Wendy Thowdis serves as a professional development specialist for the Center for Reaching & Teaching the Whole Child. Wendy is also the Social Science Coordinator for the San Jose State Credential/MAT program, working closely with the History Department to integrate social, emotional, and cultural competencies in social studies education.  She comes to us from New York State as a retired high school Social Studies teacher who has been working as an Education Consultant since 2006. She created and coordinated a highly innovative School Within a School, bringing an interdisciplinary team approach to high school education with a career/workforce skills model to address the needs of students who were “falling through the cracks.” She became a diversity trainer and coordinated Race Dialogue Circles with students from inner city and suburban schools. She has also worked as a Master Teacher/Education Coordinator for the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.