Shirley
Content Specialist
Shirley received her B.A in psychology and women's studies from Barnard College and her MPH from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Shirley's passions and expertise lie at the intersection of education, preventive healthcare, and social justice. With extensive experience in both the print and digital platforms, Shirley holds a wealth of experience in developing content and strategies for K-12 learning that support reflective practice in the classroom. She has developed content for several major educational publishers, schools and government agencies, and is well-versed in aligning classroom content to various national standards. She has assisted in the curation of educational media, addressing topics such as pregnancy prevention, bullying, and financial literacy. She has written courses on supporting the socio-emotional needs of students and how to integrate 21st century life and career skills into instruction to support digital initiatives. She helped to pilot a resiliency program for middle school students alongside researchers from New York University's Child Study Center. She is also very skilled in the creation of asynchronous online and print professional development courses for K-12 teachers.
Her speaking engagements include the Summit Series, a collection of entrepreneurs and thought leaders committed to social change, and the 2016 National Science Teacher Association Conference in Nashville, where she presented a session on "Using Fables to Scaffold Inquiry-Based STEM Instruction and the Engineering Design Process."
Shirley is a Gates Millennium Scholar and sits on several bodies, including the NYC Department of Health's HIV Planning Group and the Urban Coalition of HIV/AIDS Prevention Services. Shirley enjoys cooking, dancing, and sports when she has some downtime.