Susan Wolf (Dr. Sue) currently teaches education courses here at Diné College in the School of Diné Studies and Education. Besides the degrees listed above, Dr. Sue received her secondary teaching credentials from Marquette University in Milwaukee. She also holds two post-doctoral certificates from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada, with one in Participatory Adult Education and a second in Asset-based Community Development.
Dr. Sue has held adjunct faculty teaching positions at various post-secondary institutions teaching undergraduate and graduate courses at Arizona State University (1980’s), Ottawa University (1990’s), Rio Salado College (2000’s), and previously here at Diné College as a full-time faculty in the School Business and Behavioral Sciences in the Psychology Department (2018-2020). In addition, she has served as visiting adjunct faculty for specialized courses in education at both Western Oregon University and Northern Arizona University. To date, she continues to function as an outside expert for doctoral committees at Grand Canyon University in the College of Education.
Dr. Sue has been an independent consultant and the Executive Director at Empowerment Research, LLC (ERLLC) providing research and evaluation services for public programs (education, health, social services) at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels since founding the company in 1984. Her agency has been responsible for federal and state legislative reporting for numerous concerns related to disability issues and preventative health initiatives as well as social service programs. She has also served as Lead External Evaluator on several NIH- and NSF-funded STEM projects over the past two decades.
As an adult educator strong in andragogic techniques and philosophy, Dr. Sue holds a long-standing contract with the Arizona Department of Education offering statewide ADE-approved professional development as well as technical assistance direct to public educational institutions. Her emphasis and expertise are in the areas of special education and specifically in issues related to servicing individuals with traumatic brain injuries and neuro impairments. ERLLC also contracts with the Arizona Governor’s Council on Spinal and Head Injuries to provide training to professionals, consumers, and family members regarding the epidemiology of brain injuries, functional impacts after injury or disease, psychometric assessments, appropriate academic and behavioral interventions and compliance with federal requirements (IDEIA and Section 504). Dr. Sue remains as a long-standing member of Arizona’s Statewide Injury Prevention Advisory Council (IPAC) and holds several board positions with organizations at the community level.
Random Fact:
When she’s not teaching, Dr, Sue lives on a small ranch surrounded by the Tonto Forest and loves raising her goats, ducks, and dogs and building her retirement home. She says that life at Deer Creek Ranch reminds her of her childhood growing up in central Wisconsin on a beef and dairy farm but without the daily milking chores.
Class Offerings:
BLE 352 Understanding Human Development
BLE 390 Student Growth and Development
ECE 116 Language, Literacy and Cognitive Development
ECE 225 Child Growth and Development
EDU 240 Introduction to Special Education
EDU 261 Technology in Education
EDU 345 Human Development in the Schools
EDU 360 Special Education in Indigenous Classrooms
EDU 476 SEI/ESL for Culturally Diverse Learners in Bilingual Settings
EDU 498 Student Teaching
and various Field Experience courses (EDU 358, 378, 478)
smwolf@dinecollege.edu