I’m honored to teach in the Counseling master’s program at MSUM. As an alumnus of the prog...

I’m honored to teach in the Counseling master’s program at MSUM. As an alumnus of the program, I’m now able to share my experiences with students as they pursue a career within the counseling profession. I teach the Career Development, Internship, and Professional Orientation and Ethics classes. I thoroughly enjoy being part of the Dragon family and feel that MSUM offers an extraordinary educational experience for students. On a personal note, I’m a die-hard fan of the professional sports teams in Minnesota. As agonizing as it can be, my support hasn’t wavered! I also love spending time with family and friends at the lake, which isn’t unusual when living in this part of the region. I’m also a big fan of “dad jokes” so feel free to share with me any that you have.

Early Childhood: Literacy emphasis, Curriculum and Instruction, Elementary Education and Spanish

Special Education Graduate Program, Coordinator

Student Teaching or Field Experience Paperwork, Background Screening, Liability Insurance, SARTE, Diary, and TK20

Dr. Caitlin Johnson (Dr. J.) is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Minnes...

Dr. Caitlin Johnson (Dr. J.) is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM). Caitlin has a B.S. in English, M.P.M. in Business Project Management, and M.Ed. in Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment. In Spring 2021, she graduated with a Ph.D. in Adult & Community Education from North Dakota State University. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and grew up on her home reservation. She started her career in education at the Turtle Mountain Community College where she taught various English courses, before transitioning to secondary education. She taught high school English for two years at the Turtle Mountain Community High School and served as English Department Chair. She transitioned to alternative education after moving to the Fargo-Moorhead area where she taught for three years. Caitlin’s research interests are multicultural education, indigenous education methods, culture as medicine, alternative education, and decolonizing methodologies.

Shirley Johnson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Special Education and The Undergradu...

Shirley Johnson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Special Education and The Undergraduate Coordinator of the Academic Behavior Strategist (ABS) program at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Dr. Johnson holds a BA, MS, And Ph.D. in education and has several decades of experience in the special education classroom including elementary, middle, high school, and higher education. Her license areas of Special Education include specific learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and developmental cognitive disabilities. Her scholarly interests include the implementation of evidence-based and High-Leverage Practices (HLPs), the use of positive behavioral supports, promoting interprofessional collaboration and co-teaching, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and utilizing technology for instruction, collaboration, and data. She also consults with area schools with beginning teacher induction and mentoring program.

Dr. Kent is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Minnesota State University...

Dr. Kent is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM). He is beginning with MSUM full-time in the Fall of 2024. He has previously served as an adjunct in the Special Education department at MSUM. Prior to this work, he has served as an adjunct at Winona State University in the Educational Leadership department. He served as a special education teacher, assistant director of special education, high school principal, and elementary principal. Dr. Kent earned his BS in Elementary Inclusive Education while earning special education licensure in specific learning disabilities, emotional behavior disorders, and developmental disabilities at MSUM in 2014. He earned an MA in special education from MSUM in 2016. He attended MSUM and earned his K-12 Principal, Special Education Director, and District Superintendent licensure in 2017. Dr. Kent earned his EdD at Winona State University with an emphasis in Organizational Management in 2022.

Elementary or Early Childhood Student Teaching, Embedded Field Experiences, and edTPA

LMFT

Dr. Wolff is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Inclusive Education in the School of Tea...

Dr. Wolff is an Assistant Professor of Elementary Inclusive Education in the School of Teaching and Learning and proud alum of MSUM. Courses taught include STL 474, 482, and ED 310. Prior to MSUM, Dr. Wolff was an Elementary Teacher, Gifted & Talented Interventionist, District Coordinator of Gifted & Talented Services, Instructional Coach, Principal, and Teacher Education Faculty. Research interests include Pre-service and In-service Teacher Development, Effective Pedagogy in Elementary Education Instruction, and Gifted Education and Talent Development.

Academic Advisor for students majoring in teacher education