Ms. Elizabeth Schmitz

Ms. Elizabeth Schmitz is delighted to serve the Ansbach community as Assistant Principal at Ansbach Middle High School. She joins the DoDEA Europe East District from the Pacific East, where she served as Sasebo, Japan’s PK-12 Professional Learning Instructional System Specialist. For the past three years, she built relationships with administrators, staff, and students primarily at EJ King Middle High School, where she served as an instructional coach, advocate, liaison, and advisor on curriculum, best classroom practices, and DoDEA initiatives. Connected to this role, she also facilitated virtual graduate courses for educators through the University of San Diego in the areas of student engagement, 21st century learning, teacher leadership, and data-driven student instruction.

Ms. Schmitz began supporting the military community in 2016 in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Europe South District, as a Secondary ESOL (now MLP) Specialist and CTE Business Teacher. In addition to her instructional role, she served as the CSI Chairperson of Literacy and Career and Technical Education Team Leader. Prior to joining DoDEA, Elizabeth taught for eleven years in Wheaton, Illinois, as a team leader and teacher focusing on Freshman English, Advanced Placement Literature, and Acting at Wheaton North High School. There, she began her standards-based career by being appointed to the district CCRS curriculum and summative assessment development teams. For five years, she also functioned as Wheaton North High School’s Performing Arts Director of Drama in overseeing the school’s extracurricular theatre program.

Elizabeth’s varied teaching assignments stem from her educational history. Elizabeth graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, after studying Public Relations and Marketing. Through her summer work as a camp counselor, she discovered that the education field better aligned with her values and earned a Master of Arts degree in Secondary English Education from National-Louis University in Lisle, Illinois. A lifelong learner, Elizabeth continued her studies in School Curriculum and Administration at Aurora University and earned certifications in Reading Intervention and English as a Second Language at St. Francis University.

Through her career and education experiences, Elizabeth has learned the importance of a collaborative community in developing student success. She looks forward to supporting the Ansbach community in providing students with 21st century skills essential for academic, social, and personal growth. A proud Midwesterner, Elizabeth calls Chicago, IL, home and looks forward to celebrating the four seasons once again in Germany. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, community building, and activities that allow her to learn about the world. Go Cougars!