Hailing from Schenectady, New York, the invention place of (drum roll please) the broom, Charlene Parsons attended the School of Visual Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, and San Jose State University before finally obtained her BS in Geology from San Francisco State University. The next six years of her life were spent as a member of the Coastal and Marine Geology Team of the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California. As a Marine Sedimentologist, Charlene dedicated the majority of her professional career studying Hawaiian coral reefs and the Northern California coastline.

In January 2006 Charlene's life was turned upside down and inside out with the birth of her first daughter, Samara. She essentially spent the next 2 years on "Mommy Leave". Fascinated by how quickly a child's mind develops, Charlene discovered a passion for teaching. She spent those "Mommy Leave" years teaching Geology labs part-time at the Elementary institute of Science. In May of 2008, Samara was promoted to Big Sister status with the birth of her sister, Huxley Mei. Charlene then decided it was high time for her husband, Jason, to discover the joys of stay-at-home-fatherhood while she further pursued her passion for education here at High Tech High North County. She is very excited to tie her Marine Science background into her position as an Environmental Chemistry teacher.

When not teaching HTHNC students, Charlene can be found pondering over how to create more space in her home for the ever growing number of children's book she obsessively collects. Three times a week she can be found on roller skates and full safety gear hitting the rink with her Roller Derby team the Wine Town Rollers (her derby name is Polly Phos Fate). When not skating or teaching, Charlene can be found supporting her daughters love for the theater, doing whatever odd jobs needed to ensure the success of the most recent show (on occasion that even means dusting off her acting skills and getting up on stage herself). In the very little spare time she manages to find, Charlene reads like it's going out of style. She hopes to one day finish up her training in Kung Fu and finally get her black belt, and will always hold a special place in her heart for art incorporating both robots and donuts.