TEAM MEMBERS

[ Felicia is an authentic connector and passionate leader within her community. She is the co-founder of S.E.E., an organization that aims to address institutionalized racism, bias, and other issues of social justice in Connecticut schools and beyond. Felicia is excited about bringing together students, parents, educators, and community members to strive for equity.

Felicia is a wife and mother to three incredible daughters; she is the founder of Live Like A Lotus, LLC, a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200), Children's Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher, Certified Yoga2Life Coach (Coach Training Alliance), Reiki Master Certified and Alternative Health & Wellness Advocate. ]

[ Raised in New Hartford, CT, Cailyn Carr co-founded S.E.E. alongside Felicia Jordan with the goal of bringing anti-racist and anti-bias polices, practices, and curriculum into her former K-12 school systems and beyond.

Cailyn graduated from Emerson College '20 with a B.S. in Communication Studies. She has done fundraising, operations, and program work for nonprofits such as My Life My Choice, an organization dedicated to fighting commercial sexual exploitation of children, and Boston Latin School Association, the supporting organization of the first and one of the finest public schools in America.

Cailyn has proven success in community engagement, fundraising/development, and project and event management, and is a passionate advocate for any cause that fundamentally improves peoples' lives. ]

[ Amy Peltier is the Initiative Director of East Hartford CONNects (EHC), East Hartford's Working Cities Initiative, a community and economic development project of the Boston Federal Reserve Bank. Amy previously worked as a staff attorney for the public defender agency of Massachusetts for seven years, handling both criminal and civil cases. In the last 20 years, Amy has had other professional and volunteer experiences that have spanned from Alaska to Zimbabwe, focusing on transformative systemic change within organizations and communities for the benefit of improved practices that lead to more inclusive and equitable outcomes for all.

She is an Aspen Institute Economic Opportunity Fellow and a leader within the CT Statewide 2Gen Advisory Council. Amy highly values civic education and engagement for everyone especially youth, women and people of color, serving on her Canton's Democratic Town Committee and League of Women Voters. ]

[ Katherine Allen was raised by lesbian mothers in West Hartford and comes from a diverse family. She grew up attending political marches and protest rallies with her family of activists who ran a Feminist Progressive Bookstore-Cafe in Hartford called The Reader's Feast, which was a popular community gathering and organizing space.

After graduating from Brown University, Katherine spent a year in India. Upon her return to CT she had the good fortune to connect with a family from Canton who live in New Delhi and had founded one of India's iconic textile brands Fabindia. Her first assignment was to open a small retail store on Route 44 in Canton in 1993 and Katherine has continued to work for Fabindia for nearly 30 years, traveling all over India. Katherine has lived in Collinsville since 1998 and has a daughter who is half Indian who attends Canton Public School. ]

[ Gretchen is originally from Portland, Oregon and has a background in Human Resources. She and her husband have two children, both of whom are adopted and children of color. While in Portland, they started a "trans-racial adoptive families" group and set up several successful events for the families that they had met through the adoption process as well as families within their community.

Her family moved to Connecticut in 2016 and has since returned to Oregon as of 2021. She was a member of the Cherry Brook Primary School PTO for 3 years and was integral to S.E.E.'s early growth and rallying for much-needed change in the K-12 curriculum and providing a more racially inclusive school environment and community. ]

[ Ali Hager grew up in Indiana and attended Northwestern University, just north of Chicago. She earned an MA in English and spent many years teaching writing to first-year college students. Since stepping away from the classroom, she has taught mindful movement and meditation practices.

Ali is a professional writer, editor and active local leader who believes in community. In addition to working to build open, inclusive, communities that value and celebrate difference, she is also currently a seminary student who hopes to guide others into recognition and celebration of the sacred in daily life. Ali lives in the woods of Collinsville, CT with her spouse, two daughters, two cats and eight chickens. ]

[ Jenny Abel is a community organizer and local activist who is passionate about environmental, educational and sustainability issues. Jenny has a background in communications, media and visual arts. She is a Connecticut native but lived in Boston, LA and NYC before returning to her home state after becoming a mom. She currently serves on the Canton Conservation Commission and the Democratic Town Committee. She helped to spearhead a large-scale community native planting project called Collinsville Pollen Trail, which was recently honored by Town of Canton leaders.

She joined S.E.E. in September 2020 and her hope is to create a physically, mentally and emotionally safe learning environment for all students. She feels strongly that we must begin with K-3 to teach respect for one another and celebrate diverse perspectives through an enriched, inclusive and honest curriculum. ]