I have my Ed.D. (Education Doctorate) in Educational Administration with specializations in Director of Special Education and Adult; Higher Education from the University of South Dakota, and my Master of Science in Special Education from Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM). I am a Master Trainer with Action Based Learning (ABL). I am also a Time to Teach Center for Teacher Effectiveness Trainer. I have been a special education (SPED) teacher at all grade levels PreK-12, a SPED Assessment Coordinator, an Assistant Professor at MSUM in teacher preparation (K-12 and Special Education), and Coordinator of all SPED Programming, the Director of Special Education and Director of Student Support Services at KIPP Houston, the Training & Curriculum Specialist for the U.S Army Reserve Family and Youth Enrichment Programs, and Curriculum Specialist / Assistant Director for Creative Learning Center an alternative school specializing in programming for PreK-12 students with a variety of needs not able to be addressed in a public school setting.

During my doctoral study, I reviewed and implemented research-based strategies measuring the effect of using movement-based instruction on academic learning as compared with seated learning opportunities. During my study in the field of SPED, I earned licensure in Emotional/Behavior Disorders (E/BD), Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), and Physical/Health Disabilities (P/HD). I was selected by the state of Minnesota to be a Teacher Mentor in the field of special education and have also spent eight years as a consultant for implementation of the Response to Intervention (RtI) model for Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas. Additionally, I am a trainer and certified coach for Teacher-Child Interactive Training (TCIT), which teaches teachers and children how to develop self-regulation and self-control skills.

My experiences encompass over twenty years of working with a variety of families and youth (birth-lifespan) with exceptionalities and diverse needs in public and charter school settings, communities (before and after school programs), consulting, and professing at the university level. I have extensive experience in working with positively impacting academic achievement, pedagogy and methodology, assessment, curriculum and instruction development, teaching behavior, due process, instructional technology and assistive technology. I also presented numerous times both at national and international venues and am the author of two eBooks: one on social-emotional learning and mindset and the other on personal health and wellness.