Scott Schmiesing, Principal
Before joining St. Ambrose Academy last year, Scott was the principal at St. Francis Xavier School in Cross Plains. Previous to that, he spent six years at the Parkview School District as an assistant principal, athletic director, and teacher. Scott also taught business, was the Athletic Director, and coached basketball and volleyball at Juda for eleven years. He has a BS in Business Education from St. Cloud State University and a MS in Education Administration fromEdgewood College. In his spare time he likes to play golf and play ball with his children.
Constance Nielsen, PhD, Dean of Faculty; Religion, English,
Dr. Constance Nielsen received her B.S. in English Literature and Classical Humanities from the University of Wisconsin, and M.A. and Ph.D. In Religious Studies from Marquette University. Specializing in the Church's social teaching, she has taught theology at Marquette University and worked in the Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. She has also given many talks around the Madison and Milwaukee area on social teaching, and has been a lecturer for the Madison Diocesan Lay Institute, and the Seat of Wisdom Diocesan Institute. She is an adjunct professor at Edgewood College, teaching Catholicism to undergraduates. She serves as Bishop Morlino’s representative on the local Catholic Campaign for Human Development Committee.
Valerie Grant, MS, Science, Math
Valerie Grant was a student at the College of St Catherine, completed her BS in Biochemistry at the University of Michigan ('08), and obtained her MS in Neuroscience from the University of Wisconsin-Madison ('11). Her Master's thesis was titled "Probing ligand-gated ion channel dynamics using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy." She will teach Life Science, Chemistry, Physics and Math.
Theresa Klinkhammer, M.Ed., Religion, Math
Theresa Klinkhammer graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, with a B.A. in Mathematics/English Literature in 2009. She received her Master of Education degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2011, through the Alliance for Catholic Education. As part of this program, she has been teaching full time in a Catholic primary school in Mobile, Alabama for the last two years. She will teach pre-calculus and religion.
Abby Nowakowski, History, Latin
Abby Nowakowski graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with majors in classical humanities and American history, with extensive Latin language studies. She earned a certificate in European Studies with advanced foreign language studies and incorporation of courses on ancient and modern European history. She will teach 9-10 history and upper level Latin.
James Reuter, History, Science, Math, Phy Ed
James Reuter has a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a Certificate in European Studies, and has pursued graduate studies in History at UW-Madison. His undergraduate thesis was on “Rendering unto Caesar: The Catholic Church and its confrontation with German National Socialism.” He has also coached junior varsity basketball at Oregon High School. He will teach 11-12 history, 7-8 Science, Math, and Phy Ed.
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John Carey, Algebra I
John Carey is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison double majoring in Computer Science and English. His previous teaching experience includes teaching Ballroom Dance and substitute teaching Algebra II and JH English at Saint Ambrose, and tutoring Latin for over 5 years. He is a 2008 graduate of St. Ambrose Academy and the first St. Ambrose graduate to return to teach a full class at St. Ambrose Academy.
Benjamin Beier, MA, English
Benjamin Beier is a graduate student in English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working on completing his doctorate in English Literature. His dissertation is on the ethics of rhetoric. He has a M.A. in English from the University of Dallas. He was a 2009 speaker at Theology on Tap in Madison. He will be teaching 9-10 English.
Aristotle Esguerra, Schola
Aristotle A. Esguerra is the music director at St. Mary's Church in Pine Bluff and St. Ignatius Church in Mount Horeb. He has almost a decade of experience in singing and teaching Gregorian Chant and has personally studied under Wilko Brouwers (Utrecht, Netherlands), Prof. William P. Mahrt (Stanford University), Scott Turkington (St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Charleston, SC) and Dom Daniel Saulnier OSB (St. Peter's Abbey, Solesmes, France; Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, Rome).
Beth Ptak, Art
Beth received an Associate in Technology Degree with a major in Graphic Design from The American Academy of Art, Chicago, Ill. Her career has taken her through advertising studio design, illustration, portraiture, Madison's “Art Fair Off the Square,” custom artwork for commercial/home furniture and interiors, and art education. Beth is currently on the Board for an “Outsider Art” site called Grandview in Hollandale, Wis. Beth assists with St. Ambrose’s annual yearbook and the spring musical set designs.
Daniela Saldaña, School Secretary
Daniela Saldaña is a member of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, through which she has worked at Shoreless Lake School in Murcia, Spain for eight years. During that time she gained experience in many different areas of education, working as the dean of faculty, 5th grade teacher, and secretary. She has a B.S. in Economics and Administration from the Pontifical University of Chile her native country. Daniela has taught catechism in her parish in Chile and at St. Norbert's in Roxbury.
Carolina Ibarra, Latin, History, Math
Carolina Ibarra graduated from the University of Murcia in Southeast Spain in June 2009 with a BA in History and has specialized in the area of Medieval Spanish History. She has long been a member of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest and has helped out in the Society's school (Shoreless Lake School) teaching History, Geography and Math. She has also tutored children during the summers. In September 2009, she came to Madison to work for the Diocese. During this past year, she worked as an assistant teacher in 3rd grade at St. Aloysius School in Sauk City and also taught Ancient History in the sixth grade. She especially enjoys reading novels and books about the History of the Church, transcribing medieval documents, watching movies, and playing tennis and volleyball.
Míriam Máiquez, English, Math, Religion
Miriam Máiquez graduated from the University of Murcia (Spain) in 2006 with a B.A. in English. From 2006 to 2009 she worked as a primary school teacher at Shoreless Lake School (Murcia, Spain). Miriam became a consecrated woman in the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest in 2005. She moved to Wisconsin in September 2009 and worked as a teacher's aid at St. Aloysius School (Sauk City) from January to June 2010. In her free time, she likes to take long walks and watch movies.
Board of Directors
Joan Carey, Director, received her M.A. degree in English from the University of Wisconsin and then completed four years in the Ph.D. medieval literature program, during which she taught multiple literature and composition courses. She left the program to give birth to twins. She and her husband Patrick own Carey Associates, Inc., a technical documentation company, and are parents of six children, two of whom are homeschooled, two of whom attend St. Ambrose, and three of whom are graduates of St. Ambrose.
Grant Emmel, Vice President, is in charge of special projects for the Diocese of Madison, and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Wisconsin. He is an officer of the Madison chapter of Serra International and is a member of the Knights of Columbus. In addition to St. Ambrose Academy he helped found Safe Place for Newborns - Wisconsin to protect infants from abandonment. He and his wife, Nancy, are parents of five children, including three graduates of St. Ambrose. Their eldest son is a seminarian for the Diocese of Madison, studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
Joseph Leone, Esq., Treasurer, is a chemist by training and a patent lawyer by profession. He received an A.B. degree in chemistry from Kenyon College, and masters (chemistry) and law degrees from Marquette University. He and his wife Elizabeth are homeschooling parents of seven children.
Rob Marsland, Ph.D., Director, received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University. He then received his Masters and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He helped found New Focus, Inc. and Focused Research, Inc., two optical technology companies, and is now working on a new start-up company. Rob is also a Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UW-Madison. He and his wife Diane are homeschooling parents of seven children, including two current students and two graduates of St. Ambrose Academy.
David R. J. Stiennon, Esq., President and Secretary, is a patent attorney and partner in the Madison law firm of Stiennon & Stiennon. He is president of the Technical Club of Madison and serves on the Board of Our Lady of Hope Clinic.
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