Jaimee Cannon
Help Desk Specialist
Lori Karcher
DPI Grant Director
Alejandra Loeza
Bilingual Specialist
Wendy Overturf
Intensive Support Specialist
Maddie Paar
Front Office Operations
Nelsinia Ramos
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Courtney Salzer
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Nathaly Silva
Bilingual Help Desk Specialist
Chris Stagge
Program AssistantEvents Coordinator
Lisa Stewart
Help Desk Specialist
Melissa Voegeli
Program and Electronic Communications Coordinator
Ann Zielke
Training CoordinatorFormer Staff
Jan Serak
RETIRED
Charlotte A. Price
IN MEMORIAM
Sandra McFarland
IN MEMORIAM Jaimee Cannon
Help Desk SpecialistJaimee joined WI Facets in spring of 2022. She currently lives in Southeastern Wisconsin with her husband and daughter. She has more than 6 years of experience navigating the special education system as the parent of an autistic child. Jaimee has served as a parent liaison for families and students receiving special education services in her child’s school district. She enjoys volunteering at her daughter’s school, going to the gym, and spending time at the lake with family and friends.
Lori Karcher
DPI Grant DirectorLori is the Director of the DPI Grant for WI FACETS. She joined the WI FACETS staff in late November of 2015. Lori brings 18 years of personal experience in navigating the WI Special Education System alongside her daughter who lives with cerebral palsy, cognitive and physical disabilities, and a seizure disorder. Lori has served on numerous boards as a parent volunteer both within the special education system and with Children’s Wisconsin. Currently, Lori is serving as a Governor appointed council member of the Wisconsin Rehabilitation Council. She holds a BS in Biology from UW-Milwaukee and earned her Professional Certificate in Non-Profit Management through UW-Milwaukee’s Non-profit Management Program in 2019. Her mission aligns with that of WI FACETS, to empower parents/families to make informed decisions regarding their children’s education. Lori is thrilled to be included in this impressive and passionate group of individuals who have come together to support our future through our children.
Wendy Overturf
Intensive Support SpecialistWendy started working for WIFACETS in the fall of 2012. She has been a professional educator for over 25 years and has held positions as a special education teacher, a disability consultant for Head Start, an Associate Principal and an elementary principal. Wendy retired in May 2012 from her fulltime position, after serving five years as school district superintendent. She attended UW-Whitewater for her undergraduate work, Marian University for her masters’ level work and received her doctorate from Edgewood College in 2007. Her dissertation focused on topics related to special education. Working with children with special educational needs and their families has always been an integral part of her life both professionally and personally as her husband was a Director of Special Education for 30 years.
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Maddie Paar
Front Office OperationsMaddie joined WI FACETS staff in the beginning of 2022 as the administrative assistant. Maddie recently graduated from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. She loves spending time with her dog and her friends and family. She loves to cook and try new foods.
Nelsinia Ramos
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORNelsinia Ramos is the Associate Director of WI FACETS, Inc. and Co-Director of the Wisconsin Parent Training and Information Center funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Nelsinia received her master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Concordia University Wisconsin. She started working for WI FACETS in 2003 and has implemented parent programs since then. Nelsinia also serves as a TA Specialist for the Region C Parent Technical Assistance Center, a project assisting parent centers in 16 states, and carries out outreach activities for Wisconsin Special Education Mediation System. Ramos is passionate about parent empowerment as she is the proud parent of a young adult living with a disability. Besides serving parents of children with disabilities, Nelsinia enjoys hiking, playing pickleball, and volunteering as the guardian for two elders with disabilities.
Courtney Salzer
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORCourtney Salzer is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training, and Support, Inc. Courtney has been employed at WI FACETS since 2003. She serves as Co-Director of the OSEP-funded Wisconsin Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) and the Director of the Region C Parent Technical Assistance Center (RPTAC). Courtney also serves as the Parent Partner on the Wisconsin Special Education Mediation System. Courtney received her Law Degree and Bachelor’s Degree from Marquette University. She earned her Professional Certificate in Non Profit Management from UW-Milwaukee. Prior to her work with WI FACETS, Courtney was an attorney in private practice, where she did a variety of civil litigation including school and special education law. Courtney is currently an Instructor in the UW-Milwaukee Nonprofit Management Program. Courtney has served on several local nonprofit Boards of Directors, including currently as a founding member of the National Center for Parent Leadership, Advocacy, and Community Empowerment (National PLACE). Courtney also serves on the National Advisory Board for the Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE). In her spare time, Courtney chases all over creation with her husband to her children’s various sporting events.
Nathaly Silva
Bilingual Help Desk SpecialistNathaly Silva went to Milwaukee Area Technical College, did two years of general education, and obtained a medical assistant diploma. She worked as a medical assistant in the pediatric department for about 5 years in a local clinic that helps the underserved community. She is a mother of 2 children, one with autism, intellectual disability, speech impairment, and anxiety. She is very devoted to learning new things to help empower other parents to advocate for their children, as she understands what it’s like to be a parent of children with special needs. Her goals are to continue her education in the future. Enjoys singing, dancing, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Chris Stagge
Program AssistantEvents Coordinator
Chris Stagge is the Program and Development Assistant, and Event Coordinator for WI FACETS, working across all agency grants. Chris has worked for disability related non-profit organizations since 1993, and with WI FACETS since 2008. Chris is the parent of a son with special needs.
Lisa Stewart
Help Desk SpecialistLisa has been serving families thru the help desk at WI FACETS for over three years. She has experience with special medical and educational needs with her two young boys and is passionate about helping families who are going thru similar experiences. Lisa has a bachelor’s degree in biology and loves the outdoors, and can often be found in her garden or hiking with her dog.
Melissa Voegeli
Program and Electronic Communications CoordinatorMelissa Voegeli has been serving as the Program and Electronic Communications Coordinator at WI FACETS for four years. Under this position, funded by both DPI and PTAC grants, she develops special education products, manages grant project websites, disseminates Bite-Sized PD messages, coordinates with UWM’s Nonprofit Management School of Continuing Education to host a yearly Nonprofit Management Certificate, and provides technology and communication support for all electronic grant activities. Mel received her Bachelor of Science in Health Studies from Mount Mary University in 2015. Although she graduated with a student-designed major of Allied Health with a Psychology emphasis, she has taken additional coursework in American Sign Language, Disability: Society & Person, Health Communication and Health Care Systems. Mel has been in the field since 2015 when she started working as an in-home line-therapist. Before starting at WI FACETS, she was employed as a Licensed Program Coordinator for another local nonprofit. When she’s not working, you can typically catch Mel out enjoying Milwaukee. She loves live music and supporting local businesses.
Alejandra Loeza
Bilingual SpecialistAlejandra started as a Volunteer Parent Leader in WI FACETS in 2014. She enjoyed volunteering in different organizations. As a mother of a little girl with Down Syndrome, she has experience navigating special education. Alejandra is passionate about helping families, because she understands the challenges that parents of children with special needs can face. Alejandra has a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from University of Queretaro, Mexico. She also loves music and spends time with family and friends.
Ann Zielke
Training CoordinatorGreetings! I am thrilled to be joining the incredible team at WI FACETS as the Training Coordinator. I come to the team with a background in academic libraries. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Marquette University as well as a Master of Library and Information Science and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. My husband and partner of 16 years is a union elevator mechanic and we have a wonderful 10-year-old daughter with disabilities. We love to spend time together as a family outdoors hiking and camping. As a parent who understands firsthand the complexity of navigating the special education system in Wisconsin, I am passionate about the importance of accessible and informative parent education and training. I am a fierce advocate for our daughter and all children with disabilities and I look forward to the opportunity to serve families across the state in this new role.
Former Staff
Jan Serak
RETIREDJan Serak, M.A., is the newly retired CEO/Founder of WI FACETS, a parent-led nonprofit agency located in Milwaukee, WI. Prior to her retirement, she served as the Co-Director of the Region 4 Parent Technical Assistance Center (www.region4ta.us) providing TA to 10 parent centers in 8 Midwest states; and the Co-Director of the WI Parent Training and Information Center. Serak was the Parent Partner for the WI Special Education Mediation System and provided administrative oversight and training. She was a consultant for the National Center for Systemic Improvement (Data Use Team; RBA Cross-State Learning Collaborative). Serak is a founding Board member of the National Center for Parent Leadership, Advocacy, and Community Empowerment (National PLACE).advocating to ensure a place at the table for every family and family organization. She served on the National CADRE Advisory Board, National Center for Deaf-Blindness Family Engagement Technical Workgroup, Family Support Research and Training Center Advisory Board, and Advisory Panel for the National Autism Indicators Report. She was a Senior Advisor for the Center for Parent Information and Resources. She has served as the President of the Autism Society of WI, President of the Autism Society of SE WI, and as a Board member and Legislative Chair for the Autism Society of America. She received her B.S. from the University of WI and M.A. in Educational Psychology and Dispute Resolution from Marquette University. She is the parent of two young adult sons (Ben, who has autism, and Jeffrey) and passionately believes that every child deserves a chance to shine.
Charlotte A. Price
IN MEMORIAMIt is with great sadness that we share the passing of one of the WI FACETS Co-Founders, Charlotte A. Price on November 20, 2018. In 1995, Charlotte co-founded WI FACETS with Jan Serak, with the sincere belief that all families of kids with disabilities should have a place to go for high quality support as they navigate the complex special education system. Charlotte worked at WI FACETS until 2014, when she retired to Eagle River to spend more time with her family. Prior to WI FACETS, she worked first as a middle school teacher and then as the Co-Director of Parent Education Project of WI. Those that knew Charlotte knew that she was a passionate believer in empowering families to be their child’s own best advocate. Charlotte also spent much of her career working on transition issues – she believed that every child should leave school college and/or career ready. Charlotte approached her work and her life with humor and wit and had an infectious laugh. Charlotte will be dearly missed by her WI FACETS family.
Sandra McFarland
IN MEMORIAMThe entire WI FACETS family is incredibly saddened to announce the passing on September 12, 2021, of long-time staff member Sandra McFarland. For nearly 16 years, Sandra managed all of our front office operations and was quite literally the face and voice of WI FACETS. If you ever called our office or stopped in to see us, Sandra was likely the first person you interacted with. Her warm smile and friendly demeanor made everyone feel welcomed and at ease. Sandra was the consummate professional and took immaculate care of our office, consumers and staff. Sandra considered everyone who worked at WI FACETS her family, and even considered our kids and grandkids her family. She was a confidant, friend and ray of sunshine to all of us who had the pleasure of working with her. Sandra had a unique way of knowing exactly what everyone needed right at that moment in time. She leaves behind a legacy of compassion, faith and resilience. Anyone who had the good fortune to have spent time with Sandra is better for it.
