Personal Background

I graduated from Lake Oswego High School and then went to Whitman College where I earned a Master of Science in Biology. I began my work life as a research assistant at the Primate Center. I worked there for two years before starting a family. I stayed home with my two young children for seven years, and I began my first involvement with education working in a parent cooperative preschool. When a divorce forced me back into the labor market, I realized that I much preferred the active classroom to the lonely lab. I taught in a cooperative preschool for three years while taking the courses that I needed for a teaching certificate. I taught kindergarten and then first and second grade for 20 years in Portland Public Schools. During that time, I married, had a child, and received an MA in Early Childhood Development. After retirement, I did some substitute teaching and worked part-time as a supervisor of Student Teachers at Lewis and Clark Graduate School of Education. I also volunteered as a tour leader at the Portland Art Museum. Covid put a stop to my involvement in teaching activities. I now have the time and interest to devote to the School Board.