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Nicole R. Benquechea graduated from California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) in May 2020 with a Master of Arts degree in Psychology. She has a passion for speaking and taking positive action on youth. Currently, she is an intern for the Center for Educational Improvement.

Chandni is a first year graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the Cognitive Psychology Program. Her current research focus is in mind-wandering and attention control in academic settings. She is also a yoga teacher who is passionate in introducing the healing practice of yoga to children. She aims to inspire others with life changing practices through evidence-based research.

Hallie Williams has been a CEI Research Assistant since June 2022 who authors articles for HeartMind eNews, performs background literature reviews for CEI’s various projects, and edits books and reports. Hallie also designs surveys, collects qualitative and quantitative data from CEI’s webinars, and creates figures and charts to visualize data and frameworks. Recently, Hallie collaborated on CEI’s Listening Sessions with the National Indian Education Association and is currently contributing to the Cultivating Happiness in Schools initiative. She will graduate from Saint Louis University in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies. Hallie’s primary research interest is designing interventions to combat internalizing disorders and psychological dysfunction in children and adolescents at the school level.

Jill, currently serving as CEI's Executive Director and Co-Principal Investigator of the CSLA, brings extensive experience to her role, having previously served as the Deputy Director of CEI from 2020 to 2023. With a solid career as an elementary principal and teacher, Jill's impact is notable. During her tenure as the principal of Hadley Elementary School in Hadley, MA, she oversaw significant growth, doubling enrollment from 200 to 400 students. Jill is a dedicated advocate for early childhood education and has actively contributed to policy-driven committees, including her appointment to the Advisory Committee of the MA Department of Early Education and Care as its elementary principal representative.

As a CEI Teaching Fellow for a number of years, Jill has contributed vignettes to related publications on Heart Centered Learning, mindfulness, and visioning. She is currently the membership chair of the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts and has served on the alliance’s steering committee for the past four years. Jill is also a co-author of two recently published books - Little Learners, Big Hearts and the Leader's Guide.

Jill was an adjunct professor at Westfield State University from 1999-2014 in the graduate administrator licensure program. She has presented programs at the state and national levels on social emotional learning, PK-K standards in SEL and play, and inclusive practices.

She was the MA Principal of the Year and National Distinguished Principal in 2010-2011 and was elected to the National Association of Elementary School Principals, Board of Directors—an appointment she held from 2011-2014.

Most recently, Jill served as executive director of the MA Elementary School Principals' Association. She is a consultant to the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with the Early Learning Team and MA School Administrators Association. Jill is an experienced educational administrator as well who has shown leadership in grant fundraising and management, including the attainment and management of the MA Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) portfolio. She is currently serving on the EEC Workforce Council.

Tim Mills, a Lecturer at Harvard University's Department of Continuing Education, specializes in Business Management and Agile Project Management. With over 25 years of experience as a project leader and management executive, Tim is a retired Lt. Colonel in the US Air Force, where he oversaw acquisition, test & development, and implementation of critical programs. Notably, he served as the logistics program manager for the USA/USSR INF Treaty On-Site Verification Program, earning the Secretary of Defense Superior Management Award.

In his role as an executive management consultant with KPMG Consulting, Perot Systems & IBM Global Services, Tim led global programs and projects, focusing on IT strategy, Project Portfolio Management, IT design, and global e-Commerce. A seasoned educator, Tim has taught business management and project management at California State University - Sacramento and served as a guest lecturer at the US Naval Postgraduate School - Monterey, CA.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Tim is a certified Kundalinī Yoga teacher and currently sits on the Board of Directors for 3HO International Foundation.

(Bio pending)

(Bio pending)

Kahlil is an adjunct professor at the George Washington University in the Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is also a Mindfulness Educator with the Montgomery County School District. Kahlil has worked in Africa, India, and Asia and has extensive experience designing program evaluations that incorporate youth voice. She has coached educators, youth workers, college volunteers, interns, and graduate students to create and implement curricula for young people.

Chris is an educational psychologist and CEI’s Founderand initial Executive Director (2009-2023). . Chris is a nationally recognized expert, consultant, moderator, and frequent speaker on student trauma, mindfulness, children’s mental health, peer supports and teen suicide prevention, listening to youth, furthering equity, and implementing mindfulness, yoga, and meditation in schools. She is also an assistant clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at Yale University’s School of Medicine for the Program for Community Health and Recovery. From 2022-2023 she served as a Co-Principal Investigator for the Compassionate School Leadership Academy.Chris has served as a researcher, professor, senior scientist in disability education, university professor, evaluator, consultant, and entrepreneur. She has also served as the Director of Research and Professional Development at the National Association of Elementary School Principals; She is an IKYTA certified yoga instructor with 21 years of experience teaching weekly yoga, meditation, and mindfulness classes, and she is also a certified radiant child yoga instructor.

Chris has authored more than 120 books and articles and served as the principal investigator, director, or evaluator on over 15 national projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institutes of HealthIn 2016, she received a “Pioneer in Children’s Well-being” award from the Robert Woods Johnson and Ashoka Foundations. In recent years she has served as the lead author for eight books on heart centered learning, mindfulness, compassion, and equity in early childhood education.