My Story

I am an Assistant Professor of Urban Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies at University of Massachusetts Boston. I earned a Ph.D. in Policy Studies in Urban Education and a Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment from the University of Illinois-Chicago, a Master of Science in Applied Sociology from Texas State University and my Bachelor of Arts in History degree from Wellesley College. 

My research interests are broadly focused on social justice and activism in educational settings. Since 2017, I have investigated justice-centered approaches to school leadership across the United States. My research has led to several published peer-reviewed articles and chapters, all listed on my CV. Through my research I attempt to highlight the ways that educational actors can resist, contest, and dismantle unjust policy toward emancipatory ends.

In addition to my research, I care very deeply about mentorship of students. As a first generation college-goer and the only academic in my family, I was incredibly fortunate to have a wonderful mentor in my advisor, Dr. Shelby Cosner. For the past several years, I have invested substantial time into mentoring graduate students within my own institutions and beyond in research and the academic job market. I've engaged in this mentorship through more formalized channels like the AERA Leadership for School Improvement SIG's Researcher Development Program, and less formalized channels like just working with students or integrating mentorship work into my courses. There is a hidden curriculum of academia that I believe it is all of our responsibility to unhide. 

Prior to coming to earning my doctorate, I conducted educational evaluations of PK-12 educational policies, interventions, and programs, primarily in Texas but also nationally. Although I’ve never been a classroom teacher or administrator, I have diverse experience working with children in educational settings. I have substitute taught in two school districts in Massachusetts, coached a high school debate team, served as a classroom reading coach and mentor in a Texas Title I school, and tutored several elementary and middle school students. 

While my job often ends up feeling like my whole life, I am more than a job! Outside of my work, I have a life that is, luckily, full of love and I try to have as much fun as possible with it (despite the doctorate thing, I don't take myself too seriously). I have a daughter who was born in early 2021, a husband, a dog, and lots of family and friends spread from coast to coast. See a few highlights here.