About

I am a lifter of people. I am a source of positive progress. I am a transformer of systems.

We have an amazing ability to adapt and change when we are supported. I have seen and been a part of this in my many years in the public education systems of New York. I experienced these systems through the lens of teacher, interventionist, parent, instructional coach, Board of Education member, and administrator. Each new perspective allowed me to see the beauty and opportunity in public education but also the challenges that are deeply rooted in our systems’ foundations.

By sharing my journey and experiences, I hope to provide others with the information they seek to continue their own journey and move to a truly just system of public education that serves all.

My career began in the elementary classroom in Upstate NY. After a year in grade 1 I transitioned to grade 5, directed a few 5th grade plays and drove a Duck Boat on a field trip to Boston, MA. I completed my Literacy degree and took a job as an intervention/ AIS teacher in a different suburban elementary school. When that district moved the 5th graders to the Middle School building, I moved along with them and taught intervention in grades 5-8.

After 11 years in the suburban schools, I took an opportunity to become an instructional coach in a city school district, in a school with a reputation that preceded it in a very negative way. I’ll admit I didn’t know what exactly I was getting myself into but I knew it was a chance to grow and challenge myself as an educator. I spent 6 years there and came to know so many wonderful families, staff, and students. It is here where my leadership journey really took shape and I am eternally grateful to these people for the role they played in my learning.

As I continue to grow and learn, I see new opportunities around every corner to improve my practice and also that of so many more teachers and students through leadership, consulting and writing.

I currently reside on a postage stamp lot in a rural Upstate New York community with my college sweetheart, two fiercely independent daughters, two big goofy rescued dogs, and a sassy black cat.