Meet Our Team
Dr. Adam Wright
Director
Adam Wright is the Director of CEFE and an Associate Professor of Economics at Western Washington University. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara where he was a Graduate Associate in the Broom Center for Demography and holds an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Arizona State University. Adam also previously taught high school math in Avondale, Arizona while in Teach For America.
Adam’s research primarily focuses on labor and the economics of education. His work has been published in Economics of Education Review, Economic Inquiry, and Contemporary Economic Policy and featured in The Washington Post, American Public Media Reports, and Wiley's Research Headlines among others. He is currently interested in the best practices for teaching economic and financial literacy and the long-run effects of economics education.
Kelli Burton
Program Specialist
Kelli Burton is the Program Specialist at CEFE. She helps Washington educators bring economics and personal finance to life in K–12 classrooms. A former teacher, she’s passionate about supporting educators with practical, engaging, and standards-aligned resources. At CEFE, she leads professional development workshops, coordinates statewide initiatives like The Stock Market Game and the Washington Economics Symposium, and builds strong school and district partnerships.
Kelli received a Master’s in Education Policy and Leadership from the University of Washington in 2017 and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Missouri State University. She is deeply committed to expanding access to high-quality economic and financial education and brings a strategic, equity-centered approach to supporting educators and students across Washington. Outside of work, she enjoys rock climbing, international travel, hiking, and creating across various arts.