My first experience with NMS occurred in 2002 when my daughter became one of eight students in the newly developed Toddler Twos program at NMS preschool. Her time in the preschool was filled with joy and wonder. A few years later, she began playing the flute at NMS, and her younger brother soon followed in piano. As a first generation college graduate, I am particularly interested in nurturing safe, inclusive and equitable learning spaces for all students. Every space at NMS already embodies these characteristics, and I am excited to be a part of the NMS Board to further support its mission. I currently work at Yale's Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, supporting graduate students, post-docs, and faculty in their teaching; I am also a Lecturer in Yale's Education Studies program--supporting undergraduates on their pathway into teaching. Previously, I worked as the Project Director of the Stanford University Hollyhock Fellowship, a nationwide program for early-career teachers striving to improve the quality of their teaching and contribute to a reduction in teacher turnover. Before Stanford, I taught high school for 15 years, served as department chair, and was recognized for various teaching awards in Kansas City, Boston, and New Haven at Amistad High School. I earned my B.S. in secondary education at Kansas State University as a Presidential Scholar and my M.A. in English at the University of Kansas.
