Sensitive Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of sensitive topics, including crime, victimization, and incarceration which may be distressing to some listeners.

In this thought-provoking episode we sit down with Dr. Amy Nemmetz, program director and faculty member in Criminal Justice at Madison College. Dr. Nemmetz shares her journey from working in the justice system to shaping the next generation of criminal justice professionals through education and restorative practices. We explore the role of real-world learning, her students' work at Oakhill Correctional Institution and The Grow Academy, and how empathy, reflection, and community engagement are woven into the curriculum. Whether you're interested in justice reform, higher education, or the power of human connection, this episode offers meaningful insights and inspiration.

Amy Nemmetz joined the Madison College Criminal Justice program in 2018. Her interest in the criminal justice field began in 1992 when she was hired part-time to transcribe mini-cassette tapes for detectives at a Sheriff’s Department. She instantly knew this was the field for her; she subsequently pursued a career working with offenders and victims in the criminal justice system.

Amy has been fortunate to teach for 20 years and work in a variety of criminal justice and social work roles to include-community service officer & telecommunicator with police departments, case manager at a juvenile group home, social worker with a jail diversion court program, social worker with human services (child protection), restorative justice facilitator with offenders, and treatment provider.

Amy is currently the Program Director for the Criminal Justice Program at Madison College. She holds State of Wisconsin licenses in social work and substance abuse counseling. Simply stated, her passion is truly helping those in the criminal justice system to include facilitating restorative-justice based service-learning projects with her students for Department of Corrections every semester for the last 10+ years. She has presented on Restorative Justice at numerous conferences to include the Wisconsin Juvenile Court Intake Conference and the National Restorative Justice Conference.

She was a tenured faculty member with UW-Platteville’s Criminal Justice program before joining the Madison College Criminal Justice Program. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminal justice from UW-Platteville and a PhD in Criminal Justice from Capella University. She has been fortunate to receive awards for teaching and service to include the Madison College Leader Impact Award in 2022. Amy is super grateful to be a part of the Wolfpack!

In this episode we step into the kitchen with Suzanne Daly and Cheryl Weise, the two full-time faculty behind Madison College’s Baking & Decorative Arts program. Suzanne and Cheryl share their paths into professional baking, their specialties in cake artistry, and how they bring real-world experience to their students—both in the classroom and through the college’s student-run bakery. We explore what it means to be a professional baker versus a home baker, the impact of baking competitions and TV shows, and how hands-on learning prepares students for sweet success. And yes—pie baking tips are included!

Suzanne Daly is the Director and Lead Instructor of the Baking & Decorative Arts Program at Madison College. She earned the designation of International Certified Judge in June 2019, as both a visual and tasting judge. Suzanne enjoys helping students grow in the art of baking and decorating by being the student mentor for the Skills USA Baking & Pastry Arts competition. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Bakers Association in which she was awarded the Wisconsin Baking Instructor of the Year in 2024.

Cheryl Weise grew up surrounded by a mother and grandmothers who baked everything from scratch and were also cake decorators. Their influence led her to continue baking and decorating while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts management with a concentration in graphic arts. She ended up as a project manager for a printing company learning the business and marketing side of a business while keeping her baking and decorating passion on the side. She became a member of the International Cake Exploration Society and became passionate about taking formal cake decorating classes from the world’s finest instructors including Nicholas Lodge, Colette Peters, Ron Ben-Israel, and Robert Hayes. As a lifelong learner she has taken over 100 classes to build on her skills. Cheryl started out teaching Wilton Cake decorating classes and did private decorating classes. She started her own licensed cake baking and decorating business, Frosted Memories, where she does cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other baked products in 2010. She became a full-time instructor in the Baking and Decorative Arts Program at Madison College in 2017 and has loved passing on her excitement to create something out of basic ingredients.

Madison College Student-Run Bakery Facebook

Madison College Student-Run Bakery Instagram

In this episode, we talk with Sara Finesilver, an English as a Second Language (ESL) faculty member at Madison College. Sara shares her passion for helping non-native English speakers succeed, both in and out of the classroom. She discusses her innovative patient health portal project, which helps ESL students build health literacy and digital fluency. Sara also introduces the "Teaching the Skills That Matter" (TSTM) program and how project-based learning transforms her classes. Additionally, we explore her perspective on the rise of AI tools in education.

Sara Finesilver is a collaborative and creative ESL Instructor, with over 20 years of experience. She began her teaching career within the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) in 2004 and has been a full-time faculty member at Madison College since 2018. Sara holds a BA in English with a TESOL certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s in Higher Education from Capella University.

Her expertise includes contextualized instruction, authentic assessment, curriculum development, and faculty training. She is particularly passionate about EL-Civics, including areas such as Health Literacy and Job Readiness & Employability, and enjoys finding ways to integrate Digital Literacy into diverse teaching contexts. Sara finds deep fulfillment in working with refugees and immigrant professionals, supporting their career and employment goals, and helping them connect with our community.

Outside the classroom, Sara enjoys writing poetry, kayaking, hiking, being silly playing board games, spending time with loved ones under twinkling lights, and most importantly: finding joy in small things.

Check out the AI song Sara created for me on Suno! Teaching the Skills that Matter