas of Expertise

  • Curriculum
  • Instructional Strategies
  • Common Core Standards
  • School Climate
  • Assessment of Programs and Student Learning
  • Quantitative Methods
  • Statistics
  • Qualitative Methods
Doctor Rebecca Stanton

Co-Director of Undergraduate Teacher Education Programs
Senior Director of Teacher Credential Programs

Biography

Dr. Stanton teaches EDU 101, the first class all Liberal Studies majors will take; serves as an advisor to Liberal Studies majors; and interviews students for admission into the SOE Credential program.

Dr. Rebecca Stanton has been teaching in the School of Education at Concordia University Irvine since 2005, specializing in secondary teaching methods, classroom management, and differentiated instruction. Beyond her teaching duties, she supervises student teachers and guides students as they write their EdD dissertations. As a university supervisor of student teachers and as a parent volunteer, she has spent innumerable hours in K-12 classrooms. Her sons' special needs have inspired her interest in how the brain learns and how to set up positive, inclusive learning environments. She presents on various teaching strategies at local, regional, and national conferences.

Prior to coming to Concordia University, Dr. Stanton taught German at the university and junior college levels. She also taught German and beginning drama for 9 years at the high school level, and math and science for one year at the junior high school level. She enjoyed taking students on educational trips to Europe and New York City.

Education

  • EdD, Instructional Leadership, Argosy University, Orange County
  • MA, German Literature, University of California, Irvine
  • Teaching Credential, Single Subject (German, Literature), Concordia University Irvine
  • BA, German major, Russian minor, University of Arizona

Areas of Expertise

  • Teaching methods, including Differentiated Instruction and foreign language methods
  • Mentoring new teachers
  • Classroom Management
  • Creative learning spaces and activities
Yvette Stuewe

Assistant Professor of Education

Biography

Assistant Professor Yvette Stuewe teaches courses in the MA and Teacher Credential programs. Professor Stuewe has served in Lutheran education for 28 years. Her educational experience spans across St. John’s Lutheran School, Orange Lutheran High School, and Concordia University Irvine. In addition to 27 years of classroom experience, Professor Stuewe served in various leadership roles including Curriculum Leadership Chair, Induction mentor, Induction Assistant Lead Mentor for the Orange County Department of Education Private School Cohort, Conference Presenter, President of the Lutheran Educators Conference Committee, Director of Curriculum, WASC Visiting Team Member, and Associate Director of Orange Lutheran Online. In February of 2023, she presented at the national Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) in Austin, Texas.

Professor Stuewe was part of a team that piloted a one-to-one middle school laptop program, and she taught in a one-to-one setting for fourteen years, gaining experience with many different learning platforms and digital tools. She is a National Board Certified Teacher. She truly sees teaching as an art and values reflective teaching practices. Not only does she find passion in crafting effective lessons and building relationships with students, she also finds great value in collaborating with other educators. Professor Stuewe is currently working towards a doctorate in Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University.

Education

  • EdD Candidate: Instructional Technology and Distance Education, Nova Southeastern University
  • M.A. Curriculum and Instruction,Concordia University Irvine
  • Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Concordia University Irvine
  • B.S. Bachelor of Science, History, University of California, Santa Barbara

Areas of Expertise

  • Instructional Design
  • Planning and Assessment
  • Instructional Technology
  • Online and Distance Learning
  • Reflective Teaching Practices

Staff

Administrative Assistant to the Dean/HR Specialist

Alyssa Flores
Jackie Franke

Field Experience/TPA Coordinator

Mrs. Franke places students in local schools for their two required field experiences, typically in their junior year (20 hours) and at the end of their academic program (40 hours). Teacher Performance Assessments happen in conjunction with the field experiences.

Jackie Franke has been in the field of education for 31 years since she moved from Olathe, Kansas to Mission Viejo, CA with her husband and three children. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. In 2007 she attended Concordia University Irvine to complete her Multiple Subject Credential and Masters of Education.

Mrs. Franke has been with Concordia’s Teacher Credential Program in the School of Education for 12 years and wears a couple of different hats.  As TPA Coordinator, Mrs. Franke oversees all aspects of the California Teacher Performance Assessment, a state requirement for all teacher candidates to earn their preliminary credential. She is also the Field Experience Coordinator and places all teacher candidates in their two early field experiences. One of the joys of this position is visiting principals and teachers. During these visits, Mrs. Franke receives positive feedback on how well CUI candidates are prepared, which in turn encourages partnerships with local schools and districts to mentor our teacher candidates.

Academic Advisor/Credential Analyst

Sara Franko

Biography

Sara Franko serves as the Graduate Advisor and Credential Analyst for the Teacher Credential Program for the School of Education. Sara’s career in education began in 2003 when she began teaching high school social science at a large, urban high school in Los Angeles. In 2007, her career moved her to Orange County where she continued teaching social science at the high school level, as well as served as department chair, subject matter specialist, PBIS lead teacher, and head cheer coach. Sara’s passion for continuing education grew as a professional leader on site and at the district level and especially as a mentor to those new to the profession. Being the first in her family to graduate from college, she understands the value of education and being a life-long learner.

Sara has made her home in Orange County where she lives with her two daughters. She enjoys spending time with her family and continuing to serve as an educator and as a mentor for all young people. She looks forward to sharing her journey with the community at Concordia University Irvine.

Education

  • M.A. in Teaching with a focus in Secondary Education (2004)
  • California Single Subject Clear Credential in Social Science (2003)
  • California Single Subject Clear Credential in Social Science (2003)

Department Assistant

Biography

Nick is the Department Assistant in the School of Education, primarily working with the Teacher Credential Program. He is very excited to be a part of the Concordia University team. He has always had a heart for education and has even taken the introductory steps in pursuing a multiple subject teaching credential. Nick grew up in Orange County and enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He is passionate about education and is looking forward to assisting students as they continue their pursuit to transform lives and positively impact their local and global communities.

Taylor Touchstone

Graduate Admissions Counselor

Biography

Taylor has joined the School of Education and Admission department as an admissions counselor for the Masters of Coaching and Athletic Administration. She hails to Irvine from Bakersfield, California. When she was a senior in high school she toured Concordia University and fell in love with the atmosphere, environment and overall campus life. She was a four year Eagle athlete as a member of the Concordia tennis team from 2014 To 2018. She is family oriented and enjoys spending time with her parents, Tom and Tiffany, as well as her sister, Tessa. Taylor is a double alumni, in 2018 she received her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Sports Science and in 2019 she earned her Master of Science degree in Exercise Sports Science and Coaching. I am very excited to be a part of the MCAA team at Concordia University, Irvine.

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