Whitney Sanders, MFA

Whitney Sanders joined the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence in 2019 as the Project Coordinator for RULER for Early Childhood. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Central Missouri and a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Southern Connecticut State University. Whitney provides administrative support for Dr. Craig Bailey’s “Pilot and Refinement of RULER in Chinese Kindergartens” project which focuses on cultural adaptation of RULER for early childhood education contexts in China. Prior to joining YCEI, Whitney served as Program Manager for GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a federally-funded 6-year grant partnership between Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and the New Haven Public School district dedicated to preparing New Haven youth for success in a postsecondary experience. She also supported the Director for the Educational Care Collaborative, a home-school-community grant initiative, to cultivate the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of young children (K-3) and improve access to mental health services in Hamden Public School district. In addition to her work on grant-funded projects, Whitney taught as an adjunct lecturer at SCSU for the First Year Experience office. Outside of the center, Whitney is a strong advocate that creative arts can improve social, emotional and cognitive development as well as academic performance. She shares her passion for creative expression with others. In her free time, Whitney writes, paints, plays piano, dances, and devotes time to travel with friends and family.