Our Team
Maureen Burford, M.Ed.
Executive Director and Framework Facilitator
Creative Lives Executive Director and Framework Facilitator Maureen Burford is a veteran educator and accomplished musician with 38 years of experience working with students from the early years through college. In 2012, she formed a partnership with author Ellen Tadd, her longtime teacher, to bring Tadd’s discoveries about the chakra system to the field of education. Maureen has shared the Framework approach with thousands of children and teens, locally and nationally, in classroom and out-of-school settings. Maureen received The Lynn von Trapp Award in 2019 for excellence in leading preventative programming for youth in Vermont. She holds an M.Ed. in Creative Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a B.A. in music from Cornell University.
Ellen Tadd
Creator of A Framework for Wise Education®
Consultant to Creative Lives®
Ellen Tadd is an internationally known clairvoyant counselor who has been teaching and advising tens of thousands of individuals for over forty years.
She is widely respected for the integrity of her work, the accuracy of her perceptions and guidance, and the clarity and usefulness of her teaching. She has lectured at colleges, universities, hospitals, and community groups across the United States.
Tadd's work has been described in books and articles, including Newsweek Magazine and Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer's Book "Extraordinary Knowing: Science, Skepticism and the Human Mind." She is the author of four books: A Framework for Wise Education, The Infinite View, The Wisdom of the Chakras, and Death and Letting Go, which appeared on the Boston Globe Best-Seller List. Her teachings are embraced by people of all faiths and perspectives.
DR. LAURA TADD
Consultant to Creative Lives
Laura Tadd works as a spiritually-oriented psychological astrologer- writing, teaching, and lecturing in person and remotely with people worldwide. She has served on numerous international astrology boards and assisted in running astrological and graduate-level academic conferences. In addition to her counseling work, Laura has served as an academic administrator and college professor.
Since 2021, Laura has aided Creative Lives Inc. as a consultant and course developer, helping to restructure our training program and support our team as we expand our reach to learners throughout the country. She holds a PhD in Human Science.
Anne Kroeger
Programs Administrator
Anne Kroeger graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Environmental Science and continued in Fine Arts at San Francisco State University. In addition to working as the Programs Administrator for Creative Lives, she writes fiction for middle-grade kids.
Caitlin Gagner
Internship
Caitlin has worked in the early childhood field for over 16 years. She has experience with a wide variety of educational settings, including public school in Vermont and running a nature school in Montana. Caitlin has a passion for outdoor and nature-based learning, meeting children where they are, and helping them build their social-emotional capacity. Caitlin currently helps operate The Plymouth Schoolhouse—a licensed childcare center serving children birth to age 6. Caitlin lives in Bridgewater with her husband, 1.5 year old son, and their family rescue dog Henny. She enjoys yoga, hiking in the mountains, writing poetry, and making memories with her family and friends. Caitlin believes in the transformative power of Creative Lives to help all students be successful regardless of their background. She has experienced the benefits first hand in understanding her own chakra patterns as both a parent and a teacher, and looks forward to building upon these skills with the students in her care at the Schoolhouse.
Our Collaborators
Creative Lives collaborates with learning communities and organizations to advance the Framework approach. Since 2012, we have worked to engage youth and adults in Framework programming or training through relationships with: Stoneledge Stables Preschool; Bridgewater Early Care Center, The VT Afterschool Alliance, The Marion Institute, Dartmouth College (work-study interns), The Hartford Rec. Department, Marion Cross School, Lesley University, Tuck Business School, White River Budokan, Artistree, The Family Place, Thetford Afterschool Program, BALE (Building a local economy), The Springfield Early Educators Alliance, Southern New Hampshire University, Castleton University, and more.