Putting research into practice to transform education

Alex started his career as a Physics teacher and has been leading educational organizations for over 25 years. He has founded two professional learning organizations focused on empowering educators to unlock the potential of every learner. Alex consults with leading education companies and nonprofits on strategy and execution to impact PreK-12 education. He is President of an educational foundation that has grown more than tenfold under his leadership, and Chairman of a nonprofit foundation focused on mental wellness for children. Alex has a BS in Physics, a MSc in Econometrics and Financial Engineering and a MS in Instructional Design.

Chandra Orrill, Ph.D. is an educational researcher with expertise in mathematics education and instructional technology. Before joining Rethink Learning Labs, Chandra was a Professor in STEM Education at UMass Dartmouth where she led the Kaput Center for Research and Innovation in STEM Education for several years. Chandra is passionate about working with teachers to create inquiry-oriented, technology-based, and discussion-oriented learning spaces for mathematics and computational thinking. Chandra has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on over $13 million in grants over the past 20 years. She is published in mathematics education and learning sciences journals and is active in professional organizations in math education and the learning sciences.

Blakely Tsurusaki, Ph.D., is an educator and educational researcher with experience teaching and researching formal and informal STEM education. She has expertise in curriculum development, program development, and professional development in STEM education and her research interests include STEAM, environmental education, and how to better make connections between students’ everyday lives and STEM, particularly in marginalized communities. She has served as a PI or co-PI on federally funded and foundation grants. She holds a Ph.D. in Teaching, Curriculum, and Educational Policy from Michigan State University, an M.Ed. in Science Education from the University of Georgia, and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Puget Sound.

Kun Wang, Ph.D. is a Research Scientist with a deep interest in teacher knowledge. She has a Ph.D in STEM Education from UMass Dartmouth as well as a B.S. Civil Engineering. Kun taught SAT and AP STEM subjects for five years in China. Her passion is working with PreK-12 teachers to promote playful classroom engagement in an interactive learning environment.

Bonni Jones has a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciencesfrom Utah State University. She received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in computer programming and a secondary teaching certificate from Weber State University, Utah. She earned a master's in education technology from Boise State University, Idaho. Bonni has enjoyed a rich and varied career in education. She has taught in district, charter, and private PreK-12 schools. She has been an online teacher in both K12 and university settings. She has taught math, computer programming, financial literacy, video and audio production, and integration of innovation and technology in education. She has provided EdTech expertise at her schools and led the way in adopting technology. She has published work on professional development and change readiness in education. She is researching change readiness, math anxiety, and gamification. She is developing a cooperative play-based math curriculum.

Kym Welty is a Grant Support Specialist. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s in Education degree in Counseling. She has over 15 years of experience managing grant-funded projects involving PreK-12 teachers, teacher preparation, professional development and STEM education. Her interests include increasing the number of young people (especially women and BIPOC) who enter into STEM related career tracks.

Kit Burke serves as an Intern at Rethink Learning where she tackles everything from social media to data cleaning. She has a B.S. in Biology as well as a certificate in Data Science. She is also a certified Paralegal.