Joan taught SEL and character development for over ten years in K-8 schools in a variety of settings, including as senior trainer for the Casa Center for Positive Social Change in Phoenix, Arizona. She has many years’ experience developing curricula in the space of SEL, character development and mindfulness for the full range of preschool through university students. She trains teachers as well, so that they can successfully model and integrate SEL and character development in their classrooms and for their own well-being. She also facilitates parenting groups, helping them to develop their own social-emotional competencies.
Joan has been part of the GGIE team since its inception, through conceptualizing the framework to running focus groups and supporting content development. Her role in the development phase has been to reach out to content partners who have offered valuable practices to round out the robustness of this resource. Joan has facilitated and helped to run GGSC’s Summer Institute for three years as well.
She holds a B.A. from Tulane University and an M.S. in social psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a long-time meditation practitioner, and at this time straddles Arizona and Southern California in a life that includes both educational work and family elder-care responsibilities, covering the full lifespan.