
contact
KellyCooper at 2DegreeShift.com | 559-670-0352
Mission, Vision, Values
At 2 Degree Shift, we believe all learners, regardless of background or ability is deserving of access to career pathways that lead to fulfilling, well-paying jobs.
Mission
We forecast, co-design, develop and co-implement high-wage, high-growth open source Work-based Learning pathways, content, and communities for high-needs learners.
Vision
We will shake up the traditional cultural ideal of career success by developing, mentoring, and disseminating alternative pathways and Work-based Learning content in high-wage, high-growth careers for youth and adult learners.
Values
- Pragmatic and outcomes driven
- Determined and persistent
- Cultivating deep connections
- Our belief in every person’s right to provide for their family
- Our knowledge that everyone’s path is different
- Co-creators and partners
- Praxis – creativity undergirded by theory and practice
- Accessibility compliant and freely available guiding content
Team

Kelly Cooper advises on grant strategy and writing, CTE pathways, curriculum, compliance, and revenue opportunities. Previous roles include Vice Chancellor at West Hills Community College District, Computer Information Systems/Business faculty at West Valley College, Grants Project Director/Investigator, and adjunct Computer Science or Organizational Behavior faculty at community colleges and universities. Kelly’s writing, beyond grants, includes long ago books on XML, SVG, and a Cookies cookbook. Her current writing efforts include Work-based Learning Workbooks (Upskill Series) and in-progress Grants Strategy and Writing Tips. ORCID | LinkedIn

Veronika Focht works as co-author, book design lead, graphic designer, and technical editor for many of our books, all presentations, and our outreach content. She creates all layouts sets up books for publication and distribution. Veronika also supports WorkWonder with outreach content. She serves as Principal Designer for 2 Degree Shift and Livable Wage Jobs. Veronika is also a cookie artist and graphic designer for shirts, wall hangings, and several other products.

Dara Ramos works as data analyst and project manager to support product development, CA Division of Apprenticeship Standards certifications, human resources operations, and AirTable data integrity. Dara also co-authored AP Seminar: Across CTE Pathways with Stacy Cabrera and developed the Canvas and Google Classroom instances for the book. Dara analyzes potential grant applications for fit and supports various administrative operations requests.

Ben coordinates Spanish translations, maintains data, tracks CA Division of Apprenticeship Standards site student data, and supports administrative work from data analysis to project research and labor market assessments for grant applications. Together, Ben and Dara coordinate administrative functions that support Pre-apprenticeships, and Apprenticeships to include the gamut of paperwork related to youth, parent, and school district permissions and state compliance requirements.

Stacy teaches AP Seminar and Research at Warren High School in Downey USD. She wrote AP Seminar: Across CTE Pathways Teacher and Student Editions. Stacy presented the project and book at Educating for Careers in 2023 and 2024. Stacy developed presentations and assessments for AP Seminar in collaboration with Dara and Veronika, as teacher support materials in Canvas and Google Classroom instances. Stacy’s main goal for students is learning how to analyze and interpret good writing and argumentation and create academic contributions of their own through active research designs and methodologies.

Denny Burzynski has a Master’s Degree in Mathematics from the California State University, Long Beach, and has taught mathematics at California and Nevada community colleges for 45 years. With some of his friends, Denny authored six college mathematics textbooks from basic arithmetic, elementary, and intermediate algebra, college algebra, to applied calculus. Denny presented at many mathematics conferences all over the country and served as president of both the California Mathematics Council Community Colleges and the Nevada Mathematical Association of Community Colleges.
Additional Contributors
- Nicky Hickman – Advisor
- Mauricio Elias Rojas Hernandez – Spanish Translator
- Naseem Ahad – Accessibility Specialist PDFs
- Muhammad Awais – Mathematics Technical Reviewer and Editor