Community-centered learning and working.
Obsessed from a young age with how people learn and grow in collectives of all sizes, I have spent my career (and much of my free time) figuring out what holds groups of people back from reaching their shared goals. I partner with schools, districts, healthcare systems, faith leaders, community-based organizations and companies that strive to empower people to do their best work together.
Raised in a diverse, working-class suburb of Los Angeles, I have called New York City my “adulthood hometown” for twenty years. Mt degrees in political science and education shape my view that the systems we learn and work in determine the quality of what we do. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Urban Education at City University of New York, and my research interests include how families and communities shape public schools. As both a realist and an optimist, I believe we can affect positive change in every system so long as we recognize others for their brilliance and unique lived experiences.
Warmth, humor, nerdiness.
Most of my work requires me to push people out of their comfort zone. Still, I recognize that we’re all doing life for the first time. I work with grace, warmth, and respectful humor to help communities recognize their strengths and build their muscle for taking on knotty challenges. My methods are based in my keen interest in research-backed scholarship.
My approach