Staff Biographies

Directors/Assistants | Financial Manager/Paraprofessional | Service Coordinator
Early Intervention Teachers |Physical Therapists |Occupational Therapists |Speech Pathologists

Directors/Assistants
Terry Knothe-Lash is the Early Intervention Program Director at the Coulee Children’s Center. She is originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in k-8 Special Education and Psychology from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. She also has her early childhood special education certification through Winona State University. Terry enjoys her job because she enjoys working with young children with special needs and their families. Terry got into the early intervention field because she volunteered at the Coulee Children’s Center when she was in college. She felt like she could have a positive impact on young children and their families. She started working at the Coulee Children’s Center as a teacher and she enjoyed working with the staff and families in the area. Terry was dedicated to early intervention because she personally felt like she had more of an influence on younger children. Terry says the most rewarding part of her job has been “seeing how the Coulee Children’s Center has changed over the years and how it has grown in many positive ways. I feel privileged to see how the Coulee Children’s Center has reached out to more families over the years.”
Lori Arndt is the Assistant Program Director for the Early Intervention Program. She is originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin. She has her Masters of Science Degree in Social Work from UW-Madison. She is interested in assistive technology and early literacy. Lori says that she enjoys her job because “it is nice to know you work for a program that is helping families and children at an important time in the child’s life.” This field gives us a chance to make a difference for families.” Lori says the most rewarding part of her job is “seeing the children when they are older and knowing that the program helped enhance their development.” Lori has two children, a son and a daughter.
Katie Sutton is Child Care Director at the Coulee Children’s Center.
Kessea Haug is the assistant director at Coulee Children’s Center. She has worked at the center for six years. She spends half of her week in the classroom and half in the office. She studied elementary education at both UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse. Among the things she loves most about working with children are: teaching and watching new skills emerge, listening to growing vocabularies, and good old-fashioned play. She enjoys reading time and hands-on art projects the most in the classroom and loves playing outside with the children. The overall sense of family at Coulee Children’s Center makes her job truly rewarding.

Financial Manager/Paraprofessional Staff
Karen Wolfe is the Financial Manager for the Coulee Children’s Center. Karen is originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin. She has her Bachelor’s Degree from UW-La Crosse in Accounting.  Karen enjoys her job because “the Coulee Children’s Center has a great environment. I get to be around children all day and hear their laughter.” Karen says that the most rewarding part of her job is “making decisions that help with the financial stability of the Coulee Children’s Center.”  Karen is the mother of two boys.
Lynda Christen is the Program Assistant at the Coulee Children’s Center. She is originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin. She has her Bachelor’s Degree from Alma College in Michigan in Education and Speech. Lynda has also been a foster parent for 25 years. Lynda loves her job because she enjoys working with children. Lynda was interested in the child education field because she knew she wanted to work with children since she was a little girl. Lynda says the most rewarding part of her job is, “when someone graduates from the Birth to Three Program before the age of three.” Lynda has four daughters and is the grandmother of two grandsons.
Karla Ronnenberg is the receptionist/ Paraprofessional at the Coulee Children’s Center. Karla is originally from Shullsburg, Wisconsin. She has her Associate’s Degree from Western Wisconsin Technical College in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Karla is also certified in special education. Karla is the co-founder of the La Crescent Animal Rescue organization and takes care of many animals that need care. Karla enjoys her job because of the personal contact with the children, families, and staff. Karla wanted to be a receptionist/paraprofessional because working at the front desk allows her to deal with families face-to-face. Karla enjoys her job because she gets to be around the children and her job is flexible. Karla has two grown stepchildren, Aaron and April.

Service Coordinator
Amada Bee is the Birth to Three Program Service Coordinator for Vernon County.

Early Intervention Teachers
Sharon Heim is an Early Childhood Special Educator. She is originally from Holmen, Wisconsin. She has her Elementary Education Degree from UW-La Crosse and her early childhood special education degree from Viterbo University. Sharon is certified through the Department of Public Instruction and continues to take courses in the education field. Sharon enjoys her job because she gets to work with a variety of children while getting to travel and have a flexible schedule. Sharon originally worked in the medical field but wanted to teach. She was given an opportunity through the Coulee Children’s Center and she worked for the Coulee Children’s Center while working towards an additional certification in special education. Sharon says the most rewarding part of her job is “seeing the children progressively improve their skills and graduate from the program.” Sharon has one son and two daughters. She is a grandmother to one grandchild with two more on the way.
Lisa Eddy is an Early Childhood Teacher. She is originally from Hixton, Wisconsin. Lisa has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Disorders and her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education from UW-Eau Claire. She is certified through the Department of Public Instruction. She enjoys her job because “I get to play with children all day while watching them grow and change.” Lisa was interested in early childhood education because she liked the age group and she liked the in-home teaching setting. The most rewarding part of Lisa’s job is “watching and seeing families be excited about the changes in their child’s development and seeing how far they can develop in a short time.” Lisa is the mother of two boys.

Physical Therapists
   
Cindy Felix is a Physical Therapist. She is originally from Pasadena, California. She has her Master’s Degree from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cindy enjoys her job because “I enjoy working closely with families and caregivers to give them ideas to help maximize their child’s full potential. I love helping children learn, grow, and make developmental progress.” Ever since Cindy was a little girl she wanted to work with children in some capacity. “I became interested in the medical field and therapy in particular when I realized healing and function could be made through exercise and hands-on techniques.” Cindy says, “The most rewarding part of my job is connecting with families and young children and making positive impact in their lives. I enjoy witnessing the excitement of a family when they witness their child’s first steps and I like empowering families to advocate for their children and to help them lead happy and productive lives.” Cindy has three children.

Occupational Therapists
Charlene Krocker is a Registered Occupational Therapist. Charlene is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has her Bachelors of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee. Charlene is N.C.B.O.T. certified. Charlene studies sensory integration dysfunction, feeding disorders, and autism. She also has experience with brachial plexus and nerve injuries. Charlene enjoys her job because she enjoys working with children and helping families. Charlene was interested in occupational therapy because she felt it was a good balance of working in the medical field and helping people become more independent. Charlene says, “occupational therapy is always a challenge because you are constantly learning new techniques and new information.” Charlene says the most rewarding part of her job is “knowing that I make a significant difference in people’s lives.” Charlene is a mother of one son and one daughter.
   
Laura Paquette is a Registered Occupational Therapist. Laura is originally from Chicago, Illinois. Laura has her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Illinois Medical Center. Laura attends continuing educational seminars and courses in sensory integration and feeding, as well as autism spectrum disorders. Laura says, “I enjoy my job because I see a lot of progress and change in children at a younger age. I get to see the happiness on family’s faces when they see improvement. I wanted to become an occupational therapist because I grew up with children of varying abilities. My dad was involved with Easter Seals so I was around many people with varying abilities at a young age.” Laura says the best part of her job is “being able to share small progresses and steps with families.” Laura is the mother of three children.

Speech Pathologists
Kristin Schuppert is a Speech Language Pathologist. She is originally from Watertown, Wisconsin and moved to Wilkesboro, North Carolina at age eight. She has a Masters of Science Degree in Speech Language Pathology from Appalachian State in North Carolina. Kristin is A.S.H.A. (American Speech and Hearing Association) certified and Kristin is interested in studying more about autism and behavioral approaches. Kristin enjoys her job because everyday is different for her. Kristin says that she, “enjoys seeing children progress from making no words or sounds to communicating and learning new words.” Kristin wanted to be a therapist because she has always got along with children and she loves communicating with them. Kristin says, “The most rewarding part of my job is that I get to share the moment with parents when their child speaks words for the very first time.”
Theresa Carlson is a Speech Language Pathologist. She is originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. She has a Masters of Science Degree in Speech Language Pathology from UW-Eau Claire. Theresa continuously attends educational seminars in working with children with autism, hearing impairment, and oral motor/feeding abilities. Theresa enjoys her job because “It is very fulfilling to see the look on parent’s faces when their children can communicate with them.” Theresa became interested in speech language pathology because her own daughter saw a speech language pathologist at a young age. “I went through the course catalog at school and I was able to find the major that allowed me to become a speech language pathologist,” says Theresa. “The most rewarding part about being a pathologist is graduating children before the age of three and helping parents become more involved in helping their child progress.” Theresa is the mother of one son and one daughter, as well as the grandmother of two grandchildren.
   
Abbie Dittman is a Speech Language Pathologist. She is originally from Holmen/Onalaska, Wisconsin. She has a Masters of Science Degree in Communication Disorders from UW-Eau Claire. Abbie is A.S.H.A. certified. Abbie enjoys her job because she loves meeting families and working with children. Abbie wanted to be a speech language pathologist because she loves to talk and communicate and she wants to help other people be able to communicate. Abbie says that the most exciting part of her job is “seeing how excited parents get and being there for a child’s first words.”