The Hawn Foundation

Board of Directors

Nancy Etcoff, PhD

Nancy Etcoff is a psychologist and faculty member of the Harvard Medical School and of Harvard University’s Mind-Brain-Behavior Initiative. She directs the Program in Aesthetics and Well Being at the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Etcoff is author of the book Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty, and has conducted research on the perception of beauty, emotion and the brain for over 15 years.

Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn is an Academy Award winning actress, producer, director and children’s advocate. She is the founder of The Hawn Foundation, dedicated to harnessing the science of the brain to equip children with the social and emotional skills they need to lead smarter, healthier, and happier lives. In 2009, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) presented Goldie with a special award for her work to increase public understanding of mental health. In addition to her work as a leading public advocate for social and emotional learning, Goldie has been a long-time supporter of Tibetan refugees and an international advocate for peace.

Theo Koffler

Toronto-born, Theo Koffler is founder and teacher of Between Four Eyes’ mindful awareness and character-based education programs. In the late 1970’s Theo developed Super-Pharm Israel Ltd., Israel’s national drugstore chain with her family. She co-founded Therapeutic Riding for the Disabled in Israel and recently launched Therapeutic Riding for the Disabled in Jericho, as an Israeli-Arab cross-border initiative. Mother, writer, teacher and peace activist, Theo currently dedicates her efforts to capacity-building initiatives in conflict and post-conflict communities. She is an active board member of several international organizations including Connecting For Change.

Teri Schwartz

Award-winning film producer Teri Schwartz is dean of the world famous UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, bringing with her a history of producing award winning feature films, robust connections to Hollywood and emerging media, and a vision to provide students with strong creative and practical skills that position them for an enriching and rewarding life across the entire landscape of media. She previously served as the inaugural Dean of Loyola Marymount University’s (LMU) School of Film and Television (SFTV). Commitment to story and storytelling grounded in humanism in all its forms has been a guiding principle in Dean Schwartz’s life as an artist and educator. A few of her many film credits include the Golden Globe Best Picture nominee “Sister Act,” “Beaches,” “Nuts,” “Life With Mikey,” “Joe Versus the Volcano,” “When Billie Beat Bobby” and “Hope.” Her projects have garnered nominations in a variety of categories for Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, MTV and CLIO awards.

Morton Sherman, PhD

A well-respected, nationally recognized educator with more than 25 years’ experience in raising academic standards, closing achievement gaps and uniting stakeholders has been named the new superintendent of Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS). Sherman currently serves as superintendent of the Tenafly, N.J., public school system. Among his many honors and appointments, Sherman is an appointed member of the New Jersey Governor and Commissioner of Education to the Selection Committee for Executive County Superintendents; is a present member of the National Superintendents Roundtable; and is a founding member of the Public Schools for Tomorrow, a national group of superintendents whose goal is to bring about change in schools so that all children learn to high standards and their personal growth and talents are nurtured. He is a nationally recognized leader in education, speaking frequently about children’s mental health, student achievement, curriculum and staff development. He has written and had published more than 200 articles.

Judy Willis, MD, MEd

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa as the first woman graduate from Williams College, Judy Willis attended UCLA School of Medicine where she was awarded her medical degree. She remained at UCLA and completed a medical residency and neurology residency, including chief residency. She practiced neurology for fifteen years before returning to university to obtain her Teaching Credential and Masters of Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has taught in elementary, middle, and graduate schools and currently teaches at Santa Barbara Middle School. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) publishes her books for education professionals, Research-Based Strategies To Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist/Classroom Teacher (2006), Brain-Friendly Strategies for the Inclusion Classroom (2007), and Teaching the Brain to Read: Strategies for Improving Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension (2008). She is completing a fourth book about research-based strategies for math instruction.