Tammy Jones
tjones@hihumanities.org
Originally from New Jersey, Dr. Tammy Jones moved to Oʻahu in 2003 to pursue her Masters of Education in Teaching from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She went on to also earn her PhD in Curriculum Studies from UHM in 2012. Tammy spent the first portion of her career in education as an English teacher at James Campbell High School in ʻEwa Beach and at the School for Examining Essential Questions of Sustainability (SEEQS) in Kaimuki. In 2017, Tammy joined the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities family as the Reading & Discussion Program Assistant for the Try Think program. She greatly enjoys the work she is able to do in the correctional facilities, as well as in the community to bring people together to form a connection through discussion.
Griff Jurgens
Griff has worked with HIHumanities since 2018 and has lived in Hawai‘i since 2010. An educator at his core, he has taught in the public, private, and charter school systems since 2004. Since moving to Hawai‘i, Griff has worked on numerous independent sustainability films, a web-series for PBS (Under H2O), and won an Emmy for his work on the Netflix documentary Chasing Coral. When he is not facilitating discussions in Hawai‘i’s prison system or capturing sound or images, you can find Griff playing music with his band (The Maneki Nekos), teaching Hawaiʻi’s youth about clean energy (Blue Planet Foundation), or spending time with his three-legged cat (Tripod Eddie).
Brandy Chang
Brandy Chang was born in Florida but has spent nearly half of her life on Oʻahu. She has been a facilitator for the Try Think program since 2019, a natural fit for her since she has been involving herself in other people’s discussions since she was 5. When she is not working with the Try Think team, she is a public high school English teacher and full time mom to a spunky and inquisitive son . She is a believer in humanity, a practicer of inclusivity, an advocate for education for all, and always finds peace, and calm in the ocean.