Our Team

Margaret Behrns

Founder and Creative Director

Margaret is a health education professional with expertise in multicultural outreach, bilingual communications and youth development. She holds a B.A. in sociology and an M.A. in community health education. Over the past five years she has developed an interactive empathy-building program called Walk In My Shoes. This program has been implemented in more than a dozen FCPS schools and reached over 10,000 students. Margaret is passionate about supporting underserved populations, and building partnerships with schools and community organizations with similar missions.

Joanne Walton
Education Advisor

Joanne Walton is a Special Education teacher at a Title 1 school in Fairfax County. She received a Masters in Education from Bank Street College and a Masters in Special Education from George Mason University. She is the mom of two children with special needs. Joanne enjoys volunteering in many capacities and is passionate about equity and inclusion. She believes that in order to truly have equity and inclusion, students, parents and teachers need to be able to share in the perspective of others.

Tina Bates Baldera
Operations Advisor

Tina is the founder of Tristal Educational Consulting LLC which offers academic, ADHD, and Executive Functioning (EF) coaching, mentoring, and tutoring, and small business consulting. She is also a yoga instructor for children with special needs. She holds an MA in education with a community education concentration and a BA in interdisciplinary studies. Tina is passionate about increasing understanding of the challenges facing diverse populations and sees the Walk In My Shoes program as offering a realistic lense of the daily experiences of our students and the staff that support them.

Anna Bryan
Strategic Advisor

Anna is a Strategic Communications Consultant based in the DC metro area with clients throughout the US. Anna specializes in marketing and communications for nonprofits and purpose-driven startups with an expertise in branding, strategy, mission alignment, and messaging. Anna advises nonprofits on the phases before launch including mission, clarity, and objectives. Anna held various policy analyst and strategic communications roles in the financial services sector before pivoting to nonprofit management. Anna holds a BA from Penn State University and an MA from George Mason University.

Task-Tarea

Task-Tarea is a U.S. – based charity whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty in the Maya villages of Guatemala through education empowerment.
Taks-Tarea has trained hundreds of Guatemalan teachers using the Walk In My Shoes program activities.

Jennifer Kruzynski

Jennifer is currently a doctoral candidate at Drexel University studying Educational Administration. She is using the Walk In My Shoes program as a teacher training program for teachers in St. Maarten as part of her dissertation and has also adapted and used the WIMS program at the high school where she worked as well as for adults in a large company. Jennifer currently works in Fairfax County as a special education department chair. Prior to coming to Fairfax County Jennifer worked in special education in Pennsylvania and taught in St. Maarten. She received her undergraduate and master’s degree in Elementary and Special Education and Special Education: Autism from West Chester University of PA. Jennifer is part of the Fairfax County Special Education PTA (SEPTA) and loves finding new and creative opportunities to learn and teach about inclusion.

Youth Ambassadors are students who have participated in the Walk In My Shoes Program and have returned to help support and expand our mission.

Their work and projects will be highlighted here, check back soon!

Annika

Annika is a ninth-grader who participated in the Walk In My Shoes program in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. In eighth grade she returned to help lead activities for third graders and became a youth ambassador to help kids learn how they can become more empathetic towards others.

Sarina

Sarina is a ninth-grader who participated in the Walk In My Shoes program in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. In eighth grade she returned as a youth ambassador to teach others about empathy and inclusion. She loves having the opportunity to impact the world while learning more about issues she cares about.

Rhea

Rhea is a sixth-grader who participated in the Walk In My Shoes program when she was in third, fourth, and fifth grades. She has joined Walk In My Shoes as a youth ambassador to lend her talents to our program and help her peers learn how to support people with differences.

Bonnie Brae E.S.

Camelot E.S.

Chesterbrook E.S.

Clearview E.S.

Cub Run E.S.

Flint Hill E.S.

Floris E.S.

Greenbriar East E.S.

Hunters Woods E.S.

Lane E.S.

Laurel Ridge E.S.

Lees Corner E.S.

Poe M.S.

Robinson H.S.

Rolling Valley E.S.

Rose Hill E.S.

West Springfield E.S.

Wolftrap E.S.