Rob Plagge, Business Technology, Lebanon High School Debra Walker, Adult Education Public Safety Services Coordinator

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1 New staff 2015 Rob Plagge, Business Technology, Lebanon High School Rob worked in logistics in the private sector for 15 years with a Fortune 500 company, CH Robinson, in the Cincinnati area. He started at WCCC one year ago as a long-term substitute teacher, and discovered he loved to teach career tech. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communications at Bowling Green University and is currently working on graduate degree for his Alternate Resident Educator license and a Master s in Education, also at Bowling Green. Communication is one of the most important keys to success, he said. I want to help my students develop skills in talking face to face with others. If they want to go into business, they need to understand how to stand up and greet someone, shake hands, and introduce themselves. Rob and his wife, Kim and son Edward, 5, live in Loveland. His hobbies include hiking and other outdoor activities with his family. He is also a seconddegree black belt in martial arts. Debra Walker, Adult Education Public Safety Services Coordinator Debra earned her Bachelor s Degree in Elementary Education at the College of Mt. St. Joseph. She taught elementary school for seven years, and coached high school volleyball and basketball. She served in the fire service for 31 years, beginning as a volunteer firefighter, and working up the ranks to a full-time captain. She is now the Assistant Chief at Hamilton Township Fire and Rescue. She served 10 years on the Hamilton County urban search and rescue team, and is also a national registry Paramedic Registered Nurse. For two years, she worked on a deep water oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico as a Paramedic RN, and ran a three-bed hospital. She has also been a lead instructor at several local career tech centers in their fire and paramedic programs, and taught medical classes to police academy students. I am excited to take a well-established program to the next level, she said, and I look forward to increasing enrollment. The people here are very helpful and the support has been wonderful. I have a past history of working at area career tech centers that has prepared me for this position to meet the needs of the program. Deb lives in Miami Township, Clermont County, and she plans to stay on as Assistant Chief to keep networking connections with the industry. Barb Patterson, High School Health Science Instructor Barb graduated from Penn State University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has worked as a nurse in intensive care at Miami Valley Hospital locally, and has also worked in that field in other states. She has been teaching adult education medical programs at WCCC since 2009, both STNA classes and Medical Assisting. She is taking classes online at Bowling Green University for her undergraduate degree in Alternate Resident Educator license. I am very optimistic and excited about what I can bring to the students, she said. They will leave this program with usable tools that will give them direction and the ability to work as a nurse aid and have a source of income if they choose to continue their education in

2 the medical field. She and her husband Dan live in Lebanon and have six children, Maggie, 21, Erin, 19, Kathryn, 17, Michael, 15, Jack, 12, and Anna, 5. She is also very involved at St. Francis de Sales Church. Shonda Marburger, Departmental Secretary Shonda worked for 13 years at Clinton-Massie Local Schools; eight years at the elementary school as secretary, and five years in the treasurer s office. She grew up in Blanchester, and graduated from Blanchester High School. She and her husband Gary live in Clarksville. They have two sons, Jeremy, 18, at UC Blue Ash, and Joey, 15, a sophomore at Clinton-Massie. I spent eight years working directly with parents and students and I really missed that when I went to work in the treasurer s office, she said. Now, I am happy to be back where I will be communicating with parents and students. I am excited about being here, and I am very used to a fast-paced office. Shonda will handle student fees and the main switchboard, working as front office receptionist, and whatever else comes along, she said. She enjoys being a bowling coach for Clinton-Massie, and also enjoys the outdoors. Last year, her son Jeremy bowled a perfect 300, and she is very proud of that. Marcus Makras, Gateway to Technology - Springboro Junior High School Marcus served in the U.S. Army for three years, and taught science at Butler Tech for one year, and Alter High School for four years. He also taught Project Lead The Way for one year at Alter. He earned his Bachelor s in Secondary Education at the University of Cincinnati, and is taking training through PLTW for the classes he will be teaching this coming school year. I am interested to see what new experiences will present themselves while teaching junior high, he said. I think the students will have fun with the hands-on activities. From my past experience teaching PLTW, I feel like the students really enjoy actively making something and taking ownership of it with the projects. He will be teaching Automation and Robotics and Design and Modeling courses. He grew up in Sylvania, Ohio, and now lives in Miami Township with his wife Elizabeth, and children Tommy, 1, and PJ, 2. Steve Abrell, Business Technology - Kings High School Steve earned his Bachelor of Science in Forensic Studies and Political Science at Indiana University, and has spent 30 years in the consumer projects industry, managing at companies such as Warner-Lambert, Pfizer, Cadbury and Kraft. He has been substitute teaching for the past three years, including two long-term positions with WCCC in Information Technology at Little Miami, and Business Technology at Kings. I am very excited about doing this full time, he said. I enjoyed mentoring and teaching when I was in the business world, and this is an extension of that. My wife is an educator, and also my son, so we are all in the education business. Steve and his wife Kathy live in the Kings district and have one son, Kyle, 27, who just started teaching at the International Institute in Thailand. He loves to travel, play golf, read, work in the yard, and help other people succeed.

3 Diana Graham, Career-Technical Special Education Coordinator Diana earned her dual-major Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Instrumental and Vocal Music at Ohio University. She also earned her Master s in Elementary Principalship at OU, and attended Wright State University for certification in learning disabilities and severe behavior disorders, and she holds Highly Qualified Trained certification in reading, science and social studies. She has spent 40 years in education, the last 18 years at Franklin City Schools mostly in high school special education. I wasn t ready to quit, so I am thrilled to be here and that I get to work with some of my former students, she said. I have always been highly impressed with WCCC and look at this as a great opportunity. She and her husband Stephan live in Waynesville, and have four children; Chad, 34, an engineer, Kassandra, 31, a family physician, Shaun, 25, an engineer, and Kyle, 23, an engineer, and three grandchildren. She is the organist at St. Francis Episcopal in Springboro, and also plays piano, bassoon, and guitar. She enjoys genealogy, and spending time with her grandchildren. Chuck Higgins, Advanced Technology and Robotics Instructor (1/2 secondary, 1/2 adult) Chuck earned his Bachelor of Science in Electromechanical Engineering from Miami University. He worked at the Warren County government offices for 15 years in the IT department, eight of those years in programming and seven years in computer troubleshooting. He has been teaching Adult Education here for about two years in the Electromechanical PLC program, and also taught for two years at Cincinnati State. His work experience also includes various contracting work in Electromechanics. He will be teaching the new high school program the first half of the day, and will continue to teach for adult education in the evenings. I was able to explain the program to potential students at our open houses, sophomore visits and eighth-grade tours and career camp, and tell the students that this is where the jobs are, he said. We are getting more and more companies in this area in the industry of manufacturing and engineering. My students will be able to go put out their resumes in these new companies when they finish the program. He has volunteered in the past with 4H, so he has worked with teens. Chuck and his wife Tahana, and their children Lilly, 6, and Rylan, 2, live in Morrow. When not teaching, he likes to spend time with family and friends. Ryan Burgess, High School Information Technology Instructor Ryan graduated from the WCCC Electronics program in Dave Cairns was his math teacher. He has earned certifications in Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate, Network+, Security+, and has training in many other IT areas. He has been working in network administration, project management and support at Butler Tech for 15 years. I am excited to be teaching, he said. I have been talking to all my close friends and co-workers about how things should be taught over the past three or four years, and I thought I could do a good job teaching. I would see key points, and I kept in my mind what lessons should be project-based. I want to collaborate with some of the

4 other teachers on projects. The more I worked one on one with kids at my previous job, the more I realized I enjoyed it. It s a reminder of why you are here. I love seeing the light bulb go off when a student gets it. Ryan lives in Waynesville and has a son Dean, 6. His fiancée Stephanie has twins Eli and Erin, 18, and Ethan, 21. Joe Behymer, Information Technology - Little Miami High School Joe graduated from the WCCC IT program in He received his Associates Degree in Network Systems Administration from DeVry University and has worked in technical support at WCCC and local computer companies since his senior year. He became a long-term substitute at Little Miami in the IT program last year, and now will be there full time. I am excited to be teaching for WCCC! he said. As a former student, I can t escape the reality that great Career Tech Education shaped who I am today and I am excited to be a part of that for the next generation of students. Joe lives in Lebanon, and has guardianship of his niece, Aliyha, 8. Darryl Retallick, Computer/Network Technician Darryl graduated from the WCCC IT program in Reggie Holtrey was one of his teachers, along with Mark Brown. He attended Sinclair Community College and studied for his CCNA. He has worked at area businesses including Lexis-Nexis. It feels good to be back here; I feel like I am going to accomplish something, he said. This is the best group of people that I have worked with. He and his wife Abby live in Loveland. They just got married in March. She works at the University of Cincinnati as assistant director of processing admissions. His hobbies include computers, cars, and tropical fish tanks. Kim Harris, Family and Consumer Science - Springboro High School Kim has a Bachelor of Science and Human Ecology from The Ohio State University and a Master in Reading with a Reading Endorsement K-12 from the University of Dayton. She has been teaching at Wilmington City Schools since She started with no computers in the classroom, only typewriters and carbon paper. This year, she will be teaching contemporary nutrition, relationships and cultures, STEM skills, and employability skills. I am a very creative person, and my students have enjoyed my teaching style, she said. I am focused on the students finding their direction. I try to help them figure out who they are, and what they are going to do with their life. I am really excited about the impact I can make. She lives in Warren County near Ft. Ancient with her husband Gregg, a Physical Therapist, son Nick, 16, and daughter Carlie, 15. Nick is enrolled in Advanced Technologies & Robotics at WCCC this year.

5 Kim Gates, High School Social Studies Instructor Kim earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from Wright State University and her Masters in Education from the University of Dayton. She has taught psychology at Springboro High School for the past two years, and previously taught at Centerville City Schools. I am very excited to be joining the staff here, she said. I love teaching psychology, so I am glad to be here and continue in teaching both advanced and standard psychology. She live in Kettering with her husband John, who teaches Science at WCCC, and their children Grace, 10, and Gordon, 8. Mark Poeppelman, In School Suspension Instructor (Long-term substitute) Mark has a varied work background in education and the private sector. He taught junior high and worked as Director of Support Services at Springboro Community Schools, worked at General Electric as plans and programs specialist and worked in the auto disposal for insurance industry, ending up as vice president of the company, which sold in He taught at Butler Tech as ISS and online coordinator for about 4 years, and most recently at the Warren County ESC working with autistic children in a social communications class. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from The Ohio State University, and has additional hours at Xavier and Miami Universities. I am a big believer in career tech education, and I see a real need for people with vocations that are taught here, he said. Our students are the people who are needed in the middle class of America that know how to fix things and help us in our everyday life, and who really keep the country running. His wife Teresa taught social studies at Butler Tech. They live in Springboro, and have three grown children, Corrine, 36, Allyson, 34, Matthew, 32, and three grandchildren Lincoln, 3, Aiden, 3, Olivia, 4 months, and another due in November.