The Executive Team

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Soobin Oh

Co-Director: Development, Communications & Strategy

​I believe that education is either the greatest tool for justice or the greatest weapon for injustice. My passions and my work revolve around pedagogies that position teachers, children, and families to have agency in transforming their systems and communities for the betterment of the world: Anti-Bias Education, culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, restorative and non-punitive forms of social and emotional learning, inclusive practices, and inquiry approaches to learning. I earned my Master’s in Early Childhood Inclusive Curriculum and Instruction at Portland State University and am working towards my doctorate to study how teachers might join in creating an anti-racist world. I currently work for the Children’s Institute where I support school districts in implementing and aligning their early education practices with older grades, support policy advocacy through sharing research, and participating in state-level committees and advisory groups. Before the Children’s Institute I worked to develop state professional standards for early educators, consulted with early childhood centers across the state, and I worked as a classroom teacher for over 15 years. I am proud to serve on the board for Teaching Preschool Partners.

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Erin Moulton

Co-Director, Pedagogy, Documentation, and Engagement

Erin Moulton has over 23 years of experience in Early Learning and Elementary Education in Oregon.  Her real education as a teacher began during summers spent at the playground of Irving Park in NE Portland where she served as a Park Director. She went on to get her BA in Oregon History and MAT from Lewis and Clark College. Erin was the first teacher hired by Judy Graves at the Opal School where she taught grades Pk-5 over the course of 11 years.  During that time, she served in roles such as Mentor Teacher and Teacher Researcher in the Center for Children’s Learning. She also worked as an Arts Integration Facilitator for the The Right Brain Initiative at Woodlawn, Siton, and James John Elementary Schools in Portland, OR. Then returned to the classroom where she taught 3rd Grade and Kindergarten at Oregon Episcopal School (OES) integrating inquiry-based teaching and the arts across the curriculum.

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Christyn Dundorf

Co-Director, Systems, Programs, and Operations

Christyn has over 25 years of experience in the early learning field.  She began her career as a preschool teacher and Education Coordinator for Head Start.  She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Rochester, exploring the role of language comprehension in early literacy.  In Oregon, Dr. Dundorf coordinated the initial implementation of the Oregon Registry credentialing system (ORO) as well as other professional development and mentoring initiatives at the Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education.  She has 15 years of Community College teaching experience as ECE faculty and department chair, with a particular focus on professionalization of the ECE field.  She has also served as a consultant and trainer for the field and is a Master Trainer in the Oregon Registry.

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Our Consultants in the Field

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Lauren Adams

As a studio artist and early childhood teacher, Lauren Adams came to Teaching Preschool Partners after working at Opal School for over 10 years.  Lauren taught for many years among other dynamic teaching and learning communities and holds both a BFA in Ceramics and Sculpture from Kansas City Art Institute and a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College in NY.

While at Opal School, Lauren expanded her own concepts of what being present and intentional mean. She was particularly reflective about what listening in relationship can offer to her life and practice. Provoked by Opal’s approach of playful inquiry, Lauren is dedicated to furthering her understanding of the rich relationships possible between children, the arts, and inquiry within the laboratory for democratic life, the studio-classroom. Her research at Opal concentrated on the potential that beauty and materials have in supporting children in pursuit of developing their innate gifts of play, curiosity, engagement and making sense of their place among things. She revels in dialog with other educators determined to inspire change as she works with the team at TPP!

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Kerry Salazar

Biography Coming Soon!

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Tina Eckton

Tina graduated with an Elementary Education degree (K-9th) with a minor in Art. She began her career as a middle school classroom teacher teaching LA/Lit/SocSt, Art, Outdoor School as well as HS coaching. Children’s Art Institute is where she first started mentoring teachers and understanding the value of teaching in partnership to grow ideas about child agency and open inquiry learning.
She has owned her own business for over 15 years and has been a contractor in private, public, and charter schools in many districts within a wide range of populations. Part of her early business work was teaching classes in her studio to groups of students ranging from 4 years old to adult ages.
Her contract work has included: Mentoring teachers & specialists connecting materials-thinking within classroom curriculum, Artist-In-Residencies, curriculum development, working with businesses and materials-thinking, doing research, being a liaison educator between a charter school and a public school, community and school connections work, nature connections and outdoor learning, and leading professional development workshops with educators, administrators, and educational specialists.
Besides learning, Tina is passionate about neuroarts, nature connection, open-inquiry, creativity, and the power of awe. Right now what makes her smile is saying, “There are many ways.”

Stephanie Knight

Finance Administrator

Biography Coming Soon!

Demonstration Site Classroom Teachers

Joelle Flegal

Yahaira Sanchez

Sarah MacPherson