Dr. Christine Barela is the Executive Director of Innovation Programs for Tempe Union High School District. She has been an educator for 25 years, teaching Middle School Math and serving as a High School Assistant Principal and Principal for 17 years. These experiences have inspired her for her most current position in creating a program to engage students in authentic learning experiences to prepare them for college and careers. She has a passion for helping teenagers and adults recognize and reach their optimal potential. To help them realize what they are in control of and to be the driver of their life and that they were uniquely created with gifts to make the world a better place. She has been married for 34 years and has three grown children and four grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys working out at the gym, going for long walks or hikes with her husband, reading, listening to health podcasts to optimize her energy, and spending time with her husband, children, grandchildren, and extended family and friends.

Dr. Mary Powell has taught high school language arts for twenty-two years and taught education and English university courses for eighteen years. She has her Ph.D. in English Education, with an emphasis on writing instruction.

This summer, she was one of thirty teachers invited to attend a teaching institute at the White House and a history institute in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. Her research passions include writing instruction, multi-ethnic literature, and flow theory. In her spare time, she is a long-distance swimmer and a hiker and enjoys spending time with her high school sweetheart and husband, Jerame, and her Welsh corgis. This is her seventh year in the Tempe Union High School District. She is excited to be a part of the Innovation Center.

Hello, my name is Gerry Foster. A few things about me:

I have lived in Arizona all my life, growing up both in the valley and northeastern Arizona. I attended Arizona State University for my Bachelor's degree and I also received my Master's in Curriculum and Instruction from ASU.

I have been a science teacher since 1995. I started my teaching career in the Kyrene School District at Altadena Middle School as the first 8th-grade science teacher at a brand new school. I coached both soccer and baseball while at Altadena. After Altadena, I joined the teaching staff at Desert Vista High School in the Tempe Union High School District, predominantly teaching general and honors biology over my 22 years there.     

I have always been curious about the natural world and learning about its details and how it works. To me, science is a powerful tool used for understanding and solving questions and I do my best to share this curiosity with my students. 

Another passion I have is looking for new ways to enhance learning by bringing technology into the classroom. I have been doing this from the first day I started teaching and continue to this day. My wife, who is a teacher as well, and I have been married 27 years. We have two grown children. My daughter, Madison, is a graduate of both Desert Vista High School and Arizona State University, and my son, Max, also graduated from Desert Vista High School and currently attends Chandler-Gilbert Community College. And I can’t forget about our family dog, Marley, a lovable golden retriever.

Some of my hobbies include being outdoors as much as possible. I enjoy riding both my motorcycle and my mountain bike when I get time. I like fitness activities and have competed in triathlons and marathons in the past. I look forward to being a part of the new Innovation Center at TUHSD.

Jason Parsons knows that successful students become successful adults. This is his 16th year in education, where he has been a middle school science & STEM teacher, a high school AP Biology & AP Earth Science teacher, a district STEM coach, and a behavioral interventionist. Before entering education, Jason worked at Bioseed International as an assistant corn breeder focusing on non-GMO Zea Mays.

Jason is a true outdoorsman, enjoying mountain biking, fishing, hiking, blacksmithing, and woodworking. Jason and his wife, Amy, revel in traveling and spending time with their two English Pointers, Todd and Walter. Jason is anticipating the growth of the future students at the Innovation campus.

Matt Zarchin grew up just outside of Sacramento, CA, and spent 3 years in Colorado before making his way down to Arizona. He currently holds an MA in Teaching from the University of Colorado, Denver. His diverse education experience includes teaching at traditional middle and high schools, alternative career and technical schools, as well as adolescent rehab facilities. His “kids-over-content” teaching philosophy is centered on the notion that for the most meaningful learning to occur, there must first be a trusting and genuine relationship in place. In his free time, Matt enjoys playing rugby, hiking/camping, and listening to live music.

Hello! My name is Rhianna Rodriguez. Born in NJ, and raised in Tucson, AZ, I attended Catalina Magnet High School and graduated from Arizona State University with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Business and Communications. After my own entrepreneurial venture, I returned to school to get my teaching certificate in Secondary Education. I have 10+ years in education and am excited to finally be merging my passion for education and business into one. I am blessed with the kindest, most outgoing, and most creative daughter who is already a spirited Lagos Mustang. My time off from work and weekends is spent traveling and spending quality time with my friends and family. I'm always on the lookout for a new adventure!