������Ƶ��Ƭ

Aaron Cashmore has a Master’s of Education degree in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in Behavior Management.�� She has taught in the early childhood classroom for nearly 20 years before joining the faculty at UM Western.�� Aaron enjoys helping student engage in and understand the foundations of the early childhood classroom and teaching practices through practical experience

Dr. Goodson Dzenga is a highly qualified professional with a Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis and board certification in behavior analysis (BCBA). He currently serves as the Special Education Coordinator at the University of ������Ƶ��Ƭ. His research interests primarily revolve around promoting effective communication for children with developmental disabilities and identifying interventions to enhance communication for this population.

Dr. Nyasha Dzenga is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of ������Ƶ��Ƭ. She holds a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education and brings rich experience in teaching, mentoring, and curriculum development. Her work centers on preparing future early childhood educators to create inclusive, supportive, and high-quality learning environments. Dr. Dzenga’s academic interests include teacher preparation, culturally responsive teaching, and early childhood curriculum design. She is passionate about strengthening early learning through strong school-community partnerships and ongoing professional development. Her research focuses on promoting inclusive education by supporting educators with the tools and resources they need to effectively teach all children, including those with special needs.

Katrina Kennett is deeply interested in how pre-service teachers integrate authentic literacy practices and contemporary technology tools into their instruction. Her research focuses on how teachers plan for student learning and she coaches in-service teachers as they design sustained opportunities for student inquiry in their curriculum. She also serves as a university supervisor for student teachers.

Advising:

Elementary Education, English and Secondary Education, History and Secondary Education, Graduate Teaching Certificate

Educational background:

Mathematics and Education K-12. Taught high school and middle school. Continues to teach online secondary mathematics. Currently the Education Department Chair

Advising:

Elementary, Mathematics and Secondary Education, Teaching Certificate

Bio:

Shay Kidd is happily married since 2008 and the father of 5.�� This helps to keep him connected to the education system on multiple levels.�� Getting his bachelors in Secondary mathematics at BYU-Idaho (2009), he started his career teaching at the high school level. This is also when he started to teach online with Idaho’s online school.�� After earning his master’s degree from the University of Texas -Arlington in K-8 mathematics education, Shay moved to Wyoming and taught middle school (2012).�� He was then accepted at the University of Wyoming in 2015 where he earned his PhD. In Curriculum and Instruction: Mathematics Education. He started at the University of Montana-Western in 2017 and has been teaching mathematics methods ever since.�� He currently serves as the education department chair.

Yu Li specialized in cultural and social foundations of education and her research centers on exploring diversity, equity and inclusion in education from normative, interpretive and critical perspectives. Her research interests are comparative/international education, multi-cultural education, culturally responsive and inclusive teaching and learning, rural education, globalization and education, girls’ education empowerment, and emerging technology in education. Her current research focuses on the population of migrant and immigrant students, families, and teachers, especially on their capabilities in the intersections of cultures, languages, societies, and nations.

A versatile music educator, Brent Poe McCabe, has taught in a variety of educational venues, from K-12 and community college to university instruction. Throughout his academic journey, Brent has served as choir and band director, supervised student teachers and has taught most courses within a collegiate music education program.

He has also served as presenter and clinician at state and regional National Association for Music Education conferences and has authored “A Performer’s Guide and New Critical Edition of Frank Martin’s Quatre Pièces Brèves (Lambert).”

As a critically acclaimed classical guitarist, Brent has performed throughout the United States and abroad and has been a prizewinner in numerous national and international music competitions. He has also recorded three guitar albums. The latest, entitled “Evocación” (2012), features popular music from South America, Cuba and Spain.

Deborah McCabe has a Masters Degree in Special Education and a Reading Endorsement. She has worked extensively with at risk teens. Deborah taught multiple subjects in diverse settings in public and private middle and high schools in Boston, MA, Torrington, WY, Livingston, MT, San Francisco, CA, and most recently on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. A former Outward Bound Instructor, Deborah models active expeditionary methods and integrates these strategies into her collegiate instruction. She is the Director of Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society, Director of “UMW K-8 Homework Help Program”, and Advisor to the Education Club. She supports campus wellness by teaching Core Strength Training classes to colleagues and community members biweekly at the Wellness Center.

Kathy Shipman teaches both general and special education courses at the University of ������Ƶ��Ƭ, primarily through distance programs. She serves as coordinator of the 2+2 Elementary Education Partnerships and Project REAL, a distance K–8 program designed for place-based students currently working in rural schools across Montana.

��

Because the programs she supports are fully distance-based, Kathy prioritizes building strong, meaningful connections with her students. She is committed to ensuring they feel supported, engaged, and part of the campus community, even if they live hundreds of miles away and may not visit campus until graduation weekend.

��

At UMW, Kathy serves on several division and campus committees, including the Scholarship Committee and the E-Learning Committee. In these roles, she helps recognize and support students in achieving their educational goals while also contributing to the development and quality of online instruction.

��

Her community service includes membership on the City of Dillon Tree Board and P.E.O. Chapter A.D., a philanthropic organization that supports women in education. In addition to her teaching and service, she serves as a university supervisor for student teachers and interns.

Kristi Borge is a former elementary classroom teacher with a commitment to rural education and meeting the diverse needs of all learners. She currently teaches several elementary literacy courses and holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a K–12 Reading minor.

��

Kristi began her career teaching middle school language arts and social studies in Bozeman, and later spent eight years as a multigrade teacher in a one-room school in southwest Montana, where she taught all subjects across grades K–8. Her broader educational experiences include teaching English as a foreign language in Cambodia and leading outdoor youth science camps at the Montana Learning Center near Helena.

��

In 2021, Kristi was honored as the Montana Teacher of the Year. She now serves as an Instructor of Education at UM Western, where she enjoys supporting and collaborating with preservice teachers and school districts. Kristi recently completed a qualitative study exploring how rural, multigrade teachers differentiate instruction for diverse learners and is nearing completion of her Doctor of Education in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment through Walden University.