Vanessa Heller
Oak Park USD
Educator/DEI & GATE Coordinators
Oak Park, CA
In her 26th year of teaching, Ms. Heller has both elementary and middle school experience. She has contributed to the book, "Teaching for Racial Equity: Becoming Interrupters" (Stenhouse). She currently teaches middle school humanities (integrated Language Arts and Social Studies), serves as the site Gifted Education Coordinator and as a coordinator for the district’s Diversity and Equity Task Force. Ms. Heller has also served as the Director of the Oak Park Inquiry Institute, English Department Chair, district Peer Coach, and district Technology Innovator over the years. Lastly, Ms. Heller regularly presents best practices in gifted education, inquiry, and social justice issues at conferences and for schools throughout the U.S.
