Q: How long have you lived in the Oxford Area School District?

A: I have lived in Oxford for over 30 years. I attended Oxford from K-12 and graduated in 1998. I currently live in Elk Township with my husband (who also graduated from Oxford), our three kids, and our “farm” of animals.

Q: How have you been involved with the school district or its schools?

A: I have three kids, and two of them are school age—my oldest is in 4th grade and my middle child is in 2nd grade. I help as much as needed in their classrooms, but I’m also very active in their extracurricular activities. I coach soccer, lacrosse, and junior robotics, and I am a Girl Scout troop leader.

Q: Why are you seeking a seat on the Oxford School Board?

A: Having graduated from OAHS and now having young kids in the district, I want to make sure that decisions are being made with the future of Oxford schools in mind. I am the voice of a mother, a longtime Oxford resident, and a taxpayer. My background in education and my passion for quality education for all students make me an asset to the board.

Q: Can you tell us about your professional background?

A: Since graduating from Penn State in 2002, I’ve worked at the International Literacy Association (formerly the International Reading Association) in Newark, Delaware. When I started, I edited our scholarly journals and books on literacy research and strategies, but my current role is to develop professional development resources for educators, including e-courses, our annual conference program, and special grant-funded projects.

Q: What other qualifications, professional experiences, or service to the community should voters know about?

A: Although we focus specifically on literacy at ILA, I regularly read education-focused publications (like Education Week and NYT’s Education news) to stay current on new policies and trends in education. Not only am I on the planning committee for ILA’s annual conference, I also have the great privilege to attend other education organizations’ conferences.

Q: What would be some of your priorities if you were elected to the Oxford School Board?

A: My top priority is fiscal responsibility without sacrificing the diverse academic and extracurricular opportunities that currently exist. Another priority is to make schools a place where a love of learning is fostered. There is more to an education than just what is learned between the school bells, and there is more to a child (and the child’s teacher) than what is measured on an assessment.