Charlene Montaño Nolan

Charlene Montaño Nolan is an Assistant Professor in the WWU-ECE Bremerton BAE program at Western Washington University. Her work focuses on equity-oriented theories of human learning, emphasizing family and community leadership, teacher innovation, and child creativity. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington, with a dissertation titled New Terrains for Familiar Places: Reconceptualizing Families Engaged in Educational Changemaking.

• Education: Ph.D., University of Washington (dissertation focus: Educational Changemaking)

Her research and teaching prioritize outdoor learning, culturally responsive pedagogy, and designing science-based programs for Indigenous youth. She teaches courses such as Environments for Early Learning, Creativity and Play in Early Childhood Education, and Science Methods and Curriculum.

No awards or grants are explicitly listed, though her professional experience includes roles as an early childhood educator, college instructor, and program co-designer with teachers and families.