The MindGarden Team
Our academic mentors have a wide variety of backgrounds, specialties, and interests. We'll do our best to find a mentor that is a good fit for you. If at any time you think that your mentor is not a good match, please let us know and we'll try to find someone else to help.
Academic Mentors
Brenda Peterson
Brenda graduated from Humboldt State University where she designed her own major, incorporating Cultural Studies, Spanish, and Leadership, and directed the Youth Education Adventure Program. Brenda earned her K-12 Teaching Credential, and moved to Taos, NM, where she founded a charter high school through the national Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound school reform organization. Brenda taught all subject areas at the high school level and has extensive experience with SAT and ACT prep. She completed her time in Taos working at the district level, training teachers and staff to integrate technology into the classroom, before returning to her roots in Sonoma County. Brenda is delighted to be back in Sonoma County, and loves spending time with her extended family and pre-teen son hiking, biking, enjoying the coast, and gleaning wild fruit and edibles. She loves working with youth and is very excited to be part of the MindGarden tutoring team.
Chris Doudna
Chris grew up in Wisconsin and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder for his Bachelor's and Master's of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2011 and 2012 respectively. While in college he worked as a Calculus TA and a Calculus/Physics tutor - helping students of all skill levels conquer their fears of math and science. He recently moved to Santa Rosa for a professional career as a mechanical engineer, but that does not stop the learning. Outside of work and studies, Chris enjoys being outdoors hiking, rock climbing, and enjoying all that California has to offer.
Erica Wheeler
Erica graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Liberal Studies and a minor in History. Erica then continued on at San Francisco State University to earn her Educational Specialist K-12 Credential with an emphasis in Mild/Moderate Disabilities and a Masters in Special Education. In her early career Erica was a classroom teacher in Brisbane, California and was a reading intervention tutor for at-risk youth. She was then a middle school Education Specialist for grades 5-8 for three years in Marin County teaching in and developing an inclusive and comprehensive program for students with a variety of learning needs. Erica recently received the professional opportunity and privilege to return to her roots in Sonoma County, California to teach elementary school students. As a teacher she is passionate about helping all of her students access learning in meaningful and authentic ways. In her free time Erica loves reading, baseball, surfing, dancing and being with her friends and family.
Gretchen Maurer
Gretchen has a M.A. in Education/Language and Literacy from U.C. Berkeley, a Single Subject Teaching Credential (English/ESL) from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. in English from Santa Clara University. She has 20+ years of experience as a teacher, mentor teacher, writing lab tutor, writing coach, and published author. She’s particularly passionate about helping people of all ages and skill levels to become more confident readers and writers. A mother of three grown children, Gretchen lives in Santa Rosa and loves to spend time with family and friends, write, read, garden, hike, backpack, swim--especially in mountain lakes--and travel.
Hannah Thomas
Hannah graduated from Westmont College with an Elementary Education degree with a focus on psychology. From there, she attended the University of California Santa Barbara for her teaching credential and Masters of Education. She taught elementary all subjects and middle school focused on math, science, and study skills. During her teaching years, she led various student groups for Math Superbowl, Battle of the Books, and math and reading intervention groups. Hannah held leadership roles across her districts in English Language Learning, mathematics, and professional learning for her fellow teachers. Her focus on individualizing student learning is at the core of all instruction and she employs various methods and strategies to help students understand. As a new resident of Sonoma County, Hannah is enjoying learning about the area through food, nature, and getting involved with the community.
Hillary Lyons
Hillary studied sociology and geography at Vassar College before moving to Italy to obtain a Master’s degree in Gastronomy from the acclaimed Slow Food University. She discovered her passion for teaching in high school, where she tutored K-8th graders in a variety of subjects with a focus on honing her students’ writing and reading comprehension skills. Throughout her career, she has worked as a chef, farmer, copywriter, content creator, editor, and marketing strategist but ultimately, her calling lies in storytelling. Hillary is eager to share all that she has learned to empower her students in pursuing their passions, and happy to pass on the time management and organizational tools she has developed over decades. Outside of MindGarden, Hillary is a freelance writer, food activist, cyclist, forager, and Lanpaths docent. She believes that nature is our greatest teacher, and ventures out as often as possible to learn what new wonders it has to teach her.
Monica Johnston
Monica has a M.S. in Statistics from Stanford University and B.A. in Mathematics from San Jose State University. She has tutored hundreds of Bay Area students, of all ages, in math, statistics, writing, and study skills. She began peer tutoring before she was a teenager and realized that she enjoyed helping others to learn. She continued peer tutoring in high school, which led to tutoring on college campuses. She tutored fellow undergraduates at the math lab, and she collaborated with faculty and students at the Stanford Statistical Consulting Lab. Since leaving campus, she has successfully managed a dual career as a professional statistician and academic tutor. When not working, Monica volunteers her time supporting those who are under-resourced in her community. She enjoys water sports, tennis, and world music.
Travis Broadhurst
Travis was born and raised in North Carolina and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated with a BS in Geology and a BA in Physics and was a teaching assistant for calculus based mechanics and electricity/magnetism for two years. Travis also has experience tutoring his peers in high school in all levels of mathematics, all disciplines of science, and SAT/ACT test prep. He recently moved to Santa Rosa to start a career as a geochemist in the geothermal energy industry with the hopes of developing geothermal energy to be as prominent as other types of renewable power production. When not working, Travis thrives in the outdoors and is an avid skier, spelunker, rock climber, mountaineer, and overall adrenaline junkie.