About Me
I grew up in Scottsdale surrounded by all things education as a daughter and granddaughter of teachers. I knew from a young age I wanted to follow in my mom’s footsteps and be a teacher, even writing a “book” about what makes an effective teacher when I was five years old. I graduated summa cum laude from Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, with a degree in elementary education and an undergraduate thesis in the pedagogy of differentiated instruction. I obtained a job teaching in Scottsdale Unified School District and even spent some time teaching in Seattle Public Schools before taking time off to raise my four children. Over the course of my teaching career I taught students in kindergarten through eighth grade. I spent five of those years as a gifted coordinator and gifted teacher. I was awarded Scottsdale Charros Educator of the Year and Arizona Middle Level Association Middle Teacher of the Year. I also have earned two master’s degrees in education.
I have walked in your shoes as a parent to four unique, amazing children. Because each of my children are so different and their needs varied wildly, I had to become an expert at finding which school model worked best ranging from both ends of the education spectrum - from comprehensive gifted to the resource classroom. I was often asked by friends for my advice when it was time for their children to enter into the school system due to my background as an educator and mother. After many of these informal coffee house chats I was encouraged to turn my knowledge of the school system into a business which lead to the development of School Match.
I have chosen to focus on the greater Scottsdale and Paradise Valley area because I am an expert at knowing the schools in this part of the valley because this is where I choose to live. As an Arizona native who attended Scottsdale schools in elementary, middle, and high school, a former award winning Scottsdale Unified School District teacher, and a resident of Scottsdale I am well versed in the different program models and types of schools available. I have a particularly strong knowledge base in gifted and talented education in and around the Scottsdale area due to my experience as a gifted educator, but I am well versed in finding the right school for any child.
I look forward to working alongside you in order to find a school that your whole family feels excited to be at each day and aligns with the educational goals you have for your child.
