I am a Newton Ward 2 resident for the last 24 years. I am a parent, volunteer, professional and a member of the Newton School Committee since January, 2014.
As a school committee member, I serve as:
- A member of the city audit advisory committee
- Cabot School Building Committee
- Liaison to the Massachusetts Assoc. of School Committees
- Liaison to our state delegation on Beacon Hill
- Member of the policy update and review working group
- Member of the student assignment working group
Prior to my service on the school committee I served on school councils at Horace Mann, F.A. Day and Newton North.
As a professional I work as a consultant and independent contractor in fund development, planning, strategy and evaluation. I have extensive experience working with government funded and taxpayer funded organizations. I understand the challenges of constrained budgets, uncertain government funding, trades-offs, difficult choices and what it takes to make change in a large and complex organization like a school district. I know that change is hard and without help and support is rarely successful.
For the past several years I have worked with a whole school transformation organization which serves over 15,000 elementary and middle school students in school districts across Massachusetts. This experience keeps me up-to-date with state and national education policy as well as the latest research on teaching and leading in public schools. Other projects include: a high school science program developed and delivered by Harvard Medical School; one of the largest community health centers in the state co-located and partnering with a Dorchester charter school; a program that provides after school tutoring, college and career planning and wellness programs to high school students in Boston and Springfield; and a therapeutic recreation program serving special needs children and adults throughout northeastern Massachusetts.
I grew up in the Midwest, the child of teachers. My mother taught elementary public school music for 45 years and my father was a university professor. I hold a Bachelor of Music degree from Ball State University, Muncie, IN and have an MBA from D'Amore McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. My past work experience includes high tech public relations, development positions at WGBH and American Public Television, and arts management at the Boston Symphony.