I am currently serving as an Adjunct Instructor in the Graduate Degree Program for Teaching English as a Second Language at UAB. Previously I was an Assistant Professor in the Reading program for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at UAB. My responsibilities included the teaching of graduate reading courses in the reading program and the Master's Program for Teaching ESL. Another major responsibility was grant writing.
Prior to joining the UAB faculty, I worked for Shelby County Schools as an ESL Resource Teacher where I taught a Toyota Family Literacy class for immigrant parents. I also wrote grants for the ESL department to support three Toyota family literacy classes and summer camp for ESL students. I love working with immigrant families because I know family literacy makes a difference in the lives of students and their families. I firmly believe that one of the most successful methods of addressing Alabama's high school drop-out rate is through family involvement in education.
For almost 30 years, I have been engaged in education at every level from preschool to university. Other than my current position at UAB and my former position with the Shelby County Schools, my favorite teaching positions included being a K-8 reading teacher for 12 years, and designing, implementing, and directing a Schoolwide Enrichment program for students in grades K-5.
After graduating from college, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Antigua. For two years, I taught reading to struggling readers in grades 3-5 and worked with the University of the West Indies Extra-Mural Department teaching English to school-leavers. That experience remains one of the highlights of my life.
My educational background includes a BS in Secondary Education with a major in history from Auburn University, an MA in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a PhD in Educational Leadership with a double major in Reading and ESL (joint degree from the University of Alabama and UAB). I received an Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation award from UAB, the Herbert M. Handley Dissertation Award from Mid-South Educational Research Association, and I was a Finalist for National Family Literacy Teacher of the Year (2009).
I am married to Richard and have two sons, Jeff and John, and an adorable grandson, William. I enjoy reading first and foremost, hiking, bicycling, and cooking. However, my greatest passion is education in Alabama.
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