We are nerdy in a good way!
Meet our team
We believe that care and education settings should be human places
that are fun and support the growth of children and adults alike.
Our goal is to transform professional development for educators
to make life better for children.
Our Founder and CEO
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September Gerety
Like all teachers, I was required to take part in a lot of professional development experiences. Some were exciting, some were excruciating, but most of them had no impact on my practice.
Instructional coaching is vital for improving both teaching and child outcomes, but many instructional coaching programs just don’t live up to their promises. We equip coaches to make a positive impact on teaching and learning.
I started Gerety Education Team and the Coach PD Project to provide everything that coaches need to be effective, no matter their context or experience level. My goal is to help every coach stop struggling, searching, or stagnating, and start transforming classrooms.
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Invest your time and professional development dollars wisely, by providing the coaching and support teachers need to be successful.
Our Master Coaches
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Aimee Ackley
When I first began to coach I would often think – “Just give me the kids back so I can do it!” Then I realized when a teacher gains a new skill, the entire class receives the benefit. Multiply that by all her future classes, and the power of coaching is clear.
I seek to learn with my coachees. I enter the collaborative partnership curious and stay that way, reflecting throughout the process.
After a year of intense coaching, it's such a victory to come back the following year and realize that a coachee doesn't need me anymore because she absorbed the strategies and is using them fluently with a whole new group.
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Ke'Shon Mack Brown
Aside from 19 years in the field, two early childhood programs I started from the ground up and 10 years mentoring and coaching others, I use all of my experiences to advocate for equity and change more effectively.
I approach this work with my heart and use my experience and training to help coaches stay focused on what's best for children.
I remember coaching an exceptional teacher. I wasn't sure what I could support her with and I'm sure she didn't think she needed to learn anything. But through coaching, this teacher learned she was capable of even more and is now coaching others at her site. Never underestimate the power of coaching!
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Margaret Olem
As someone who has taken lots of detours and different roles throughout my career, my experiences as an early childhood provider and mental health provider have shaped me into the coach I am today.
I value being comfortable sitting with coachees in the messy, the unknown, and the frustrating - as well as the successful moments!
One of my favorite things about coaching is when a coachee moves from understanding why something is a “best practice” or a good idea on a theoretical level to actually implementing it and seeing a shift in children’s understanding or behavior, or in a teacher’s practices.
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Sonia Andrade
I have faced many challenges as a coach, from implementing a new coaching model, to getting buy-in for coaching, to partnering with resistant teachers. This makes me well-prepared to help our members face their challenges and enhance their practice.
I bring active listening, real-world application and a generous sprinkling of humor to this work.
I intentionally model compassion and empathy in all I do. I am committed to bringing out the hidden strengths and skills of our member coaches and helping them use those skills so that children, families and educators thrive.
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Our Master Coaches are the heart of the Coach PD Project.
They use their deep knowledge and experience (plus a lot of laughter and joy) to help members grow into confident, competent coaches.
They use their deep knowledge and experience (plus a lot of laughter and joy) to help members grow into confident, competent coaches.
Our Support Heroes
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Valerie Sappenfield
As a mom of two kids in the public school system, I am extremely grateful to educators. I'm so pleased to be able to support them in any way from my place on the team.
I have a background in nonprofit consulting and client success - I enjoy people and process. My favorite aspect of my role is ensuring our educators have access to what they need so they can focus on their learning and development.
Even from behind the scenes, I love being a part of our live trainings. It's amazing to see the level of passion and dedication of the coaches we work with!
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Sara Beth Seal
Having a background in Deaf education and serving the Deaf for more than 20 years in the US and overseas, I enjoy being behind the scenes and helping others purse professional excellence and personal growth.
As an administrative assistant, I love being in a supportive role and freeing up others to pursue their dreams and passions. I have always been drawn to serving people, seeing a need, and filling it joyfully.
Working with the Deaf, an often unseen and underserved group of people, has given me an eye for detail and a heart for equality. My favorite part of doing this work is seeing clients and friends achieve their greatest potential by empowering them as they reach for success! While administrative assistant is my title, my heart is always to serve our coaches, see them learn, and watch them grow.
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Trinity Jenkins
As a content and communication specialist, I take pride in ensuring the cogs are all turning smoothly behind the scenes. From editing and publishing content to fine-tuning our courses, I'm thrilled to help coaches make a real-world impact every single day.
Alongside a decade of experience in writing, I am pursuing a degree in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. My favorite part of doing this work is watching the pieces come together to ensure a stellar experience for our clients.
I love watching coaches grow and learn over the months through calls. Knowing that I have been a part of that process is inspiring!
Our Commitment to Equity
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We strive to be an antiracist organization. We will consistently identify, describe and dismantle white supremacy and systemic inequities relating to the following; citizenship, class, disability, mental illness, neurodiversity, education and professional experience, geography and community size, language, appearance, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other aspects of diversity.
We have much to learn and are bound to make mistakes. Our understanding of systems of power and privilege continually evolves. We are willing to feel uncomfortable in the process of creating a more just world.
We implement inclusive measures to the extent our capacity allows. For example, we are striving to provide content in multiple languages, but this is a work in progress. We are accountable to ourselves, the coaches and agencies we serve, and the broader community. We create regular opportunities for reporting on our work, progress, mistakes, and plans.
We have much to learn and are bound to make mistakes. Our understanding of systems of power and privilege continually evolves. We are willing to feel uncomfortable in the process of creating a more just world.
We implement inclusive measures to the extent our capacity allows. For example, we are striving to provide content in multiple languages, but this is a work in progress. We are accountable to ourselves, the coaches and agencies we serve, and the broader community. We create regular opportunities for reporting on our work, progress, mistakes, and plans.
Land Acknowledgement
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We recognize the Indigenous peoples as original stewards of our land and all the relatives within it. We acknowledge the genocide, violence, forced removal, displacement, and violations of territory, sovereignty, and water that are a part of our history and present reality. We honor and respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to the lands on which live and work.
Aimee lives on the land of the Susquehannock nation.
Valerie lives on the land of the Cheraw, Catawba, Waxhaw and Sugaree people.
Sara Beth lives on the land of Akokisa Ishak Nation and the farmlands of the Tonkawa and Alabama-Coushatta Tribes.
Trinity lives on Kalapuyan land, as well as the land of the Chelamela and Winnefelly tribes.
Ke'Shon lives on the Lenapehoking, the traditional land of the Lenape people.
Margaret lives on unceded Pokanoket, Wampanoag, and Massachusett land.
September lives on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations and peoples.
Sonia lives on the ancestral homelands of the Council of Three Fires—the Ojibwa, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes.
Aimee lives on the land of the Susquehannock nation.
Valerie lives on the land of the Cheraw, Catawba, Waxhaw and Sugaree people.
Sara Beth lives on the land of Akokisa Ishak Nation and the farmlands of the Tonkawa and Alabama-Coushatta Tribes.
Trinity lives on Kalapuyan land, as well as the land of the Chelamela and Winnefelly tribes.
Ke'Shon lives on the Lenapehoking, the traditional land of the Lenape people.
Margaret lives on unceded Pokanoket, Wampanoag, and Massachusett land.
September lives on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations and peoples.
Sonia lives on the ancestral homelands of the Council of Three Fires—the Ojibwa, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes.
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We also know that including a land acknowledgement on our website is complicated and fraught. For more information about land acknowledgement:
https://usdac.us/nativeland
https://native-land.ca/
For more information about moving beyond the performative aspect of land acknowledgements:
https://ecotrust.org/call-to-action-for-indigenous-communities/
https://usdac.us/nativeland
https://native-land.ca/
For more information about moving beyond the performative aspect of land acknowledgements:
https://ecotrust.org/call-to-action-for-indigenous-communities/
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Need more information?
We're happy to answer questions via email or set up a call.