Contact
Traffic Safety Education- trafficsafety@wou.edu
Megan McDermeit
Traffic Safety Education Program Manager, 503-838-8143, mcdermeitm@wou.edu
Megan McDermeit is a proud Oregonian who received a bachelor’s degree in history from Oregon State University and graduated from WOU with a Master’s in Teaching in 2004. Megan previously spent 14 years as an educator at North Salem High School teaching Social Studies, with a focus on history and law. She also has experience coordinating large-scale school and community events. Megan’s years in education have provided her the tools to be highly effective collaborator and accomplished curriculum developer. Megan enjoys movies, trivia, traveling and spending time with her niece and nephews.
Tim Beckham
Trainer of Trainers, beckhamt@wou.edu
Tim Beckham has been in traffic safety since 2012. He was an instructor at Oregon Driver Education Center (ODEC) and worked his way up to the Vice President of the company until August of 2021. At ODEC he trained teens, adults, and instructors. He became a Trainer of Trainer with Western Oregon University in 2016, where he loves training adults to become instructors. He now works at Highway Safety Services (HSS) as a Project Manager. HSS manages the American Driver & Traffic Safety Education Association (ADTSEA) and has contracts with National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) where they work on national driver education initiatives.
Linda Eastham
Trainer of Trainers, easthame@wou.edu
With encouragement from friends and family, Linda started her traffic safety career in 2018. Her home has been in Central Oregon since 2000 with husband Robert and 4 boys. She has owned and operated PRNDL Driver Education in Redmond, Oregon since April 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and time in the garden.
Jim Irving
Trainer of Trainers, irvingj@wou.edu
Jim is a wearer of many hats and brings a broad range of experiences to the classroom. He is the Band and Orchestra Director at Tigard High School, also the Program Coordinator for the Tigard-Tualatin School District Driver Education Program. Jim is thankful for his wife, Karen, and three grown kids. When not working, Jim likes to do projects around the home
Doug Reed
Trainer of Trainers, reedd@wou.edu
Doug is an experienced educator with a passion for teen learning. He has been teaching STEM in public high schools for over 20 years. In 2014 he began teaching novice drivers for Southern Oregon Driver Education (SODE) in Medford and discovered anew the joy of teaching teens a life-long skill while making the community a safer place. He immediately knew that he wanted others to experience this demanding but rewarding career, so in 2016 he joined the Western Oregon University Traffic Safety Education Trainer of Trainers team. Doug makes his home in the Rogue Valley with his wife and four children, where he lives out his values of faith, family, and a passion for education.
Sharon Rothacker
Trainer of Trainers, rothacks@wou.edu
Sharon Rothacker has been a Traffic Safety Educator for Umpqua Community College since 2000. She instructs both teens and adults in classroom and behind the wheel sessions. Sharon also instructs Bioptic driver training for individuals with low vision. She has been a Trainer of Trainers for the Western Oregon University-ODOT program for new Traffic Safety instructors since 2004. She began coordinating the Driver Education program in Roseburg Oregon for Umpqua Community College in 2016. Sharon has a passion for traffic safety and enjoys what she does.
Todd Sholty
Trainer of Trainers, sholtyt@wou.edu
Todd is a full-time Trainer of Trainers for Western Oregon University. Previous to that, he taught at Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie. Todd has been a classroom and behind-the-wheel driver education teacher since 2016.
