Meet The Team

Sarah Renfrow is an English and communications teacher with 20+ years of experience designing experiential learning, implementing innovative learning practices and grading methods in individual classroom and cross-curricular flexible learning spaces. She holds advanced degrees in English and educational technology and is passionate about improving students’ communication skills. She is an avid promoter of student and teacher voice in developing meaningful process-based educational experiences tied to the expertise of educators and goals of students. She lives in Lee’s Summit, Missouri with her husband Jason, daughter Emerson, and a seemingly unstoppable growing collection of pets.

Stefani Russ is a journalism and media teacher who has spent more than 20 years working to empower students to develop quality print and digital publications. She has developed proven systems to recruit and retain quality community partners to work in various roles with students in real-world learning experiences. She holds advanced degrees in educational leadership and journalism and is invested in supporting teachers as they navigate their educational system to remove barriers when implementing exceptional experiences for students. She has a special interest in telling student and teacher stories to promote effective practices. She lives in Cleveland, Missouri on her family farm with her husband Rob and children Baylee, Blake, and Chase..

Katie Huff is a special education Transition teacher with 19 years of teaching experience working as the LEAD Transition Teacher in the Raymore-Peculiar School District most recently working with students at the LEAD Center. She holds an undergraduate degree in teaching from Illinois State University and a Master's Degree in Transition from the University of Kansas. Katie appreciates that Real World Learning provides inclusive opportunities for all students to learn the necessary skills to lead successful and meaningful lives.

She lives in Raymore, Missouri with her husband, Bryan.  Her sons Jake (35), Ethan (30), and Kanen (20) attended and graduated from the Raymore-Peculiar School District and are all currently living their best lives. Now an empty nester, you can find Katie walking her dog, Ace, and attending yoga classes. 

Lesli Lame is a passionate mathematics educator with over 10 years of experience in both middle and high school settings. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and History from Graceland University, and a Master's degree in Mathematics Education from Western Governors University. Currently, Lesli is a dedicated 7th grade math teacher at Harrisonville Middle School, fostering a love of learning and numerical exploration in her students. 

Outside of the classroom, Lesli enjoys spending quality time with her family. Together with her boyfriend, Robert, and their four children, Aaliyah, Jaxson, Haylee, and Riley, they lead an active lifestyle, embracing the outdoors and participating in various sports.

Emily Craig is an English teacher and A+ tutoring coordinator who has spent her eleven years in education embracing opportunities to build relationships between teacher and student teams to emphasize their strengths. She holds advanced degrees in curriculum and instruction and educational leadership and is invested in identifying ways to build essential skills and leadership qualities that will benefit students both inside and outside of the classroom. Through her experience in implementing Real World Learning in both her senior English class and her district’s summer school program, she has seen first hand the impact of such programs as they cultivate greater buy-in from the most reluctant students. Emily is excited to support and learn from the network as she continues to build upon the real world learning opportunities in the Raymore-Peculiar School District. She is active in her school community as she is passionate about building and maintaining a positive culture among students, staff, and community members. She lives in Peculiar, Missouri with her husband, Jacob, son, Rhett, and dog, Copper. Emily spends her free time reading, working out at Blush Bootcamp, and winning nightly games of Sorry and Uno against her son and husband.

Stephanie Wixon is committed to helping students bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and real-world application. Whether through professional endeavors or service opportunities, she strives to show students how their learning can make a tangible impact in the community. Stephanie holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Southeastern University and a Master’s in Instructional Design and Technology from Emporia State University. She is a Spanish teacher at Shawnee Mission North High School and a World Language Department Teacher Leader for the Shawnee Mission School District. She is deeply committed to advancing educational equity in Kansas City and continually seeks ways to ensure every student has access to the resources and opportunities needed to succeed. 

Outside of her professional life, her greatest joy comes from her family. She has been married to her husband, Kerry, for 9 years and is blessed with two amazing children, ages 6 and 3.  Their support and encouragement fuel her dedication to education and her ongoing efforts to make a positive impact in the lives of her students.

Zachary Johnson is passionate about real-world experiential learning. He utilizes his experiences previously working in the corporate world and owning his own business to walk alongside students through their learning process. He seeks to assist students in becoming fully prepared for their future whether that be college, trade school or entering the workforce. Zachary currently teaches in the North Kansas City School District facilitating their innovative new student-run and operated coffee shop, Class Act Coffee, that is an off-campus program and fully open to the public. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business - Marketing and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching degree both from the University of Central Missouri. This is his second year as a mentor teacher with the Kauffman Foundation Client Connection Project Teacher Network, but has been utilizing real-world projects and business partners for many more. 

Outside of the classroom, Zachary enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, hiking, reading, participating in sports, and spending time with friends.

Leah La Faver has been in education for nearly twenty years. For twelve years she served as a Spanish teacher in a variety of school settings, including private, public, and alternative schools. Leah has a passion for creating engaging meaningful curriculum and experiences for her students, and working with colleagues to do the same. She has spent the past two years co-teaching a real world learning class founded in design-thinking and client-connected projects.

Andrew Smithson is a Kansas City area native with more than fifteen years of experience in public education. He taught social studies in Independence for the bulk of his career, but has more recently moved into a position in Hickman Mills co-teaching an off-campus program solely dedicated to design thinking and client-connected projects.

Tori Deneault believes that purposefully listening to student voices fosters authentic student achievement both within and beyond the classroom. Deneault currently teaches twelfth grade English language arts, debate, forensics, and senior capstone at Piper High School in Kansas City, Kansas. With a career spanning 23 years, Deneault has innovatively implemented real world learning methodologies, fostering critical thinking skills, and emphasizing the importance of effective communication. Throughout her career as a forensics and debate coach, Deneault champions a student-centered approach, believing that every student has unique potential rooted in their individual voice. She advocates for an inclusive and engaging  environment, encouraging all students to share their perspectives, and create a community-driven sense of empathy. She works to inspire students to think critically, challenge assumptions, and develop strong communication skills that extend beyond the classroom.

Brandi Krahulik has taught since 2010 and currently teaches ELA II and ELA III at Shawnee Mission East.  She believes all students are unique and should feel safe and encouraged in their environment to have real and honest discussions and experiences in the classroom. She holds a bachelor's in English and a master's in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in educational technology.  She lives in Overland Park with her husband, Randy; 20-year-old son, Parker; 3-year-old daughter, Evie; two spunky kitties, Luna and Goose; and the sweetest old dog, Charlie.

I am going into my 14th year in education.  I have had the pleasure of working in Special Education and now using that skill set to serve all Special Populations as a Career Navigator for the LSR7 School District.  This will be my second year as a Master Teacher for the Kauffman RWL initiative. I am very excited to help a new group of teachers create amazing RWL opportunities for students throughout the metro area!

Dr. Lynne Shipley embarked on her career in education over twenty years ago. She was previously in private industry, concentrating in printing and sales. Beginning as a computer application teacher, Dr. Shipley has served as a Director, content and team lead, and professional development content creator. Dr. Shipley currently serves as an Instructional Coach at Ruskin High School in the Hickman Mills School District. As a third generation educator, she finds it important to assist students in unearthing their passion. Her belief is that each student has a unique ability to create a place to be successful in this world and teachers play a vital role in helping students to find themselves. It is important for Dr. Shipley to ensure students are afforded equitable access to education, experiences, and efficacy to have a positive impact on their future.

Destiny Marsh is from Fort Worth Texas, and has been teaching in the KC region for 13 years. Destiny has taught in elementary and middle school classrooms before shifting into her current role at Smithville High School. Destiny began her education journey in an elementary computer lab classroom, before diving into PLTW certification and teaching automation and robotics, in addition to 3D design. Destiny is currently teaching Computer Science and Business education at Smithville High school. Destiny is focusing on developing real world learning opportunities for all business education and Computer Science students by integrating client connected projects and integrating entrepreneurial experiences into the curriculum.  Destiny’s education philosophy centers around fostering an environment of innovation in teaching that empowers students to become active participants in their own learning journey. She lives in Smithville Missouri with her husband, 4 children, and an incredibly feisty Dog, Basil.

Michelle Fulton has spent seventeen years teaching high school English. She holds a Master’s degree in Education and is working on her Education Specialist degree in Librarianship. She has invested time  and interest into training in real-world learning with the Kauffman Center and agility training with the DeBruce Foundation to teach students how to translate what they have learned and already know to job skills. 

Michelle is an active traveler. This summer she visited her exchange student in Norway and will take students to Belize summer 2025. She has also started her dream of writing a novel (it’s slow going) and is a voracious reader. She lives in Grain Valley, Missouri with her husband, Terry and two dogs, Orion and Odin.