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ABOUT US

MISSION

REEL strives to ensure Silicon Valley twice-exceptional students thrive in school by raising parent and educator awareness and understanding of practical, research-based strategies to address their needs successfully. We support 2e kids by building bridges between educators and parents. For educators, we create and curate resources, workshops, and programs to help them make school a place that 2e learners can be successful. For parents, we organize and disseminate events and tools to help parents learn to advocate for and support their 2e kids. 

OUR TEAM

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ABBY KIRIGIN, Ed.D. 

Executive Director

 

​abby@reel2e.org

Abby worked in tech and startups as an interaction designer for several years before pivoting to education as a result of raising her own twice-exceptional children. She holds a Doctorate of Education from Bridges Graduate school of Cognitive Diversity. Abby received her Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University and BA from NYU.

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TERESA NAIR

Parent Community Program Manager

​teresa@reel2e.org

Teresa, the mother of two vibrant 2e kids and who is 2e herself, holds a M.Ed. in Cognitive Diversity from Bridges Graduate School. Teresa has a diverse professional background, including roles as a classroom teacher, a board member for organizations that support the disabled communities in Silicon Valley, and a consultant.

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EMILY JAQUETTE 

Board Member

 

​emily@reel2e.org 

Emily has extensive professional experience in the start-up, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. Most recently, Emily was Deputy Director of PA Partners in Education. Prior to this, she had an extensive career in data warehousing solutions. She currently serves as Treasurer for the Gunn Foundation, the Gunn PTSA, and Spirit Care Ministry to Seniors. She has a B.A. in Economics from Stanford and a M.S. in Management from MIT.​​​​

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MIA LOCSIN

Board Member

 

​mia@reel2e.org

Mia’s passions lie in innovation, education, mentorship and making a difference in the lives of others. Mia is an experienced leader in managing global business relationships and projects across various industries, including emerging technology, conversational AI, fintech, government, and more. Mia holds a B.A. in Communications from California State University, Fullerton. 

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MIN YAN

Bookkeeper

treasurer@reel2e.org

Min has extensive experience in commercial planning with Fortune 200 and Russell
2000 healthcare companies. Additionally, she offers operational management service to
medical practices. She has a special interest in gifted education and services that help
asynchronous learners. She received her MBA from Tulane University and B.A. from
Wuhan University, China.

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CALLIE TURK

Co-Founder & Board Member

​callie@reel2e.org

Callie is the mom of three teens, one of whom is 2e. Callie draws on her 15-plus year career working with ed tech companies and school districts at the cutting edge of educator professional learning. Callie received her MBA from Stanford University and BS from Miami University (Ohio). She is also a doctoral student with the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education. â€‹

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SARAHI CUEVAS 

Marketing & Social Media Associate

​marketing@reel2e.org

Sarahi is a Marketing and Communications professional based in the Bay Area, holding a BFA in Digital Media from San Jose State University. With a background in the non-profit marketing sector since graduation, she brings a skill set tailored to effectively market non-profit organizations. 

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MIA LOCSIN

Board Member

 

​mia@reel2e.org

Mia’s passions lie in innovation, education, mentorship and making a difference in the lives of others. Mia is an experienced leader in managing global business relationships and projects across various industries, including emerging technology, conversational AI, fintech, government, and more. Mia holds a B.A. in Communications from California State University, Fullerton. 

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SUSAN M.W. TAHIR

Board Treasurer​

 

susan@reel2e.org

Susan has two children at home, including a 2e tween. She has over 15 years of experience building product and managing strategic alliances at startups and Fortune 500 companies. In addition to serving on REEL’s Board, she is on the Board of Holt International Children’s Services. Susan earned her BA in International Studies from The American University and her MBA from the University of Michigan Business School. ​​

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SARAH WISCHINA

Educator Content Specialist

​sarah@reel2e.org

Sarah is a career educator and mom to two 2e boys. She holds a PhD in Teacher Education from Stanford, an MA in Education from Berkeley, and a BA in Psychology from UCLA. Over the course of her career, Sarah has worked as a teacher, lecturer, consultant, and coach. She is passionate about differentiated and equitable instruction as well as the reframing of challenging student behaviors that occur in the classroom.​​

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YAEL VALEK

Co-Founder & Board Member

​yael@reel2e.org

Yael has two 2e sons in elementary and middle school. Yael co-founded start-ups in the parenting community and children's creativity spaces. She has served on the board and advisory committees for several education-based non-profits. Yael received her BS and MS in Computer Science from Stanford University. â€‹â€‹

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SURABHI AGARWAL

Board Member

 

​surabhi@reel2e.org

Surabhi has over 15 years of experience leveraging data insights for developing organizational growth strategies, and has consulted with organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization. As a lifelong learner, Surabhi holds an MBA in Finance from India, and has completed Stanford’s SDRM courses in Decision Quality in Organizations and Biases in Decision-Making. ​​

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MELINA PATTERSON

Board Member

 

​melina@reel2e.org

Melina has volunteered for several child-centered nonprofits, including her local PTA . She serves on the boards of Palo Alto Partners in Education as well as a U.S. nonprofit and Rwandan NGO focused on improving children’s healthcare in Rwanda. Melina worked as General Counsel of a tech startup and as an attorney at a large law firm. She holds a B.A. from Columbia College Chicago and a J.D. from the University of Chicago.

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HENRY TREVOR

Board Member​

 

henry@reel2e.org

Henry has over 40 years of experience in independent schools, serving as a teacher,
administrator, and trustee. He received a BA in Religious Studies from Brown University and a
masters in non-profit management from NYU. A New Yorker by birth and temperament, he
moved to the Bay Area in 2012 and has worked in various educational leadership roles since, most recently as Director of Development at Mid-Peninsula HS since 2016.

EDUCATOR ADVISORY GROUP

REEL's Educator Advisory Group (EAG) is an advisory committee of educators passionate about the success of twice-exceptional students. These local experts provide insight and advice to REEL as we develop and grow our educator offerings.

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LAKSHMI BALASUBRAMANIAN

Lecturer & Sr. Researcher, Stanford University

Lakshmi is a Lecturer and Researcher in the field of special education at the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. She completed her Ph.D. in Special Education at the joint doctoral program at the University of California, Berkeley with San Francisco State University in May 2021. Lakshmi is the recipient of the Walter J Gores Award, Stanford University's highest award for excellence in teaching. Prior to joining Stanford, Lakshmi worked as a special education teacher and inclusion specialist in a large public school district for 14 years. During this time, she spearheaded the design and implementation of inclusive education programs at the school district in grades K-12. Additionally she has worked as a professional development facilitator nationally and internationally on a variety of topics related to inclusive education and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

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PIPER JOSEPH

Elementary Classroom Teacher, Palo Alto Unified School District

Dedicated to fostering life-long learning through research-based learning methodologies, I am a learning designer with 25 years+ of experience in education. I hold a Masters from Northwestern University in Learning Sciences and have experience in the design and authorship of professional development (preK-20), classroom teaching (K-5), curriculum design, user-centered design, and technology development. My work has encompassed online, blended, and f2f learning. Enhancing and transforming learning for students of all types and ages are a priority.

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TIFFANY NIELSEN

Director of Learning Services, Helios School

Tiffany is a Certified Educational Therapist, the current Director of Learning Services, and Literacy Specialist at Helios School in Sunnyvale. Tiffany has worked at Helios since 2020, and enjoys supporting the 2E population in small group settings. Tiffany started working in education as a high school math teacher in Los Angeles. After moving to the Bay Area in 2012, she worked at an Educational Therapy office in Campbell while pursuing her certificate and masters degree in Educational Therapy. While she enjoyed her one-on-one work with students in an office setting, she felt compelled to work with students on a larger scale and decided to start working in schools. When not working, Tiffany enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids. As a family they enjoy playing sports, watching movies, and traveling.

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TERI BALDWIN

President, Palo Alto Educators Association

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JENNIFER MADIGAN

Lecturer, Special Education and Teacher Education, San Jose State University

Dr. Jennifer Madigan is a professor in the Connie Lurie College of Education at San Jose State University. She also worked for University of Hawaii as an Assistant Professor in Special Education. Prior to entering higher education, she spent 13 years working in special education and inclusive classrooms throughout the bay area. Her field work includes consultant work with school district leaders in effective research based practices in teacher induction and co teaching. Her publications include articles in Principal Leadership, Multiple Voices, Advances in Gender and Education, The National Journal of Urban Education and Practice, Journal for Teaching and Learning in Diverse Settings, and Teaching Exceptional Children. Her book, Mentorship of Special Educators, published by Corwin Press, was widely used in professional development nationally. Dr. Madigan has worked internationally with the Kingdom of Cambodia Ministry of Education and the World Academy for the Advancement of Women based in China and Nigeria.

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CHIARA PERRY

Assistant Director, California Collaborative for Inclusive Practices

Chiara W. Perry, Ed. S., is a passionate educator with a wealth of knowledge, skills, and experiences in special education that spans over 25 years in PK-12 schools. Her work includes developing quality inclusive programs through various instructional and administrative roles. Her tenure in education settings are rooted in inclusive practices, co-teaching, and growth mindsets, which play an instrumental role in co-developing and piloting full inclusion programs.  Her areas of expertise are inclusive education, culturally relevant/sustaining pedagogy, teaching reading, hands on teaching strategies, UDL, social emotional learning, understanding the functions of behavior,  multi-tiered systems of support, special education compliance, equity and data analysis. 

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LACOSTA BROWNING

School Counselor, Charter School of Morgan Hill

Compassionate and culturally sensitive counselor. Highly skilled at providing academic, social and emotional support through a problem solving approach. Experienced at working with students with specialized needs such as learning disabilities, homelessness and frequent adjustments. Interested in continuing professional develop by supporting the young adult population in the community college or university system to maximize their educational experience.

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HILLARY MILLER

Educational Leader & Co-Founder, Solving Fun, LLC

Hillary McKibben Miller is the parent of two young adults and has been an educator for over 20 years. During that time, she has worked in PK-12 education in many capacities as a teacher and administrator. With a strength-based focus, Hillary has spent her career finding ways to meet the needs of individual and small groups of students, as well as building positive school cultures. In 2020, Hillary co-founded Solving Fun, a company focused on building creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration for kids ages 7-12 through puzzles, activities, and games. Hillary holds a BS in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Masters in Educational Administration from Texas State University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Education at Auburn University.

REEL COMMUNITY PARTNERS & CLIENTS

2e News

Bridges Graduate School

Center for Children and Youth

Charter School of Morgan Hill

Children's Health Council (CHC)

Community Advisory Committee for Special

   Education in Palo Alto (CAC)

Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA)

The G Word

Harker School

Inclusive Schools Group

Menlo Park City School District

Mid-Peninsula High School

Parents Helping Parents (PHP)

Palo Alto City Library

Palo Alto Council of PTAs

Palo Alto Educators Association

Palo Alto Unified School District

San Jose State University

Santa Clara County Office of Education

Stanford Neurodiversity Project

St Christopher School

University of California Santa Cruz Extension School:
   Ed Therapy Department

CONFERENCES & SPEAKING EVENTS

2e William & Mary Conference

Bridges Education Group - Crucial Conversations in 2e

California Association for the Gifted

CUNY Neurodiversity Conference

Gift-a-Palooza Conference

G/T/N Week

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)

Nueva's Innovative Learning Conference

Santa Clara County Inclusion Conference

Stanford Neurodiversity Project - Network for K-12

   Education & Advocacy

Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG)

Twice-Exceptional Teacher Education Int'l Conference

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