Adam Cole

Adam Cole is an NGPF Fellow and dedicated educator committed to preparing students for life beyond high school. He has taught personal finance for over 12 years and also teaches statistics, accounting, and data science. Outside the classroom, he coaches the Boys Swimming and Golf Teams and runs Infinite Summer Financial Planning, a registered investment advisory firm focused on helping educators and families plan for retirement and navigate college costs.

Adam Wang

Adam has taught Math for over a decade, but in the past few years has been dedicated and focused on bringing financial literacy and empowerment to his scholars in South Los Angeles. He is excited to grow his capacity as a personal finance educator, and help develop his scholars' confidence and ability to master their money.

Alicia Mattias

Alicia has been teaching for over 25 years across three states. She graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Social Studies Education and earned a Master's degree in Educational Administration and Leadership from New Mexico State University. She currently teaches and coaches at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, NC.

Allison Saiki

Allison Saiki discovered NGPF in 2019 and has been advocating for personal finance education ever since. She brings real-world financial literacy into her math classes and supports fellow educators through professional development in her community.

Christine Germain

Christine has been a certified finance instructor at Nashua High School South in Nashua, New Hampshire for the last four years. They offer a hands on internship for students to learn how to be tellers for Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union while simultaneously teaching them personal finance. She lives with her husband Tim, daughters Kadyn and Kylie and crazy frenchie, Chester.

Cindy Shultz

Cindy teaches grades 7-12 Family Consumer Sciences courses including Transitions & Careers and Personal Financial Management (Toledo Public Schools required it before the state law mandate). Her teaching career includes vast experiences in and out of the classroom. Returning to the classroom in 2017 has been the best decision she has made. She is also a blessed Mom to The Ohio State University and University of Michigan graduates.

Daniela D'Amato

Daniela has been a math teacher for the past 25 years. In addition to teaching Personal Finance, she also teaches Algebra 2 and PreCalculus.

Danielle Hernandez

Danielle Hernandez taught Personal Finance for 18 years before stepping into the role of Program Director at the nonprofit Philadelphia Financial Scholars in 2023.

Daphne Hess

Daphne currently teaches mathematics at Beechcroft High School in Ohio. She has been teaching at BHS for 19 years (a total of 25 years). She teaches the math behind financial literacy and accelerated Algebra II. Daphne has had a passion for helping students become more cognizant of how to manage their money. In an urban school setting, she feels teaching financial literacy is especially important. She was introduced to NGPF curriculum during COVID in 2020 and has been attending PD, taking the certification courses & on-demand modules, as well as have attended Fin Camp in Ohio.

David Fox

David Fox is a Personal Finance and Business teacher in Salem Oregon. His passion subject is Personal Finance and believes in teaching finance through the lens of happiness.

Fursheila White

Furshelia White is a dedicated educator passionate about empowering students with essential financial literacy skills. As a firm believer in the NGPF mission to ensure every U.S. high school student graduates with a guaranteed personal finance course by 2030, Furshelia White actively utilizes NGPF's free curriculum and participates in their professional development programs.

Jacqueline Collins

Jacqueline Collins is a National Board Certified Teacher specializing in Career and Technical Education, with a focus on Business, Marketing, and Financial Services. She is passionate about advocating for financial literacy education and creating impactful learning experiences for all students. Jacqueline is committed to lifelong learning, volunteering for various educational organizations, and continually expanding her professional expertise.

Jennifer Lee

Jennifer Lee holds an MBA and is a dedicated educator at Clark High School in Las Vegas, NV, where she teaches English and Personal Finance. She is a passionate advocate for financial literacy and has been recognized as an NGPF Distinguished Educator for her commitment to her own learning on the subject.

Jennifer Sharp

Jennifer has been an educator since 2005, specializing in business courses such as Personal Finance, Economics & Financial Services, Entrepreneurship, Accounting, and Business Ownership. In 2020, she established the Business & Banking Academy for juniors and seniors at her high school, providing students with valuable internship opportunities at local businesses. Jennifer is passionate about empowering individuals to grasp personal finance concepts, enabling them to lead financially stable lives.

Jessica Zarnke

Jessica Zarnke is a dedicated advocate for personal financial literacy, recognized as a 2024 recipient of the Wisconsin Governor’s Financial Literacy Award, a NGPF Distinguished Educator, and a DPI PFL Fellow. She has been teaching K–12 financial literacy in the School District of Loyal for over seven years, where she brings a practical and lifelong approach to financial education.

Jim Naab

Jim has been teaching business classes for 27 years. Currently he teaches Financial Literacy, Accounting, Business and Personal Law, and Introduction to Entrepreneurship at Dublin Scioto High School. He holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Athletic Administration.

Joy Tavano

Joy Tavano has been a passionate business educator since 2000. She currently teaches Personal Finance, Accounting & Teamship at North Kingstown High School in Rhode Island. She also serves as the Business CTE Internship Coordinator and DECA advisor.

Julie Giglia

Julie is grateful to NGPF for awarding her a scholarship to attend the National JumpStart Educator Conference in Boston. This opportunity has allowed her to deepen my knowledge of financial literacy, connect with inspiring educators, and grow as a professional. She is proud to be an NGPF Fellow and appreciates all they do to support teachers and transform financial education.

Kelli Champagne

Kelli coordinates and overseas the financial literacy programs and financial literacy partnerships for MCPS and MCPS students in grades 6-12.

Kellie McDonald

Kellie is a business owner and educator in her second career, teaching business, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy at Daniel C. Oakes Alternative High School in Castle Rock, Colorado. She played a role in helping bring House Bill 1192 to approval in Colorado, advancing financial education statewide. Kellie is honored to join this year's conference!

Lisa Andresen

Lisa Andresen is in her 20th year of education and her 6th year as a Cross Categorical Teacher at Madison West H.S. where she is the cooperating teacher for Earth Science and co-teacher for Independent Living. She is the co-advisor for H.O.S.A. and is currently working on a Spanish language certificate with U.W. Milwaukee. Lisa lives with her husband and two dogs in Viroqua, WI.

Lisa Salas Brown

Lisa is the Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services at the Ventura County Office of Education in Ventura, CA.

Marsha Iverson

With the generous support of NGPF and a Jordan Brand FEE Grant, Marsha is honored to expand and enrich Personal Finance in New York City's high schools. In the final year of the 3-year grant, NYC Public Schools will have provided professional development for over 250 high school teachers in 136 schools to deliver standalone Personal Finance courses to their students.

Melissa Gordon

Melissa graduated with a departmental honors in business, management, marketing, and technology education and secondary math from Eastern Michigan University, where she was also a member of the golf team. She received her Masters degree in Educational Media and Technology also from EMU. She's in her 16th year of teaching and loves teaching personal finance because preparing kids for their future can change their world.

Melissa Solis

Melissa has taught a wide range of Social Studies courses for over 13 years. In her current role as Social Studies Coordinator, she supports the implementation of Personal Financial Literacy and is eager to explore innovative, cognitively engaging strategies that empower students to build a strong foundation for a financially prosperous future.

Miche Franken

Miche Franken has 25 years in education. Currently serves as the Personal Financial Literacy Coordinator for her district, supporting teachers of the Economics and Personal Finance graduation requirement. Other interests include coaching travel club volleyball and rescuing giant breed dogs.

Sharon Thorne-Green

Sharon Thorne-Green, J.D., serves as a Curriculum Coordinator in Katy ISD, supporting secondary Social Studies courses such as Economics, Personal Financial Literacy, and AP Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. She is passionate about equipping teachers with effective strategies and resources to help students understand and appreciate the importance of personal finance.

Sheila Salehian

Sheila Salehian in a personal finance consultant, teacher advocate and dedicated educator. Sheila works tirelessly to ensure every middle and high school teacher has what they need to feel confident teaching the financial literacy academic content standards required, in math, social studies, and personal finance in Nevada.

Valerie Jackson

Valerie Jackson has been a teacher at Beaufort High School, her alma mater, for over 30 years. She teaches Personal Finance and Modern World History. With the implementation of the South Carolina Personal Finance graduation requirement, she has spent her time enhancing her knowledge and skills in Personal Finance topics so that she can better work with and serve her students.

Yonathan Tadesse

Yonathan Tadesse is a teacher at Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet High School in Dallas. He has taught pure mathematics for 11 years, and recently started teaching a personal financial literacy course to students and believes it is life-changing work.