In May, Dr. Linda Ludwig, Product Consultant for Watermark, completed her Doctor of Education in Education, Leadership, Curriculum, and Instruction from Central Michigan University. Her dissertation included a deep dive into mentorship for K-12 veteran teachers serving as mentors to beginning teachers. The biggest takeaway was that mentoring is a win-win for both mentees and mentors.
Today, Dr. Ludwig now helps institutions implement Faculty Success (formerly Digital Measures), the faculty success solution by Watermark, acting as a mentor, of sorts, to her clients.
With years of experience in education and administration, Dr. Ludwig is just one of many Watermark employees who have walked in our clients’ shoes.
Dr. Linda Ludwig received her Doctor of Education degree this past May at Central Michigan University. Dr. Ludwig utilizes her knowledge and experience in education to support institutions around the country and serves as Product Consultant at Watermark.
After graduating from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a B.A. in Communications and Business Administration, she then taught middle school math which led her to pursue her MEd. in Educational Administration and Supervision at Northern Michigan University.
In 2008, Dr. Ludwig became a National Director and Certified Trainer for the Center for Teacher Effectiveness, leading training for over 2,000 educators, traveling to diverse schools throughout the country where, “Each time, my eyes opened a bit wider. I also recognized that ‘schools are schools’ wherever they are.” Soon after, she moved into administration, serving as an elementary and middle school principal.
In 2013, she became Director of Field Experiences and as Education Professor for her alma mater, Northern Michigan University, working with K-12 senior administrators on local, national, and international field placements for mentor teachers. Dr. Ludwig led the student teaching seminars and prepared her students for their first teaching job.
Dr. Ludwig describes herself as ‘very visual,’ admitting, “I look at the world differently than most. I see everything organized in boxes – like the organizer bins you buy. I see everything in my life like that.”
Not surprisingly, a vision board helped her land her latest position at Watermark. “I had several things on my board which all came true: First, I wanted to work in a collaborative environment where all voices are heard. I wanted to be in an organization with women in leadership, where women and men are split 50/50 on decision-making. My superpower is teaching and training, so I wanted to do that on a regular basis. I needed potential for long-term growth and advancement.” All the boxes were checked.
Dr. Linda Ludwig’s ambition also extends to her athletic pursuits, including running marathons.
Clearly, her higher-ed background is a great advantage for Watermark. “Working with university faculty is easy for me, especially with data, which goes back to my teaching days. Numbers and data tell a story and help us make decisions.”
“As a university faculty member, I had to create an annual review binder each year with tabs for teaching, service, and scholarship. We knew it wasn’t a perfect process, inputting all the info to run reports from stacks and stacks of binders. I never knew there was a software that could digitize faculty credentialing, putting all the info in one place to run reports. It’s all in little boxes, where you can open the drawers as needed!”
Part of her new role as a product consultant combines both teacher training and empathy. She tells clients: “I’ve been in your shoes and will walk you through this,” adding a bit of therapy on the side. “It’s all about relationships. I get them, I understand their struggles, I know the environment, and want to help.”
Learn more about how Watermark supports faculty success in The Essential Guide to Faculty Activity Reporting.
