Consultants

Consultant Cate Biggs at the 2010 World Affairs Challenge

Consultant Cate Biggs at the 2010 World Affairs Challenge

Cate Biggs, Writer and Consultant

Cate Biggs is a consultant to World Savvy, helping to formulate the concept of The World Savvy Monitor and serving as the Lead Researcher and Writer of the publication. Cate is the Founder of Writing for Global Engagement a consulting practice dedicated to a broad notion of global education – life-long learning in any context. In addition to writing for the Monitor, Cate creates customized reportage for NGOs, foundations, and others who are working to address critical issues in the global community. She has recently traveled to Rwanda and Liberia on documentary projects, and is writing a book on development in post-conflict societies. She has a B.A. from Yale and a Masters in Social Welfare Management and Planning from Berkeley. Cate lives in Mill Valley, CA with her husband and three daughters. See her blog at http://graspglobalpoverty.wordpress.com/.

Erin Goodling

Erin is a passionate educator, artist and activist who has been involved with World Savvy as a participating teacher, advisor and consultant for more than 5 years. She has a BA in Spanish from University of Portland; a Masters in Teaching from Lewis & Clark College, and credentials in teaching middle/high school English and English Language Learners. She taught 7th grade in Ewa Beach, Hawaii and high school at Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco. Currently she is a middle and high school outdoor education instructor in Portland, OR. Her latest work with World Savvy includes contributing to the writing and editing of the Media & Arts Program Curriculum Guide on Sustainable Communities.

Kelly Korenak, Curriculum Consultant

Kelly Korenak is a teacher and social worker, and has long been interested in global issues and finding ways to bring these issues and a sense of activism to youth. She has a BA in English and Education, and taught middle school language arts. She is also an active member of the community, and has volunteered as an ESL tutor, as well as being a long-time member and student leader with Amnesty International. In 2003, she graduated from Columbia University with a MSW in International Social Work, after which she worked with the International Rescue Committee on programs for refugee youth and psychosocial programming for youth uprooted by conflict and natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina. At World Savvy, Kelly combines her experiences and talents in education and global affairs by designing global issues curriculum, and supporting and training teachers to incorporate more global issues into their classrooms.

Victoria Restler, Curriculum and Program Consultant

Victoria is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. She joined World Savvy in 2005 to help launch The Global Youth Media & Arts Program and in 2008 expanded the program to New York City. After spending a year in Oaxaca, Mexico, researching indigenous education practices, Victoria recently began a doctoral program in Urban Education at the CUNY Graduate Center. Victoria is a consultant, supporter and life-long champion of World Savvy's work.

Jennifer Schwartz, Accountant

Jennifer is a consultant with World Savvy working as the accountant for the organization. Jennifer has spent most of her career working for non-profit organizations in financial management issues and has held many top management financial positions for non-profits around the bay area including The San Jose Repertory Theatre and The San Francisco Film Society. She has a BA in Anthropology from Tufts University and a MFA in Arts Management from the Yale School of Drama.  In her spare leisure time she is an award winning playwright and her work focuses on social questions of the 21st century. She is currently a candidate for a Certificate in Wealth Management at UC Berkeley Extension and has recently passed her series 65 investment advisor’s license exam.  Jennifer would like to apply her investment skills in assisting non-profits with their endowment and cash surplus funds.

Tom Shaw, Evaluation Consultant

Tom is a consultant to World Savvy, helping with the present and future evaluation paradigm across all programs.  Tom also teaches global studies at Sonoma State University, and has been active as an evaluation expert in education.  With a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Columbia University, Tom specializes in studies of learning, schools and youth identity.  At Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, he taught courses in research methods, adolescent identity and youth culture.  Tom values evidence-based organizational planning and strives to develop a culture of inquiry in non-profit settings.  He has traveled fairly extensively, done research in China, Taiwan and Japan, and finds that for all their differences in lifestyle, values and ideologies, people are essentially the same.

James Zacchini

Jim Zacchini was born in Boston and raised in Plymouth, Massachusetts where an early love for history and education bloomed. This eventually led to an exploration of Europe and Asia, and a three year life-altering experience teaching in Sendai, Japan. With career stops along the way in the intellectual property and hospitality fields, his passion and belief in lifelong learning and the need for equitable education at home with a global emphasis brought him back to the classroom, and subsequently into educational programming and professional development for teachers. Most recently, Jim served as the Assistant Program Director at the Minnesota Humanities Center, where he focused on cultural programming throughout the state’s diverse communities. Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and American Studies from Providence College, a Masters in History and American Foreign Policy in Asia from Marquette University, and is currently working on an Ed.D. in Organizational Development and Leadership at the University of St. Thomas.