Bio

Karen Kaminski is a consultant in instructional design for professional organizations where she works to analyze their needs, mentor staff, and provide direct services in areas such as developing on-boarding training, enhancing training department effectiveness, and designing learning and development opportunities. Karen also provides support for nonprofit organizations in the areas of leadership and development, resource development, and grant writing.

Education

Karen earned her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and her M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology and her Ph.D. in Adult Learning and Technology, from the University of Wyoming.

Professional Background

Previously Karen served as the Executive Director of CASA of the Continental Divide, a nonprofit that serves abused and neglected youth. In this role she brought significant changes to the program staff and developed a strong working board. She managed most of the development events and funding activities. Before that, Karen worked for 20 years at Colorado State University, first as the Associate Director in the Office of Instructional Services. In this role she worked with staff to provide support for faculty across the campus in the areas of teaching excellence, instructional technology, and distance teaching and learning. She then became the Chair of the Masters of Adult Education and Training program, building the program up to 200 active students, then as Associate Professor she designed and taught courses in instructional design, adult learning theory, assessment and evaluation, distance learning, cognitive learning theory, and critical thinking and problem solving.

Helping Students Be Successful

Karen’s experience working in the field brings a significant level of expertise to the courses she teaches, providing students with practical examples. She has a passion for mentoring students and helping them reach their personal and professional goals. She continues to connect with students after they graduate, providing recommendations for jobs and guidance in their careers.

Bio

Ellen Winiarczyk (win-ar-zic), Ed.D. is a Teaching Associate Professor for the College of Professional Studies. A DU faculty member since 2018, she started the Nonprofit Leadership master’s program and has directed courses including graduate research methods, leadership development and capstone. For 18 years, Ellen consulted in leadership development, program/grants management, strategic planning, and diversity/equity/inclusion for national and local nonprofits, government agencies, and some corporations.

Education

Ellen earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Denver, her Master of Environmental Studies (MES) in Water Policy/Tribal Natural Resources from the Evergreen State College, and her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Physical Education from the University of New Hampshire.

Professional Background

Ellen served in Washington State government for 10 years leading AmeriCorps workforce development and youth program education. She also worked in environmental regulation. She pioneered collaborative training and technical assistance across four Pacific Northwest states, as well as project-based and service-learning education for AmeriCorps programs. She has been a Bill and Melinda Gates grantee in education management and workforce development. She coached K-12 superintendents and principals for the National SAM Innovation Project.

Ellen has been an executive coach at the Center for Creative Leadership (Colorado Springs, CO) for nonprofit, governmental, and corporate executives. In addition, she has provided training services for the U.S. Department of Interior University, Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, Outward Bound, and other leadership, learning and development programs.