Ms. Wheeler attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied cognitive science and psychology, along with biological and evolutionary anthropology.

During her studies at U.C. Berkeley, she worked in the Department of Psychology as a research assistant in the Hinshaw Lab focusing on developmental psychology and longitudinal studies of resilience and mental health in young adults, and as an assistant to Professor Emeritus Dr. Jack Block, a pioneer in the field of longitudinal research in personality

development and assessment at the Institute of Human Development. Prior to moving to Napa in 2009, she worked with U.C. San Francisco Professor Emeritus Dr. Paul Ekman and the Paul Ekman Group, and Oakland Unified School District (OUSD).

She resides in Napa with her family, including two children enrolled in both

public and private schools in Napa County.

Her interests include art therapy, cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, Greater Good in Education (GGSC), and the study and practice of Mindfulness and its effects on education, mental health, culture and humanity.