Meet the GLEC Team

Tricia Bronger serves as the Regional Cooperative Director of Greater Louisville Education Cooperative (GLEC). Her experience in classrooms includes serving students with disabilities, gifted and talented students, and English as a second language. She has held administrative roles in the state department of education and in higher education. Her pre-service and in-service experience provides well-rounded knowledge and expertise for teaching and learning. As a director, she ensures the mission of the GLEC is to provide professional learning, advocacy, and services that support, lead, and inspire positive outcomes for students with disabilities.

Ellen holds a Bachelor of Science in Business & Economics from High Point University.  Prior to joining GLEC, she spent 20 years in JCPS as a Library Media Clerk and later, an Instructional Assistant at various elementary schools.  Ellen is passionate about connecting students with the resources necessary for them to reach their full potential.  Ellen often refers to her position at GLEC as “winning the job lottery.”  She enjoys spending time with her family, reading and going to the beach.​

Katie Cooper is a Special Education Consultant for the Greater Louisville Education Cooperative, in Louisville Kentucky. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Louisville with an emphasis on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Assistive Technology.  Before working as a consultant, Katie taught students with moderate/severe disabilities, in Jefferson County Public Schools. She went on to serve as a Low Incidence Resource teacher for JCPS, and an Instructional Coach at Churchill Park School. Katie also specializes in transition and post-school outcomes for students with disabilities. ​

Jim is a school psychologist with 25 years of experience in mental health. From 2000 to 2013, Jim provided special education assessment, consultation, and staff development services for Laurel County Schools. In 2013, Jim joined the newly formed Southeast/South-Central Educational Cooperative as a regional behavior consultant. Jim is certified through the University of Kentucky as a trainer in Trauma-Informed Care, and the National Council for Behavioral Health for Youth Mental Health First Aid. Jim chairs the Kentucky Department of Education's LD Tables advisory panel serves as KDE Liaison for the Kentucky Association of Psychology in the Schools and works closely with the Kentucky Department of Education in several capacities related to special education and mental health supports.

Kristina Hill earned her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Louisville (UofL), M.Ed. in Special Education from the University of Louisville, and Rank 1 in Special Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of Louisville.  Kristina currently works as a consultant for Greater Louisville Education Cooperative, one of nine special education cooperatives that service Kentucky’s regions. Currently, she provides training to the region she serves as it relates to compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and legislation.  She works with a state task group that focuses on delivering consistent messages across Kentucky as it relates to individual education program development, progress monitoring training, and co-teaching instructional practices.  Kristina worked as a special education teacher for over a decade, teaching students with special needs in grades K-8.  She served as an instructional coach for students K-12, and as a resource teacher that supported teacher understanding of the development of individual education programs, progress monitoring, and instructional practices.  Her mission is to build others up. ​

Christy Rhodes holds dual certification in Learning and Behavior Disabilities and Elementary Education from Bellarmine University and did her graduate course work at the University of Louisville.  This year marks her twenty-fourth in education, spending it solely in special education as an educator and/or instructional leader.  She is a fellow of the Louisville Writing Project (LWP) Cadre XXV and is currently a Strategic Instruction Model Professional Developer in Content Enhancement.  Christy strives to be a life-long learner and enjoys collaborating with others to continuously improve instruction for students with disabilities.  She is a team member of the Greater Louisville  Education Cooperative (GLEC) where she provides support to teachers at Jefferson County Public Schools and the Kentucky School for the Blind as well as works closely with other cooperatives across the State and the Kentucky Department of Education. ​

Duane Williams is a Special Education Math Consultant for the Greater Louisville Education Cooperative in Louisville, KY. He supports Jefferson County Public Schools and the Kentucky School for the Blind. He works closely with the other Kentucky Special Education Cooperatives and is the Coordinator for Active Implementation work in Mathematics Classrooms in Jefferson County Public Schools with the goal, “to increase the percentage of students with disabilities performing at or above proficient in Middle School Math, specifically at the 8th grade level, with emphasis on reducing novice performance, by providing professional learning, technical assistance and supports to elementary and middle school teachers around implementing, scaling and sustaining evidence-based practices (EBPs) in Math.” This work is done in conjunction with the Office of Special Education and Early Learning, Kentucky Department of Education and the National Implementation Research Network. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Louisville and graduate degrees from Bellarmine University.