Mentor Biography

2008-2010, 2019-2022

I begin my 28th year in Public School Education. My first five years I taught fifth and sixth grade students in Cass Lake, Minnesota. I then received my Masters in Special Education with an emphasis in learning disabilities and emotional disturbance and proceeded to accept a special education position at Cass Lake for the following two years. During these impressionable years for me as a young professional, I was most fortunate to have had a top-notch, nurturing and encouraging mentor teacher/supervisor in Waynette (Punk) Salberg.

In 1989, my wife, Jan, and I and our growing family headed for an Alaskan adventure in the small community of Kenny Lake, Alaska where I was employed as Kenny Lake School's K-12 special education teacher and also high school generalist instructor.

After seven fulfilling years at Kenny Lake School in this capacity, I was hired as Kenny Lake School's principal. I am proud to say I have served the Kenny Lake/Chitina School Community now for 20 years as principal and teacher. Kenny Lake School is simply an amazing place with a caring and extremely talented professional staff, intelligent students who care about character, and supportive parents.

It is time now for a new challenge and adventure and I am excited to share my experience with, expertise in, and passion for education with new teachers in the state of Alaska as a teacher mentor with the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project.

Jan and I now have a grown family! Five of our kids are either in college or have already graduated. Sarah (25) Boston College in Massachusetts (Nursing), Hannah (22) Bethel University in Minnesota (Nursing), Isaiah (20) Gustavus Adolphus in Minnesota, Naomi and Mary (18) Syracuse University in New York. Thankfully, we still have Leah (14) and Sam (12) at home and they are a joy for us in our old age!