Our Leadership Team

The CUWP leadership model brings K-12 educators and university faculty together as co-directors of each local site. This shared governance is the core of school-university partnerships and teacher leadership. Each member of CUWP’s leadership team is a teacher committed to the teaching of writing and excited about building and nurturing professional communities with other writing teachers.

Four adults stand close together, smiling on a sunny balcony with mountains and greenery in the background. Two women are on the left in light clothing, two men on the right in shirts and pants.

CUWP Leadership Team

Professional headshot of CUWP Director Amber Jensen

Dr. Amber Jensen, Director (2022-present)

Assistant Professor of English, Brigham Young University
Northern Virginia Writing Project (NVWP) ’13; CUWP ’20

Professional photograph of Brian Jackson: A man wearing glasses and an orange jacket smiles while taking a selfie at a historic stone castle with tall towers and cloudy skies in the background.

Dr. Brian Jackson, Faculty Associate Director (2025-present)

Professor of English, Brigham Young University
I’ve been teaching college writing for 24 years. Maybe in the next 24 I’ll learn how to do it right, esp. with the help of all these lovely collaborators. Till then I’ll teach students to fight off the robot writing tools with this one truth: We level up in the struggle.  

Professional headshot of Megan McComber.

Megan McOmber, Associate Director of Professional Learning

English Teacher, Springville Junior High School
CUWP ’21

Professional headshot of Joseph Wiederhold: A bearded man wearing a red and black plaid shirt stands against a dark blue background, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

Joseph Wiederhold, Associate Director of TC Leadership & Community

English Teacher, Provo High School
CUWP ’12

I owe much of who I am and how I approach writing to the CUWP community. My first Summer Institute helped reconnect me to my passion for writing. That love led me to earning an MFA in Writing For Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I am currently working toward a PhD in Composition and Applied Linguistics at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. And yet, everything I have learned since CUWP feels like a natural extension from learning I started during my first Summer Institute. CUWP is woven into the fabric of who I am and what I do.

Professional photograph of Leah Parks: A woman with long brown hair and a cream-colored sleeveless turtleneck top smiles while standing outdoors on a grassy field, with trees and buildings blurred in the background.

Leah Parks, Associate Director of Young Writers & Family Engagement

English Teacher, Orem Junior High School
CUWP ’23

I am a logophile. This love drove me to a degree in English Teaching with a minor in Spanish teaching. I love helping students recognize the impact of words. As a mom of 2 children, if my students can leave my class with the same intensity to communicate that my almost 2-year-old experiences, then I consider my job well done. I currently teach at Orem Junior High and have been there for 5 years.

Professional headshot of Paul Erwin.

Paul Erwin, Associate Director of Young Writers & Family Engagement

English, Creative Writing, ASL Teacher, Salem Hills High School & BYU
CUWP ’24

 

Professional headshot of Liz Thackeray Nelson.

Liz Thackeray Nelson, Associate Director of Outreach & Partnerships

English Education Professor, Utah Valley University
CUWP ’15

Advisory Board 2025-2026

Each year, the leadership team invites up to 10 CUWP fellows to participate on an annual advisory board whose mission it is to strengthen the community of CUWP by reviewing, imagining, and implementing project related to the core mission of the site. 

If you are a CUWP Fellow who is interested in participating in a future advisory board, please reach out and let us know by emailing us at cuwp@byu.edu.

  • Stacy Selk, Literacy Specialist Jordan School District
  • Brandon Merrill, Maple Mountain High School
  • Whitney Sorensen, Kwajelein Jr./Sr. High School
  • Lori Muir, Salem High School
  • Jessica Ashurst, Copper Hills High School

Meet the CUWP Director

Emeritus CUWP Leadership

Professional headshot of Debbie Dean: A woman with long brown hair and glasses, smiling, wearing a white blouse and pearl necklace, in front of a gray background.
Professional headshot of Chris Crowe: A smiling older man with short brown hair wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned blue tie, posed against a gray background.
Professional headshot of Jon Ostensen: A man with blue eyes and a shaved head smiles at the camera. He is wearing a light-colored, collared shirt. The background is softly blurred in neutral tones.

Dr. Debbie Dean, CUWP Founder (2009-2022)

Professor of English, Brigham Young University
CUWP ’09

Dr. Chris Crowe, Faculty Associate Director (2009-2023)

Professor of English, Brigham Young University
Greater Phoenix Area Writing Project (ASU) ’83, CUWP Fellow ’09

Dr. Jon Ostenson, Faculty Associate Director (2023-2025)

Associate Professor of English, Brigham Young University
CUWP ’10