Educator
In my 25 years as an educator, I have worn many hats. I began my career as a middle grades teacher and after 13 years I moved to the role of school counselor. In that role, I have served as lead counselor, school testing coordinator and career development facilitator. However, throughout all of it, I have developed practices and strategies that enhance the lives of those I serve.
In my current role as Program Specialist for a large urban school district, I use data driven practices to enhance effectiveness. I am skilled at data analysis at local and district level. I am also an experienced mentor and coach to other educators on policy, protocol, and best practices. I stay up to date on changes at the state and district level and communicate those changes to the professionals that I serve.
Instructor
Although I have been a school counselor for over a decade, I am a teacher at heart! Moving into roles where I teach or train other educators has been very natural for me. I have had to train other educators on various topics; from testing procedures to student self-harm to trauma-informed practices.
I create content on my YouTube channel for my counseling colleagues to use with their students and I am at the beginning stages of creating a video blog and podcast, called My Counselor Friend.
I have also presented to my counseling colleagues at the Georgia School Counselors Association Conference. This year will make my third year presenting but my first presenting during mutiple sessions. I also plan to present at the ASCA (American School Counseling Association) Conference in 2023.
Leader/Mentor
It has been my pleasure to serve in multiple leadership positions throughout my career. My leadership philosophy is to lead by example. I believe that as leader, I should be the hardest worker on the team and the one who bears the responsibility for all. I believe there should be no task too small for me and as leader I must roll up my serves and "get dirty" with my staff.
However, I also believe in motivating and empowering my team to be their best and shine in their jobs. At this point in my career, I have mentored several young teachers and counselors and I feel very fortunate to have led these talented people to be great educators!
