Our Team

Dan Roll

Co-founder of Talk Solutions

Dan Roll has been working with students, staff and families in Bay Area schools for over 15 years. As a young person in school, he struggled immensely both academically and behaviorally before ending up at a year round boarding school for high school – one which was based on Social Emotional Learning and Restorative Practices. During those years Dan learned how to truly connect to all types of people.  With the guidance of the faculty, he spent his time paying attention to and endeavoring to understand why people do what they do, and honing skills that were necessary for self-reflection and successful operation in the world.  Dan credits the invaluable interpersonal, conflict management, and problem solving skills he picked up in this unusual school for getting him through some extraordinarily difficult times in life, and helping him to find success during his adult life.  

After working in different countries around the world and founding and operating multiple successful but not ultimately satisfying businesses, Dan came to education. In 2009, in collaboration with his wife Julie, he founded a non-profit aimed at replicating the invaluable life lessons he had learned from his own experience, and with a goal of incorporating them into the public school model. This is how Talk Solutions was born.  

Mitch broxton

Mitchell Broxton has been an educator for over 25 years in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the state of California. In his current role, he serves as Chair of the Physical Education team at Pleasant Hill Middle school, in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Prior to his current position, Mitch served as a 4th grade classroom teacher in a Title I school in Concord, CA for almost 9 years. He also served as a 5th grade classroom teacher in the Moreno Valley Unified School District. Mitch has worked as a summer school instructor, directed after school programs and collaborated with various Parent/Teacher Associations.

Mitch is passionate about education and is committed to promoting educational opportunities for all students. He is skilled at creating inclusive academic spaces, and has training in mediation, diversity and inclusion, and restorative justice. Recognizing that there are various ways to connect with students, he also has coached numerous middle school and high school boys football programs, girls and boys flag football, and girls and boys basketball teams.

Mitch has served on the elementary level District Assessment Committee, high school level W.A.S.C. accreditation Vision, Culture and Leadership committee, and high school level W.A.S.C. accreditation committee in the areas of science and physical education. In addition, he has ancillary training in the following areas: ELD/SDAIE (English Language Development/Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English) AB 2913, GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Development), Systematic ELD, PLC (Professional Learning Communities), Math Leadership Training, Board Math, Step Up to Writing and Effective Communication Training.

Mitch earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, (and a Physical Activities Certificate) from University of California at Santa Barbara, a Master’s Degree in Education from Pepperdine University, a Master’s Degree of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and a Juris Doctor from Indiana University School of Law.

robin zahner

School Counselor, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist

Robin’s path into education is not a linear one, but one that has helped her find great meaning and appreciation for her career.  After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Electronic and Communication Arts from San Francisco State University, she began interning and working for local radio and television stations.  It was her brief work interviewing at-risk Bay Area students moving on to college that reminded her of her passion for working with kids as she had done throughout high school and college.  After living abroad for 6 months and working with elementary and middle school students there, she moved back to the Bay Area and began a Master’s program in Counseling.   

Robin earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling with an emphasis in School Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy from Saint Mary’s College of California.  She has worked as a School Counselor for 6 years helping to shape a counseling program for a district that had not had counselors for over a decade.   Building relationships and advocating for her students and families is at the core of her work.  This often includes empowering students to become more self-aware and confident, helping them with responsible decision making and supporting them with maintaining healthy relationships with positive communication.  Her goal is for every student to have an overall fulfilling school experience with a sense of purpose and belonging.  

When she is not working, her self-care routine includes outdoor exercise and spending time with her family, specifically her 8 nieces and nephews who consistently entertain and inspire her.

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