Background and Early Career:

I began my career in education as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow at Elon College. My first job was as a high school social studies teacher at Northwest Guilford. There I coached speech and debate and track and field and worked on my master’s degree in history in the evenings at UNC-Greensboro.  My classroom at Northwest was a “modular unit” [trailer] that sat out in the parking lot.  I’d spend hours every afternoon planning innovative lesson plans for my teenage students.  After much deliberation, I decided to pursue a PhD in education at UNC-Chapel Hill, merging my interest in history with my desire to improve education through innovative strategies and the integration of technology.  

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As a graduate assistant I had the opportunity to work with a group of experienced teachers as they conducted action research in their classrooms.  As they began the process of systematic and intentional reflection, they came alive. Their enthusiasm was palpable and they worked on projects to bring real change in their classrooms. Their work inspired me to learn more about action research and to find ways to bring the key characteristics of action research - reflection, observation, action and change - into all aspects of education

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Collaborators:

As a graduate student and, later, as a professor at NC State, the scope of my impact grew wider. I found in addition to impacting my students, I could impact my students’ students and beyond.  I began working with external organizations including UNC’s Documenting the American South, the NC Department of Public Instruction, the NC Museum of History, the National Science Foundation, and the Library of Congress to develop curriculum materials, grant proposals, professional development programs, and logic models and evaluation plans.  

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As part of APL, I get to work with an amazing team of researchers and evaluators.  They bring a range of expertise and experiences to this work.  To learn more about our team see: https://www.actioninprofessionallearning.com/team

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Benefits:

If you choose to work with APL, you will receive customized support.  First we will begin with systematic and intentional reflection about your goals. This may involve conducting a needs assessment to identify gaps between where you currently are and where you’d like to go.  Based on our findings, we will develop a step-by-step strategic plan and/or professional development plan.  If you are seeking support for a deeper evaluation of your programs, I will design a customized mixed methods evaluation plan for you. Going through the process of systematic and intentional reflection will result in stronger programming and improved outcomes. 

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Significance of the Magnolia:

At my undergraduate alma mater, Elon University, there is a grove of magnolia trees in the middle of campus that is astoundingly beautiful in the spring. Right before graduation, all the blooms appear and create a canopy of waxy green leaves and fragrant white flowers. As an undergraduate I loved to walk along this grove of trees.  Recently my family has planted four magnolia trees in our backyard to provide beautiful shade and screen. The magnolia symbolizes stability, integrity, perseverance, and, of course, beauty. This symbol has become even more poignant to me as a breast cancer survivor.  It is for these reasons that I chose the magnolia to convey APL’s core values.  ​​