Wendy Larvick

After following Lucy through the wardrobe in the first book of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series, Wendy found the first of many fictional playmates who helped her escape into new worlds. Her continued love of literature and inquisitive nature were assets when she became a middle school language arts and social studies teacher. In the classroom, she saw many of her students facing challenges that a trip to Narnia could not cure–food and housing insecurity, responsibility for younger siblings, and being ill-equipped to read and perform mathematics at grade level. She grew a thick skin, learned to do more with less in often under-resourced classrooms of more than 30 students, and strove to help her students to find their voice by taking the time to really listen. She took these lessons with her as she moved into education policy, where she works to ensure classrooms have the necessary resources and students have high-quality options for a public education.

As PSC’s education director, she continues to look for allies in the fight to foster strong public policy that impacts K–12 in a positive and innovative way. While primarily focusing on K–12 issue areas, such as educator preparation and the state school aid budget, she uses her experiences in the classroom, state government, and the nonprofit world to help clients find innovative solutions to ensuring students receive a quality education.

While Wendy still escapes with the occasional fantasy novel, her real-world experience witnessing the joys and challenges of education from many perspectives in and beyond the state of Michigan drive her to ensure educational excellence for all students.

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