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Prior to taking the position as early childhood coordinator for SACS, I worked within the district's preschool speech program for 15 years. I also have 11 years' experience as a speech language pathologist at Lutheran Hospital. I graduated from DePauw University with a B.A. in Psychology and graduated from Ball State University with a M.A. in Speech Pathology. I also hold a certificate of Clinical Competency in Speech Language Pathology from the American Speech and Hearing Association. I have been married to my husband, Todd, for over 35 years and have 3 daughters. Rachel is a pediatric psychologist , Katie is a second grade teacher at Whispering Meadows, and Grace has an MBA and works for a nonprofit agency. I truly enjoy our youngest students in the district and am happy to work with our dedicated early childhood team.
I have worked in the field of education since August 2001. Throughout this time, I have spent many years in the classroom teaching students at both the elementary and middle school levels. In addition to that, I spent seven years in administrative positions. I was an elementary school principal for five years and I spent one year as a director of special services. I took a year off to care for the medical needs of my son, Aiden, and to welcome our son AJ to the family. After a year together, I was eager to make a transition back into the classroom. I thoroughly enjoy collaborating with families and colleagues to provide effective, meaningful, and quality education for my students.
This is my 22nd year of teaching. My teaching experience includes Title I, Reading Recovery, Kindergarten, First and Third grade. Prior to teaching in the public schools, I taught preschool. I enjoy building relationships with students and families that fosters lifelong learning. My education consists of a Teaching Certificate in Exceptional Learners, Master of Education, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Kindergarten Endorsement, Reading Recovery Certificate, and an Associate in Science in Child Development. I am passionate about teaching our youngest learners and love to come to work each day.
I began working in the education field in August of 2017 after graduating from Ball State University with a bachelor’s degree in special education. I also have a minor in applied behavior analysis. My first teaching job was in a K-6th grade special needs classroom. After my first year of teaching, I moved to the Fort Wayne area and began working in the SACS early childhood program. I love working with the littlest learners and helping them begin their education journey. My goal is to foster a love for learning in each and every student. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and son, reading, and decorating my house.
Prior to joining the Early Childhood Team in 2016, I provided therapy services for children in preschool through sixth grade. During high school, I wanted to be a preschool teacher. Then I discovered the field of speech language pathology and my dream job of providing speech and language therapy services to preschool-aged students was born! In 2011, I graduated from IPFW where I majored in communication sciences & disorders and minored in linguistics and psychology. I graduated from Purdue University in 2013 with a master’s degree in speech, language, and hearing sciences. Three years after graduating with my master’s degree, I was blessed with the opportunity to specialize in early childhood intervention and joined the Early Childhood Program at SACS! I am passionate about my career and each student and family that I have the opportunity to work with. I hold the Certificate of Clinical Competency for Speech Language Pathology from the American Speech Language Hearing Association and a Speech Language Pathology License from the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. In addition to my speech pathology accreditation, I hold an Indiana Teacher License. When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my, my three active children (Mac, Stella, and Oaklyn), and our Rottweiler (Fiona). I recently discovered how fun it is to use power tools to create furniture and home decorations and I am looking forward to continuing to develop my new hobby this school year!
My name is Kimberly Walenga. I have been working in the SACS Early Childhood program as a speech language pathologist (SLP) since 2007. I earned my B.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Ball State University, followed by my M.A. in Speech Pathology from Ball State University. I hold a Certificate of Clinical Competency in Speech Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. Additionally, I hold an Indiana State Teacher license and a Speech Language Pathology license through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. Early intervention is my passion! I believe everyone deserves a voice and I am dedicated to working with children and their families to reach that goal. When I’m not at work I enjoy spending time with my husband, David, and our two children. We love trips to the zoo, science central, the library, and the pool. I also enjoy volunteer projects with my daughter and her Girl Scout Troop.
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree from IPFW in Personnel from the School of Business and Management Science. I have held positions at several different companies in my previous work life, most notably as a Systems Analyst for GTE (now Frontier), and teaching at English as a Second Language schools and a Bilingual High School and Preschool in Jakarta, Indonesia. Upon my return from Indonesia, I worked indirectly for both Hewlett Packard and the United States Post Office while attending Brown Mackie to earn an Associate’s Degree in Occupational Therapy Assisting in 2007. I passed the certification exam and became licensed by the state of Indiana in 2007, and have worked as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant for Southwest Allen County schools since August of that year. I enjoy figuring out how to do things myself, reading, relaxing, and spending time with my friends, and family. I have two grown children: Ian works full time at Arby’s; and Sara attends Ivy Tech studying Visual Communication while working full time at Sweetwater. In addition to formal courses that I take to maintain licensure, I continue to learn from my fellow co-workers, and from the students themselves. I take great pride in seeing students reach their unique potential and become as independent as possible.
This is my 9th year working in SACS as a physical therapist. Prior to this position, I was a First Steps physical therapist for 12 years. I graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s Degree and from University of Kansas with my Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy. When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our four children, attending their sporting events, being outside and enjoying time with family and friends. I thoroughly enjoy working with students of all ages and helping them move and grow. 
This is my first year working for SACS as a school psychologist, but it is my 15th year in this profession. I graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree before pursuing my masters and educational specialist degrees from Indiana State University. While I am a Fort Wayne native, I have spent the last 14 years serving students and families as a school psychologist in Michigan, and it is great to be back home! My husband and I have two children who also attend SACS schools this year. As a family we enjoy boating in the summer, snow skiing in the winter, and taking on life’s new adventures!
My name is Kim Burns. I am excited to begin my 5th year at SACS and my 17th year as a school psychologist. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Indiana University. I then completed a Masters in Education and Educational Specialist Degrees in School Psychology at Kent State University. There is never a dull moment at my house with four animals (two of which are considered special needs). I love to spend time with my family, especially my three nieces. Two nieces are graduates of Homestead and the third is a current HHS student. During marching season you can find me cheering on the Homestead Spartan Alliance Band!
My name is Yvonne Park and I am the Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing. This is my 25th year in Southwest Allen County Schools. I have a Bachelor Degree in Deaf Education and a Master’s Degree in Specific Learning Disabilities both from Ball State University. I am also a certified Deaf Education Specialist as a First Steps Parent Advisor for the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Indiana. My passion is helping children to learn by doing and helping them to become independent and wise in letting others know what they need. I love my family, (I am quite fond of my 8 grandchildren) nature, log cabins, antiques and camping.