Kristen L. Handricken Named Director of Open Circle
February 1, 2008
WELLESLEY, MA—Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) is proud to announce that Kristen L. Handricken, Ed.M., has assumed the position of Director of WCW’s Open Circle program.
Handricken has worked in the education, public health, and human service fields for the past 18 years in a variety of roles that span direct service provision, program coordination, administration, training, and consultation.
Open Circle is a comprehensive multi-year social and emotional learning (SEL) program for elementary school (grades K-5) children, their teachers, principals, and parents.
Handricken is leading a team of educators to move Open Circle through strategic planning and development.
Since its founding in 1987, Open Circle has been a leader in addressing the need for SEL in schools, and has reached more than 300,000 children in more than 100 diverse communities in the northeastern United States.
A graduate of Bridgewater State College and Harvard University, Handricken holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Specialized Master of Education in the development of socio-educational partnerships for equity and inclusion. Prior to joining the Wellesley Centers for Women, she worked as a consultant, trainer, and facilitator dedicating herself to enhancing the power of organizations to better meet the needs of adults and children of all racial heritages, gender identities, and economic backgrounds. Handricken is an Advisory Board and Core Faculty member of the Center for Peaceable Schools and Communities at Lesley University and has taught at Urban College of Boston.
Open Circle is a program of the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW), which since 1974 has been a driving force—both behind the scenes and in the spotlight—promoting positive change for women and men, girls and boys. Women's perspectives and experiences are at the core of the WCW’s social science research projects and training programs. By sharing our work, with policymakers, educators, practitioners, the media, and you, we help to shape a more just and equitable society.
###
