One of four children, I was born in a small town in upstate New York, started school at P.S. 144 in Forest Hills, Queens, spent most of my formative years in the San Fernando Valley of California, went to high school in Palo Alto, Calif., and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the University of South Florida.

For many years, I was a professional journalist, working my way up from proofreader and editorial assistant to reporter and ultimately to editor-in-chief of a weekly community newspaper. Although I enjoyed the newspaper business – I had the opportunity to meet fascinating people, explore important issues, and indulge my (and others’) curiosity – eventually the time came for a change, and so I returned to school to earn my Master of Science degree in education from the University of Bridgeport.

I have always loved school and believe it should be a joyful place where every child’s God-given gifts are celebrated and developed. It should be a place of discovery and empowerment, where students gain the knowledge and skills to do not only what they need to do but also what they want to do in life.

Education/Certification:

• B.A. English (University of South Florida)
• M.S. Education, (University of Bridgeport, Connecticut)
• Professional Educator K-6
• Virtus (Safe Environments) Training

Professional Experience:

• 23 years as a journalist
• 2 years as a permanent building substitute and long-term substitute in a Fairfield public school
• 3 years as a substitute teacher for the Fairfield Public Schools in pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5
• 6 summers as a special education paraprofessional in language arts for the Fairfield Public Schools
• Catholic school teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas since 2014