Teacher Info

I began my career in education as a fourth grade teacher through Teach For America. Of the 89 TFA teachers in Louisiana at that time, I was selected by my regional director to be the focus of a cover story in the Baton Rouge Advocate in June 1992.

I have been a pediatric occupational therapist for the past 29 years, 25 here at Stony Brook. I am a member of the Phi Beta Kappa national honors society, and served as the president of the Alpha Pi chapter of the Phi Theta Epsilon national occupational therapy honors society. From 1997-2008, I had a private pediatric occupational therapy practice as part of the Morris Pediatric Therapy Group.

I initiated the Adult Active Volunteers in our Schools (AVIOS) program in the district in 2004 with the support of principals Mike McGovern and Dr. Peg McClusky. The Star Ledger reported on this program in June 2006, and the national occupational therapy journal OT Practice published an article on it in June 2007.

I have been the coach of the Positive Behavior Support in Schools (PBSIS) program since its inception at Stony Brook in 2012. I have presented on how to increase a school’s positive climate at the Morris County Anti-Bullying Workshop in March 2014, and I presented at the state-wide PBSIS coach networking conference in May 2014. Stony Brook has been given the distinction of a "Showcase School" by the NJ PBSIS directors. In addition, Stony Brook was the first elementary school in the state to have students represented in the School Climate Student Panel, for excellence in student involvement.

In the past few years my professional development has turned towards interactive apps that improve reading fluency and comprehension and foster inclusion. These instructional materials enable "Future Ready Read Alouds" where students at different reading levels can read aloud together. 

I am a contributing author for the ISTE (International Society of Technology in Education) publication "Gamify Literacy" and the Learning, Education, and Games publication "100 Games in the Classroom". I've been a guest author for District Administration,  The Education Digest, , EdSurge, NJEA Review, New Jersey Teachers Magazine, Classcraft, and Teched-Up Teacher. 

I have presented on digital game-based learning & literacy at the NJEA 2017 convention, Tomorrow's Classroom Today 2018, and the Future of Education Technology Conference 2019. I presented "Future Ready Read Alouds" at NJEA 2019 and NJECC 2020. I was selected to present at Serious Play Conference 2021 for "Best Learning Game Developed by a Teacher".