I grew up in the Washington, D.C. Area and previously taught in Virginia and Alaska before moving to California in 2000. I earned degrees in education from Shepherd University, the College of William and Mary, and Concordia University, and earned my National Board Teacher Certification through the program at Stanford. I started in education in 1994 and have previous experiences in various roles in education including that of teacher, teacher coach, principal and director. In 2011, I was selected as an honoree at the White House for professional leadership as a National Board Certified Teacher.