Susan Harmon
Bloomington,MN
Summary
Experienced educator and educational leader driving change at the school, district, and state levels. Skilled in continuous improvement, data-driven decision-making, and mentoring educators. Also brings customer success experience with an online assessment company, supporting the implementation of effective practices and tools that improve teaching and learning, committed to equity, inclusion, and reflective practice to improve outcomes for all students in a Literacy Specialist role.
Overview
35
35
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Regional Literacy Coach
BrightWorks, Minnesota Service Cooperative
Arden Hills, Minnesota
07.2024 - Current
- Advancing Minnesota's vision for evidence-based literacy instruction by building educator capacity.
- Engages in coaching cycles and reflective conversations with 20+ Local Certified Facilitators.
- Collaborates with MDE, Minnesota Regional Literacy Network, and district professional learning teams to sustain literacy systems across 178+ metro area districts, charter, and Tribal schools.
- Presents regionally at events (ASMD and COMPASS Institute), promoting Minnesota READ Act initiatives .
Manager of Customer Training, FastBridge
Renaissance Learning
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
08.2022 - 02.2024
- Held a highly visible role supporting and scaling successful professional learning for an education technology assessment product.
- Led and supported a team of 22+ FastBridge trainers, managing onboarding, scheduling, data reporting, & continuous improvement to deliver high-quality product training nationwide with 95% customer satisfaction.
- Managed Lead Trainer and staff to provide effective, multi-modal professional learning for FastBridge assessment tools in reading, math, and behavior.
- Collaborated with cross-functional engineering, R&D, instructional design, and marketing teams to develop training content, improve processes aligned with client learning needs, and expand business opportunities.
Dean of Students
L.C. Webster Elementary School
North St. Paul, Minnesota
09.2021 - 07.2022
- Led school team to analyze data, create and monitor student success plans, deliver professional development, and collaborated with staff and families to support over 400 students' academic and behavioral growth.
- Delivered equity-centered professional development and coaching, increasing staff engagement and fostering a positive, inclusive school culture.
- Directed district-wide phonics literacy training for grades K-2.
Instructional Coach
L.C. Webster Elementary School
North St. Paul, Minnesota
09.2015 - 09.2021
- Skilled in delivering personalized, data-driven instruction by collaborating with school staff and families. Committed to continuous improvement practices to enhance student learning and outcomes.
- Partnered with the University of Minnesota Center for Reading Research to deliver targeted reading interventions and coaching, enhancing teacher effectiveness and student outcomes.
Elementary Classroom Teacher
North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale Schools
Maplewood & North St. Paul, Minnesota
09.1991 - 08.2015
Education
PK-12 Education Specialist - Education Administration
Minnesota State University
Mankato, MNMaster of Arts - Education
Hamline University
St. Paul, MNBachelor of Science - Elementary Education
St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud, MNSkills
- Expert in FastBridge assessment system
- Salesforce platform management
- Experienced with Microsoft Office
- Skilled in utilizing Google Suite tools
- Skilled in Canva graphics creation
- Jira and Zendesk proficiency
- Experienced with Slack communication
- Schoology proficiency
Accomplishments
- Partnering with 36+ districts to support READ Act implementation, providing ongoing support in assessment, data-driven decision-making, professional learning, curriculum selection, interventions, screening, and literacy initiatives.
- Developed automated professional learning registration, communication, and customer satisfaction tracking using Excel spreadsheets.
- Collaborated with team of six in the development of FastBridge core learning library.
- Successfully supervised team of 22+ instructors with 95% satisfaction rating.
- Led phonics task force teams elevating early reading proficiency from 30% to 79%, significantly closing opportunity gaps.
Affiliations
- ISD 622 Advisory Staff Development Member
- Elementary Science Chair
- School Leadership Team
- District Co-Lead Instructional Coach
- ISD 622 Phonics Task Force Leader
- Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Lead
- Climate and Culture Team
- Lead Teacher
Certification
- State of Minnesota PK-12 Administrative License
- State of Minnesota Teaching License, Grades K-6
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-harmon/
Timeline
Regional Literacy Coach
BrightWorks, Minnesota Service Cooperative
07.2024 - Current
Manager of Customer Training, FastBridge
Renaissance Learning
08.2022 - 02.2024
Dean of Students
L.C. Webster Elementary School
09.2021 - 07.2022
Instructional Coach
L.C. Webster Elementary School
09.2015 - 09.2021
Elementary Classroom Teacher
North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale Schools
09.1991 - 08.2015
PK-12 Education Specialist - Education Administration
Minnesota State University
Master of Arts - Education
Hamline University
Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education
St. Cloud State University