Who We Are
Project Momentum is on a mission to provide high-quality professional learning opportunities and resources for educators to improve instruction for multilingual learners.
About Our Initiative
Project Momentum is an initiative of the Southeast Service Cooperative, a nonprofit agency serving more than 100 public and private school districts, cities, counties, and other organizations in the 11-county southeast region of Minnesota.
Since 2022, Project Momentum has launched 20 self-paced CEU courses for educators, offering nearly 60 unique hours of learning opportunities. We have developed a comprehensive handbook for Multilingual Learner Program Coordinators and created free and accessible resources and tools to support educators in elevating equity and excellence in education for multilingual learners.
We offer a PELSB-approved K-12 Additional Licensure pathway for Minnesota educators, and we provide specialized supports for teachers pursuing K-12 ESL license through the License Via Portfolio process. In addition, we have delivered thousands of hours of professional development support to educators across the country. Our commitment to ongoing learning extends to micro-credentialing opportunities, including our Multilingual Learner Leadership Micro-Credential for current and aspiring school administrators.
Project Momentum’s initial round of funding came from a $2.7 million grant from the National Professional Development Program from the U.S. Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition (Award #T365Z220119).
The National Professional Development program provides grants to eligible organizations to design and implement high-quality professional development activities that improve instruction for multilingual learners. The Southeast Service Cooperative was selected as a grant recipient in Fall 2022 with anticipated funding through Spring 2027.
20 self-paced CEU courses offered
60 unique hours of learning opportunities offered
1,900+ educators have taken our courses
21 U.S. states represented among participating educators
Meet the Team
Project Momentum Staff
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Dr. Ashley Karlsson
Project Director
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Dr. Kendra Katnik
Project Implementation & Instructional Lead
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Merissa Russie
Licensure Specialist
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Claudia Tabini
Community Engagement & Marketing Coordinator
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Dr. Kristina Robertson
Multilingual Education Specialist
Advisory Board
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Isa Anderson
COMPASS Equitable Access Specialist (Multilingual Learners)
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Hetal Ascher
Professional Learning Specialist, University of Wisconsin–Madison
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Michael Bowlus
Multilingual Learner and Refugee Education, Minnesota Department of Education
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Christi Fosland
Educational Support Coordinator, Southeast Service Cooperative
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Dr. Angela Froeming
Adjunct Instructor, Hamline University
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Amy Grover
Associate Director, Southeast Service Cooperative
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Dr. Keitha-Gail Martin-Kerr
Associate Chair for Racial Justice and Equity in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Minnesota
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Dr. Nicole May
Instructional Designer, University of Minnesota
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Kelsey Raymond
ELD Teacher, Roseville Area Schools
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Elodie Sontgerath
ML Teacher, Grades 6–8, Stillwater Area Public Schools
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Carrie Sorenson
Educational Consultant
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Dr. Amanda Tegels
Director of Teaching and Learning + Regional COMPASS Supervisor, Sourcewell
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Boonmee Yang
Regional Advocate, BrightWorks
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Dr. Amy Young
Director of ESL and Bilingual Education, Minneapolis Public Schools
Project Consultants
Jurana Aziz
Laura Byard
Dr. Angela Froemming
Dr. Tetiana Holovatenko
Dr. Keitha-Gail Martin-Kerr
Dr. Jana Lo Bello Miller
Chris Sanville
Dr. Karla Stone
Dan Struck
Kerry Young
