Our ECE Economics instructors took a trip to the UConn Stamford Campus this past Wednesday (10/22) for a professional development experience spearheaded by Dr. Natalia Smirnova, our faculty coordinator for ECE Economics. Instructors were provided the opportunity to engage with and hear from a number of esteemed guest contributors throughout the day. Descriptions of the professional development sessions and the speakers can be found below!
| Session | Guest Speaker & Bio |
| At the Local Level: Classroom Activities for Microeconomics | Graham Long, Director of Curriculum & Instruction, Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Graham Long’s portfolio includes conducting teacher professional development workshops, writing curriculum, and managing a suite of programs to improve the economic and financial literacy of teachers and students across the country. He was previously a curriculum and assessment specialist for the Maryland State Department of Education. Graham began his career as a high school social studies teacher in the Baltimore County Public School system, and in 2011 was a recipient of a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship to study economics and workforce development education in China. |
| Global Trade: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why It Matters | Ariel Slonim, Curriculum Designer, Marginal Revolution University (MRU). Ariel Slonim is sharing her passion for economics literacy by helping to improve resources for economics education in the US. Prior to joining MRU, Ariel taught economics to 8th grade students in Brooklyn and taught as an adjunct at King’s College, NYC. Ariel has a master’s degree in economics from George Mason University (GMU). |
| The Big Picture: Basics for Teaching Macroeconomics | Graham Long |
| The One Where No One Has a Job: Teaching Unemployment and Labor Force Participation Rates | Ariel Slonim |
| Teaching and Learning Economics with FRED Data in the High School Classroom | Diego Mendez-Carbajo, Senior Economic Education Specialist, Research Division, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Diego Mendez-Carbajo is a subject matter expert on FRED data. He leads outreach efforts to a broad range of FRED users and regularly contributes to the FRED Blog to tell the stories behind the data. Prior to his current role, Mendez- Carbajo was a college professor. His research on teaching and learning with data has been published in the leading field journals. Diego is FRED Economics Champion. |
| Moneyling – Financial Literacy Program for Schools | Jennifer Degenhardt and Savanha Brubaker (cofounders)
Jennifer Degenhardt is a Spanish teacher, author, and curriculum developer with more than 30 years of classroom experience. She is best known for her comprehensible novels that make language learning engaging and accessible for students. As Co-founder of Moneyling, Jennifer has expanded her expertise into financial literacy, creating multiple books and countless vignettes that form the foundation of the Moneyling curriculum. She oversees the relatability and student-centered approach across all program content, ensuring financial concepts are presented in ways that connect with students’ real lives and spark meaningful conversations. Passionate about storytelling as a tool for learning, Jennifer combines her decades of classroom experience with her writing to make financial education accessible, engaging, and impactful. Savanha Brubaker is a portfolio manager with decades of experience as a serial entrepreneur. At Paragon Strategies, she oversees a diverse portfolio that includes real estate, property management, angel investments, and operating companies. As co-founder of Moneyling, Savanha brings the financial and business expertise that underpins the program. She focuses on bridging finance, education, and innovation to make financial literacy accessible and actionable—particularly for underserved communities. Passionate about creating meaningful societal impact, she combines her background in finance and strategic investments with a philanthropic capitalist mindset to build programs that empower communities. |
We are so grateful to all of the guest contributors, and to Professor Smirnova for their efforts to support our ECE instructors and community! Thank you to all who attended, and we will see you next school year.
Economics (ECON) courses available through UConn Early College Experience.
