Hello. Please permit me to introduce myself. I grew up in western New York State and attended Taylor University in Indiana for my undergraduate degree in geography & social studies. Following graduation, I taught social studies classes in Cocoa, FL for a year and a half and in Mansfield, OH for three years. From teaching I moved to private industry in telecommunications in positions of sales, product manager, and regulatory policy. During this time I returned to school at Ashland University (OH) for an MBA.  After transferring from OH to KS, I later enrolled at the University of Kansas, earning a graduate degree in reading instruction and continued on to earn a PhD in TESOL. I have held adjunct faculty positions at Ashland University, University of Kansas, and University of Virginia.

This is my 13^th year as a faculty member at Southwest Middle School teaching English as a second language. It is a very rewarding field in helping equip students with language skills which allows them to achieve their academic and personal goals. Getting to know the families, which come from all parts of the world, is also a plus about the job.