team – Simona Baciu

Simona Baciu

Simona Baciu is an innovative and visionary leader in education. She is a recipient of the British International School Lifetime Award and holder of the Custodian of the Romanian Crown Medal, awarded for her outstanding contribution to education.

At the beginning of the 1990’s, as a teacher in a state school in Romania, Simona decided to start a school that would introduce change in the prevailing system and make a difference in the lives of students. Happy Kids Kindergarten was opened in 1993 in one of the rooms of her family’s small apartment. This is how Transylvania College, today a well-known and prestigious institution with over 700 students, was born.

Simona is an educator, speaker, author, trainer, and consultant for the improvement of education in Romania and abroad. As a Board Member of Round Square, Global Connections, ReThink Romania, Romanian Business Leaders, Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation, TedX Eroilor, and President of C-EDU Cluster of Education, Simona acts as a global agent of change for education.

She has authored numerous articles and spoken at both national and international events and conferences promoting education for the 21st century, incorporating social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and well-being. Co-author of The Teacher Within: A Mindful Journey Toward Well-Being For Teachers In The 21St Century, Simona believes that education should cultivate and nurture a love for life-long learning in everyone, while keeping a curious mind, an open heart and a caring soul for the world in which we live.

Susan Shapiro

Susan Shapiro is an author, motivational speaker, education and training specialist with comprehensive experience in teaching, teacher training, curriculum development and programming. She has designed, developed and implemented life skills training programs for students and adults that have impacted the teaching and training of educators in thousands of schools across the globe.

She is co-authoring a book with Dr. Peter Killeen, law enforcement professional on mindfulness, resilience and well-being, Operation Longevity: A Mindful Approach to Wellness and Resilience for Law Enforcement in the 21st Century. Susan Shapiro has published a book with McFarland Publishers, The Curtain Rises: Oral Histories of the Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe. She has also written her memoir, The Perseverance of Hope, her personal story comparing cultures in different countries.

Her training materials, books, curricula, and student planners are used world-wide in schools, libraries, and universities.

Jane Rue-Ionita

Jane has been a teacher for five years working with children ages four to twelve years old. She has traveled from central to Southern California, and from 2013-2015, has lived in Cluj, Romania where she helped start a Reception class in the International line of the school working with the British Curriculum. After that, Jane worked on the Romanian line as an English Support Teacher.

Jane has a Bachelor’s of Science in Family and Human Development and Master’s in Education specializing in Curriculum and Instruction. In 2022, Jane decided to come back to Cluj with her family and help develop youth programs, especially in peer counseling and mental well-being.

She is now a team member at Profesori Fericiți pentru România, a training program initiated by Transylvania College Foundation.

Dr. Sally Baas

Dr. Sally A. Baas directs the Southeast Asian Teacher Program and Hmong Culture and Language Program, at Concordia University, in St. Paul, MN. She is a Past President of the National Association of School Psychologists.

Professionally, she is a school psychologist, professor, author, and international education consultant, with a focus on wellbeing, diversity, equity, and advocacy. She facilitates national and international work to build student’s inner wealth and education. She is President of Tapestry Intergenerational Education Foundation.

Sarah How

Sarah How is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist with over 24 years of experience working in schools with children and teens preschool through age 21. She is also a dynamic international speaker, children’s author, and relationship coach focusing on empowering others with knowledge and resources to thrive in life.

In the field of education, she has served as the President of the North Dakota Association of School Psychologists and served on the board for the Minnesota School Psychologists Association. She is a member of the National Association of School Psychologists and International School Psychologists Association.

Sarah has authored several children’s books that support her work with growing children strong on the inside. Her global work has led to her books being translated to Spanish, Mandarin and Hmong. Her Mandarin book was featured on the United Nations Day of Disabilities at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China due to the book advocating for children with disabilities living in China.

She serves on a global board, Tapestry Intergenerational Education Foundation, whose mission is to globally empower youth and adults’ well being. Her advocacy, passion, and experiences have led her to being invited to train in businesses, education, faith communities and coach individuals and families around the US and internationally.

Personally, she is the mother of four children ages 16 to 25 and married to her husband Mark for the past 27 years. Two of their children were adopted from foster care.

Corina Chiorean

Corina has over fifteen years of experience in organizing and managing community and humanitarian projects.

In 2016, she joined the Transylvania College Foundation team as Office Manager and is involved in all national and international projects.

Starting with 2022, Corina became the Director of the Training Program within the same organization. She is responsible for project management and her devotion over the years shows that she is confident in the potential of our programs which are dedicated to the teachers.

Personally, Corina knows that she is lucky to have such a great family.

Sabina Pop

Sabina Pop is a trainer and psychologist at Inim Institute. She studied Business and Psychology at Babeș-Bolyai University and is experienced with teaching and facilitation to both children, in state and private education, for four years, and to young people and adults, in the past year of professional activity.

Sabina wants to invest her energy in a place where people grow, know themselves and she wants to bring her contribution in such a way, so that there are as many aware and content-with-themselves people on the globe.

Sonia Tekereș

I have been teaching in primary school for the past 16 years and during this time I discovered my passion for sharing my knowledge and experience with others and decided to become a trainer.

I am a strong supporter of the lifelong learning concept and I am passionate about anything related to education. I truly believe that what I do benefits the children that I teach and I also get to receive the best kind of feedback there is in the form of hugs, kisses and appreciation.

Together with the team from InIm Institute we would like to remind teachers that what they do is wonderful, inspiring and truly great and that they have the resources to preserve their wellbeing, both professionally and personally.

Find your Teacher Within

Mindful, resilient and authentic teachers are groundbreaking leaders.

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