2025-26 LEADERSHIP TEAM
Educating Mindfully Leadership Team is dedicated to being changemakers within education from diverse experiences and backgrounds. Together, we explore ways to best meet the needs of our Educating Mindfully membership, and education as a whole. Board members commit to a three-year term and help drive the decisions of our organization. They provide the voice to our coalition. Please feel free to connect and contact any board member at any time. We are here to serve you. ​
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Join Our Team!
Board of Directors & Operational Team
LINDSEY FRANK
President, Board Chair, Operational Team Director
Educational Coach/Consultant
Former District Climate & SEL Coach and Special Educator
Illinois, USA
Lindsey Frank, M.Ed. is the President of the Coalition of Schools Educating Mindfully (COSEM). She is the co-creator of COSEM's MBSEL Micro-Credential Program, as well as a lead instructor and mentor for the MBSEL program. Lindsey led the COSEM Team in developing the MBSEL Integration Framework and MBSEL Skill Progression that are currently being launched and researched within COSEM (professional publication pending). She was instrumental in developing the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Department in her district as the first districtwide Climate and SEL Coach. Lindsey has been in education for over 13 years working with students from early learning through eighth grade in different teaching roles. Her master's degree is in Educational Leadership, she is an MBSEL children’s book author, a special educator, a certified yoga teacher and SEL*f Facilitator through Breathe for Change, learned techniques from Mindful Schools, has her trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness specialty, is a mindfulness and meditation teacher, and is a certified Integrative Transformational Coach. Lindsey developed her company, The Butterfly Within™, to empower educators and leaders as Heart-CenterED Changemakers to create courageous, calm, and connected learning communities and lives.
Connect With Lindsey!
Instagram @LindseyFrank88
Facebook @TheButterflyWithin
TRACY HEILERS
Vice-President/Co-Treasurer, Operational Team
Educating Mindfully (formerly known as COSEM) Founder in 2018
Illinois, USA
Tracy Heilers founded COSEM in the summer of 2018 and was Executive Director for 4 years before the Operational Team was created in 2022. For 20+ years, she has taught yoga and mindfulness to a wide range of adult and student groups in the far west Chicagoland area. She is appreciative and eager to serve and has a strong desire to use her unique talents to help the mindful education movement grow in momentum, connecting educators with mentors as well as with all of the great mindfulness-based SEL resources now available. Tracy has an engineering degree and completed her 200hr yoga teacher training in 2003, two of Mindful Schools’ online courses in 2016, and an MBSR training in 2019.
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MELANNY SENA
Co-Treasurer, Operational Team
District Leader, New York City Public Schools
New York, USA
With more than 13 years of experience in urban public education, I am Melanny Sena, a queer Latina educator, parent, and advocate. I currently serve in a district-level leadership role within NYC Public Schools, where I support inclusive practices, culturally responsive leadership, and social-emotional learning.
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My work is deeply rooted in DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging), and I’ve had the honor of leading professional learning for school leaders and educators on trauma-informed care, identity-affirming leadership, and systems change. I’ve presented at national and local conferences, including ASCD, ALAS, and NYCPS, and I design workshops that center resilience, intersectionality, and community healing.
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I’m also a proud doctoral student, pursuing my EdD with a focus on Latina leadership in education and the intersections of identity, wellness, and systemic transformation. I lead with compassion, curiosity, and a commitment to unlearning and relearning—both in my professional role and as a parent raising five children to be joyful, grounded, and free.
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Connect With Melanny!
ATHEA DAVIS
Co-Secretary, Operational Team
Director of Social Emotional Learning, Étoile Academy Charter School, Houston, Texas
Texas, USA
Athea Davis is the Director of Social Emotional Learning at Étoile Academy Charter School, a mindfulness educator, creator + host of the podcast, Mindful Living with Athea Davis, and author of Today’s Gonna Be Awesomesauce: Daily Meditations for Youth, Parents, and Families. Join her conversations about the intersections of philosophy, mindfulness, neuroscience, SEL, psychology, and education. She holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Policy and Leadership, is a Texas Certified Educator, an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500), and a Children’s Registered Yoga Teacher.
Follow Athea on Twitter, IG, LinkedIn, and Facebook @atheadavis
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DINA EVANS
Co-Secretary, Operational Team
Reading Specialist, Mount Pleasant Elementary School; Mindfulness Facilitator for the Brandywine School District
Delaware, USA
Dina P. Evans has been a Reading Specialist at Mount Pleasant Elementary School for the past 13 years. Holding a master's degree in reading from East Stroudsburg University, and in active coursework for Mindfulness Certification, Dina’s passion has long been promoting Mindfulness-Based SEL and the love of literacy in children. Most recently, she has been active and engaged in bringing mindfulness to Mount Pleasant and the district, especially focused on its impact on staff and the whole child. She is an active part of helping her school become a Trauma Informed School, helping the mindset change to respond and understand the way trauma impacts a student’s availability to learn. Ms. Evans has also been involved with the school’s family engagement team, building a school-wide MBSEL library for teachers. She is a Mindfulness-Based Social Emotional Micro-Credential graduate and continues to learn and grow in her MBSR certification and further SEL certifications.
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Connect With Dina!
GABRIELLE PLASTRIK
Communications, Operational Team
Executive Functioning Coach at EdFront
Former K-12 English & Humanities Teacher
Washington, USA
Gabrielle Plastrik, NBCT, is an executive function coach for children, teens, and young adults with EdFront. Prior to working as a coach, Gabrielle taught English and humanities in K-12 schools for 19 years. Gabrielle grew up in Chicago, and she has lived and taught in many states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Washington. Gabrielle graduated from the selective poetry creative writing sub-concentration at the University of Michigan and has an MSEd degree from Northwestern University. She is passionate about mindfulness in education, interpretive discussion, and the ways brains learn. She started her mindfulness in education journey in 2009 and has thoughtfully recalibrated mindfulness interventions for different teaching contexts. Starting in 2019, she began leading mindfulness Professional Learning for districts looking to better support Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI). She has spoken at local and national conferences including COSEM, WAETAG, SENG, NWAIS, NCTE, and ResearchEd. She firmly believes that the most significant MBI is helping adults learn self-regulation tools: teachers are powerful models.
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Connect With Gabrielle!
DENISE SCHIRA
Outreach, Operational Team
Former Assistant Superintendent, NYC Department of Education
Founder and Educator: Wellness and Wellbeing ... "from chaos to calm"
New York, USA
Denise Schira is a transformational educational leader and former NYC Department of Education assistant superintendent, central director, school administrator, and teacher that served over 1,000 schools in 30 districts for 30 years. As founder and educator of a wellness education company, she continues to support and impact schools and communities as a mindfulness, yoga, somatic movement, restorative practices, social emotional learning, and crisis de-escalation specialist, practitioner, master trainer, and public speaker. Denise has served as Board Director on city, state, and national organizations, including New York Academy of Public Education, Council of School Supervisors and
Administrators, and New York State Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents as co-founder. She has a BS in Human Development from Cornell University and an MS in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College of Education. Denise has been honored by multiple organizations for her excellence in educational leadership and outstanding service and she is a published author in the Latinx Radiance Trilogy, flamenco dancer, and actor.
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Connect with Denise!
IG/X: @deniseschira
Directors-At-Large
DAWN BROOKS DECOSTA
Deputy Superintendent
Harlem Community School District 5
New York, USA
Dr. Dawn Brooks DeCosta is the Deputy Superintendent of Harlem Community School District 5, where she leads the Culturally Responsive and Affirming Social Emotional Leadership and Learning framework. Formerly the principal of Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School in Harlem, she focused on cultural responsiveness, social emotional learning, and academic achievement. With 28 years in education, Dawn served 16 years as a teacher in NYC Public Schools and 11 years as a principal. She also taught at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School in Queens. Her recognitions include Teacher of the Year 1998, Heroes of Education Award 2002, and Outstanding Educator 2002. Dawn is a 2015 Yale Institute Marvin Mauer Spotlight Award winner and a 2015 Cahn Fellow with Teachers College, Columbia University. Her published works address cultural and social emotional learning in education. She holds an EdD and M.S. in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.
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Connect with Dawn!
Twitter/X & IG: @DeCostaDawn
CARRIE ROHRBACH
Doctoral Student, Educational Consultant
Former Middle & High School French Teacher
California, USA
Carrie Rohrbach, M.Ed., is a lifelong learner who is earning her EdD in Transformative Action in Education through the University of the Pacific. She spent thirteen years teaching French in middle and high school classrooms, and wore many hats throughout her career including administrative assistant, soccer/swimming/softball coach, library assistant, tutor, sustainability coordinator, and technology support. Carrie is passionate about supporting teachers in centering their wellness through mental, emotional, physical, relational and spiritual exploration. She is certified as a yoga teacher and social-emotional workshop facilitator through Breathe 4 Change, and has earned COSEM’S Micro-Credential in MBSEL Carrie currently works as a writing consultant and graduate assistant at the University of the Pacific and heads up Communications at COSEM through social media, Voices, and the website. Her dream is to support educators who seek to deepen connection with themselves.
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Connect with Carrie!
Facebook: Carrie Rohrbach / Empowering Educator
IG: @empowering.educator
Twitter/X: @EmpoweringEduc
DARREN (dee) DUBOSE
K-12 Educator, Researcher, and Community Organizer
Michigan, USA
darren (dee) dubose is past K-12 educator, a present community member, future doctoral candidate in the College of Education at Michigan State University. His current research interests connect to the application of lessons learned from graduates that attended separate but equal Black schools. Particularly, how these alternative knowledges influence educational policy decisions that Black school board members take part in a deficit education landscape in the 21st century. Outside of his scholarly research at MSU, dee is a current member of the 517 Wellness Committee in Lansing, Michigan; Vice President Board Member of Resilient Village; Leadership Fellow in The Graduate School at Michigan State
University.
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Connect With dee!
CAMELIA (MIMI) FELTON
Yoga Professional (Mimi’s Yoga Kids)
Georgia, USA
Camelia (Mimi) Felton is a BYTA (Black Yoga Teacher Alliance) and a Yoga Alliance RYT500, E-RYT200, YACEP, a KAY (Kidding Around Yoga) Certified Kids Yoga Teacher, a Certified Meditation Instructor, a YBB (Yoga Behind Bars) certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor & a Reiki ll Practitioner. She is also currently enrolled at Prema Yoga Institute to become a certified Yoga Therapist. Mimi started Mimi's Yoga Kids in 2018 after realizing the many benefits of doing yoga with her young grandson. She knew that this was something that kids and their families needed. She couldn't find what she wanted so she decided to create it! She currently has a community yoga/wellness space in Peoplestown, a community in Atlanta, Georgia. She offers free yoga/wellness practices to the community and surrounding areas. She is very excited to share all these wonderful practices with children and their families. She wants to share her knowledge with the world to cultivate awareness on how these wonderful practices can teach all of us, especially our children, MINDFULNESS, INNER PEACE, MEDITATION & IMAGINATION!
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Connect with Mimi!
IG: @MimisYogaKids
KAILYN FULLERTON
School Counselor
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Previously worked in Jakarta, Indonesia
Kailyn Fullerton, Ed.D is an educator and consultant passionate about supporting teachers, schools and families with the integration of mindfulness-based SEL into systems of practice. Coming from a background of teaching in international schools, Kailyn values play, curiosity, and presence in teaching and learning. Kailyn holds a Doctorate of Education from Antioch University, where her research focused on the mindfulness-based social-emotional learning for educators. She is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher with the MMTCP, and also holds SEL facilitator certifications from the organizations SEE Learning and 6 Seconds. She recently published a book chapter called Integrating SEL into Online Learning for Lower Elementary Learners in an International Context in the book “Exploring SEL in Diverse Academic Settings” and has also written for Edutopia. Born in Canada, Kailyn currently lives as an expatriate in Almaty, Kazakhstan with her husband.
Connect with Kailyn!
Twitter/X: @kaifull
ASHLEY GIBSON
K-12 Educator, Founder of Interior Learning
Texas, USA
Dr. Ashley Gibson is a veteran K-12 in-service educator in Houston, TX. Her areas of passion and expertise include building capacity for teacher critical consciousness and restorative practices. She earned her doctorate in Learning and Organizational Change at Baylor University where her research and writing centered on intersectional learning communities, restorative practice facilitation, and enacting culturally sustaining pedagogies. She has taught in a variety of K-12 classroom settings, including advanced placement rhetoric and composition, and social action. Dr. Gibson’s broader research and writing interests are included at the intersections of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). She also serves as a curriculum team member of Houston’s Project Curate, a faith-based social justice and activist collective, and enjoys reading, writing, teaching Zumba, and hanging out with her two cats James Baldwin and Mandy.
Connect with Ashley!
Facebook: Ashley Gibson / Interior Learning
IG: @Interior_Learning
THAMIR ALJOBORI
ESL/Bilingual Educator, Author, Curriculum Designer
Illinois, USA
Thamir Aljobori is an ESL/bilingual educator and curriculum designer with over a decade of experience supporting multilingual learners. He has served as an instructional coach, academic consultant, and second-grade classroom teacher in diverse, multilingual school communities. With a strong focus on equity and access, Thamir designs culturally responsive curricula, leads professional development on language acquisition and assessment, and supports the integration of SEL and mindfulness into content instruction. He is passionate about empowering educators to create inclusive learning environments where all students thrive. Thamir holds a master’s in education and an MBA and is actively engaged in cross-district collaborations and educator wellness initiatives.
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KRISTI MORALE
Founder, The Innocent Brown Girl Project
Texas, USA
Dr. Kristi Morale, a passionate educator, realized her dream of becoming a teacher early on in her childhood. After completing high school, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and embarked on a teaching career. After 14 years in the classroom and earning a Master’s Degree in Multiple-Subject Teaching, Kristi transitioned into leadership as a Social and Emotional Learning Specialist. Dr. Morale’s research focuses on the impact of social-emotional learning practices on the discipline rates of Black middle school girls. Inspired by her findings, she founded The Innocent Brown Girl Project, an educational consulting firm specializing in curriculum development and professional development for educators and advocates of Black and Brown Girls and gender-expansive youth. Kristi is a nationally recognized speaker and the host of The TeachHER Podcast, where she interviews experts in the field of girls' education and empowerment.
Connect with Dr. Kristi!
Facebook: The Innocent Brown Girl Project
IG: @theinnocentbrowngirlproject
Twitter/X: @theIBGP
REENA PANDYA
SKY School Children's Yoga Teacher
Former Elementary Teacher
Illinois, USA
Former 1st, 4th, and 6th Grade Elementary School Teacher (2007-2015), Former Japanese Exchange Teaching Program Assistant Language Teacher (2002-2005 - Osaka, Japan), Current Children's Yoga Teacher (2015 - present), Current Masters of Education in Teaching Leadership (Northwestern) - thesis for this program looked at SKY School Breath research and data, Current SKY Schools Teacher (International's Association of Human Values), working with Global Executive Council of Chicago (GEC) as SKY School teacher and SKY Mindfulness Breath Work teacher, Current presenter for Teacher Professional Development on Mindfulness and Breathwork (Sky Schools) with GEC, CPS, and in future, NW Chicago school districts.
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Connect With Reena!
KALEE THOMPSON
K-12 Educator
International Counselor
American Embassy School
New Delhi, India
Georgia, USA
Kalee Thompson is a mother to two darling and spunky children, a yoga + meditation teacher, a holistic educator, and has been an elementary school counselor at the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India as well as at the Atlanta International School. Kalee is a Transformative Educational Leadership Fellow and a featured meditation teacher on the Insight Timer app. In 2022, she gave a TEDx talk on “The Oh so Simple and Life-Changing Power of Gratitude”. Kalee is passionate about whole-school wellness and has led countless workshops for faculty, students, staff, and parents on the topic. In the summer of 2025, Kalee will publish her first book called One Breath at a Time: A Sacred yet Practical Guide to Living with Presence and Purpose as an Educator. It has been Kalee’s honor to teach mindfulness practices around the world in private + public schools, homeless shelters, studios, backyards, and festivals. Gratitude is her religion and being present is her life’s work. To nourish her soul, Kalee loves spending time in nature with her family, riding horses, and designing dresses made of beautiful Indian textiles.
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Connect with Kalee!
IG: @kaleethompson
JAMIE WASSER-GOFORTH
Safe Schools Teacher
Founder, All About MMEE (Mindfulness, Meditation, Education, Exploration) LLC
Illinois, USA
Jamie has been an educator for 25 years. She has been fortunate to work in the public, private, and parochial systems. She focused her skills with at-risk preschoolers, low income / mission school elementary age students in East St. Louis, and two county safe school programs for grades 6-12. She has a BS double major in Speech Communication / English Language Arts and a minor in Psychology from SIUE. In 2018, she incorporated Mindfulness Based SEL in her classroom. She completed the 4 Foundation Classes through Mindful Schools. She studied with Fleet Maul and the Engaged Mindfulness Institute from 2023-2024. She graduated in June 2024 as a CMT-P (Certified Mindfulness Teacher Professional Level 300+ hours) and is a registered member with IMTA (International Mindfulness Teachers Association). She is the owner and sole operator of All About MMEE (Mindfulness, Meditation, Education, Exploration) LLC. She trains educators, first responders, medical professionals, and the general public on the importance of Mindfulness.
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Connect with Jamie!
Facebook: Jamie B. Wasser-Goforth / Mindfulness, Meditation, Education, Exploration
IG: @wasserjamie
Advisor of Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion:
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Tovi Scruggs-Hussein, Past COSEM President, CEO Tici'ess Inc, Former Principal, Oakland, CA
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Advisory Team (alphabetical order):​
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Craig Aarons-Martin, Former Educating Mindfully Board Member, Education Consultant
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Laura Bakosh, Inner Explorer
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Khayree Bey, Former COSEM Board Member, Middle School Health Teacher, Colonial School District, DE
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Gina Beigel, Stressed Teens​​​
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Kristie Brendel, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Aurora University
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Ashley Brown, Peace of Mind
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Annmarie Chereso, Conscious Leadership Advisor, BringIt! Home​
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Jennifer Cohen Harper, Little Flower Yoga
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Matt Dewar, Past COSEM President
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Mike Fauteux, GiveThx
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Kathy Flaminio, MoveMindfully
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Lisa Flynn, Yoga 4 Classrooms
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Mary Furbush, Executive Director, CASE DuPage
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Jim Gillen, Yoga Calm
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Ashley Green, Senior Program Manager, Action for Healthy Kids
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Ohilda Holguin, Former COSEM Board Member, Educational Consultant and Trainer, NYC, NY
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Michele Kane, Former COSEM Board Member, professor, Northeastern Illinois University
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Anne Kasa, Former COSEM Board Member, Regional Office of Education 9 in Illinois
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Theo Koffler, Mindfulness Without Borders
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Barbara Larrivee, Former COSEM Board Member, former professor, Rhode Island College & California State University
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Meghan LeBorious, Former COSEM Board Member, High School SEL Coach & Mindfulness Teacher, Brooklyn, NY
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Jill Apperson Manly, JabuMind
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Renee Metty, With Pause
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Miriam Ojaghi, Former COSEM Board Member, SEL Consultant​​​, Dekalb Regional Office of Education, IL
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Brendan Ozawa-de Silva, Associate Director for SEE Learning, Emory University
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Sarah Said, Former Educating Mindfully Board Member, Alternative Learning Teacher
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Amy Saltzman M.D., Association for Mindfulness in Education, The Still Quiet Place
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Laurie Seidel, Former COSEM Board Member, Roanoke City Public Schools
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Deb Smolensky, Mindful City Project
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Barnaby Spring, Former Director of Mindfulness in Education, New York City Department of Education
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Matt Weld, Former COSEM Board Member, Regional Offices of Education in Illinois
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Educating Mindfully Advisory Team
