We are headquartered in beautiful Whatcom County, Washington, the Salish Sea to the west, the North Cascades and Mt Baker to the east, Vancouver, BC 60 miles to the north, and Seattle 90 miles to the south. Local school districts include Bellingham, Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden, Meridian, Mount Baker, and Nooksack.

Founder

"I have dedicated this work to my grandchildren and yours." - Matt
Matt Beck, M. Ed., Founding Director & Outreach Coordinator
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​​Matt's passion is teaching children and young adults. He worked as a teacher and coach during his 40 years as a professional educator. He has the hands-on experience of creating and implementing education programs, including the Real Hero Mentoring Program, which elevated relationships between children, the school, and the community. 

In 2012, Matt began working on the project that would later become the Center for Inspired Learning (CFIL). Over the past decade plus, he has dedicated himself to finding solutions to the crisis in public education, which Matt believes is caused by the continued use of the outdated and harmful Whole Classroom Instructional Model (WCIM). In 2022, Matt retired from teaching to fully dedicate himself to this project. Matt is also a doctoral candidate at Northeastern University where his focus is on gaining the skills and knowledge to realize the vision behind CIFL. 

​Matt is available to give talks and presentations. You can contact him HERE. 

Board

​Cathy Hayden, President
​Cathy brings a wealth of finance and leadership experience from the private sector and helps put the Center for Inspired Learning on solid ground in finance an organizational culture. A Washington State native, Cathy attended Whitworth College in Spokane. Before retiring from the business world, she was the President and CEO of Amicus Federal Credit Union.
Joyce O'Halloran, Secretary
During her 32 years as a mathematics professor and researcher at Potland State University, Joyce experimented with a variety of classroom formats but found that personal connection was the key to success. Since retiring in 2019 she has focused on promoting Self-Determination Theory as essential to K-12 education transformation.
Kyle Weiss, Treasurer
Kyle is a former combat veteran who brings business and money management skills from his many years running his own consulting and retail businesses. 

Advisory Board

​Helen Sachs Chaset, Ed.D.
​Helen earned both a Masters and a Doctorate in education from George Washington University. During her storied career, she has held many key positions in public schools including classroom teacher, assistant principal, and principal. Her professional experience also includes curriculum development, training, supervision, staff development, and organizational development. Helen has served on many boards and committees dedicated to improving public education. 
​Tom Luehmann, M.Ed.
​Tom spent 23 years in education as a teacher, coach, and principal. He directed a national leadership program to develop outstanding high school leaders. During his tenure as High School Athletic Director in Blaine, the school won several state championships. Tom was selected to chair local district, league, and community committees and also served on several Washington State school administration legislative committees.
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Jerry Finkbonner   
​Jerry is as local as they come. He's a lifelong resident of Whatcom County and traces his lineage to Lummi Nation Chief Kwina’s daughter. Jerry taught elementary school for 35 years in the Ferndale School District, and taught English in China in the Washington State Teacher Exchange Program. He is retired and spends his time gardening, cooking, reading, biking, traveling, watching classic movies, and sharing his insights and wisdom on the CFIL Advisory Board. ​
Gail Longo 
Gail began her career in education as a public school teacher. She later became certified as a Montessori Guide and opened the Cinquegranelli Montessori School in Seattle. She founded the nonprofit organization Maria Montessori Language and Cultural Center. Her experience and affiliations with a broad range of organizations focused on learner-centered education give her many valuable insights critical in developing the Inspired Learning Model.
 
George Couros 
​George is a worldwide leader in the area of innovative teaching, learning, and leading. In his 20 plus years in the field of education, he has worked at all levels of school, from K-12 as a teacher, technology facilitator, and school and district administrator, and is currently an Adjunct Instructor with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. George is also the author of the book, The Innovator’s Mindset; Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity and his latest book, Innovate Inside the Box. 
Herbert Porter, M.Ed. 
​With a background in education, the US military, US Customs and Border Protection, elected office, and owning a small business, Herb brings a wide range of perspectives to the Advisory Board. He is a graduate of Western Washington University and the US Air Force Air War College. Highlights from his illustrious career include 28 years in the Washington Air National Guard, 38 years of teaching in the Ferndale School District, 14 years as a Customs and Border Protection Officer in Blaine, and a stint on the Ferndale City Council. 
Kerry Emerson
​Kerry is a Universal Banker at First Federal and has lived in Whatcom County for all but four years of her life. She's a graduate of Bellingham High School, as are her three children. She was drawn to School Change Now based on her strong desire for public education to bring out the true potential and innate talents of each child. ​
Chris Unger, Ed.D. 
​Chris is faculty in the Graduate School of Education at Northeastern University and co-leads the university's NExT initiative, a global experiential learning educator network. He was a former Principal Investigator at Harvard University's Project Zero, an educational think tank creating and investigating ground-breaking educational programs and research. Chris was also a high school redesign coach in the Seattle Public Schools from 2001-2004 and then at Brown University from 2004-2009. 
Robert Attwell, M.Ed. 
​Robert resides across the border in New Westminster, BC, Canada. He holds an MA in Education Instructional Leadership and is a former public school teacher. Robert currently works as an educational change consultant, assisting educators in modernizing and shifting to a new paradigm with a culture that puts the individual learner and the developmental learning process at the center of its agenda. His focus is on facilitating self-directed learning, creativity, and innovation. Robert also has a background in athletics and coaching. 
DeeDee Swartz 
DeeDee is a local business owner, member of the Meridian Foundation, and a past employee of the Bellingham Boys and Girls Club. 
Don Berg 
Don is an award-wining author, education psychology researcher, alternative education practitioner, and leader. His award-wining book is Schooling for Holistic Equity: How to Manage the Hidden Curriculum in K-12. Don's research has been published in peer-reviewed journals. He has over 20 years of experience leading children in self-directed educational settings. As the Executive Director of Deeper Learning Advocates, Don is on a mission to embed the psychology of learning in policy so that policy stops undermining learning. Internationally, he has presented his work at conferences in the USA, Canada, Chile, the Netherlands, and in China.
Greg Finkbonner, Ed.D.
Greg began his education career as an elementary school teacher in the Lummi Tribal School  near Bellingham, WA (1989-92), where he would later become principal (1994-96). He was also principal at Tulalip Elementary School (1996-2000), and Blaine Elementary School (2000-03), both in Washington State. He later became the principal of an elementary school in Kentucky (2011-12), and then served as the Director of Academic Affairs for the University of Phoenix (2012-14). He is currently the Justice Program Administrator for the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. 

Staff

Stephen Trinkaus, Staff Researcher, Writer & Webmaster
Stephen owned and managed a natural foods store in Bellingham for 21 years, and has worked for or been on the board of five local and regional non-profits, including multi-year stints as board president at three of them. Stephen's teaching experience includes teaching Spanish in elementary and middle schools in Whatcom County, and survival skills in the wilds of the North Cascades Mountains. He currently works as a freelance writer and business/nonprofit consultant. Stephen researched and wrote all of CFIL's core documents, including the Inspired Learning Model Concept Paper, A Brief Introduction to the Inspired Learning Model, Implementing the Inspired Learning Model, the 48-Student ILM Model, Command & Control: The Whole Classroom Instructional Model, Expert Witnesses, and ILM at Springfield Elementary. He also researched and wrote all of the content and did all the layout for this website.