Rachel & Associates was established in 1992. Since then, four knowledgeable consultants and expert trainers have been selected to join the group. Now seminars are conducted not only by Rachel Billmeyer, but also by her associates. Each consultant brings unique training talents and a specific knowledge base about teaching and learning. Read about their backgrounds, training specialties, and how you can contact them if you are interested in arranging consultant work for your organization.
 

Internationally known educational consultant Rachel Ann Billmeyer has extensive experience putting educational theory into practice. She has taught elementary, secondary, and university level classes and is known for her work with reading in the content areas and reading assessment practices. Rachel is author of the ASCD publication Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me Then Who? Her recent publications include Strategies to Engage the Mind of the Learner and Capturing All of the Reader Through the Reading Assessment System. Rachel has served in leadership positions, including Director of Professional Development and Instruction, Grant Director for Nebraska Literacy Program, and Program Chair for the Midwest Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Conference. In 1993 Rachel received the Nebraska Literacy Award.

Rachel's résumé.

Sue Presler is currently working as an independent consultant, working with school districts across the country.  Sue provides training in the following areas:  Habits of Mind, Cognitive Coaching, Facilitation and Presentation skills, and Teaching Reading in the Content Areas.  She is a training associate for the Center for Cognitive Coaching, and for Four Hats Leadership, having worked with Bob Garmston, Art Costa, and Bruce Wellman for the past 17 years.  She is also an associate of Rachel and Associates, (Rachel Billmeyer is the author of Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me Then Who?). Sue also does training for McRel and Educational Testing Services.

Sue is frequently seen talking to kids at school and about school.  She continues to be in classrooms, teaching, co-teaching, and planning with teachers who have attended her workshops.  During her 27 years in education she has taught every level, elementary through high school.  Sue has presented professional development programs for the National Staff Development Council, ASCD, Iowa Staff Development Council, Association of Educational Service Agencies, and three day ASCD institutes.

Cheryl Becker Dobbertin has worked for nearly 15 years as a secondary English teacher, staff developer, and school administrator. She specializes in both differentiation and literacy development and combines principles from both schools of thought to show teachers and school leaders how to enable all students to continuously strengthen their literacy skills. Cheryl's unit "American Stories: Reading and Writing Historical Fiction" was published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) in 2004 in the book Differentiation in Practice: 9-12. She is a contributing author to several of Rachel's books. In addition to her work with practicing teachers, Cheryl teaches courses in differentiation and literacy to pre-service teachers at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York.

Sharon Graves is a national consultant, presenter and facilitator. Currently she is a training associate with Rachel & Associates specializing in training workshops based on Strategic Reading in the Content Areas: Practical Applications for Creating a Thinking Environment and Strategies to Engage the Mind of the Learner: Building Strategic Learners, books authored by Rachel Billmeyer. Sharon also is a training associate with the Center for Cognitive Coaching^SM.

Sharon is founder of Premiere Development Group, a consulting firm specializing in differentiated instruction, gifted education, mentoring new teachers, leadership development and group facilitation. With 32 years of experience at the elementary, secondary and graduate levels, she provides professional development to administrators and teachers with the ultimate goal of improving student achievement.

Sharon has given presentations on numerous occasions at national meetings of the National Staff Developpment Council, Association for Curriculum and Supervision Development, and American Association of Educational Service Agencies, and at state meetings of the Ohio Council for Staff Development, Ohio Association for Gifted Children, and Ohio Education Association. Sharon has served as President of the Ohio Staff Development Council and Co-director of the Salt Fork Regional Professional Development Center. Sharon is also an adjunct professor at Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio.

Molly House currently works as a Middle School Literacy Trainer for Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa. She is an associate of Rachel and Associates, a 6+1 Writing Instruction and Assessment trainer, and a trainer in the FISH philosophy. She also is an adjunct professor for Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Molly provides technical assistance to the Reading First grant schools in the Des Moines Public Schools. Her strong primary background has helped these schools implement the reading first curriculum.

During her 36 years in education she has taught elementary through middle school. Molly has presented professional development programs for the English Language Learners state conference, the Reading Recovery state conference, the Iowa Reading Conference, and multiple Summer Institutes sponsored by Heartland AEA 11. She has co-presented with Dr. Linda Fielding from the University of Iowa on K-2 Reading.