Meet CESA 2! In this member spotlight published in March 2020, the Whitewater University Innovation Center features Nicole Barlass, Executive Director of Operations and Dan Hanrahan, Agency Administrator.
What does the company do? What products/services do you offer?
The Cooperative Educational Service Agency 2 (CESA) is on a mission to, “improve student learning by expanding the capacity of our diverse school districts.”
Working in partnership with school districts, universities, and businesses, CESA 2 strives to be a leader of educational leaders. CESA 2 provides professional development for school staff, specialized services for students, and support for educational innovation.
Through the Centers of Excellence, CESA 2 has established designated areas of expertise to best support educators, schools, and districts. Each Center of Excellence is led by a director and supported by various consultants. The services within these Centers of Excellence enable educators and leaders to utilize best practices, become leaders in their fields, and to continually enhance their strengths.
Curriculum & Coaching
Language & Culture
Digital Leadership & Learning
Specialized Services & Staffing
Data & Strategic Planning
Continuous Improvement & Implementation
Behavior & Mental Health
In addition to the specialized services within each Center of Excellence, CESA 2 provides the following general services:
Dialogue with Attorney Program
Jefferson County Head Start
Driver Education
JEDI Virtual
Innovation Student Loan Solutions
Union Grove Special Education Consortium
Vocational Opportunities & Assistance
Furthermore, the CESA Statewide Network provides the following additional services to school districts in Wisconsin.
CESA Purchasing
Google Apps for Education
Equitable Multi-Level System of Support in Wisconsin (E-MLSS)
Wisconsin Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Network
Wisconsin Transition Improvement Grant
Wisconsin Safe & Healthy Schools
CESA 2 and the broader CESA network is focused on sharing resources, supporting educators, and serving students throughout the State of Wisconsin.
Who do you serve? Who is your target market?
Throughout the state of Wisconsin, there is one CESA for each of the 12 geographic regions. The CESA Statewide Network is committed to providing support and services to all school districts in Wisconsin. CESA 2 provides support and services to its 74-member school districts across 7 counties in southeastern Wisconsin including Dane, Green, Jefferson, Kenosha, Racine, Rock, and Walworth counties.
Who is the team?
CESA 2 is led by the executive cabinet, which includes:
Dan Hanrahan, Agency Administrator
Don Vogel, Executive Director of Financial Services
Tracy Elger, Executive Director of Integrated Programs & Services
Mitchell Lilly, Executive Director of Communications & Marketing
Nicole Barlass, Executive Director of Operations
The CESA 2 Board of Control acts as the governing body for the agency and typically meets the third Tuesday of every month. The eleven-member board consists of a delegate from each of the 11 geographical clusters in CESA 2’s region.
Together, the Agency Administrator and the Board of Control are advised by the administrators of the 74-member school districts. The joint Professional Advisory Committee meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month at the Whitewater University Innovation Center.
What is the purpose of CESA 2? How have you evolved?
The Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) network was created in the late 1960s when the State of Wisconsin created a statue to promote service sharing between school districts. The statewide CESA network and each individual CESA works closely with the Department of Public Instruction.
CESA 2 is governed by section 116.01 of Wisconsin State Statutes, which allows it to enter into contracts and act as a liaison between school districts, the Department of Public Instruction and the U.S. Department of Education.
What is your favorite thing about your job and/or organization?
Nicole Barlass, the Executive Director of Operations, enjoys working with an excellent, committed team and feels incredibly fortunate with their network of educational experts.
When did you join the Whitewater Innovation Center?
Back in 2010, CESA 2 began looking for a new location and wanted to expand beyond their current location in the Milton College Building. The CESA 2 Agency Administrator was fortunate to connect with the Whitewater University Technology Park Director early on in the planning & development process of the Whitewater University Innovation Center.
Together, CESA 2 partnered with the Whitewater University Technology Park to co-design the building to fit their needs. Through the collaborative agreement, CESA 2 provides reception services to the Innovation Center. CESA 2 moved into the Innovation Center in February 2011.
Why do you work out of an incubator? And more importantly, why the Whitewater University Innovation Center?
CESA 2 appreciates the vibrant community at the Innovation Center and spirit of innovation. Furthermore, CESA 2 values their ability to partner with the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and to present to future educators.
The Innovation Center provides training and meeting space for CESA 2’s educational program. CESA 2 brought over 3,500 participants to the Innovation Center for their educational workshops in 2019. CESA 2 has additional locations for other programs, including locations in Union Grove, Janesville, and Spring Green.
Have you collaborated or partnered with other clients at the Innovation Center?
CESA 2 works closely with the University of Wisconsin Whitewater from the monthly Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) meetings to presentations for future educators. CESA 2 is a resource for the student accelerator, Launch Pad.
Through their additional general services, CESA 2 supports JEDI Virtual as a comprehensive virtual learning solution for school districts.
What was your company's latest and greatest achievement?
Dan highlighted their Leading for Equity Series as CESA’s latest and greatest achievement. Through the National Equity Project, CESA 2 hosts the Leading for Equity series where leaders can develop their capacity to foster positive change on behalf of historically under-served students and families. The workshop series focuses on:
Expanding ability to articulate an Equity Imperative
Increasing ability to identify, analyze, and address issues of inequity
Developing skills, strategies, and approaches to maintain leadership for equity
Nicole highlighted the early success of the statewide forum on Standards Based Learning & Grading. The event on February 27th, 2020 featured the internationally recognized speaker and author, Thomas R. Guskey. His work is dedicated to helping teachers and school leaders use quality educational research to help all of their students learn well and gain the many valuable benefits of that success. The Standards-Based Learning & Grading event attracted over 200 participants from across the state.