Meet the Team: Region 2
2023-24 School Year
As schools welcome students back this fall, we’d like to take this time to introduce members of the Nebraska Multi-tiered System of Support (NeMTSS) team. NeMTSS serves five regions across the state to ensure personalized support to schools and programs in their MTSS implementation efforts.
Regional Support Team Roles
Each Regional Support Team includes four individuals who work together and serve in the following roles to support schools/programs within their region (click the links to watch short videos about what each team member does):
- Regional Support Lead
- Early Childhood Implementation Facilitator
- Social, Emotional and Behavioral Learning (SEBL) Specialist
- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Coach
Visit the blog each week in August to learn about the individuals on the five regional support teams.
Region 2 Team Members
Region 2 is located in the eastern part of Nebraska and includes ESUs 2 and 3, as well as Omaha Public Schools.
Regional Support Lead
Kala Peyton
Kala Peyton is in her 19th year of education. She grew up in Wilber, Nebraska and graduated from Crete High School. She hails from McMillan Magnet Center in Omaha Public Schools, where she served as a reading teacher, instructional facilitator and dean of students. Kala earned a bachelor’s degree in education, with an endorsement in secondary English from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She also holds a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is working toward an educational specialist degree through Doane University. Kala looks forward to building relationships with school district educators and helping them reach their goals in maximizing student outcomes this school year.
Early Childhood Implementation Facilitator
Kristina Norwood
Kristina Norwood is in her 22nd year in education. She taught preschool, first and second grades over eight years, was a program evaluator at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute, an administrator and coach for a preschool program, and taught early childhood college courses for six years before joining ESU 3 in 2022. Kristina earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Florida State University and a master’s of education in early childhood leadership from Concordia University. Kristina’s professional interests include behavioral support, equity, early childhood language development and teacher leadership.
Social, Emotional and Behavioral Learning Specialist
Emily Arkfeld
Born, raised and still living in the Omaha Metro, Emily Arkfeld started her professional career as a recreation specialist working in both inpatient and residential psychiatric programs. She then completed her master’s in social work at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and went on to be a school social worker in Bellevue Public Schools for seven years. Emily is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), and in addition to her role as an SEBL specialist, she provides community mental health services. Emily is passionate about student mental health, and enjoys partnering to support schools as they align their systems and integrate social, emotional and behavioral learning for both educator and student well-being and improved academic outcomes.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Coach
Nancy Woodhams
Nancy Woodhams helps school teams implement evidence-based practices related to building and maintaining a positive, proactive, preventive school climate. As a nationally certified School-Wide Information System (SWIS) Suite facilitator, Nancy works with PBiS school teams to guide them in accessing, analyzing and using school-wide data for problem-solving and decision-making. Prior to becoming a PBIS coach, Nancy taught middle school and high school and was a Student Assistance Program (SAP) trainer and a Student Assistance Group (SAG) facilitator trainer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, both from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Nancy enjoys building relationships and celebrating implementation milestones with PBiS teams.