Jim Vetter

Executive Director, SEL4US & SEL4MA

Jim Vetter has over 25 years of experience supporting diverse communities domestically and globally in promoting social and emotional health and well-being. As a founder and Executive Director of the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for the United States (SEL4US), Jim works to improve the lives of young people and adults by empowering local champions who connect and organize to promote, support, and advocate high quality, equity-focused social and emotional learning in their schools and communities. Jim is also the Executive Director of the Social-Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts (SEL4MA). In addition, Jim serves as Associate Director of Health and Technology at Education Development Center, where he designs and implements online and in-person training and coaching related to SEL and mental health.

Kerryn Hinds

Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Kerryn Hinds M.Ed is the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at The Chestnut Hill School and consultants for early childhood programs, building effective teams, and equitable classroom practices. As an immigrant, born and raised on the island of Trinidad and Tobago, Kerryn speaks to first gen students and works with teachers to build cultural responsiveness with families who are from different countries. Kerryn is also an IDEAS instructor and enjoys the learning that happens during IDEAS courses. She strongly believes that learning never ends.

Jennifer Dirga

Executive Director of Open Circle

Jennifer Dirga is the Executive Director of Open Circle, Open Circle:SEL+ where she worked for over 15 years as a Program Director, trainer and coach at Open Circle through the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College. Ms. Dirga was formerly the Director of Social Emotional and Learning at Project Adventure. She is also an instructor for IDEAS: Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students through the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents providing professional learning on DEI related topics throughout MA.

Joshua Freedman

Emotional Intelligence Advocate, Author, Changemaker

Way back before we had the term SEL, I was one of the authors/ educators/ scholars championing this work. I lead the world's first and largest nonprofit dedicated to emotional intelligence, coauthored 6 SEL assessments, 5 books and multiple programs... and am adjunct faculty at Columbia Teacher's College and Antioch University -- which is one of the only EdD with SEL programs in the world.

Cynthia Sistek-Chandler

Join me in your journey at our MA is Social and Emotional Learning @National University

Cynthia Sistek-Chandler, Ed D (Dr. C) is a Professor in the Sanford College of Education for National University in San Diego, CA. Currently, she is the Academic Program Director for the Master of Arts in Social and Emotional Learning. Dr. Sistek-Chandler is the former APD for the Master of Science in Educational and Instructional Technology (MSEIT). AERA, SIG Chair

Jill Flanders

Central and Western Massachusetts

Retired Elementary School Principal (27 years), teacher grades 2, 3, 4 (10 years). Early Education Consultant to EEC, DESE. SEL4MA Steering Committee Past Executive Director of MA Elementary School Principals’ Assoc

Patricia Heindel

Patricia C. Heindel, Ph.D. is a professor of psychology and Dean at Saint Elizabeth University.

Dr. Patricia (Trish) Heindel is a professor of psychology and Dean of the School of Professional Studies at Saint Elizabeth University (SEU). She is director of the University’s Center for Human and Social Development and the co-director of SEU’s School Culture and Climate Initiative with Elizabeth Warner. In addition, she and Maurice Elias, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Rutgers University, are co-directors of the Academy for Social-Emotional Learning in Schools, an online professional learning community and certificate program in social-emotional learning and character development (www.selinschools.org). Both the School Culture and Climate Initiative and the Academy have been recognized nationally for their exemplary work in supporting educators and schools.

SEL4US Events

Questions? Ask me!

Grassroots network promoting effective SEL across the country

Allison Henry

Head of Research & Content at Moshi Kids

Head of Research & Content at Moshi Kids

Alveeta Bower, CMP

CMP

CMP

Taylor Maxheimer

Event Specialist

Event Specialist

Liz Warner

Liz Warner

Liz Warner

Nick Woolf

Playbook Content Director at Panorama Education

Nick Woolf serves as the Playbook Content Director at Panorama Education. Prior to joining Panorama, Nick served as the Social-Emotional Learning and Mental Health Coordinator for the Burlington School District in Burlington, Vermont, helping to coordinate SEL curriculum and assessment across the district's ten campuses. He is also an Ed.D. candidate in the educational leadership and policy studies program at the University of Vermont and a member of the ASCD Emerging Leaders program. Social media handles (optional) - twitter: @NickWoolf_SEL

Lori Northup-Donovan

Moshi Kids

Lori Northup is the k - 2 healthy minds educator at Fremont Elementary School in IL. She leads Moshi as part of her healthy minds curriculum, introducing kids to mindfulness strategies. Lori has been an educator for 32 years.

Leanne Kabat

MA-SEL, Creator of the 5 Seasons in Storytelling

Leanne Kabat, MA SEL Scholar from National University, is the author of Teens Talk About Mental Health, and the creator of The 5 Seasons of Connection through Storytelling is helping adults and children build Social and Emotional Mastery. She prioritized SEL after a 2006 medical diagnosis gave her five years to live, which has inspired her to help her children, and people around the world, harness the power of their emotional seasons.

Ann-Marie Kogan

Early childhood educator, teacher, and consultant

Ann-Marie is a Graduate of the MA in SEL from National University. As an early childhood educator, teacher, and consultant, Ann-Marie wants to make an impact on the social/emotional health of children and educators. She is passionate about 1) Creating healthy learning environments for ALL children, 2) Creating healthy working environments for the educators who serve our children, 3) Raising awareness of social-emotional learning (SEL) and its importance to success and well-being, 4) Intentionally incorporating SEL strategies into the classroom environment, 5) Addressing educators' well-being, stress levels, and social-emotional competencies

Anabel Jensen, PhD

Cofounder and President of Six Seconds

Anabel Jensen, PhD, is cofounder and president of Six Seconds - and a faculty member for the EdD Social Emotional Learning specialization (a partnership of Antioch University and Six Seconds). Anabel has served in education for over 50 years as a teacher, education specialist, administrator, school founder, and professor of education. She’s the coauthor of one of the world’s first-published social emotional learning methods, Self-Science, as well as psychometric assessments identified for SEL in RAND’s and CASEL’s Assessment Finder.

Byron Harwell

National University

National University

William Trusheim

President of NJASECD, Trustee of SEL4NJ, Course Facilitator for SEL Academy

William Trusheim, Ed.D. retired after a forty-two-year career in public school education in New Jersey. Trusheim served as an administrator in the Pequannock Township Public Schools, retiring as Superintendent in 2012. While he was Principal, Pequannock Valley School was named “New Jersey School of Character” and National Finalist for “National School of Character” in 2006. Additionally, programs at PV received several Best Practice Awards from the State of New Jersey and from Character.org in Washington, D.C. In retirement, Dr. Trusheim is serving as President of the New Jersey Alliance for Social, Emotional, and Character Development (NJASECD) and also as the Eastern Region Coordinator and member of the Schools of Character Leadership Council for Character.org. He is a course facilitator for the Academy for Social-Emotional Learning in Schools, a professional learning community and mentoring program led by experts in the field of social-emotional learning (SEL), school culture and climate (SCC), and character development (CD). He is a founding member and trustee of SEL4NJ.

Sophie Purinton

Sophie Purinton

Sophie Purinton

Beth Rice

Beth Rice

Beth Rice

Jennifer Dirga

Jennifer Dirga

Jennifer Dirga

Leanne Kabat

Leanne Kabat

Leanne Kabat

Xiaoyue Dai

SEL4US Alliance Research Coordinator

Supports existing and emerging SEL4US alliances

Marion Goldstein

Marion Goldstein

Marion Goldstein

Karen Ghiron

Karen Ghiron

Karen Ghiron

Martha Staeheli, Ph.D

Faculty member at the Program for Recovery and Community Health in the Yale School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry.

Martha Staeheli, Ph.D., is a faculty member at the Program for Recovery and Community Health in the Yale School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. She is currently the Director of the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center’s School Mental Health Initiative and the Compassionate School Leadership Academy, funded by the US Department of Education. Trained as a secondary English teacher with a Ph.D. in Public Health, her research interests are focused on recovery within substance use and mental health disorders, health disparity and equity issues, and the health and wellness of under-resourced community, clinical and educational environments.

Maurice Elias

Director, Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab

Dr. Elias lectures nationally and internationally to educators and parents about students’ emotional intelligence, school success, and social-emotional and character development. The author of numerous book and articles, Dr. Elias writes a blog for the George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia website.

Christina Cipriano

Director, Education Collaboratory at Yale

Dr. Cipriano’s applied work in social and emotional learning interrogates, evaluates, informs, and advances SEL offerings and assessments in the promotion of evidence-based practice for all students and all the adults who educate them.

Greg Lucas

SEL Director/Doctoral student

Greg Lucas is the founder of Joyroots.co and the Director of SEL for New Visions for Public Schools. Greg is passionate about equity-centered and justice-oriented social and emotional learning. Greg is a certified EQ coach with Six Seconds and is completing a doctorate in education with an SEL concentration at Antioch University.

Kailyn Fullerton

AU Doctoral Candidate & Mindfulness/SEL Consultant

AU Doctoral Candidate & Mindfulness/SEL Consultant