Econiful is an Arizona-based nonprofit that builds free, standards-aligned economics and personal finance curricula for high school teachers, paired with virtual professional development. Our work grew out of a fifty-year commitment to economic education that began with a friendship between a manufacturer and an economist in Tucson.
Our Mission
To strengthen economic education at the secondary level so that all students are able to apply economic principles in their personal, professional, and civic lives. We strive to achieve our mission by offering economic educators innovative high school lesson plans and free virtual professional development programs.
Econiful at a Glance
Two overviews of what we offer, one written for classroom teachers and one for administrators and instructional leaders.
For Teachers
80 lessons of on-level economics, 45 minutes each, built in Google Slides and Docs so there is no prep to start.
For Administrators
Why districts adopt the curriculum, including pilot test score gains, standards and AP alignment, and the support teachers get.
Our Story
Econiful traces its roots back to 1972, when Thomas R. Brown, CEO of Burr-Brown Corporation, met University of Arizona economist Gerald Swanson. Their friendship and shared appreciation for the power of economic principles led to the creation of the Thomas R. Brown Foundation, established to advance the use of economic principles in public and private decision making. From 2005 to 2022, the foundation funded more than 700 professional development workshops for K-12 educators, most of them in Southern Arizona.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the foundation began offering virtual and on-demand workshops to an increasingly geographically diverse audience of educators, and in the latter half of 2022 it adopted the trade name Econiful for its efforts to support middle and high school teachers around the country.
Board of Directors
Mary Bernal
Board Member
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Mary Bernal
Mary Bernal received her bachelor's degree in Agricultural and Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis, and her master's degree from Arizona State University's Executive MBA Program. She spent 15 years in commercial lending with banks in Tucson, Yuma, and Phoenix. She serves on the boards of the Brown Foundations, the Arizona Council for Economic Education, and the Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation, sits on the investment committee of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, and is an honorary co-chair of the Amerind Foundation's capital campaign committee.
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Sarah Smallhouse
Board Chair
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Sarah Smallhouse
Sarah Smallhouse is President of the Thomas R. Brown Foundations and oversees the grant portfolios of the family foundations. She has a BA in Economics from the University of Washington, an MBA from the University of Arizona, and an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is a past chair of the UA Foundation Board and the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center, and has served on the boards of Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, the Advisory Board of the UA College of Science, and the Advisory Board for Biosphere 2. She currently serves on the board of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, where she co-chairs the Governance Committee, and her current focus is primary election reform. She was the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce 2008 Woman of the Year and received the Thomas L. Swanson Regional Leadership Award from the Pima Association of Governments.
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Michael Raymer
Board Member
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Michael Raymer
Mike Raymer is Executive Director of the Georgia Council on Economic Education, where he previously served as Associate Director and Chief Program Officer, Program Manager, and Teacher in Residence. He is a former Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education Fellow who completed the Executive Leadership for Nonprofit Organizations Program at the University of Georgia's J. W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, holds an Association of Fundraising Professionals Diploma in Fundraising Management, and served as President of the National Association of Economic Educators. He is a two-time Emmy Award winner and a recipient of the National Association of Economic Educators John C. Shramm Leadership Award. He has undergraduate degrees in history from the State University of New York at Fredonia and in social science education from Kennesaw State University, and a master's in social studies education from Georgia State University. He hopes to live long enough to see the Buffalo Bills win the Super Bowl.
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Shaun Kirkpatrick
Board Member
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Shaun Kirkpatrick
Shaun Kirkpatrick is president and CEO of Research Corporation Technologies, a Tucson-based technology investment and management company that provides early-stage funding and development for biomedical companies and technologies. Since joining RCT as a venture development associate in 1993, he has managed venture investments and technology development programs in cancer, inflammation, metabolic disease, and neurological disorders, along with technology platforms related to biotherapeutics and antibodies. He serves on the boards of several companies in RCT's portfolio, the Critical Path Institute in Tucson, and the Flinn Foundation. As a Flinn Scholar, he earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Arizona with a dual major in Economics and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and he holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.
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Dan Janes
Board Member
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Dan Janes
Dan Janes is the CEO of Madden Media, a marketing agency focused on improving destinations through technology-driven marketing and content that connects people to places. He co-founded 42six Solutions, a big data and analytics company acquired by Computer Sciences Corporation, and after the acquisition became an investor and a member of Desert Angels and Arch Partners. He is a West Point graduate and former Army officer who led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he has worked inside a large government agency, built a startup, and grown new technology offerings in a publicly traded company. He advises companies throughout Arizona, with a focus on Tucson and Southern Arizona.
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Staff
Econiful runs on a team of four. Between us we write the curriculum, run the professional development, keep the operations going, and handle everything you see on this site.
Megan Kirts
Executive Director
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Megan Kirts
Megan is a passionate economics educator with 18 years of classroom experience. She holds master's degrees in Teaching and Teacher Education as well as Economics and Entrepreneurship for Educators. When she's not serving fellow educators, Megan spends her time cooking and eating, puzzling, and enjoying the Sonoran Desert.
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Kathleen Cusack
Curriculum Director
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Kathleen Cusack
Kathleen is an enthusiastic educator with over 8 years of classroom experience, and she was named Catalina Foothills School District Teacher of the Year for 2019 to 2020. She holds a master's in Economics Education and Entrepreneurship from the University of Delaware. In her free time she camps and hikes with her dogs, reads, and tends to her plants.
Mickell McKinnon
Operations Specialist
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Mickell McKinnon
Mickell spent over a decade in the outdoor industry, where she developed an appreciation for experiential learning and for a well-run operation. A graduate of Utah State University, she now brings that background to her role as Operations Specialist at Econiful. Outside the office she enjoys whitewater rafting, traveling, and long walks with her pup.
mickell@econiful.org Back
Elise McClain
Marketing Manager
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Elise McClain
Elise brings seven years of digital marketing experience to Econiful, with a focus on content creation and SEO. She oversees the organization's website, newsletter, social media, and paid media. When she's not at her desk you'll find her hiking the Sonoran Desert with her dog, tending an ever-expanding plant collection, or lost in a good book.
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The Econiful Pack
Econiful is proudly pet friendly, and these eight critters are in the background of just about everything we do, whether that is a lesson being written, a workshop being run, or a video call being interrupted.
Big Boy
Director of Feline Operations
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Big Boy
His nameplate says Kevin, but he only answers to Big Boy. He is vocal and extroverted, he knows what he wants, and he is not shy about telling you. For all the bluster, he caves immediately for corn, on the cob or off the cob or popped, and for anything made of crinkly plastic.
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Kaibab
Paw-perations Specialist
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Kaibab
Kaibab keeps morale high, partly through his vertical jump. He spends most of the day searching the office for anything fun that might be happening without him, since his fear of missing out is genuine and constant. His favorite coworkers have four legs.
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Lu
Barketing Manager
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Lu
Lu loves watching birds from the front door of her house and digging in the backyard for long lost treasures. She also loves hanging with her office besties, eating her kibble one piece at a time, and thinks a car window and a good breeze are as good as life gets.
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Nimbus
Treat Acquisition Officer
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Nimbus
Nimbus is a man of simple pleasures, meaning a good run with his mom, a beam of light to chase, and a cuddle entirely on his own schedule. Do not be fooled by the independent streak, because when he decides it is cuddle time it is the most wholesome thing going. He also runs treat time, and he raises his voice when distribution falls behind.
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Riffle
Head of Security and Belly Rubs
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Riffle
Riffle takes the safety of her territory seriously. A suspicious pedestrian gets barked at, and so does a hawk with questionable intentions. Her bark means business right up until you walk through the door, at which point the whole security posture turns into a request for belly rubs and kisses.
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Walter
Head of Purr-sonnel
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Walter
Walter leaps to the top of the office refrigerator on a regular basis, which he considers ambition rather than risk. He works his coworkers with strategic meows and chirps, and his push to expand employee perks, stocking responsibly caught tuna and allowing drinks straight from the bathroom faucet, shows he understands incentives better than most economists.
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Winston
Executive Pawject Director
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Winston
Winston is a red miniature poodle who walks with purpose, powering toward his destination without stopping to sniff a single mailbox. He is a believer in creative destruction and takes apart every squeaker he is handed. Once he acquires an asset, usually a sock, good luck getting him to divest.
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Yzma
Director of Snuggles
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Yzma
Yzma came in ready to work and made her priorities clear on the first day, which are pets, cuddles, and attending any meeting where snuggles might be on the line. She has a gift for inserting herself exactly where she is needed, usually directly in your face, and she reports perfect attendance since she started.
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Teach with Econiful
Membership is free for high school educators, instructional coaches, and administrators, and it unlocks the slide decks, handouts, and assessments behind every lesson in both courses.
Our Partners
The Thomas R. Brown Foundation funds a number of other economic education organizations.
UA Eller College Office of Economic Education
Professional development for elementary educators, with a focus on Arizona state standards.
Voices On The Economy
An award-winning program that teaches educators to present diverse perspectives in a balanced and accurate way, with a free online textbook for teachers of secondary and post-secondary students.