About Me
Personal Bio
Hello all, I'm so glad you landed here!
I moved to Amesbury with my husband, Robert, in 2016. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Amesbury is a beautiful town, full of creative, friendly, and talented people. I love our library, the open spaces where we can walk, our downtown full of restaurants and unique shops, and of course - our schools and our children.
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I grew up in Newton, Massachusetts with my parents and two older sisters, and lived inside Rte 495 all my life. My travels for work and for fun have taken me all over the country and the world. I've visited schools and worked with educators from Finland to Kenya, Madagascar to San Francisco and scores of cities and towns in between. I've learned a lot about how inspiring schooling looks in different settings, and with abundant and scarce resources.
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I understand how tough decisions about our schools can divide a community. Decades ago, when our children were young, I led a successful Prop 2½ override, and a successful town vote to regionalize Maynard with Acton and Boxboro. These contentious issues split Maynard apart. Immediately following the votes, I began reconciliation efforts to bring our community back together. Now Amesbury is faced with similarly troubling challenges. I will continue to promote discussion where we can disagree without being disagreeable. If we can succeed at that, then Amesbury will be better off, no matter what side of the issues we are on.
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I love to garden although my back is less enthusiastic. Nevertheless, I’ve worked on growing a largely native patch and am a proud member of Amesbury Eco Gardeners (I hope you’ve enjoyed the Pollinator Playground Garden we planted this spring in the Town Park). I’m a pretty good baker, a slow-water paddler, and best of all – a grandmother to three little girls who crack me up and keep me on my toes. Our dog, 2 cats, and 3 chickens keep us in eggs, fur, and feathers.
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Professional Experience
Education Development Center was my professional home for 28 years until I retired in 2024. As Co-director of EDC’s STEM portfolio, I managed a team of 35-50 people, annual budgets of $30 -$45M, and founded the Coalition for Elementary Science, a partnership of EDC and science education leaders from across New England.
As a researcher/policy analyst I raised many millions of dollars to fund projects that tackle some of our most persistent challenges in education such as teacher turnover, effective strategies for supporting teachers, preparing principals to be effective education leaders, sustaining education reform, effective use of technology in the classroom, and engaging families in their children’s education.
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I received my doctorate in public policy from the Heller School, Brandeis, in 4 ½ years while working at EDC. I was 47 when I finished, our kids were in middle school, high school, and UMass Amherst. I’m a hard worker and a learner by nature, and I couldn’t have kept all those balls in the air without my husband's help.
I have worked alongside educators and academics, and tried to build bridges between the two. My goal has always been to generate knowledge that’s useful to educators, and policies and practices that will help them to do their best work.