2026 is a year of transition and change. As with all changes, it is also a year of potential opportunity and growth. As I have talked with many of you, I have heard uncertainty and concern about the future related to funding, the role of research in education, and who we are as a community. I believe it is very important that we are able to gather in community during this time of change.

I would like to invite you to a WCER Community meeting on Monday, February 23, 2026 from 2-3:30pm to participate in an exercise to begin to redefine our identity and to identify loss and opportunities as we move forward. The meeting will be facilitated by WCER’s longtime friend, Darin Harris. At the meeting, I will also outline our plan over the next few months for moving this work forward and how this work will support the search for a new director of WCER.

--Interim WCER Director Mariana Castro