I graduated in 1986 with a double major in Mathematics and Psychology from Benedictine College, Atchison, KS, USA. I would not trade my Liberal Arts background for anything–thank you B.C. and I am a proud Raven!
I began my formal journey in the discipline of education as a high school mathematics teacher in Kansas City, Missouri, USA in 1986 and in 1989 moved to Pittsburgh, PA where I completed Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Mathematics Education from the University of Pittsburgh while working in the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) for QUASAR and COMET, reform projects in middle school mathematics. I studied classroom interactions in hundreds of lessons and supported groups of teachers to reach their goals. Since the 90’s, I have worked extensively in the area of teacher and administrator development in the USA and I have co-authored with former colleagues four books on using case-based learning for mathematics teacher development. Upon completing my Doctorate in 2000, I moved to Lebanon and spent seven years as a full-time faculty member in the Education Department at the American University of Beirut (AUB) focusing mainly on elementary and mathematics education and teacher and leadership development. I directed the Science and Math Education Center (SMEC). I also co-chaired the steering committee for the establishment of the Prince Waleed bin Talal Abd el Aziz Center for American Studies and Research at AUB. In addition to my extensive work in Lebanon, I have consulted for teacher and administrator training, educational research development and school start-up projects across the region and beyond, including South Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Sharjah, Dubai and now China. I was the Founding Head of Wellspring Learning Community in Beirut, a non-sectarian International IB World School. I served that project for 7 years, seeing it through from inception and building renovation to IB-PYP Authorization and official candidacy for the MYP and DP programs. In 2013, I completed my diploma in Sustainable International School Governance from the European Council of International Schools. I also serve as an official IB-PYP consultant, and as a New School Services Design Manager for the IB, specializing in Leadership and New Coordinator Training. I was honored to be a featured speaker at TEDx Beirut 2012 and am an active participant in the local socio-educational change communities.
