Eric is a teacher, teacher educator, youth advocate, researcher, author, activist, consultant, and professional development provider with over 30 years of experience in and around public secondary education. He earned a bachelors degree, a teaching credential, and a masters degree, all from the University of California Santa Barbara, and a second masters degree and a doctorate from Harvard. He is an award winning teacher with a wide range of classroom experience:
Four years teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in a rural K-8 where he was awarded "Teacher of the Year" by his district PTSA, and where he also served as President of his local teachers' union (CTA/NEA)
Two years teaching 8th graders in a suburban middle school
Three years teaching 9th-12th graders (part-time) in an urban comprehensive high school
15+ years teaching undergraduates, masters students, and doctoral candidates at the university level during which he was awarded the "Certificate of Distinction in Teaching" from Harvard College
Based in the Intermountain West, Eric works at the local, regional, and national levels to help systems, schools, educators, communities, and youth overcome barriers and reach their potential. He previously served as Senior Research Director at Jobs for the Future, and Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at Knowledgeworks where he led the Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative, the Students at the Center Distinguished Fellowship, and the REMIQS project. Prior to his work in the nonprofit sector, Eric worked in faculty and leadership positions in five different teacher educator programs in three different states. He consults with educators, schools, districts, nonprofits, community leaders, and youth service organizations around the country to help leaders and stakeholders achieve equity in public school outcomes.
Eric identifies as a White, middle class, heterosexual, cisgender, non-disabled, neurotypical, middle-aged male. These identities afford Eric considerable unearned privilege which he tries to use to name injustice and promote equity in and around public school classrooms. He is a fierce defender of public schools, of public school educators and support staff, of adolescents, and of the potential for anti-oppressive pedagogies to reveal and reverse troubling societal trends. He tries to do this work with passion, integrity, flexibility, and a sense of humor.
He is also a paraglider pilot, a decent Scrabble opponent, a mediocre tennis enthusiast, a skilled shirt ironer, and a pretty good snowboarder. He drinks too much coffee.