ABOUT UTEACH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Alvord ISD • Amarillo ISD Anthony ISD • Bastrop ISD • Belton ISD • Benavides ISD • Brazos School for Inquiry and Creativity • Brownsville ISD • Cedars International Academy • Copperas Cove ISD • Corpus Christi ISD • Cumby ISD • Del Valle ISD • Douglass ISD • Ector County ISD • Fort Bend ISD • Fruitvale ISD • Harlingen CISD • Horizon Montessori Public Schools • IDEA • Killeen ISD • Lancaster ISD • Lasara ISD • Leander ISD • Lighthouse Public Schools • Livingston ISD • Odyssey Academy, Inc. • Palacios ISD • Pflugerville ISD • Quinlan • Roscoe Collegiate ISD • Springtown ISD • Taft ISD • Tornillo ISD • Vanguard Academy • Weslaco ISD • Whitehouse ISD • Ysleta ISD
UTeach Professional Development offers opportunities for comprehensive blended learning implementation support for your district with award-winning blended learning facilitators, strategies to support your teachers as they create job-embedded activities, and access to a network of 4,000+ Texas educators working to integrate blended learning into their classrooms.
At UTeach PD, we remain steadfast in our commitment to enhancing K-12 education by providing high-quality professional learning experiences to in-service teachers across Texas and beyond. Our array of courses, meticulously curated and guided by UTeach Master Teachers, caters to educators across grade levels and disciplines.
In addition to our self-paced courses, we offer virtual, synchronous, and in-person blended learning professional development.
Meet the UTeach PD Team
Dixie Valdez
Professional Development Manager
Dixie Valdez is the Manager for UTeach Professional Development. In her role, she collaborates with academic partners to plan, develop, and implement professional development opportunities for inservice teachers and staff nationwide. Dixie partners with districts and schools to develop long-term professional development programs that support academic initiatives and educator training and development.
Dixie has more than 20 years of experience working in public education. She began her career as a kindergarten inclusion teacher and was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2011. After teaching for five years, Dixie was hired as the first Early Childhood Instructional Specialist for North East Independent School District in San Antonio. She then worked for San Antonio ISD as a special projects and professional development coordinator.
Dixie holds a B.A. in Applied Learning and Development from The University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Public Administration with a Nonprofit Leadership and Management Certification from The University of Texas at San Antonio. She was the recipient of the Ruben Munguia Scholarship for her work advocating for improved recess policies at the state level.
Kelli Allen
Associate Professor of Practice
Kelli Allen is the UTeach Professional Development coordinator. In this role, Kelli develops professional development opportunities that are innovative, interactive, and job embedded. She is the lead developer of the online Blended Learning courses that have helped thousands of educators become blended learning teachers. Kelli also develops and conducts face-to-face professional development to teachers in Texas and presents at state and national conferences.
Kelli has also been a science Master Teacher with the UTeach undergraduate STEM teacher preparation program at The University of Texas at Austin since 2007. She observes student teachers, provides feedback, and co-teaches the Apprentice Teaching seminar. Kelli also serves as the Induction Support Specialist where she provides personalized assistance to beginning teachers. Since joining UTeach, Kelli has mentored thousands of educators who stay in teaching longer, improve student performance, and influence students to enter STEM fields.
Kelli has been involved in education for 30 years. As a science teacher, she earned National Board Certification in Early Adolescence Science and won the National RadioShack Teacher Award. She was chosen as the Outstanding Young Educator for Kansas and a Kansas Teacher of the Year Nominee. In 2019, Kelli received the University of Texas College of National Sciences Teaching Excellence Award. In 2022, Kelli received the Skoog Cup College Faculty Award from the Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT) for her significant contributions to and leadership in the development of quality science education in Texas.
Kelli earned her B.S. in Biology Education in 1992 and an M.S. in Biology in 1998, both from Pittsburg State University in Kansas.
Peggy Pitts
Senior Administrative Program Coordinator
Peggy Pitts is the Program Coordinator for UTeach Professional Development. She works with the UTeach alumni support team to bring professional learning opportunities to the National UTeach Alumni Network and other in-service teachers. She serves as the success coach in supporting the Blended Learning PD initiative.
Peggy acted as the Co-Project Director for the UTeach Science Regional Collaborative for six years partnering with the Texas Regional Collaborative and in-service teachers in the Austin area to implement inquiry-based instruction. Before joining The University of Texas at Austin in 2012, Peggy taught in Lewisville Independent School District and implemented a summer program for at-risk students. While teaching in Lewisville, Peggy was named Teacher of the Year in 2009 and Lewisville Top 100 Women. In 2019, Peggy received the University of Texas College of Natural Sciences Staff Excellence Award.
Peggy is a graduate of The University of North Texas, with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies and an M.S. in Computer Education Cognitive Systems.
Dr. Alexandra Eusebi
Assistant Professor of Practice
Dr. Alexandra Eusebi is an assistant professor of practice with the UTeach program at the University of Texas at Austin. She instructs and supports multiple courses in the UTeach program and College of Education, including Introduction to Inquiry-Based Learning (UTS 101: Step 1), Introduction to Inquiry-Based Lesson Design (UTS 110: Step 2), and Project-Based Instruction (EDC 365E).
Alex earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from The University of California, Los Angeles. She has been working in education and teaching for close to 20 years and has 13 years of experience teaching and writing curriculum for secondary mathematics. She is also a facilitator for UTeach Professional Development courses.
FACILITATORS
Emily Jones
Lead Blended Learning Facilitator
Emily Jones is a Professional Development Coordinator for UTeach PD. She supports course facilitation and development, manages social media, and collaborates with district partners on in-person trainings, conferences, and the continual celebration and sharing of blended learning excellence.
A former Army Officer, Emily taught secondary math at St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School in North Austin after receiving her post-baccalaureate certification in Math 8–12 from UTeach at The University of Texas at Austin. She began her association with UTeach PD by taking continuing education courses herself.
She holds a B.S. in Russian and Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an M.S. in Health Services Management from the University of La Verne, California.
Dr. Robyn Fender
Lead Professional Development Trainer
Dr. Robyn Fender has over 30 years of experience in education as a teacher at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She coached teachers for 15 years, providing feedback on instructional practices. Her experiences as both a participant in UTeach blended learning courses and an academic coach on a blended learning campus give her a unique perspective that bridges research-based practices with classroom implementation.
As UTeach Professional Development's Lead Facilitator, Robyn partners closely with school districts to customize in-person professional learning that aligns with each district's goals and priorities. An engaging facilitator, she creates relevant, practical learning experiences while building meaningful relationships with teachers and instructional leaders. She also provides virtual and in-person coaching, planning sessions, and implementation support to help district teams turn professional learning into lasting instructional change.
Robyn holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Texas Lutheran College, a master's degree in Integrating Technology into the Curriculum from Walden University, and a doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University. In addition to her work in public schools, she has served as a project manager and product developer at Education Service Center, Region 20.
Heidi Twining
Professional Development Trainer
Heidi Twining is an accomplished educational leader with extensive experience in administration, project management, and talent development. She has guided schools through systemic improvement efforts and most recently returned to the classroom as a fifth-grade teacher at Cloudcroft Municipal Schools, where she used data-driven instruction and digital literacy tools to enhance student learning.
As a UTeach Professional Development Trainer, Heidi partners with school districts to deliver engaging, customized professional learning that meets the unique needs of educators and instructional leaders. She facilitates virtual and in-person learning, supports district planning and coaching sessions, and helps educators translate research-based practices into effective classroom instruction. Drawing on her leadership and classroom experience, Heidi creates collaborative learning environments where participants feel equipped to implement new strategies with confidence.
Previously, Heidi served as a founding principal of an alternative school, a Senior Coordinator for Education Service Center Region 13, and a Program Associate for the Texas Comprehensive Center at the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. She holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and is a certified Principal and Teacher in both Texas and New Mexico.