Global Board of Educators
An essential part of the Enlightened Generation team is our Global Board of Educators. We created this board to ensure we remain thoughtful and responsive to the diverse and ever-evolving teaching and learning styles around the world as we develop our books and collections. Our educators also play a key role in selecting the winners of our “Win Something Magical” submissions.
Susan Verde
New York Times best-selling children’s book author and former elementary educator.
Susan Verde is a New York Times best-selling children’s book author and former elementary educator. In addition to writing, she teaches yoga and mindfulness to children and faculty in schools. She is part of the founding Enlightened Generation team, is their resident author, and contributes to many facets of the brand—including their GIVE BACK program. Susan believes in the power of wonder, curiosity, and paying attention to the world in which we live, as it makes us healthier, happier, and cultivates empathy and connection. She is honored to work with the team at Enlightened Generation to create incredible classic clothing that helps kids and their grownups share moments of learning and awe together.
Emma Walton Hamilton
Best-selling and award-winning author, editor, educator, producer, performer, and writing coach.
Emma Walton Hamilton is a best-selling and award-winning author, editor, stage, television and podcast writer/producer, performer and arts educator. Together with her mother, Julie Andrews, she has co-authored over thirty books for children and adults, nine of which have been on the New York Times best-seller list, includingThe Very Fairy Princessseries (#1 NY Times Bestseller),Julie Andrews’ Collection Of Poems, Songs And Lullabies; Julie Andrews' Treasury: Poems and Songs to Celebrate the Seasons; theDumpy The Dump Truckseries; Simeon’s Gift;The Great American Mousical;Thanks to You: Wisdom From Mother and Child(#1 New York Times Bestseller), andAndrews' second memoir, Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years.A faculty member for Stony Brook University’s MFA in Creative Writing and Literature, Emma teaches all forms of children’s book writing at the graduate and undergraduate level and serves as Director of their annual Children’s Literature Conference, as well as Executive Director of the Young Artists and Writers Project (YAWP), an interdisciplinary writing program for middle and high school students.
Georgie Badiel
Founder Georgie Badiel Foundation, Miss Burkina Faso 2003, Miss Africa 2004, International Supermodel
Georgie Badiel-Liberty is a Burkinabé model, author, and activist living and working in New York City. Badiel-Liberty was Miss Burkina Faso in 2003 and Miss Africa 2004. Shortly after being crowned Miss Africa, Georgie began her modeling career in Paris, France. Her client list includes Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Lanvin, Zan Toi, and Dianne von Furstenberg. She has been featured in Russian and ItalianVogue, Marie Claire, GQ, and Essence, among other publications. Her modelling career eventually brought her to New York, where Georgie began using her platform to take on the issue of the lack of potable drinking water in her West African homeland. She runs the Georgie Badiel Foundation, which is dedicated to building and restoring wells in Burkina Faso. To date, the Georgie Badiel Foundation has provided access to water for over 360,000 people who previously suffered from water scarcity. In 2016, Georgie co-created the children’s book The Water Princess with legendary illustrator Peter H. Reynolds and author Susan Verde.The Water Princessis a picture book that tells the story of Georgie’s life as a young girl who dreams of bringing clean water to her people. The book was published by Penguin Random House. Georgie then published a new children’s book, Princess Giegie Water Is Here, in 2019 under her own imprint, Princess GieGie Publishing. For her work bringing clean water to Burkina Faso, Georgie received her nation’s highest civilian honor, Chevalier de Merit Burkinabe, on February 28, 2018 at the Burkina Faso United Nations Mission in New York. She is married to Chid Liberty, a Liberian-American social entrepreneur.
Mahani Teave Williams
Founder of Toki School of Music and Renowned concert pianist
The Toki School of Music was inspired by one of its founders, Mahani Teave Williams, who at 9 years old had to leave her home, the island of Rapa Nui, to pursue her dreams of being a pianist as there were no pianos on the island. Years later, she wanted to give young people on the island of Rapa Nui the opportunities she had without having to move away. In partnership with philanthropists, volunteers, and ultimately a renowned architect, the Toki School became a reality that continues to enrich the lives of the people of Rapa Nui.
Tanya Aguilar
Advocate for equity, education, and community
Tanya has served as a Spanish teacher at both the middle and high school levels and now proudly serves as the Community School Liaison at Twinbrook Elementary School, a Title I Community School in Rockville, Maryland. In this role, she works to connect students, families, and the broader community with the resources they need to thrive and empower families with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to navigate systems and advocate for themselves. Tanya was recently appointed to the City of Rockville Education Commission, where she continues her advocacy for equity and access beyond the school walls.
Special Thanks
To Professor Masato Sakai and the team at Yamagata University in Japan for their incredible help and guidance in ensuring the accuracy of our data on the Nasca Lines of Peru. For more information on their work, please go here.
To the Rapa Nui Codeipa Council for approving the Moai of Rapa Nui collection and to the Sernatur Rapa Nui for approving the content of our book.