My career spans more than 25 years in education. I taught high school English for two decades, then served as an English language specialist supporting P-12 multilingual learners and later a district-level English language development administrator, supporting teachers and school leaders. I currently design, develop, and teach online graduate literacy/TESOL courses and in-person undergraduate reading/composition classes.

I hold a PhD in literacy from St. John’s University in NYC; an MEd in TESOL from Regent University in Virginia Beach; and a BA in English, journalism and communications from Averett University, Danville, VA. 

My research interests are almost always where language, literacy, and culture intersect—especially in the areas of culturally responsive pedagogy, multiliteracies, teacher efficacy, language acquisition and connecting current research with classroom practices. My dissertation study investigated the culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy of secondary teachers during emergency online learning.

I have had the opportunity to present my work at state, national, and international conferences across the country, including the American Educational Research Association, TESOL International, and the Literacy Research Association. You can see more information regarding my professional work in my CV.