About Us
Mary is Director & Founder of Action Driven Inquiry and volunteer Co-Chair for the EEC (Environmental Education Collaborative) Board. Recently she was CREEC (California Regional Environmental Education Community) Coordinator for CA Region 10 as well as a Teacher Ambassador for EEI (Education & the Environment Initiative) curriculum. She has been an educator for more than sixteen years. In those years she has taught on both the east and west coasts. She has taught World Languages & English Language Arts, she has been an Instructional Coach, a Director for a California Math Science Partnership grant, a beginning teacher mentor, an International Baccalaureate PYP Coordinator, and facilitator for professional learning. She is an avid promoter of inquiry based learning, PBL, IB, NGSS, STEM, STEAM, Environmental Literacy, maker mindsets, collaborative processes, creative & inclusive school culture, and action-driven inquiry. She has coached and conducted trainings & workshops all over California for schools, school districts, expanded learning programs, and non-formal programs. She is currently working with schools and districts in California's Inland Empire. Join her on Twitter @marybwalls Linda Braatz Brown
Linda serves as a consultant and thought partner for Action Driven Inquiry. She has over 33 years of service in public education, retiring from the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools as the Science Coordinator serving over 32 school districts. Linda has been deeply involved in the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards locally, regionally, and throughout the state. In addition to science, she has been active in both teaching and provide professional learning opportunities across content areas including mathematics, history/social science, Environmental Literacy and STEM. In addition to her teaching experience in K-12, she has taught Math and Science Methods (elementary and secondary) and STEM Master courses at both California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), University of California, Riverside (UCR), and UCR Extension. One of her passions and areas of expertise is bringing grants to life to benefit students, parents, and communities. Successful grants include a NASA grant with the City of Ontario, CA, Math and Science Partnership Grants with Upland USD (mathematics & ALPHA Center, UCR) and Ontario-Montclair SD (science & ALPHA Center, UCR). Linda is a passionate advocate for inquiry-based teaching and learning and equal access for all students to engage in action oriented learning in both formal and informal learning environments. Join her on Twitter @braatz_brown
Andre ChenFeng
Andre ChenFeng is an advocate for teacher well-being, He is a 3rd year Ph.D. student at Claremont Graduate University. His research focus is on the integration of empathy and equity in education, specifically, how mindfulness-based, social and emotional learning with a critical-lens can impact teacher wellness in underserved communities. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Claremont Graduate University, teaching clinical skills to graduate students in the Teacher Education Program. Andre received his B.A. in Psychology and his M.Ed. in Urban Teacher Education from UCLA. He has received training from Cognitive Coaching, the National Equity Project, Teach Plus, Google’s STEM outreach program, Reading Apprenticeship at WestEd, and improvement science. Previously, he was a founding faculty member at UCLA Community School (TK-12) located in Los Angeles, where he taught 7th and 8th-grade mathematics for eight years. Before teaching at the Secondary level, he spent three years in early childhood education at Pasadena City College Child Development Center. In his spare time, he watches The Resident with his wife and enjoys reading board books with his two year old son.
Paul Pooler
Paul Pooler is Director of Education for Discovery Cube Science Center, a hands-on learning center for STEM proficiency and early childhood development based in Orange County, where he coordinates outreach programs that annually reach over 300,000 students in five Southern California counties and provide STEM-based professional development to classroom teachers. Paul has built a career in informal education, believing in the power of extracurricular, after-school, and summer programs to inspire, motivate, and educate. He is particularly passionate about Environmental Literacy, Maker Mindsets, and earned a master’s degree in education with a STEM focus from Concordia University. Paul is all about sparking creativity and agency in the student who doesn't fit in the narrative of many school systems.
