About Me
I was born in New York City. My parents worked very hard to move our family to the suburbs of New Jersey so that we could attend the very best public schools. My husband, George, and I moved to Carmel Valley so that we could do the same for our daughter.
I received my BA in Art from Wake Forest University. My California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential is from San Diego State University, as is my MA in Educational Technology.
Experience in Education
Prior to becoming a parent, I taught elementary school in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District for ten years. Currently, my primary role is raising our child, but I also work as an educational consultant, which includes lecturing for SDSU’s School of Teacher Education, providing professional development for teachers, and contributing to projects at the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education. I volunteer in the classroom at Ashley Falls Elementary School, where our daughter is entering first grade. I also serve there on the School Site Council, a group of parents and teachers that support the principal in developing and evaluating school improvement programs and school budgets. Additionally, I am a board member of the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation, an organization that raises funds to support science, technology, music, art, and physical education programs in our schools.
Why I'm Running
My primary commitment in life is to my daughter, and that entails working to ensure she has the best academic experience possible. Secondly, I am passionate about public education and I’ve spent my career thus far serving the needs of kids, their families, and their teachers and administrators. Recently, some of these needs have been neglected in our district. As we all look forward, I plan to:
- establish a positive vision for our schools, based on the values of our community, and grounded in measurable, long-range goals.
- adopt, evaluate, and modify policies objectively.
- understand the distinction between board and staff roles.
- operate in a transparent and trustworthy manner, ensuring accountability to the public.
As a school board member, my guiding principle will be to make each decision in the best interest of the children. In particular, I would like to increase the attention of the board to issues related directly to students and teaching. Our district’s performance on standardized tests is stellar, which gives us the freedom to fine tune our craft and give children skills that go beyond those required to pass multiple choice exams. I’d like to support our administrators and faculty in examining current research, comparing it to our current practices, and determining if there are areas in which we can improve. Our world is changing, and the 21st century poses new challenges for our students. Fluency in reading, writing, and computation alone will not be sufficient for success. We need to do more to promote creativity, problem solving, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, and intellectual autonomy. I would gather and consider the opinions of all our stakeholders in this area and collaborate with them to formulate clearly articulated and measurable educational goals that best serve the needs of our children.
Community Involvement
In addition to the activities described above, I am also member in the following organizations:
- Del Mar Carmel Valley Sharks (Assistant Coach)
- Salk Excellerators
- ChildFund International
- St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
- National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics
- Girl Scouts of America
- PTA
- Philip Hafaker Outstanding Student Teacher Award, San Diego State University
- Outstanding Classroom Mathematics Teacher, Greater San Diego Mathematics Council
