Bio

Dr. Bratten has a passion for educating diverse learners in diverse ways. She began at SEU in 2007 after a teaching career spanning grades 6-12, teaching ESOL, Language Arts, Reading, and Test Preparation. She taught for Polk State, Valencia State, and University of South Florida. Her time at SEU has allowed her to teach at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels at the main campus, extension sites, and internationally in such places as Haiti, the Bahamas, China, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Uganda, and Ecuador. She led the development of Pathways School of Excellence and Link, SEU's comprehensive postsecondary transition program. She works on various site visit teams for accreditation and program approval, including serving as an Inspector with TPI-US and a reviewer for Florida’s Department of Education.

Dr. Bratten believes in community service and serves on boards for organizations such as READ Lakeland, Children's Home Society, and Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities. Her research interests include effective teacher preparation, integrating Strengths in the workplace, best practices of professional development, language acquisition, and educating individuals with unique abilities or special needs.

Dr. Bratten is married to Jake, a retired police officer. The Brattens have 2 adult children, 1 grandchild, and 5 dogs. When she’s not teaching, traveling, or training, Dr. Bratten can be found at football games in The Swamp or at SEU, pedaling to nowhere on her Peloton, or enjoying family time.

Dr. Bratten implements the power of positivity in her life and work, and she works to empower others to realize their potential.