Vanessa taught high school, middle school, and elementary school at Seattle Public Schools before moving to her role as racial equity coach, where she works with teams of educators to implement anti-racist systems change in their schools. During the pandemic, she got a graduate degree in public policy in order to work for climate justice and sustainability because youth have a right to a livable world and sustainable future. Her core values are abundance, reciprocity, and learning. Vanessa believes:

• through collective action, human beings can come into right relationship with ourselves, one another, and our fellow living creatures

• each person has unique gifts to cultivate and contribute to that collective action

• many of the solutions to the crises we face already exist in ways of being, knowing, and doing of communities who have been purposefully excluded from power and decision-making.

Vanessa is excited to help out with radical inclusivity, abundance mindset, celebration, leadership development, team-building, communication, data collection & analysis, project management, stakeholder engagement, quantitative & qualitative research, curriculum development, professional development for teachers, graphic design, event planning, dismantling systems of oppression, and dreaming big. Ubuntu! I am because we are!