teaching staff
Ashley Dorr - Special Education Teacher/Senior Program Director
Contact: ashley.dorr@embracelearning.org
Ashley is a certified special education teacher with a Bachelor's degree in Education, a minor in Special Education, and a Master's degree in Psychology. Originally from Tacoma, WA, she graduated from Curtis High School before serving four years in the Marine Corps.
Currently, she serves as a Program Manager at ELI, where she collaborates closely with teachers and Behavior Support Specialists (BES) to ensure that students receive an individualized and well-designed education tailored to their unique needs and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). These students continuously inspire her to strive for excellence, and she is confident that this is exactly where she is meant to be.
Kelsey Stewart - Elementary Teacher/ Program Director & Site Supervisor
Contact: kelsey.stewart@embracelearning.org
Kelsey is the Program Director at our Tacoma location. She joined ELI as a BESS in May 2023 and started student teaching in July 2023 while pursuing her Bachelor's in Special Education and Elementary Education with Dual Licensure. Her dream is to be an elementary special education teacher, and she loves working with students at ELI.
Kelsey is Right Response trained and has been recognized by Western Governors University for her academic excellence. She is passionate about connecting behavior and academics, always finding new ways to engage her students. Seeing the children grow and achieve their goals inspires her to help each student reach their full potential.
Outside of work, Kelsey is a busy mother of three, juggling football, cheer-leading, basketball, gymnastics, and baseball activities. This lively routine keeps her happy and energized, reflecting her dedication both at home and in her career.
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JULENE KAUFUSI - GENERAL EDUCATION & SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER'S ASSISTANT/Site Supervisor
Contact: julene.kaufusi@embracelearning.org
Julene is a certified educator with 15 years of teaching experience. She has worked in both general education and special education settings, including teaching Health & Physical Education and managing self-contained classrooms and behavior unit classrooms with a focus on individualized goals. Originally from Nampa, Idaho, Julene competed in track & field, earning a full scholarship for pole vaulting at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she also completed her Bachelor’s in Education.
After obtaining her degree, Julene pursued a career in Special Education, driven by her passion for helping students reach their full potential and advocating for their needs. She is currently a General Education/Special Education Teacher's Assistant at the Bellevue Embrace Learning Institute Site.
Outside of her professional life, Julene is a busy wife and mother of three beautiful children. She and her family enjoy staying active in the outdoors, traveling, having family game nights, and engaging in various hobbies. As a dedicated, passionate, and charismatic teacher, Julene deeply cares about the success of each and every one of her students.
Michele Burlingame - GENERAL EDUCATION/SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER'S ASSISTANT
Contact: fonatee.burlingame@embracelearning.org
Michele has ten years of teaching experience since earning her B.A. in Secondary Education with a specialization in English Language Arts and Reading for grades 8-12. She is also certified to teach English as a Second Language for grades 4-12.
Michele has had the immense honor of working with students from Texas to now Washington. Upon her arrival in Washington State, she worked at Westside School in West Seattle as a 7th and 8th grade Language Arts teacher. This past summer, she received a call from the Embrace Learning Institute and was happy to accept, having heard such wonderful reports about the students and the many opportunities the school offers for learning and growth.
Currently, Michele is working on her Master’s Degree in Instructional Design and Technology, hoping to further use her degree for the benefit of the students at Embrace!
michael friedmann - GENERAL EDUCATION/SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER'S ASSISTANT
Contact: michael.friedmann@embracelearning.org
Michael is the Teaching Assistant at Embrace Learning Institute in Tacoma, where he teaches both middle school and high school students. Known as "Mr. Mike" by his students, a name given to him by his first 1:1 students, it has followed him throughout his career. With six years of teaching experience, Michael has dedicated much of his career to Special Education, working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (EBD). He has taught in various environments, including general education classrooms, resource rooms, life skills classrooms, and EBD classrooms.
Michael holds several Master's degrees: a Master of Science in Animal Assisted Therapy & Intervention, a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice/J.D., and a Master of Science in Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is currently completing his seventh and eighth Master's degrees at the University of Kansas, focusing on High Incidence Disabilities and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). This academic pursuit will allow him to sit on the certification board for BCBA. Michael plans to pursue a Doctor of Education degree after completing these programs.
In addition to his academic credentials, Michael holds various professional certificates, including Crisis Intervention Training from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center (WSCJTC), Animal‐Assisted Intervention Specialist (AAAIP/C‐AAIS), Parrot Behavior Consultant (IAABC/CPBC), and Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB). He also has over 50 certificates in ABA interventions, accumulating more than 1600 hours of ABA implementation, earned through the University of North Carolina over the course of 36 months.
While Michael spent many years in general education, he found himself repeatedly drawn back to Special Education. He recognized that students with special needs and emotional/behavioral disorders often require support not just with academics, but with navigating life's challenges. For Michael, building relationships with these students became a far more rewarding experience than those in general education settings, where many students were disengaged from learning. His passion lies in finding unique, creative ways to engage students, teaching them at their level, and making learning enjoyable. Once students are excited about learning, Michael believes they can achieve anything.
When he's not teaching, Michael dedicates his time to working with parrots. He created the innovative program Tweethearts, a one-of-a-kind Avian-Assisted Intervention program designed to help students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. Developed during his Master's program at the University of Kansas, Tweethearts is a registered not-for-profit corporation in Montana, where parrots are recognized as service animals. Michael implements the program in public schools, the Boys and Girls Club of America, Right at School, Cascade Christian Schools, and various private organizations. For more information, visit www.tweethearts.org.