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Dr. Ilana Nankin — Founder and Co-CEO of Breathe for Change — is an award-winning entrepreneur, teacher educator, and former public school teacher. Ilana earned degrees in psychology and education from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her dissertation revealed the critical connection between educator well-being and student learning, and the transformative impact of wellness and social-emotional learning on classroom communities.

Inspired by her research, she founded Breathe for Change — a movement dedicated to bringing wellness, inspiration, and community to every educator and student in the world. As one of the lead professors of this Human Intelligence course, Ilana weaves her expertise in embodied awareness, social-emotional learning, and systemic well-being throughout the curriculum. Her leadership and vision ground the course’s theory of change: empowering educators to transform themselves, transform their teaching, and ultimately transform the way students learn. Ilana lives in San Francisco, and is also the proud mother of two precious daughters, Aliya and Zoe, and applies everything she knows from being a pre-k teacher to her role as a parent.

Sam Levine is the Chief Product Officer at Breathe For Change, a member of the founding team, and a Professor of Psychology and Mindfulness. He began his career as an educator, first as an ESL teacher in the Middle East and later as a middle school science teacher in Washington, D.C. Sam holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University with a concentration in mind-body and spirituality practices. A longtime mindfulness practitioner, Sam integrates contemplative practice with modern psychological science to cultivate awareness, compassion, and resilience. Over the past decade, he has taught social-emotional learning, wellness, and leadership skills to educators, organizational teams, and business leaders. His interdisciplinary background bridges evidence-based research with practical tools for embodied teaching and personal transformation.

Kelli Sammis spent nearly 30 years in public education, serving as a classroom teacher, principal, and district Director of School Leadership. After earning her doctorate in curriculum from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, she designed induction and professional learning programs grounded in positive behavior, systems thinking, mindful practices, and social-emotional well-being. She is also a 500-hour E-RYT yoga instructor, a certified meditation teacher, and an Ayurvedic health coach—training that continues to shape her approach to educational leadership.

One of her greatest strengths is coaching and empowering school leaders to create environments of health and well-being for their staff so that ultimately staff are doing the same thing for the students and families they serve. She firmly believes that without wellness being kept as a priority at the leadership level, schools will never perform at the level of expectations that our state legislature is setting for them.

Allison Briscoe-Smith, PhD, is a child clinical psychologist and educational leader who has spent over two decades helping schools, nonprofits, and media organizations design environments of belonging, emotional safety, and equitable support. She earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard and her PhD in clinical psychology from UC Berkeley, and completed specialized postdoctoral training in trauma and ethnic minority mental health at UCSF. In her work she addresses how children—especially those from marginalized backgrounds—experience identity, bias, trauma, and resilience, and she helps educators and leaders translate psychological insight into practice.

She is currently serving as the Diversity Lead for Student Life at the University of Washington and as a Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, where she works on bridging differences across communities. As a consultant, trainer, and speaker, Allison brings a rare combination of clinical depth, pedagogical skill, and cultural fluency to support organizations in navigating conflict, identity, and healing. Her expertise in trauma-informed practices, belonging, and child development makes her a powerful subject matter expert for curriculum, student well-being, and inclusive learning systems.

Michael Jacob MD, PhD, is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and an affiliate of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. As a physician-scientist, he studies the dynamic relationship between the brain and body, particularly how heart–brain communication shapes emotion, cognition, and human intelligence. His research on mind–heart coherence explores how synchronized neural and cardiac activity supports focus, emotional regulation, and well-being, providing new insights into the biological basis of resilience and mental health.

Using advanced brain imaging and heart monitoring techniques, Dr. Jacob studies how the body’s internal rhythms—such as heartbeat and brainwave patterns—work together to shape perception, emotion, and behavior in both healthy individuals and those with mental health conditions. He brings deep expertise in neuroscience, psychiatry, and human performance to help design curriculum that bridges science and practice.

Barbara Malkas has served as an educator for over 36 years in the roles of science teacher, school administrator, district administrator, deputy superintendent, and superintendent. In each of her districts and roles, she has strived to improve the quality of education for all students, particularly those representing underserved populations. Her own experiences in education contribute to her belief that education is the key to lifelong satisfaction and meaning. Barbara Malkas holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Chemistry from St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn, New York, a Master of Science degree in Science Education from St. John’s University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the Sage Colleges of Albany. 

In 2024, Dr. Malkas was awarded the Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year. In 2025, she was the recipient of the Christos Daoulas Award, the highest honor bestowed on a Massachusetts superintendent and the Women in Educational Leadership Network award. Dr. Malkas has also served as the President of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, President of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, and treasurer of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. Dr. Malkas resides in Clarksburg, MA with her husband, also an educator, and their three rescue dogs. She is the proud parent of two gainfully employed adult children, her daughter, Kristin, is a Lieutenant Commander and aviator for the United State Coast Guard and her son, Eric, is a video game developer and quality assurance engineer for bungee.

Khushali Narechania is the Director of Learning at aiEDU, where she leads the design of AI literacy curriculum and professional learning for educators. A former high school math teacher, she has built scalable, practice-based teacher training models and led national content and methods programs at Relay Graduate School. Her work bridges artificial and human intelligence, exploring how AI can enhance teaching and learning —including skills like critical thinking, memory, metacognition, and creativity.

Khushali believes AI should serve as a collaborator in learning, helping students and teachers deepen understanding rather than replace human thinking. She brings a strong background in both pedagogy and educational innovation, with experience in designing tech-enabled teacher development programs. Her vision centers on empowering educators and learners to engage with AI as a tool for expanding human potential and transforming the future of learning.

Michael Fenchel, Breathe for Change’s Co-founder and Co-CEO, is a transformative educator and social entrepreneur who has founded four mission-driven organizations at the intersection of education, well-being, and community-building. He brings over two decades of experience designing and leading programs that help individuals and communities develop the inner capacities needed to unleash their potential and foster meaningful impact. His work is grounded in a deep commitment to translating insight into action, supporting leaders in aligning personal purpose with collective transformation.

A lifelong learner of both science and spirit, Michael holds a degree in math and physics from the University of Michigan and has been a dedicated meditation practitioner for over 20 years. He is especially passionate about integrating rigorous analytical thinking with contemplative practice, creative expression, and embodied learning. Outside of work, he is an avid freestyle rapper, using improvisation and rhythm as a playful doorway into presence, creativity, and human connection–core elements of the Human Intelligence framework he brings to this course.

Adriana Robertson is an entrepreneurial educator whose holistic programs have helped thousands of people find purpose, wellness, and belonging. She is co-founder of the conscious leadership company PRDX, and lead faculty at Soma+IQ, a world-leading breathwork certification. She also serves individuals and relationships as an embodiment coach.

Adriana is currently enrolled in Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing training, deepening her expertise in trauma-informed, body-based healing. Her roots are in K–12 education, where she led an after-school leadership program for under-resourced high school youth in Washington, DC, and taught yoga in elementary and middle schools. She later served as a Leadership Trainer at Harvard, where she developed the university’s first institution-wide training on belonging.

Michelle Cordero, Breathe For Change’s Head Trainer, has devoted the last 3 decades to deepening her connection to and sharing the powerful practice of yoga with the world. Michelle has led retreats, workshops, and teacher trainings internationally, and was voted “Best Yoga Teacher of the East Bay” by Oakland Magazine. She is certified at the highest level with the Yoga Alliance E-RYT 500 & YACEP credentials.

Michelle’s greatest passion is inspiring educators to teach yoga in an inclusive and accessible way. She teaches with a sense of humor, curiosity and compassion. Michelle’s classes are inclusive, gender affirming, trauma-informed and uniquely tailored to meet the needs of each student regardless of experience, age, gender, or body shape.Michelle has contributed greatly to the development of Breathe For Change’s 200-hour Training, 300-hour Training, Professional Development offerings, and Educator Collective events.

Michelle has her Master’s Degree, a certificate in Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy and is a Certified Wellness Coach and Craniosacral Work practitioner, and has trained with the Trauma Center’s Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TC-TSY) program and the Trauma Informed Resilience Oriented Approach (TIRO). She also completed a 75-hour Skill in Action training with Michelle C Johnson, focused on the intersection of Yoga and Social Justice. Michelle is inspired and honored to be guiding you along your yoga teaching journey.