About Me

Teacher. Leader. Learner.

I see classrooms everywhere I go—from desks and whiteboards to kitchen tables and district boardrooms. For me, learning is an authentic exercise in turning inner contemplation into the clarity others deserve. At my core, I am a teacher who leads. My journey as a veteran of the high school classroom, a mother, a National Board Certified Teacher, and the 2010 National Teacher of the Year has evolved into a mission of leading learning at every level of the education system.

Whether I am preparing the next generation of educators in undergraduate programs, guiding veteran teachers through graduate-level studies, leading State Teachers of the Year, or partnering with school districts over many years, my work lives precisely where purposeful design meets teaching’s humanity. For me, the best work is the messy work. The kind that scoots up close to those doing it. I’m always looking for that intersection of practical ideas and deliberate practice that reminds us where the joy is found.