Karen worked as a paraprofessional at CHOICE starting in 2021, and she is now working as our School Office Manager. Karen fits in wonderfully. She is kind, caring, and loves to connect with students. She is a mother of four fully grown kids, a previous foster mother of four, and a grandmother of two. In her free time, Karen enjoys reading, cooking, taking long walks, date nights with her boyfriend and spending time with her family.

Samantha (Sam) has worked at CHOICE since 2015, the very first year we opened! She's worn a lot of hats and helped the school so much. She currently works as a part-time paraprofessional, and is pursuing a Master's Degree in School and Clinical Counseling. In her free time she enjoys reading, running, and spending time with family, friends, and her dog, George. We appreciate her so much!

Ashley has worked at CHOICE since Spring of 2018. She is a Special Education Paraprofessional. Ashley is a very dedicated, hardworking individual, and has brought so much to our team here at CHOICE. Ashley always has a positive attitude and a smile on her face, is always willing to go above and beyond to help others, and is great at building meaningful relationships with students and coworkers. We are lucky to have her as part of our team. 

Emily joined our team during the Fall of 2022. She graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a bachelor's degree in Therapeutic Recreation. Emily has 13 years of experience working in group home settings, Special Olympic competitions, camps, and day programs. Some of her hobbies and interests include traveling, golf and baseball, camping, concerts, ballet, cooking, film, non-fiction books, and spending as much time as she can with friends and family. We are delighted to have Emily as a part of our team.

Scott joined our team in 2019 as a Special Education Paraprofessional/math tutor. Scott works extremely well with our students and has helped us to add a great dynamic to our math program here at CHOICE. He always has a positive attitude, a calm demeanor, and an eagerness to help. Scott has many years of experience as a teacher and has a Masters Degree in Science. Both students and staff are very grateful for his presence at CHOICE, as he has been a tremendous addition to our team. Scott enjoys hiking, being in the outdoors, and hanging out with his family. 

Chelsey began working as a Paraprofessional at CHOICE during the Spring of 2018. She enjoys the opportunity of working along side the advisors and staff helping to guide students to thrive and succeed. Chelsey's background as a yoga practitioner and teacher assists her in a classroom setting by allowing her to apply the skills of patience, focus, dedication, & empathy. Some of her favorite things are deep belly laughs, spending quality time with family and friends, reading books, and the beauty of nature.

Jeanne recently joined our team in the Fall of 2021 as a Special Education Paraprofessional. She has many prior years of paraprofessional experience, and is great at connecting with our students and building meaningful educational relationships with them. We are excited to have her here with us and know she will continue to thrive and make our school even better than it was before!

Hannah joined our team in the spring of 2021. In the short amount of time she has been here, she has had an incredibly positive impact on our school. Hannah is a very kind, patient, and caring individual. She is always willing to step up to the plate and help whenever someone is in need.  Hannah graduated from Winona State University, receiving her Bachelor's Degrees in Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, Psychology, and Spanish. Hannah has been teaching since she graduated in 2018. In her free time, she loves to crochet, knit, play tennis, watch movies with her cats, and go on walks in our local parks.

Melissa "Missy" Donner has been at CHOICE since 2016. If you are interested in art, she is the one to see! She enjoys working with just about any medium, and likes to see the students push themselves while learning new things. Missy believes creativity is one of the most valuable outlets for expression. Missy and her husband Brad (a wildlife artist) live in Waseca, MN. They raised seven children together, and now have seven grandchildren (and counting), which are spread out all over the country. Missy loves to read, and someday hopes to have a house with her own library in it. She also enjoys sewing dolls and animals from her own original patterns, and creating other unique and original forms of art. 

Light Love joined our team in October of 2021. He has a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts with a double major of Biology and Religious Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College. He also has experience and some Master's courses in Environmental Education and is serving as CHOICE's EE Coordinator. He loves to build connections with students and support them however they need. In his spare time he likes to snuggle with his pet rats and do lots of crafts. We're so lucky to have him at CHOICE! 

Bre joined the CHOICE Technical Academy team as an Advisor in the Fall of 2022. She has 15 years of teaching experience with an emphasis on project-based learning, the Montessori method, and the International Baccalaureate framework. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies Education from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Currently, she is working towards her Masters in Advanced Teaching with University of the People. Bre and her partner have two daughters, two dogs, three cats, no ducks :( and a small herd of hens led by two roosters, Bert and Ernie.

Dawn joined the CHOICE Technical Academy team as a Special Education Advisor in 2019. She has three grown children, and 7 grandchildren that she enjoys spending time with. Dawn (and the rest of us) loves her dogs, Echo and Roselyn, and they have become part of the CHOICE family. She has been a spectacular addition to our Special Education Team at CHOICE, and both the students and staff enjoy working along her side. Over the past two years, Dawn has felt privileged to be a team member that has understood, respected, encouraged, and empowered our students' young minds to pursue their dreams. Dawn has a Masters Degree in Special Education, as well as one in Community Counseling. She is a strong believer in lifelong learning and growth. She looks forward to the opportunities that lie ahead of her as a staff member at Choice Technical Academy.

Echo and Roselyn joined our team in 2019 and have since become everyone's friends. They work hard every day to make students and staff smile, and we are so thankful to have them!

Barbara joined the team in the Fall of 2022 as a Special Education Advisor. Barbara knew in high school that she wanted to become a Special Education teacher and has now been teaching for 22 years. She has taught both in Minnesota and North Dakota. Barbara always knew she wanted to make a difference in the lives of students. She grew up in Anoka, Minnesota and has one son who lives in Fargo, North Dakota. He’s a security guard for a hospital and recently decided he’d like to become a nurse. We are excited to have Barbara at CHOICE!

Courtney has worked at CHOICE Technical Academy since 2016. She worked as a Special Education Paraprofessional from 2016-2022, and at the start of the 22-23 school year she began working as our Human Resources Generalist. Although she is working a new role, she still makes time to connect with the students at CHOICE and joins in on activities whenever she has a moment to do so!  In her spare time, Courtney loves to hang out with her two children; Benjamin (10) and Juliette (4), watching her boyfriend's band play (or live music in general), going camping, traveling, hiking, or any other outdoor adventure. She is currently in her 3rd year of college pursuing her degree in Human Resources Management at Winona State University. 

Jessica (Jessy) joined our team as our School Social Worker in October of 2019. Jessica obtained her Masters of Social Work degree from Minnesota State University - Mankato. Both students and staff greatly appreciate having Jessica at CHOICE, as she has been an amazing support system and role model for our school. Jessica was born and raised in Owatonna. She and her husband live in Owatonna with their two children. Jessica enjoys spending time with her loved ones and traveling, especially somewhere by the ocean.