Projects & Initiatives
Policy Leadership
President, 2024–Present · Member since 2006
A consortium of higher education leaders from Schools and Departments of Education across Pennsylvania. As President, I facilitate the network and its ongoing engagement with key policy issues related to teacher quality and the teacher workforce, including sustained dialogue with state officials and institutional leaders across the Commonwealth.
Policy Advisory · Spring–Summer 2026
Appointed, 2026
Appointed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality to co-lead the advisory committee charged with updating program framework guidelines for the Skills for Teacher Leaders Endorsement, contributing to the state-level standards shaping teacher leadership competencies across Pennsylvania.
Fellowship
Fellow & Designer, 2025–Present
Bill Strickland founded the Strickland Global Leadership Institute to support and expand a network of vocational training and cultural enrichment centers across the United States and around the world. As a Fellow and Designer, I am part of the inaugural cohort — contributing to the work of training social innovators and helping carry forward a vision grounded in beauty, opportunity, and the belief that education can reach those most overlooked by traditional systems.
Visit SGLI ↗Community & Arts
Executive Board Member, 2014–Present
A nonprofit in Sharon, Pennsylvania focused on free adult vocational education and youth arts programming. I have been part of this organization since its founding, contributing to strategic planning, programming, fundraising, and organizational growth — and have had the privilege of watching it become a model for community transformation through education and the arts.
Visit Hope Center ↗Regional Partnerships
Ongoing
Using the Education Department's resources to serve as a strong partner to educational organizations across the region. Current partnerships include hosting Northwestern Pennsylvania superintendents, professional development opportunities with the Midwestern Intermediate Unit, and co-hosting the Pennsylvania branch of the International Dyslexia Association's annual conference.
Grant Initiative
Co-PI and Project Director for a regional initiative to improve early care and education across Lawrence, Mercer, Butler, and Venango Counties.
STEM Partnership
Co-directed a project bringing MIT graduate students to rural school systems in Mercer and Lawrence Counties, with Women in STEM events hosted on campus — connecting students who rarely see themselves in science with people who have found their way there.
Inclusion Grant
PI and Project Director for over $100,000 in funded undergraduate service initiatives focused on community inclusion, embedding inclusion practice into the curriculum as a lived experience rather than an abstract value.
Systems Design
Participated in a systems design benchmarking project examining how high-performing education systems are designed and what lessons they offer for local practice.
Community Initiative
Lead community facilitator of a regional economic development and social innovation initiative, bringing together diverse stakeholders to work toward a more robust and thriving local community.
School Board Leadership
A University of Pittsburgh School of Education initiative focused on building regional educational capacity through shared governance among school district administrative teams and school directors.
Grant Initiative
Lead administrator for grant initiatives through the Early Education Center focused on improved early childhood outcomes.
Philanthropy in Education
Award recipient for developing service-learning pass-through grant projects as part of the curriculum, creating pathways for students to engage directly in community-based work.
Scholarship & Funding
Developed donor-funded scholarship initiatives in collaboration with faculty to support students in the Education Department and recognize emerging leaders in the field.
Grant Initiative
Facilitated departmental grant and donor-funded projects in collaboration with faculty, expanding resources and opportunity for students and community partners alike.
Grant Reviewer
Served as a grant reviewer for the National 21st Century Community Learning Center program, evaluating proposals for out-of-school-time and community learning initiatives.
Governor's Appointment
Appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania as the sole faculty representative on the Advisory Commission on Postsecondary Education, focusing on access and affordability of higher education across the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Contributed to the development of a new, streamlined PDE 430 Reporting Form for teacher preparation programs across the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Contributed policy recommendations focused on promoting pathways into the teaching profession and addressing teacher shortages across Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Contributed to the development of advisory guidelines for preservice teacher preparation programs and PreK–12 educational agencies related to teacher competencies in culturally relevant and sustaining education.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
One of three faculty representatives from higher education working with K–12 leaders, policy experts, and consultants on the development of middle level certification guidelines and framework.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Invited to provide expert testimony to the House Education Committee in partnership with the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, focusing on teacher preparation policy and practice.
Grant Review
Served as a grant reader for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, evaluating proposals for teacher and principal leadership initiatives.
Current
Past