Jackie Gardner (she/they) is a 2023-2024 Teach Plus California Policy Fellow and a 7th grade science teacher at North Mountain Middle School in the ancestral territory of the Luiseño and Cahuilla Peoples in what we now call San Jacinto, CA. Jackie leads the science department for their school, supporting students from various life experiences, especially in the Naturalist and GSA clubs they facilitate. In their 11 years as an educator, Jackie has taught elementary, middle and high school and supported professional development as a Next Generation Science Standards Teacher on Special Assignment. Jackie was named 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year at North Mountain Middle School. Beyond the classroom, Jackie acts as Board Co-Chair of the Environmental Education Collaborative and participates in the creation and implementation of community-based, environmental curriculum. They earned their BA in liberal studies elementary education, multiple and single subject credentials and an MEd in education from California Polytechnic University, Humboldt.