President
Corrine Kallemeyn
President Elect
Nicole Finnesand
Teaching since 2011, Nicole Finnesand has found home at Tri-Valley High School where she currently teaches 9th and 12th grade English, Creative Writing, ACT Prep, and advises the Yearbook. Additionally, Nicole serves on the ELA Advisory Committee for the Dept. of Education and has served on standards workgroups and committees in the past.
Nicole earned her BA in English and Secondary Education from Augustana University, her M.Ed in Reading from Black Hills State University, and most recently became a National Board Certified Teacher in ELA for Early Adolescence.
Outside of the classroom, Nicole spends time with her husband and two young sons and pursues her love of gardening, baking, reading, singing, and drinking coffee.
Secretary
Jennifer Lacher-Starace
Jennifer Lacher-Starace is currently teaching 8th grade reading and language arts at Mickelson M.S. in Brookings. Prior that that she was an instructor in the teacher education program at South Dakota State University and a high school English, journalism, and social studies teacher in Southern Maine.
Treasurer
Susan Farrell-Poncelet
Susan Farrell-Poncelet is the eighth through twelfth grade English, photography, and art teacher, prom advisor, oral interp coach, yearbook advisor, and senior project coordinator at Sanborn Central. In addition, Susan teaches special topic graduate courses through Dakota State University.
Susan earned her A.S. and B.S. in Business Administration with a health care concentration from Colorado Technical University, her teaching certification from Dakota State University, and her M.Ed. in English Education from Valley City State University.
In addition to serving on the SDCTE executive board, Susan is a member of the Speech Communication Association of South Dakota, and the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as serves on the Young Adult Reading Program committee through the South Dakota Library Association and is the chairperson of the Sanborn Central Education Association.
When she is not teaching, Susan likes to travel, spend time with her family which includes two energetic twin girls and overly obnoxious Labrador, fish, hike, paint, and take photographs.
Post-Secondary Liasion
Michelle Rogge Gannon
Michelle Rogge Gannon directs the Writing Center and teaches courses in English at the University of South Dakota. She also directs the Dakota Writing Project, an organization for teachers concerned about improving the teaching of writing.