Leadership Built on Trust and Teamwork
What Brought Me Here
I became a building representative in the footsteps of my mentor and quickly saw how the Association gave members the chance to advocate, to lead, and to make real change without leaving the classroom. From the beginning, I believed membership meant more than paying dues. It meant being involved.
That belief led me to launch the Back to Basics campaign. Salaries were stagnant, expectations were too high, and educators were being stretched too thin. Our goal was simple: just do the job as described with no extras or unpaid activities. With over 80 percent participation, we organized, stood together, and showed the community how much we do every day. We made a difference. From that campaign came a reminder that work to rule is not a weapon for budget season, but the right of every member to exercise as they see fit.
The merger of the certified and non-certified associations, carried forward by the Board of Directors with broad support, gave us the unified strength to keep winning important victories. It also underscored that our Association’s success comes from collective action, not any one individual. Leadership is both trust and teamwork, and our greatest successes come when we honor that truth together.
When COVID hit, I stepped away to care for my father during his battle with cancer, and soon after my young daughter Eleanor was diagnosed with cancer. I became her full-time caregiver, moving into the hospital with her. During that time, I worked remotely as an analyst on a weapons program, but my heart never left education. When Eleanor went into remission, I returned to education because I never wanted to leave.
Today, I see an Association that has changed because of difficult years and significant challenges. That is why I agreed when Dwayne Hancock asked me to run for president with him as vice president. We have worked side by side in the past and know what we can accomplish as a team. Together we bring the skill, the vision, and the plan to move the Association forward.