Chappell is an assistant professor in the department of elementary and bilingual education. She specializes in diversity and curriculum issues, English language learning, bilingual education and arts education. She also is interested in building communities of learners in online instruction.
Brenda Anfinson is a Minnesota-based writer, educator and speaker on issues in adult basic education. She currently teaches basic literacy and civics classes to adult learners. After completing bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and anthropology at Luther College, she completed a master’s degree in education at the University of St. Thomas. When not teaching, she is busy cycling and enjoying the great outdoors.
Drawing on her experience as the child of Jamaican immigrants, born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Patrice enjoys exploring issues of race, immigration and belonging. Her essays have appeared in a variety of publications, including Sweet: A Literary Confection and the online editions of The New York Times and The Washington Post. Her radio commentaries have appeared on Charlotte, North Carolina’s NPR station WFAE 90.7.
Donohue is a middle school English and social studies teacher in Monroe, Washington. He also teaches college courses in English, public speaking and education.
M. Christine Mattise, an elementary school guidance counselor in New Hampshire, has lectured extensively about bullying and violence-prevention character education in the U.S. and abroad.
Lisa Ann Williamson is associate editor at Teaching Tolerance. Before coming to SPLC, she worked as a multimedia journalist. Her jobs at newspapers in Iowa, Michigan and New York included covering crime, education, theater and religion stories. Williamson also taught college courses in journalism, literature and interpersonal communication. She graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a major in theater and earned her masters at the University of Iowa.