Cristiana Jurgensen- Third Degree Questioner

Was

• An expat kid

• Unhealthily competitive at yoga

• An elementary teacher for 13 years

• A gymnastics coach

Am

• (Finally) on my OWN yoga journey

• A fidgety meditator

• An SEL advocate to anyone who will listen

• Wife and mother of two very headstrong teenagers

Aspires to

• Become fluent in Italian

• Be part of a Habitat for Humanity community build

• Work at the Berkeley Greater Good Science Center

• Spend a lot of time in New Zealand

Cristiana Jurgensen is the Program Lead for the Diversity and Inclusion division of Saudi Aramco. She supports the company in making sure it is hiring a diverse workforce, diversifying its leadership at all levels, as well as engaging and enabling the workforce through inclusive practices. She was an international educator for 20 years in North America, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Cristiana earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Portuguese from Indiana University, a master’s degree in education and an Ed.D in organizational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. She spent her early career as an elementary teacher, teaching every grade from Kindergarten to 5th grade before she became an administrator in 2008. Passionate about supporting teachers in their professional development, Cristiana designed and implemented training, authored articles and presented at several international conferences such as the Near East South Asia (NESA) Leadership Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, and TeachMeet in Bahrain. She is a contributor to several books and blogs, primarily about education, children, and travel. When she is not working, Cristiana enjoys yoga, learning Italian, and planning her next adventure.