Kristen has an extensive history advocating for students with disabilities since high school, where she worked as a student aide in a special education classroom. During this time, she developed deep connections with students with disabilities. It was during this time that she developed a passion for expanding inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities. After high school, she pursued a B.A. in Sociology from UCSB, an M.A. in Special Education from SFSU, and an M.A. in Educational Administration from SFSU. She was an inclusion support teacher, learning specialist, and special day class teacher for 14 years as well as an active member of the San Francisco Unified School District InclusionTask Force. She presented at state and national conferences on inclusive practices. In 2009, she had the opportunity to develop and serve as the program director for an inclusive early intervention preschool for students with speech and language, learning, and developmental disabilities. She is so excited to join the Changing Perspectives team as a Program Specialist providing direct service to our partner schools in California. She is deeply passionate about expanding inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities in our school communities. Kristen lives in Northern California, where she also works as an educational consultant and spends time hiking and biking in the outdoors with her family and dog, Max. She can be reached at
kristen@cpne.org.
