Appendix A

Biosketches

COMMITTEE BIOS

KATHARINE G. FRASE (Cochair, she/her/hers) served in many roles over a 30-year career with the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) since joining as a postdoctoral fellow in the IBM Research Division, retiring as vice president of business development in which she spearheaded the development of new education solutions to support teachers and student outcomes with individualized, data-driven recommendations. She has previously served as chief technology officer in the IBM Public Sector and as vice president in IBM Industry Solutions Research. Frase holds three patents and 15 refereed publications in the fields of solid electrolytes, ceramic powder synthesis, neutron diffraction and small angle scattering, high Tc superconductors, and ceramic packaging. She received an AB degree in chemistry from Bryn Mawr College and a PhD in materials science and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Frase was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for engineering contributions, including the use of lead-free materials, to the development of electronic packaging materials and processes. She has served as an NAE councillor and on the National Academies’ Committee on Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Public Policy; Committee on the Status, Role, and Needs of Engineering Technology Education in the United States (Cochair); Committee on the Study of Education, Training, and Certification Pathways to a Skilled Technical U.S. Workforce (Cochair); and many other National Research Council panels and studies.

TIFFANY NEILL (Cochair, she/her/hers) has been a longtime leader in STEM education and education policy and currently serves in a variety of roles continuing to advance and advocate for quality learning experiences for students. She currently serves as a Curriculum Manager at OpenSciEd focused on integrating computer science and science through free and open curriculum at the middle school level. She also serves as a research scientist at the University of Washington on an U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) funded grant, Advancing Coherent and Equitable Systems of Science Education and as the Director of Accelerated Cohorts for Teaching Success at the University of Central Oklahoma offering pathways of support for those seeking to change careers and enter the education profession. Neill began her career in education as a middle and high school teacher serving in both traditional and nontraditional school settings. She later assumed a position as an instructional specialist at the K20 Center for Community and Educational Renewal at the University of Oklahoma where she developed a statewide program known as K20alt designed to support alternative education teachers around the state with innovative and effective approaches to instruction for at-promise students. In 2002 she joined the Oklahoma State Department of Education as the Director of Science and Engineering Education and served in the role for five years before becoming the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction and later the Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, serving on Cabinet for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. For over a decade, Neill led agency strategies on academic matters including state and federal policies and state and federal funds to drive student achievement for Oklahoma’s 700,000 public school students. She served as the President of the Council of State Science Supervisors from 2017 to 2019, on the President’s STEM Advisory Board for NSF from 2020 to 2022, and on the National Assessment Governing Board’s Development Panel to update the 2028 NAEP Science Assessment Framework. Neill earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and a master’s in instructional leadership and academic curriculum from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate of philosophy in education from the University of Oklahoma where her research emphasis was on STEM integration.

JUAN-CARLOS AGUILAR (he/him/his) is the director for innovative programs and research at the Georgia Department of Education. He provides internal evaluation support for innovative projects awarded to the state Department of Education as well manages a portfolio of projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and private foundations. Aguilar previously served as the state science program manager where he oversaw the development and adoption of the current Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science and was the state liaison for science, engineering, and STEM with several national and state

professional organizations. He has served as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s America’s Lab Report committee and the Steering Committee on Exploring the Overlap Between “Literacy in Science” and the Practice of Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information. Aguilar is the past president of the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) where he coordinated projects designed to support states as they made their own plans to adopt and implement the Next Generation Science Standards and oversaw the development of a set of Professional Development Standards in collaboration with CSSS Higher Education partners. He has worked as an advisor for the Experiential Citizen Science Training for the Next Generation an Emory project funded under the National Institutes of Health SEPA 2015. Aguilar was the principal investigator (PI) for the Georgians Experience Astronomy Research in School a project funded by NASA under their K–12 Competitive Grants Opportunity program and was the co-PI of the Science Learning Integrating Design, Engineering, and Robotics, a project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Discovery Research K–12 program. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Centers, the Valdosta STEAM Board of Advisors, the Board of Directors of the Triangle Coalition for STEM Education, and as the chair of the Alliance of Affiliates, a group of nine national organizations focused on science education that support the work of the National Science Teachers Association. Aguilar taught in Guatemala, working in two 6–12 schools teaching mathematics and science, then, upon moving to the United States, he pursued a postgraduate degree in physics and began teaching middle school science and mathematics in the Fayette County School system in Lexington, Kentucky, in the Spanish Immersion Program housed at Bryan Station Middle School. He later became the team leader of the Spanish Immersion Team and assumed the responsibilities of science department chair for the school. Later, Aguilar moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he began working at the Georgia Department of Education as the region 3 science implementation specialists regional coordinator, later being promoted to science program manager for the State of Georgia. He received his undergraduate degree in physics from the Universidad del Valle of Guatemala and PhD in physics from the University of Kentucky.

BRADLEY S. BARKER (he/him/his) is a professor and youth development specialist for Nebraska 4-H Extension in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Previously, he served as a program director (Intergovernmental Personnel Act) at the National Science Foundation (NSF), in the Division of Research and Learning in Formal and Informal Environments. Barker’s primary research interests are the use of technology and digital manipulatives (i.e., robotics, e-textiles)

for teaching and learning. He has also researched the use of technology to connect rural learners to academic experiences through virtual reality and telepresence robotics. Barker was principal investigator (PI) on two NSF grants that encouraged middle school youth to explore STEM through hands-on activities centered on precision agriculture and robotics. He has published two books on the formation of learning communities in the Maker Movement and was coeditor for the 2012 book Robots in K–12 Education: A New Technology for Learning. While at NSF, Barker managed a portfolio of projects focused on formal and informal rural learning in STEM. He was awarded the NSF Director’s Team award for his work with the Navigating the New Arctic program and earned a secondary social sciences teaching endorsement. Throughout his career, Barker has provided professional development for educators in formal and informal learning environments around educational technology. Currently, Barker is the PI on the NSF Advanced Informal STEM Learning award grant Informal Biodiversity Education Models for Rural and Tribal Youth designed to enhance science identity and environmental stewardship participants and develop a framework that can be leveraged by rural and Tribal communities across the country to engage youth, families, and practitioners in local scientific research practices. Barker received his PhD from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in instructional technology.

GLORIA BURNETT (she/her/hers) currently serves as an associate professor in the University of Alaska Anchorage’s College of Health Department of Human Services. She is the director of the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce as well as the director of the Alaska Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program. Burnett previously served as dean of students, allied health program coordinator, and NW Alaska AHEC director at Ilisagvik College, Alaska’s only tribal college, located in Utqiagvik, Alaska. She also has prior experience in K–12 education serving as a prekindergarten, fourth grade, and K–6 substitute teacher in Pennsylvania prior to relocating to Alaska. Throughout her career, Burnett has spearheaded a variety of projects focused on health career pathways and exploration for youth and adults. She also has experience with health professions training student exposure to rural and frontier communities and continuing education for rural healthcare providers. This work has included K–12 curriculum and program development, strategic partnership, and administration of federal, state, and local grants and contracts. Further, Burnett has experience with continuing education and professional development for teachers, administrators, and healthcare professionals. All of these training opportunities have a special focus on those practicing in rural or underserved communities. She is recipient of the Alaska Association of Career & Technical

Educators Community Contribution Award, Barbara Berger Excellence in Public Health Education and Promotion Award, and Alaska Primary Care Association Sockeye Award for Workforce Development. Burnett is also a HERS Institute graduate. She holds a BA in psychology with a minor in human development and family studies from Pennsylvania State University, and both an MS in the science of instruction and an instructional technology specialist certification from Drexel University. Burnett is also a certified adult and teen mental health first aid instructor.

LINDA FURUTO (she/her/hers) is currently a professor of mathematics education at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) where she directs the MEd Curriculum Studies, Mathematics Education, and the world’s first degree program in ethnomathematics, which received an official add-a-field licensure in ethnomathematics from the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board. Before joining UHM, she was an associate professor of mathematics and head of mathematics and science at the University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahu, as well as a middle and high school mathematics teacher. Furuto’s publications and work have appeared in Oxford University Press, Mathematical Association of America, and the International Congress on Mathematical Education Invited Lectures, among others. Her activities include being a visiting scholar of mathematics at the University of Tokyo, research-practitioner in the Boston Public Schools as part of Harvard University’s Inventing the Future project, secondary mathematics teacher at the Fiji Technical College, secondary mathematics teacher in the Hawai‘i State Department of Education, Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader, and National Assessment of Educational Progress Visioning Panel Member. Furuto is an education specialist and apprentice navigator with the Polynesian Voyaging Society in the 2023–2027 Moananuiākea Voyage for Island Earth by celestial navigation on the traditional canoe Hōkūle‘a. Furuto was born and raised in the rural town of Hau‘ula, Ko‘olauloa, O‘ahu (population ~3,300) and grew up farming and fishing from the ocean. Her family and community instilled in her values such as kindness, compassion, strength, aloha, and the importance of visioning beyond the horizon. She strives to live by the ‘ōlelo no‘eau (Hawaiian proverb) ‘A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia (No task is too big when done together by all). Furuto completed her bachelor’s degree at Brigham Young University in mathematics education, master’s degree at Harvard University, and PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles, with her main research interests including quantitative methodology, mathematics achievement, ethnomathematics, and access and equity.

REBEKAH HAMMACK (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor of science education in the College of Education at Purdue University where she also

serves as an advisor to the Purdue Center for Rural Research, Education, and Outreach. She serves as principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on four federal projects focused on enhancing STEM education in rural schools and communities. Prior to joining the faculty at Purdue University, Hammack was an assistant professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Development, at Montana State University, an affiliate faculty of the Montana Engineering Education Research Center, and a faculty fellow of the Montana Center for Research on Rural Education. She also spent 11 months as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Prior to her fellowship at NSF, Hammack spent 12 years as a middle school science and engineering teacher in Oklahoma. Her research focuses on the connection of local knowledge and context to STEM interest and identity development in youth, particularly rural and Indigenous youth in elementary and middle grades, as well as how elementary and middle grades teachers develop teaching efficacy and identity as STEM educators. Hammack holds a BS degree in agriculture from the Ohio State University, an MS in animal science from Oklahoma State University, and a PhD in professional education studies with a concentration in science education from Oklahoma State University.

ERIC J. JOLLY (he/him/his) is president and CEO of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation—an organization working to create an equitable, just and vibrant Minnesota where all communities and people thrive. He is a cognitive psychologist with a background that includes engineering and mathematics. Previously, as vice president and senior scientist at Education Development Center, Jolly led technical assistance for the National Science Foundation’s office of system reform for STEM education. As president of the Science Museum of Minnesota he led both a significant science education center and the nation’s largest exhibit construction group, bringing groundbreaking science programming to major museums around the nation. He has previously served as a member of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board, Committee for Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering, chaired the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS’s) Education and Human Resources division, as well as chair or service to numerous panels for the National Science Foundation and the National Academies. He is a member of several academic honor societies, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, life fellow of AAAS, life appointee to the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership, life member of Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, and recipient of two honorary doctorates and numerous scholarly awards.

JOHN P. MCNAMARA (he/him/his) taught general education biology as Pet Nutrition, Advanced Nutrition and Biochemistry, and wrote a text in Pet Nutrition for introductory college and high school biology/animal sciences/advanced placement biology. He has provided leadership, professional development, and content background for K–12 life, chemical, physical, and earth sciences as well as all aspects of food systems education. McNamara is presently a member of the Food Animal Science Societies Science Policy Committee, and actively plans and presents professional development on all aspects of food systems to K–12 teachers especially in small and rural schools. He works across the spectrum of educational content and pedagogy, all grades; plant and animal sciences, consumer nutrition and education, rural and agricultural businesses; farms and farm support companies; and including Future Farmers of America, 4-H, Career and Technical Education, Washington Science Teachers Association, and National Science Teaching Association. McNamara was elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for research in nutritional physiology of farm animals and his work to help prepare teachers in integrated STEM teaching. He worked on the Next Generation Science Standards adoption in Washington State, including item writing and reviewing, performance expectation reviews, STEM teacher professional growth plans, and the National Science Foundation-funded NextGen STEM teacher preparation program in Washington State. McNamara is recognized as a fellow of the American Dairy Science Association as well as the American Society of Animal Sciences and received the American Dairy Science Young Scientist, Zoetis Physiology, and American Society of Animal Science Corbin Companion Animal Biology awards. He earned his BS in agricultural sciences and MS in dairy science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a PhD in human foods and nutrition from the University of Georgia, Athens. McNamara is on the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and served on the National Animal Nutrition Program/National Research Support Project committee in partnership with BANR.

AUDREY MEADOR (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor of mathematics in the College of Engineering at West Texas A&M University. She was previously a K–12 mathematics educator for grades 9–12 in Texas before moving into higher education, where she currently teaches mathematics content and STEM methods courses for pre- and in-service teachers. Meador’s research interests include preservice teacher pedagogical content knowledge development, Number Talks, and the recruitment and retention of underserved and underrepresented populations in rural STEM education. Currently, she is actively pursuing funding for her research initiative to support formal

and informal robotics instruction in Hispanic-serving, rural high schools. Through Meador’s research projects, she has participated in partnerships with administrators, teachers, and other higher education institutions to provide professional development in the delivery of instructional routines and STEM education through robotics. Her scholarly contributions include several journal articles and four book chapters, and she is currently a co-primary investigator on two funded National Science Foundation grants in the Division of Undergraduate Education. Meador’s work has been recognized with the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the School Science and Mathematics Association and the Intellectual Contributions Award from West Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering. She has received fellowships through the Service, Teaching, and Research program from the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and the Institute for Measurement Methodology in rural STEM education at the University of South Carolina. Meador received her BS and MS degrees in mathematics from West Texas A&M University and her PhD in curriculum and instruction from Texas Tech University.

DARRIS R. MEANS (he/him/his) is a professor of education leadership in the College of Education at Clemson University. Across his faculty career, he has supported and led rural education initiatives at Clemson University, University of Pittsburgh, and University of Georgia. Prior to becoming a faculty member, Means was an administrator for a college access program, Elon University’s Elon Academy, working with high school and college students from low-income families and/or students with no family history of college to support their postsecondary education enrollment, persistence, and graduation. He has been engaged in qualitative and mixed-methods research on rural education and STEM education for a decade. Means’ current research focuses on two areas: (a) science learning, opportunities, and resources that support rural students and Black students in their science degree career trajectories and (b) postsecondary education access and completion for rural students. He currently serves on the Executive Committee for the National Rural Education Association, a leading voice for rural schools and communities nationwide. Means previously served in several advisory and leadership capacities related to rural education, including serving on the advisory board for the Ascendium Education Group to help develop a National Rural Research Agenda and serving as the chair of the Committee on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the American Educational Research Association’s Rural Education Special Interest Group. He earned a BA in political science and sociology from Elon University, MEd in counselor education from Clemson University, and his PhD in educational research and policy analysis from North Carolina State University.

STEPHEN L. PRUITT (he/him/his) is the sixth president of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). He started his education career as a high school chemistry teacher in Fayette County, Georgia. During his career, Pruitt has amassed education policy, assessment, and instructional background at the local, state, and national levels. Before coming to SREB, Pruitt was Kentucky’s state commissioner of education. At the national level, he had worked closely with state agencies and educators around the country to improve policy and practice in science education. In Georgia, Pruitt served as science and mathematics program manager, director of academic standards, associate state superintendent for assessment and accountability, and chief of staff for the Georgia Department of Education. He also served as a board member to the Council of Chief State School Officers, as president of the Council of State Science Supervisors, and as a member of the writing team for the College Board Standards for College Success for science. Pruitt holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from North Georgia College and State University, a master’s degree in science education from the University of West Georgia, and a doctorate of philosophy in chemistry education from Auburn University. He was named to the National Research Council’s Board on Science Education and served on the National Academies Committee on Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards that developed the Framework for K–12 Science Education.

JESSICA SAMPLEY (she/her/hers) is a 20-year veteran educator who currently serves as the Academies and Career and Technical Education (CTE) director at Gulf Shores City Schools (GSCS). She is a National Board Certified Teacher who previously taught English Language Arts at the secondary (grades 8–12) and postsecondary levels, coached athletics, and served as technology coordinator and assistant athletic director. Sampley has committed her entire career to serving rural schools and districts in Alabama. She grew up in rural Alabama and is a first-generation college graduate; in her current role, she leverages that experience and focuses on bridging the gap between CTE and core academics. Sampley has successfully developed and implemented innovative projects through the GSCS “Sustainability: Full STEAM Ahead” initiative by leveraging partnerships, resources, and grant funds. Highlights include scuba certification; dune restoration; STEAM Thinking Across the Curriculum; plane building and flight training; Summer WAVE; CTE vertical alignment professional development; an outdoor rock-climbing wall; biking for STEAM learning; and the “Small Town, Big Garden” Project. Her research interests include integrating design/STEAM thinking with a focus on sustainability across the curriculum to increase student engagement and achievement, as well as overcoming disparities in achievement and discipline referrals of historically marginalized groups in Alabama’s education system. Recent

honors and awards include the U.S. Green Ribbon School District, over $1,000,000 in grants for related projects, Governor’s Award in WBL Regional Best Practices, and Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools’ Banner School Award. Sampley holds an MFA in creative writing from North Carolina State University and an EdS in instructional leadership from the University of West Alabama.

GUAN KUNG SAW (he/him/his) is an associate professor in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University. His work focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM education and workforce development, STEM mentorship and social capital, as well as college access and success. Saw teaches courses on inequalities in education, sociology of education, and quantitative research methods. A former science teacher in a rural high school and a fellow at the Institute for Measurement Methodology in Rural STEM Education, he investigates the disparities in opportunities to learn, motivation, and career pathways in STEM among rural and small-town students. Saw co-leads the STEM Pathways Research-Practice Partnership to study and improve STEM programs/practices that support underrepresented students from diverse geographical areas. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, National Institute of Justice, and American Educational Research Association. Saw has published in journals such as Educational Researcher, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Journal for STEM Education Research, and Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. His paper titled “STEM Education and Pathways of Rural and Small-Town Students: Disparities by Geographical Remoteness” was selected for the Best Research Award by the National Rural Education Association in 2024. He received his PhD from Michigan State University.

MARA CASEY TIEKEN (she/her/hers) is an associate professor of education at Bates College. Her research focuses on educational equity for rural students and communities, including the rural school/community relationship, rural college access, rural school closure, and rural racial justice. Tieken has written two books, Why Rural Schools Matter (2014, University of North Carolina Press) and Educated Out: How Rural Students Navigate Elite Colleges—And What It Costs Them (to be published spring 2025, University of Chicago Press). She is working on a project designed in partnership with Arkansas’s Rural Community Alliance, that documents, examines, and communicates the impacts of school closures on rural Black communities in the Arkansas Delta. Tieken won the Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement for Early Career Faculty and she routinely provides professional development to teachers and administrators

on supporting rural college access and success, adopting inclusive practices for rural schools, and understanding rural demographics and poverty. She serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Research in Rural Education and is an active member of the Rural Sociological Society, the Rural Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association, and the Rural Youth Catalyst Project’s Rural Youth Working Group. Tieken received her EdD from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Before beginning her graduate work, she taught third grade and adult education in rural Tennessee.

STAFF BIOS

BETH CADY (she/her/hers) is a senior program officer with the Board on Science Education in the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She conducts studies, workshops, and other projects focused on equitable, inclusive, and effective STEM education at all levels. From 2006 to 2023 she worked in the National Academy of Engineering Program Office on projects focused on equitable and inclusive engineering education and related research at the precollege and higher education levels. She earned MS and PhD degrees in cognitive and human factors psychology from Kansas State University and a BA in psychobiology and political science from Wheaton College in Massachusetts.

LETICIA GARCILAZO GREEN (she/her/hers) is an associate program officer for the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. As a member of the board staff, she has supported studies focusing on criminal justice, science education, science communication, and climate change. Garcilazo Green has a BS in psychology and a BA in sociology with a concentration in criminology from Louisiana State University and an MA in forensic psychology from The George Washington University.

HEIDI SCHWEINGRUBER (Board Director, she/her/hers) is the director for the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In this role, she oversees a portfolio of work that includes K–12 science education, informal science education, and higher education. Schweingruber joined the National Academies starting as a senior program officer for the Board of Science Education. In this role, she directed or co-directed numerous projects including the study that resulted in the report A Framework for K–12 Science Education (2011) which served as the blueprint for the Next Generation Science Standards. Most recently, she co-directed the study that produced the report Call to

Action for Science Education: Building Opportunity for the Future (2021). Schweingruber is a nationally recognized leader in leveraging research findings to support improving science and science, technology, engineering, and medicine education policy and practice. She holds a PhD in psychology and anthropology, and a certificate in culture and cognition from the University of Michigan.

LACHELLE THOMPSON (she/her/hers) is a senior program assistant with the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In this role, Thompson provides comprehensive operational and logistical support for high-impact initiatives focused on advancing education and workforce development. She is currently supporting two critical consensus studies: K–12 STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural Areas and Developing Competencies for the Future of Data and Computing: The Role of K–12. Thompson brings expertise in coordinating complex projects, including managing logistics for meetings, webinars, and conferences; creating and maintaining databases and records; and preparing polished materials for both internal and external audiences. She is skilled in process documentation, program monitoring and evaluation, and ensuring compliance with organizational policies, such as processing invoices and travel expense reports. Prior to joining the National Academies, Thompson spent eight years in the telecommunications and banking industries, honing her skills in operations management, client relations, and business administration.

AUDREY WEBB (she/her/hers) is a program officer with the Board on Science Education (BOSE). Since she joined the BOSE staff in April 2023, she has supported two congressionally mandated consensus studies and the Collaborative on Advancing Science Teaching and Learning in K–12. Before joining the BOSE team, she served as the K–12 Science supervisor for the Nebraska Department of Education. In this position, she supported district selection and implementation of instructional materials for science, provided professional learning opportunities across the state, and supported the development of the statewide phenomenon-based performance assessment system, including large-scale, interim, and classroom formative assessments and implementation toolkits. Previously, Webb designed and implemented project-based curricula for secondary biology, physiology, and physical science in the San Francisco Unified School District. She holds a MA in education from Stanford University and a BA in both biology and sociology/anthropology from St. Olaf College.