A biographical dictionary of notable men and women, first published in 1899 which highlights thousands of biographies that reach beyond lists and facts to shed additional light on what makes these inspiring individuals who they are. Among our listees are Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, legendary athletes, best-selling authors, accomplished artists, renowned entertainers, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and more.
For Immediate Release
Marquis Who’s Who Honors Christopher Douglas Hansen, MEd, for Excellence in Education
Christopher Douglas Hansen, MEd, is a distinguished educator with 40 years of service and a longstanding reputation for compassion and inclusion.
LAKE STEVENS, WA, September 2, 2025 — Christopher Douglas Hansen, MEd, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Marked by his commitment to supporting students with diverse needs and advancing the field of special education, Mr. Hansen has established a remarkable career spanning four decades in education. In 2025, he served as a Special Education Life Skills teacher for kindergarten through eighth-grade students and also worked in a high school transition classroom at Fife Public Schools. His responsibilities included developing individualized education plans (IEPs) and fostering adaptive and vocational skills for students preparing for post-secondary transitions. Known for his compassion and steadfast belief that young individuals of all backgrounds can achieve educational excellence in nurturing environments, Mr. Hansen has continued to make a lasting impact on students and families alike. Prior to that, he contributed as a Special Education substitute teacher across Everett Public Schools, Northshore School District, and Mukilteo School District, demonstrating adaptability and expertise in serving diverse classrooms and supporting the latest instructional models.
During the 2024–2025 academic year, Mr. Hansen served as a Primary Emotional and Behavioral disorder (EBD) teacher in the Bethel School District. These young students were facing traumatic events in their young lives. He worked with students facing significant emotional and behavioral challenges due to trauma, striving to provide a safe and secure learning environment.
In recent years, Mr. Hansen also experienced a profoundly personal milestone through the discovery of his extended family. His father never knew his own father, creating a lifelong absence that lingered in the family story. After his father’s passing in 2007, Mr. Hansen uncovered a genealogical record identifying his grandfather, who had remarried and raised four daughters from a second marriage. Fifteen years later, in 2022, a DNA test through 23andMe connected Mr. Hansen with his first cousin, Michael Reed, which led him to the rest of his newly found relatives. The following year, he traveled to Ohio to meet his family for the first time, forming lasting bonds that continue today. Through this reunion, Mr. Hansen also learned that his lineage extends to the British Crown—his great-grandmother’s cousin, Caroline Warfield, being related to Wallis Simpson Warfield, Duchess of Windsor. The experience brought great joy and a sense of completion to Mr. Hansen, who values the ongoing connection with his family.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Hansen taught virtually as a third-grade instructor and district substitute for Northshore School District, adapting curriculum delivery to online platforms amid a time of significant educational change. For more than a decade, he also served as a public-school guest teacher in Marysville School District, providing consistent instructional support across multiple grade levels. Earlier in his career, he taught driver’s education with Munro Driving Instruction, emphasizing safety and skill development for new drivers, and directed the Great Adventure Day Camp, where he designed enrichment activities that fostered teamwork and personal growth among participants.
A defining chapter in Mr. Hansen’s career took place during his tenure with the Network of International Christian Schools in Seoul, South Korea, from 1999 to 2005. He began as an English as a Second Language instructor and later advanced to the role of Secondary Guidance Counselor from 2001 to 2005 at what became Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS). Serving during a period of rapid expansion and in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the United States, Mr. Hansen provided vital support to a diverse international student body, including the children of ambassadors from countries such as Iran, Sudan, and Egypt. Although not formally trained as a counselor at the time, he played an instrumental role in helping students and staff navigate heightened security concerns and transitions to a more secure campus environment. Mr. Hansen also authored the first Guidance Counseling section of the school’s Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation report—an accomplishment he continues to regard as one of the most meaningful milestones of his career.
Before his international work, Mr. Hansen taught kindergarten, first, and third grades at Noralto Elementary in the Twin Rivers Unified School District in Sacramento, California, where the school earned recognition as a California Distinguished School. Earlier, from 1994 to 1997, he taught in alternative and substitute classrooms at Hosford Middle School in Portland Public Schools, gaining early experience supporting students with specialized behavioral needs.
Mr. Hansen’s journey into education began with formative experiences such as traveling to Haiti in 1985 as part of a team building a school for local communities — an opportunity that shaped his lifelong commitment to educational service.
In September 2022, Mr. Hansen was inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success at Western Governors University in recognition of his academic excellence and leadership in education. Committed to lifelong learning, he earned a Master of Education in Learning and Technology from Western Governors University in 2022, gaining expertise in digital instruction and classroom innovation. His academic background has been instrumental to his success as an educator. In 2023, he completed the Teacher Retooling Program for a Special Education Endorsement through Northwest Educational Development LLC. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Biblical Studies from Multnomah University (formerly the Multnomah Campus of Jessup University).
Happily married and a proud father of one son and one daughter, Mr. Hansen treasures his family life and finds joy in cultivating bonsai—a hobby that mirrors the patience, care, and attention to growth he brings to his students. His professional journey stands as a testament to resilience, innovation, and unwavering advocacy for learners facing adversity—qualities that have distinguished his career and earned him recognition within the educational community and inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who.
About Marquis Who’s Who
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the first edition of Who’s Who in America, Marquis Who’s Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion, and entertainment. Who’s Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians, and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who website: www.marquiswhoswho.com