Education Faculty

Thor Stolen, PhD

Assistant Professor, Director of Special Education Programs

Thor Stolen is an assistant professor of Education at Alverno College. His area of expertise is special education, and he is especially interested in giving students in urban areas a hands-on learning experience in natural environments. He is also interested in the learning experiences of marginalized children.

Other areas of interest for Stolen include bilingual and culturally inclusive education, urban education and learning environments that cater to students with a wide range of disability categories and learning needs. Prior to coming to Alverno, he taught at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and in Milwaukee Public Schools. He also served as a boat building instructor with the non-profit All Hands Boatworks, which serves kids in elementary through post-high school age groups, and currently serves as an advisory board member for Riverwest Educational Adventures, Inc.

Stolen earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (UWM). He earned his Master of Arts in Special Education from Cardinal Stritch College, and his PhD in Exceptional Education from UWM. He is a bilingual certified cross-categorical 6-12 special education teacher with Milwaukee Public Schools and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.