Jenna Polley is the Multilingual Learner (ML) Facilitator in Fargo Public Schools. This is her third year in the role, and she’s thankful to work with amazing ML teachers. She started her career in the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton school district in Minnesota, where she was the ML teacher for 7 years. She earned her Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language from Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM). She also holds two bachelor’s degrees in Spanish Education and Teaching English as a Second Language from MSUM. In her free time, she enjoys anything outdoors and playing board games with family and friends. She is an avid hiker and has dipped her toes in the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon twice!
Executive Officers
Lisa Symens is the current English Learner Department Coordinator for Bismarck Public Schools. Lisa has a master’s degree in teaching English Learners from Valley City State University, and attended Northern State University and Concordia College. She has over 27 years of experience teaching K-8, Title Reading, and English Learners in both Class B and Class A schools before becoming a part of the Learning Design and Innovation team and then the District EL Coordinator at Bismarck Public Schools. She currently serves on the state ESSA Committee and the ND English Learner Program Advisory Committee. She is passionate about celebrating the brilliance of multilingual learners, with a particular focus on promoting equitable access to high-quality education for all students. Through her leadership, she has helped implement innovative strategies for language development, fostering strong partnerships between schools and families, and advocating for policies that support diverse learners.
Dakota Breen received her Master’s of Education in English Learner Education from the University of North Dakota (UND) in 2015. She also received her Bachelor of Arts in English Education with a minor in Spanish and an EL certification in 2011 from UND. She earned her National Board for Professional Teaching in Secondary EL in 2019. Dakota has been teaching EL Language Arts at West Fargo High School since 2012. Dakota has also filled the role of District EL Support (EL Coordinator) for West Fargo Public Schools since 2022. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, gardening, hanging out with friends, and spending time with her family.
Kristijana Dogan is an ML teacher at Grand Forks Central High School. She was born in Bosnia, and her parents moved to Grand Forks in 1998 as refugees. She graduated from the University of North Dakota in May 2016 with an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and an EL certificate. She started teaching EL in August 2016 at Red River High School in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and found that her passion is EL students. Finding this passion led her to get her Master’s degree in EL Education. Her career and personal experience have come full circle as she can connect with her students and their experiences. In her free time, Kristijana enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, teaching yoga, and reading.
Casey is currently employed with the Tri-Valley School District in Crooks, SD working as the district’s ELL Coordinator as well as teaching elementary level EL students. She has lived in the Sioux Falls area for her entire life and has been teaching in the area for the last 14 years.
Her education experience includes teaching third grade at Lowell Elementary in Sioux Falls, upper elementary at the Elementary Immersion Center in Sioux Falls, and currently kindergarten through fourth grade EL for the Tri-Valley School District.
Casey’s credentials include a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Sioux Falls as well as her Master’s Degree from Southwest Minnesota State with an emphasis in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL).
Stephanie is starting her 16th year as an EL teacher in the Brookings School District in Brookings, SD. In 2008, she started her teaching career as a K-5 EL teacher and traveled between schools for 14 years while primarily teaching at Hillcrest Elementary and Camelot Intermediate. As of last year, Stephanie works full-time with 4th and 5th-grade EL students at Camelot Intermediate.
Her credentials include secondary and middle-level learner education certification from the University of Minnesota, Morris. Her student teaching experience at an international boarding school in England allowed her the opportunity to work with many English Learners from around the world at the elementary and secondary levels. This led her to pursue a K-12 EL endorsement, and she quickly realized that working with English Learners was her passion. Her passion for working with EL students also led her to become a certified SWEL (School Wide English Learning) coach.
In her free time, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons, reading, and being outdoors as much as possible. She also spends time visiting the family farm.
Interest Area Representatives
Judy Gries is the current program administrator at the NDDPI, in the Indian/Multicultural Education unit. Judy worked 32 years in Bismarck Public Schools as a primary teacher in grades 1 and 2, before accepting a position in the Family and Child Education (FACE) program, as an adult education, at Theodore Jamerson Elementary, on the campus of United Tribes Technical College. After 5 years at TJES, she joined the NDDPI as the program administrator asr the Title 1-C program administrator, serving students of migratory agricultural workers.
Judy’s educational background includes an A.A. degree from Bismarck State College and a B.S. degree in Elementary Education, with a Minor in Music, from the University of Mary in Bismarck. In her spare time, she enjoys time with family and friends, traveling, biking, and long walks.
Sarah Oleksik, an EL Teacher for Williston Basin School District #7, works with students grades K-4 to help them achieve English Language Proficiency. As a first-generation American, with Polish immigrant parents, Sarah knows firsthand the challenges and opportunities of learning a new language and adapting to a new culture.
Before working as an EL Teacher, Sarah spent three years as a general education classroom teacher in West Fargo, ND, and completed an international student teaching assignment in South Africa. She has also studied abroad in Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden, further enriching her global perspective on education.
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with an endorsement in English Language Learning from Valley City State University and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science from North Dakota State University, providing her with a comprehensive understanding of both the academic and social aspects of learning.
Jenn started her teaching career subbing for the Sioux Falls school district and area schools while her children were in school. She then became a grade level tutor for Harrisburg school district for five years. She moved north and became the first ELL Coordinator and Grades 5-12 EL teacher for the Flandreau school district. She has been the ELL Coordinator and EL teacher since May 2018. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her kids, who are both in college, her family and friends. She also likes to keep busy with projects for her new house she bought in August 2023.
Bio to come
Gwyneth Dean-Fastnacht is an ELS Instructional Specialist with over 30 years of experience working with culturally and linguistically diverse students in K-12 education across the U.S. and abroad. She has taught in both South Dakota and overseas in international schools (Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, China). She has held roles such as high school Newcomer Program ESL teacher and multi-age/multi-grade EL classroom teacher. Gwyneth now coordinates the SD State-Wide Title III & Migrant Consortia, providing professional development and working with districts, including Native American, Hutterite Colony, and rural schools.
Her work also involves teaching ENL Endorsement courses and serving on Department of Education committees. Gwyneth holds degrees in Child Development, Leadership & Administration in Education, and a Specialist Degree in ESL from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Heather May’s current role is with the City of Bismarck as a Community Integration Facilitator. She passionately believes that newcomer integration is directly tied to education and works to bridge the knowledge and language gaps between immigrants and city services. During her time in North Dakota, she has taught EL at the Bismarck Adult Learning Center, State Penitentiary, and Fort Yates Public Middle School.
Prior to arriving in Bismarck, Heather taught English to preservice English teachers in Guiyang, China, with the U.S. Peace Corps, conducted in-service training for Chinese university and middle school teachers, trained 3 cohorts of new Peace Corps China volunteers, and spent breaks teaching English to Buddhist nuns in Myanmar.
Heather’s credentials include an MA in English from the University of Dayton, an EL Certificate from Valley City State University, and a Peace Corps TEFL Certificate.
Kindra Schneider is an Assistant Professor at Dakota State University, where she teaches in the English as a New Language Minor and courses in Assessment, Foundations of American Education, and Human Relations. In her ninth year at DSU, she draws on her background teaching 5th grade, K–5 English Language Learners, and summer Special Education. She holds degrees from DSU, Augustana, the University of Sioux Falls, and the University of South Dakota, where she earned her Ed.D. in Adult and Higher Education. She loves spending time with her husband and three kids and feels truly blessed to help shape young minds every day.
Erin Brurud received her Bachelor’s of Science in Education in 2006 from Minot State University. She earned Master of Education in English Learner Education from the University of North Dakota (UND) in 2015. She is receiving her Education Administration credential from UND in 2025. She has taught EL in Williston since 2013 and accepted the EL coordinator position in 2023. Erin is currently the coordinator for EL, Migrants, and Title VI programs. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, crafting, traveling, and hanging out with the grandkids.