About Us
Smekens Education Solutions, Inc. is a leading provider of staff development and professional resources to K-12 schools in Indiana, Illinois, and the Midwest. Specializing in the areas of reading and writing, our training team is best known for showing teachers how to apply research-based literacy strategies in ways that are practical and effective.
Our online bookstore, The Literacy Store, features thousands of titles, including professional books, children's books, classroom decorations, games, and more.
Contact Brady Smekens, Director of Professional Development, to find out how Smekens Education can customize solutions for your school or district.
Training Team
Kristina Smekens Kristina is a highly sought after speaker and author who works with K-12 teachers sharing practical strategies for teaching writing, reading comprehension, and vocabulary development. She is a certified 6-Traits trainer and author of several books, including Launching the Writer's Workshop, The Trait Mate; 6-Traits Starter Lessons, and the Writing Parent Pack. Her presentations have helped to motivate teachers for more than 10 years. |
Courtney Gordon Courtney taps into her own classroom experience as a middle school language arts teacher as she guides K-12 teachers toward effective instruction in reading and writing. She has presented to schools and districts throughout the Midwest and Canada where she has helped teachers apply research-based strategies in the classroom. |
Kristi McCullough Kristi wore many hats in public schools for 13 years before joining Smekens Education full time. Her training as a Reading Recovery® teacher and Literacy Coordinator allows Kristi to offer classroom teachers practical ideas that are rooted in research. Kristi is passionate about helping teachers implement a balanced literacy approach focused on real-life, purposeful literacy activities that result in improved student achievement. |
Kim Strobel Kim has the unique ability to make best practices in literacy both tangible and achievable. As a former district-wide literacy coordinator, she has worked with students and teachers at every level on topics that range from guided reading, to writer's workshop, to disciplinary literacy at the secondary level. Her expertise in reading and writing, combined with her personal energy and engaging style make her a popular choice for on-site professional development. Learn More About Kim | Email Kim |
Support Team
 Brady Smekens Brady brings more than a decade of experience as a teacher and administrator to his role as Director of Professional Development for Smekens Education. |
 Jeff Bieber Most of the time, Jeff can be found behind either a tripod or an editing screen. As our full-time videographer, Jeff applies years of experience in media technology to his work shooting and editing video of workshops and classrooms. |
Greg Casserino As a part-time employee, Greg provides support in many areas. He’s a master at loading the van for regional workshops and is a quick study on lots of techno tasks related to our websites. |
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If you have attended a workshop featuring Kristina Smekens, you’ve probably met Julia. She is in charge of all the on-site logistics at workshops, including registration, book sales, and more. |
 Lisa Leas If you call Smekens Education, chances are you'll talk to Lisa. She's on the front lines helping customers with workshop registration, Purdue graduate credit, and more. |
 Courtney Minniear When it comes to books and other classroom resources, Courtney is your go-to gal. Aside from managing the online bookstore, she also assists customers with custom title searches, specialized school quotes, and more. |
 Liz Shockey A diverse background in education and publishing helps Liz assist teachers at every level. She oversees the Idea Library and assists our consultants with research and development of new ideas. |
With a background in newspaper design, Kara is both creative and organized. She applies these skills to new publishing projects that are always “in the works” at Smekens Education. |
 Leslie Witkamp Leslie works part-time for Smekens Education during her college breaks. Leslie helps to prepare materials for workshops, enter data onto the website, and so much more. |
Julia Glessner
Kara St. Myer
