I am an Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations & Leadership within Old Dominion University’s Darden College of Education & Professional Studies. I earned a Master of Education in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment from 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. I see social justice work conducted by different stakeholders, including school leaders, students, teachers, community members, and researchers, as interconnected within an educational ecosystem. Within this ecosystem, social, economic, and environmental justice cannot be achieved (if it is possible to “achieve” justice) without the efforts of all stakeholders, who play unique but necessary roles.

While I am interested in learning more about how each of these groups works in the educational ecosystem, my research thus far has centered around school leaders. Since 2017, I have investigated equity-oriented forms of school leadership within and outside of Chicago. I have published multiple articles and chapters describing my research, all listed on my CV. My dissertation project examined the interplay between equity-oriented school leadership and school choice policy in seven marketized school districts across the U.S.