Wendy Baron, MA

Wendy Baron is a teacher, author, researcher, and leader in the field of social, emotional, and academic development. She co-founded the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project and New Teacher Center—a national non-profit dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders. Wendy served as Chief Officer, Social-Emotional Learning at New Teacher Center, and in 2018, went on to co-lead the CA statewide, NorCal, Santa Cruz, and Alpine COE Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Communities of Practice. Wendy has developed SEL resources and courses for Greater Good Science Center and UC Berkeley, including topics Strengthening Adult SEL; Creating Cultures of Belonging; SEL, Equity and Culturally Responsive Teaching; Integrating SEL in Teaching and Leading; and Creating SEL Partnerships with Parents and Caregivers. Wendy served on the 2017-18 and 2020-21 CA Department of Education SEL State Team, contributing to the development of California’s Transformative SEL resources. She created a professional learning series for adult social and emotional wellbeing titled “Calm and Connected Teacher,” for RethinkEd’s SEL and Mental Health platform. Most recently, Wendy, as a certified MTSS coach, has been working with district and school leaders, counselors, mental health clinicians, and community partners supporting a systems approach to social and emotional learning. Wendy applies research and years of experience to develop innovative strategies for teaching, learning, and transforming schools as centers of well-being.