CRC Team

Jennifer Kunze is the Director of Ramp-Up to Readiness and the Executive Director of the College Readiness Consortium. As the director she writes curriculum, curates social media content, leads program communication, trains and supports educators using the program across the country, and learns constantly. 

She attended St. Olaf College and received B.A. degrees in History and Social Studies Education. She thoroughly enjoyed teaching high school social studies for several years before taking a sabbatical to study curriculum and instruction at the University of Minnesota. At the University she earned an M.A. degree in Social Studies Education that focused on Authentic Pedagogy as defined by Fred Newmann and his associates at the University of Wisconsin. 

Jennifer then worked as a district secondary instructional mentor, supporting teachers in all subject areas at five different schools. During this tenure she observed and provided feedback for over 500 teachers. Feeling the urge to learn and grow she then returned to the University of Minnesota to marry her two research interests: effective pedagogy and high quality professional development. She earned a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Administration but spent a great amount of time in Curriculum & Instruction as well. 

Upon graduation Jennifer worked as a district learning and teaching coordinator, where she collaborated with teachers to develop and implement curriculum, led an instructional coaching team that provided job-embedded professional development for early education, as well as elementary, middle and high school sites, facilitated teacher leaders in their learning and leadership, teamed with other district leaders to create a teacher evaluation system, and oversaw Q Comp, an alternative compensation program. 

Jennifer was part of a lead team that studied, created and implemented a system-wide college readiness plan that included the Ramp-Up to Readiness program. She strongly believes in college for all and sees it as an equity issue.

Maggie Bergeron is the College Readiness Coordinator in the College Readiness Consortium. She has a long history of and a deep commitment to working with students who are moving from high school into college, and also moving from college into careers, civic lives, and further education.

Previously, Maggie served as the Associate Director of Faculty Engagement in the College of Liberal Arts, where she piloted and supported new faculty engagement initiatives that make teaching more visible and valued in the college. She was particularly excited to facilitate cohorts of faculty who tackled relevant and pressing issues in education, including the role of GenAI and implementation of alternative assessment methods. She’s committed to working with teachers across disciplines to cultivate inclusive teaching practices that support students and their development through the cultivation of classroom communities. She has traveled across the country to universities and non-profits as a consultant to work with instructors on cultivating a sense of belonging in their classes. 

Maggie’s primary discipline and way of knowing the world is dance - she has over 25 years of experience working as a professional dancer, choreographer, curator, producer, and teacher - which have deeply instilled a passion and commitment to collaboration as a creative, radical act. She spent 14 years as a Senior Lecturer in the U of MN Dance Program, where she had the privilege of working with dance majors, minors, and students from all over the Twin Cities campus. She also directed the Dance Department at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA) for over 10 years and taught 9th -12th graders movement, history, improvisation, choreography, and college readiness courses. 

Her work in both high school and postsecondary education converged in 2022 in the collaborative writing of Approaching College with Purpose, a first-year experience college success text. In addition to her work at the University of Minnesota, Maggie has the privilege of collaborating with her musician husband, performing across the Twin Cities. 

A proud graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, she holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota. She is a MN Licensed K-12 Dance Instructor and holds a Masters of Arts in Teaching. Maggie is also a first-generation student from a rural MN community, and feels passionately about supporting all students attaining postsecondary education.