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Founder
Ann-Marisa Wada is a Los Angeles–based educator, artist, and founder of RootEd Foundations. With nearly two decades of experience in education, she specializes in culturally responsive curriculum design, art therapy integration, professional development, and program building that strengthens learning in both schools and cultural institutions.
Ann-Marisa earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Temple University and her Master’s in Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University. She spent 15 years teaching visual arts at Locke High School, where she developed innovative, student-centered approaches and regularly introduced her students to museums as living classrooms. Her classroom and program design experience are grounded in her commitment to making learning accessible, creative, and transformative for all students.
Her work has been recognized by LAUSD, the California African American Museum, and the GENIUS Education Initiative through the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), where she contributed as an expert panelist in support of culturally relevant pedagogy for African American learners.
Ann-Marisa founded RootEd Foundations to empower educators, museums, and community organizations with the tools to create inclusive, dynamic, and sustainable educational experiences. Her mission is to help institutions build stronger connections with students, families, and communities — ensuring that learning is meaningful, relevant, and lasting.
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Culture. Leadership. Community.
Emphasizing strong educational roots and lifelong learning.
Who We Are
RootEd Foundations is dedicated to empowering educators, schools, and cultural institutions in their role as powerful spaces for learning. RootEd understands how to create meaningful, engaging experiences that connect young people to learning in ways that are relevant, inspiring, and transformative.
We partner with schools to provide equity-centered professional development, culturally responsive curriculum support, and transformative coaching for educators across all grade levels. We also collaborate with museums and cultural organizations to strengthen education programs through staff training, curriculum and program design, onboarding for new educators and docents, mentorship and leadership development, and strategies for school and community engagement.
By tailoring our approach to each institution’s unique needs, RootEd ensures that educators, staff, and cultural leaders feel confident and empowered—and that students and visitors experience dynamic, relevant, and impactful learning opportunities.