UCBHSSP Staff

UCBHSSP staff works collaboratively with each other, members of the Department of History, teacher leaders, and our colleagues on the UC Berkeley campus and sibling sites of the California History-Social Science Project.

Jason Muñiz

Site Director

Jason was named the site director of UCBHSSP in the Fall of 2023. He has led the development of UCBHSSP's programmatic support for implementing Ethnic Studies courses in addition to leading professional development and developing curricular models for H-SS teachers more generally. Before coming to UC Berkeley, Jason worked as a Social Science educator in South Florida and East Oakland. During his time in the Bay Area, Jason piloted and implemented Ethnic Studies curriculum for the Oakland Unified School District. He also brings a passion for integrating technology and gamification into educational practices.

Rachel B. Reinhard

Associate Director

Rachel served as site director of UCBHSSP from 2013-2023. A graduate of Cal's graduate history program, she draws upon her experience as a teacher, college professor, and professional development provider to help improve teacher practice and student learning. She currently teaches half time at Oakland High School and provides administrative support to UCBHSSP as well as leading limited programming.

Devin Hess

Academic and Civic Education Coordinator

Devin worked as a middle school teacher and commuinty organizer before earning his master's in curriculum and instruction, specializing in educational technology. He leads UCBHSSP programs with schools and districts throughout the Bay Area, and is coordinating our work to reframe the world history curriculum. In addition to working with teachers to integrate literacy and disciplinary thinking into their H-SS instruction, he directs UCBHSSP's work in the Integrated Action Civics Project.

Ricky Aguirre

Academic Coordinator

Ricky understands that students benefit from a more impactful learning environment when they see themselves reflected in the curriculum. As a Social Studies teacher, he brought his passion for creating relevant and meaningful curriculum to the continuation high school students he worked with in the South Bay. For the past several years, he has partnered with UCBHSSP on the development of the Integrated Action Civics Project and the development of Ethnic Studies in the Campbell Union High School District. In 2021, the Integrated Ethnic Studies course he created was the one of the first in the state of California to be certified under the “A” pathway by the UC system.

Phyllis Goldsmith

Special Projects

Phyllis has worked with UCBHSSP since 2003. Prior to her work with UCBHSSP, Phyllis was a bilingual elementary school teacher in the Oakland Unified School District. In 2019, she was recognized with the California Counicl for the Social Studies' Hilda Taba Award, for lifetime achievement in supporting the teaching of social studies. Phyllis retired in June 2019 but continues to work with UCBHSSP on a limited number of programs and special projects.

Thomas Pastis

Financial Administrator

Thomas is a Research Administration for the University and dedicates part of his time to supporting UCBHSSP's grant administration and financial transactions. He is a graduate of the UC Berkeley Department of History!

Teacher Leaders

A number of the Project's veteran teacher leaders facilitate workshops, direct institutes, and support project staff at school site professional development. Many of these facilitators are members of our Teacher Research Group