Meet the Authors and Contributors
The Team Behind: Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story
Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story was developed in consultation with an advisory board of reading specialists, history scholars, curriculum coordinators, and teachers and tested in actual 4th-grade pilot classrooms. As a result, the book has been designed in an accessible format to encourage multiple learning styles. Color-coded terms, phonetic pronunciations and meaningful imagery and sidebars are just a few examples of how the design supports literacy and fluency.
Authors
Bobbie Malone, Ph.D.
Bobbie Malone, Ph.D.
Co-author of the Student Textbook, Teacher's Edition and Student Activity Guide for Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story. She is the former director of the Office of School Services at the Wisconsin Historical Society (1995-2011). With a master's degree in elementary education, she taught school for 10 years before taking a doctorate in American History. Malone has authored and edited many student books and teachers guides on Wisconsin history for the state's classrooms.
Bobbie was a lead author for the 1st Edition of the textbook.
Kori Oberle
Kori Oberle
Co-author of the Student Textbook for Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story. She is a historical researcher, writer, and social studies instructional designer who has worked as an educator in museums, historic sites, and for public television. In addition to authoring several publications for teachers and students, Oberle is an Emmy-winning producer of the "Cultural Horizons of Wisconsin" television series. She is currently the Museum Director for the Hoard Historical Museum in Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin.
Kori was a lead author for the 1st Edition of the textbook.
Kurt Griesemer
Kurt Griesemer
Has been involved in education for over 20 years, as teacher, television producer, content designer, and publications editor. His work includes creating and producing the Emmy-winning Wisconsin Biographies animated series for the Educational Communications Board and interactive media for Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story.
Print publications include education supplements for Patty Loew’s Indian Nations of Wisconsin (2014) and Wisconsin Public Television’s Vel Phillips: Dream Big Dreams (2016). Kurt is currently Coordinator of Primary Education at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Susan O'Leary, Ph.D.
Susan O'Leary, Ph.D.
Co-author of the Teacher's Edition for Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story. She has taught for over 20 years for the Madison Metropolitan School District. She has served as a reading specialist, literacy coach, ESL teacher and reading recovery teacher. Susan is the author of "Five Kids: Stories of Children Learning to Read" and co-author of "You Can Make a Difference: A Teachers Guide to Political Action." She speaks and consults throughout North America on literacy and teaching diverse learners.
Susan was lead writer on the 1st and 2nd Edition Teacher's Guide & Student Activity Guide for the textbook.
Mary Mullen
Mary Mullen
Co-author of the Student Activity Guide for "Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story." She is a retired 4th-grade teacher who volunteers at the Wisconsin Historical Society to develop student-related activities. A lifetime resident and teacher for 19 years in Wisconsin, she also founded her neighborhood association and wrote a history book about her neighborhood. Mullen continues to work on environmental issues and communications in her community.
Mary was lead writer on the 1st and 2nd Edition Teacher's Guide & Student Activity Guide for the textbook.
Textbook Advisory Board
(Professional credentials current when textbook was published)
John Broihahn
Wisconsin Historical Society | State Archaeologist
Wonza Canada
Milwaukee | Assistant Principal
Haron Durtka
Milwaukee | Social Studies Consultant (former)
Heidi Ebert
West Salem | 4th Grad Teacher
John Hallagan
Genesee Depot | 4th Grade Teacher
Patty Harvey
Appleton | 4th Grade Teacher (retired)
Susan O’Leary
Madison | Reading Specialist
JP Leary
Division of Public Instruction | American Indian Studies Consultant
Sally Michalko
Waukesha | 1st Grade Teacher and Social Studies Curriculum Director
Barb Rogers
Muskego-Norway | Reading Specialist
Patty Schultz
Madison | School Librarian
Angie Vetsch
Spring Valley | 4th Grade Teacher
Mark Waggoner
Green Bay | 5th Grade Teacher
Nikki Mandell
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater | American Historian
Susan McLeod
Eau Claire | Director Chippewa Valley Museum
Mike Mckinnon
Janesville | Curriculum Director
Phillip McDade
Monona School Board
Pilot Classrooms
Barbara Jurgens
Sheboygan
Melanie Lucht
Antigo
Denise Rostad
Platteville
Mindy Surges
Random Lake
Maria Covarrubias
Madison
Heidi Ebert
West Salem
Rita Helmeid
Random Lake
Ruth Jones
Oshkosh
Jules Cappelle
Monticello
Kris Cryns
Shorewood
Robin Fatzinger
Platteville
Angela Hopfensberger
Black Earth
JoLayne Lindberg
Oconomowoc
Laura Morgan
Milwaukee
Mary Speerstra
Whitehall
Gwen Williams
Random Lake
Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story
Discover the events and people that shaped our past—from the retreat of the glaciers 10,000 years ago; to the Menominee, Ho-Chunk, and Ojibwe peoples who have lived here for countless generations; to the immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America who have settled here—and the stories that make Wisconsin what it is today. Share the many ways that primary sources—personal objects, photos, documents, and more—help illuminate our state’s history.
English and Español versions available in print and digital format.
Explore the Textbook
