Education has always been a passion and an interest of mine. From a young age working in the family’s cabinetry business and on to an adult working in higher education, I was taught to work hard, to value education, to be a lifelong and reflective learner, and to keep an open mind. I endeavor to instill these same values in my students.
I obtained an Associate of Arts and Sciences from John Tyler Community College in 2002, a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005, a Master of Education in Teaching & Learning from Liberty University in 2010, and an Education Specialist in Teaching & Learning from Liberty University in 2011. I earned a Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction from Liberty University in 2013. I am a licensed teacher in the state of Virginia with an endorsement in Biology.
I began teaching in 2006 at Piedmont Alternative School in Jetersville, Virginia. At PAS, I taught grades 5-12 science. In 2007, I accepted a position at Dinwiddie High School where I taught 10th grade Biology and 11th-12th grade Ecology for six years. At DHS, I was a Student Organization for Developing Student Attitudes (SODA) sponsor and served as the school sponsor of the Science Club from 2009-2012. I am proud to say that the Science Club was one (if not “the”) largest student club at DHS, reaching approximately 90 members consistently over the 3 years that I was given the opportunity to sponsor! I have participated in several school activities, such as the Junior Ring Ceremony, in-school SOL remediation, and after-school SOL remediation. I also served on multiple committees, including the Attendance Committee, Curriculum Review Team, and co-chairing the Graduation Committee. I engaged in curriculum writing for Biology (general education) and Life Sciences (exceptional education). In addition, I had the opportunity to engage in curriculum writing at Hamilton Holmes Middle School in King William County, Virginia.
After six years of teaching in Dinwiddie County, I moved to Northern Virginia and was a 9th Grade Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) teacher and Biology teacher (Standard and Honors Level) at J.E.B. Stuart High School (now Justice High School) in Falls Church, Virginia. I also served as the Team Lead for the Biology Cooperative Learning Team (CLT) and as a Middle Years Program (MYP) mentor. In the meantime, I was also an Adjunct Professor at Virginia International University (VIU) where I taught graduate courses in the Master of Education program and the TESOL program and served on the School of Education Curriculum Team.
In addition to my work as an Adjunct Professor at VIU, I served as the Education Coordinator/VISTA Curriculum Specialist at George Mason University (GMU). The Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA) project was funded by a $34 million Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) grant. Through my duties at VISTA, I had the pleasure of supporting elementary and secondary teachers in planning and implementing inquiry-based curricula and in developing and implementing mentor/coach professional development activities, monitoring and supervising coaches, assisting with various VISTA planning and implementation activities, and secondary science teacher methods coursework.
In April 2014, I accepted a position as a Professor in the School of Education at Virginia International University. At VIU, I worked on curriculum design and development for face-to-face and online courses as well as taught in the Master of Education program. At VIU, I had the opportunity to be heavily involved in the exciting and fulfilling development of the Master of Education program to ensure a high quality experience for pre-service teachers that ensured alignment with national, regional, and state teacher education programs. I left VIU to pursue a tenure-track position at the University of the District of Columbia in 2015.
Since 2015, I have served as faculty at the University of the District of Columbia, an HBCU, the only public university in Washington, D.C., and the only urban land grant university in the U.S. Currently a tenured Associate Professor of Science Education, I design and teach early education, elementary, and secondary education courses for both the undergraduate and graduate education programs.
I am very active in serving the DC community, with a specific passion of mine being equitable representation of women and minoritized populations in STEM. To that end, I was PI on a National Science Foundation (NSF) HBCU-UP Broadening Participation Research grant (Award #1717082). As a result of this project (Co-PIs Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw, University of Memphis and Ayana Conway, Virginia State University), my co-researchers and I developed, implemented, and tested online modules for training peer mentors, and pairing them with undergraduate mentees to increase self-efficacy, interest, and intent to persist in STEM degree programs and careers. As an 
extension to that project, I also served as PI on another NSF HBCU-UP Broadening Participation Research grant (Award #1912205), which is a collaboration between Bethune-Cookman University (Co-PI Vivian Jones) and the University of Memphis (Former Co-PI Amanda Rockinson-Szapkiw). For the extension, the team developed, implemented, and tested online modules for training peer mentees, with a focus on interest in STEM, belonging in STEM, identity in STEM, and persistence in STEM. As a result the eSTEM Peer Mentoring Program was born. You can find more information on the eSTEM Peer Mentoring Program here.
At UDC, I also serve as the College of Arts and Sciences representative on the UDC Internal Research Council and on the Institutional Review Board (IRB). I am active in the broader community as well, having served on the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) State Science Leadership Team.
Simultaneously, I serve as Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Liberty University where I teach in the graduate and doctoral education programs (EdS, EdD, and PhD). In my role at Liberty, I also serve as Subject Matter Expert (SME) for EDUC 798 Advanced Research and Writing and for EDUC 540 Historical Perspectives in Urban Education where I lead and provide support to other online faculty teaching the course to ensure a seamless, consistent, and relevant experience for students.
In my personal time, I am an avid reader, love writing, and enjoy spending time with family and friends. I enjoy outdoor activities. Nature and regular rest are cornerstones of my daily routine. I am an advocate for self-care and maintaining a productive work/life balance.