Circe Stumbo

Circe Stumbo is President of West Wind Education Policy Inc., which she founded in January 2001. Throughout her career of over 35 years, Circe has facilitated national and statewide blue-ribbon panels and summits, cross-functional working teams, organizational strategic planning processes, statewide task forces, and equity leadership teams. She is an insightful leadership coach with a deep understanding of formal systems (policies, prescribed practices, formal curricula, organizational structures) and informal systems (culture and climate, actual practice, enacted curricula, organizational roles). 

Throughout her time running West Wind, Circe implemented her commitment to personalized learning and evidence-based practice through our management of the Iowa Competency-Based Education Collaborative; helped launch the national State Consortium on Educator Effectiveness (SCEE) through the Council of Chief State School Officers’ (CCSSO) and directed its online collaboration site; formed a partnership with Knowledge Alliance to create the Knowledge Initiative, which strove to transform the nation’s infrastructure for educational research and development; crafted the Research to Action Forum, which brings together policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to engage in and use more and better applied research; and worked with dozens of federal comprehensive centers, labs, and programs. 

For nearly fifteen years prior to founding West Wind, Circe worked in non-profit associations in the fields of agriculture, higher education, and K–12 education policy in Washington, DC. Circe also taught political theory at the University of Maryland College Park, where she advanced to Ph.D. candidacy in 2001 before investing her efforts in West Wind and her commitment to alleviate racial inequities in public education. 

Circe earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard University, a master’s in government and politics from the University of Maryland, and a bachelor’s in political science from The University of Iowa. Circe is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory®.

Bonnie Riggan

Before becoming the owner and proprietor of Calico Farm, Bonnie served as West Wind Education Policy Inc.’s chief operating officer, negotiating contracts, budgeting projects, and providing strategic and operational leadership. Bonnie managed the resources of the company, so that staff members had what they needed to produce excellent work. 

Bonnie acquired experience in marketing and public relations throughout her position at The University of Iowa’s College of Nursing. She was responsible for marketing the college’s academic programs and advocating on behalf of the College to enhance the image of the nursing profession.

Bonnie has a bachelor’s in communication studies from The University of Iowa.

David Davidson

David is currently special projects coordinator for Pacific Educational Group. Prior to this role, David was a trusted advisor on all of West Wind Education Policy Inc.’s projects from 2009 to 2010 when he was a project director for racial equity at the company. He managed the Consortium on Racial Equity in K-12 Education and oversaw numerous speaking and planning engagements related to race and education.  Prior to joining West Wind, David was director of the Early Reading First project with the Talbot County Board of Education in Talbotton, Georgia, and he served for more than 17 years with the Georgia Department of Education as the state coordinator for several federal programs. Through his role at the Georgia Department of Education, David addressed the educational needs of disadvantaged children under various parts of three re-authorizations of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. His most focused areas of work were homeless education, family literacy, school improvement, and programs for neglected and delinquent children.

David received his master’s in Educational Leadership from West Georgia College and his bachelor’s in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.