Tonya East

Program/Project Manager
eastt@wou.edu
503-838-9205

Tonya East joined The Research Institute at Western Oregon University in 2017 as a Senior Project Manager to work specifically on the Traffic Safety Education grant funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Tonya's academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Project Management Professional certification. She has worked in a variety of disciplines including corrections, senior independent living, and healthcare.

She is a goal-oriented individual with strong leadership capabilities and experience in organizational diagnosis, design and facilitation. She is able to communicate effectively with all organizational levels, build relationships of trust and enlist the participation of team members. Additionally, she has worked as an organizational development consultant with experience in diverse workplace environments.  Needless to say, her passion is working with teams!

Megan McDermeit

Traffic Safety Education Program Coordinator
mcdermeitm@wou.edu
503-838-8143

Megan McDermeit is a proud Oregonian who received a bachelor’s degree in history from Oregon State University and graduated from WOU with a Master’s in Teaching in 2004. Megan previously spent 14 years as an educator at North Salem High School teaching Social Studies, with a focus on history and law. She also has experience coordinating large-scale school and community events. Megan’s years in education have provided her the tools to be highly effective collaborator and accomplished curriculum developer. Megan enjoys movies, trivia, traveling and spending time with her niece and nephews.

Doug Reed

Trainer of Trainers

reed@wou.edu

Doug is an experienced educator with a passion for teen learning. He has been teaching STEM in public high schools for over 20 years. In 2014 he began teaching novice drivers for Southern Oregon Driver Education (SODE) in Medford and discovered anew the joy of teaching teens a life-long skill while making the community a safer place. He immediately knew that he wanted others to experience this demanding but rewarding career, so in 2016 he joined the Western Oregon University Traffic Safety Education Trainer of Trainers team. Doug makes his home in the Rogue Valley with his wife and four children, where he lives out his values of faith, family, and a passion for education.

Tim Beckham

Trainer of Trainers

beckhamt@wou.edu

Tim Beckham has been in traffic safety since 2012. He was an instructor at Oregon Driver Education Center (ODEC) and worked his way up to the Vice President of the company until August of 2021. At ODEC he trained teens, adults, and instructors. He became a Trainer of Trainer with Western Oregon University in 2016, where he loves training adults to become instructors. He now works at Highway Safety Services (HSS) as a Project Specialist. HSS manages the American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA) and has contracts with National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) where they work on national driver education initiatives.

Sharon Rothacker

Trainer of Trainers

rothacks@wou.edu

Sharon Rothacker has been a Traffic Safety Educator for Umpqua Community College since 2000. She instructs both teens and adults in classroom and behind the wheel sessions. Sharon also instructs Bioptic driver training for individuals with low vision. She has been a Trainer of Trainers for the Western Oregon University-ODOT program for new Traffic Safety instructors since 2004. She began coordinating the Driver Education program in Roseburg Oregon for Umpqua Community College in 2016. Sharon has a passion for traffic safety and enjoys what she does.

Cheri Kimball

Trainer of Trainers

kimballc@wou.edu

Cheri Kimball began her journey in the Driver Education world in July 2015. Since then has been what she calls “the best decision I’ve made in a very long time”. She started as the General Manager of a private commercial driving school conducting driver education classes for teens in Lane County and the Greater Portland areas. She still holds this position and has since added a position as the Chair of the Driver Education Advisory Committee, President of our state association, ODTSEA, and Western Oregon University Trainer of Trainers. She holds each of these positions with pride and looks forward to a long career in driver education.

In her very little personal time she most enjoys spending time with her family especially her two grandchildren, attending as many concerts as possible, running, hiking, paddleboarding, dancing and anything that has to do with the ocean.

Travis Gordon

Trainer of Trainers

gordont@wou.edu

Travis started his driver education career as a certified instructor in 2014 for Oregon Driver Education Center. Travis joined Western Oregon University as a Trainer of Trainer in Summer of 2018. Travis has presented at multiple conferences throughout the state. He is enjoying his time helping turn great students into Driver Education instructors. Travis is also a certified DMV drive tester who has helped drivers of all ages receive their driver license. He’s helped teach defensive driving classes for many fleet companies and state agencies.

Todd Sholty

Trainer of Trainers

sholtyt@wou.edu

Todd is a teacher at Rex Putnam High School, in Milwaukie. Previous to that, he and his family lived on the Oregon Coast, where he managed an alternative high school in Lincoln County. Todd has been a classroom and behind-the-wheel teacher for the past five years.

Tony Summers

Trainer of Trainers

Tony is currently the program manager for the High Desert Education Service District’s Driver Education Program in Central Oregon. Tony took over this role in 2019 and prior to that had worked in education as an English and reading teacher, high school football and powerlifting coach, and high school principal. He understands the important role that driver education plays in keeping Oregon’s roads safe for everyone and more importantly the impact it can have on reducing the number of traffic fatalities among teens. Oregon driver education programs cannot be successful without knowledgeable and competent instructors. This is why he feels working as a Trainer of Trainers at Western Oregon University is so important.

Tony lives in Sisters, Oregon with his beautiful wife where he enjoys spending as much time outdoors in the beautiful Central Oregon landscape. His hobbies include competing in strongman and powerlifting competitions, riding his bike (AKA motorcycle), and any other activity that gets him outside and on the mountains, trails, rivers, and lakes in our beautiful state.