Kathleen Bethke is a nationally recognized instructional design leader and technical assistance strategist with more than 27 years of experience advancing educational initiatives for at-risk youth and federally funded programs. Her career bridges program leadership, federal project management, and large-scale professional learning design—grounded in both field experience and systems-level strategy.
As Instructional Design Lead for the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st CCLC professional learning initiatives, Kathleen led the development of more than 40 comprehensive e-learning courses, 550+ tools and resources, and over 100 virtual and in-person training events. Her portfolio includes high-impact capacity-building courses such as Managing Your 21st CCLC Program, Fiscal Management, Project-Based Learning, and Student Voice and Choice, each designed to translate compliance requirements into actionable practice. Collectively, these learning experiences serve thousands of out-of-school time leaders nationwide, with structured certificate pathways and measurable implementation outcomes.
Kathleen’s approach to learning is both strategic and human-centered. She designs with the end in mind—aligning needs assessments, SMART goals, and continuous improvement cycles to ensure training leads to behavioral change, not just course completion. Her work integrates adult learning science, data analysis, and storytelling to create immersive, practical experiences that respect the realities of practitioners’ daily work. She is particularly known for transforming complex federal guidance into clear frameworks, decision tools, and implementation roadmaps.
She believes that knowledge and skills are attained when students have voice and agency. This is true for adults and youth.
What I’m Known For
A certified ATD Master Instructional Designer and True Colors Elite Facilitator, Kathleen combines analytical rigor with creative problem-solving.
She views learning as capacity building—equipping leaders not only with knowledge, but with confidence, clarity, and systems thinking that sustain impact long after a training concludes.