Early Childhood Educator

I started formally working in early childhood in 2011. I worked as a teacher for three- and four-year-olds for an urban school district for three years and then was promoted to a Master teacher, serving as a model for high-quality early childhood educational practices. I taught at an online school district and an additional traditional school district as well.

Professional Learning Specialist

After years of successful classroom teaching, I was promoted to a position that entailed developing and facilitating pieces of training for educators in grades Pre-K through 3rd grade across a large urban city. In addition, I also did one-on-one and small group coaching with teachers working to improve their practice. I helped teachers with topics such as classroom management, teaching content outside, hands-on science, social studies, and culturally relevant teaching and classroom environments.

Higher Education Faculty Member

I have taught pre-service (future) teachers, current teachers, and other future professionals aspiring to work with children at multiple Universities and one community college district. Some of the courses that I have taught are: Play Creativity and Learning, Language and Literacy Acquisition, Diversity in Early Childhood Education, Teaching Diverse Learners, Play and Development in Early Childhood, Teaching Young Children, Child Guidance, and Advanced Studies in Play (a graduate course). I worked as an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, which continued my work to teach future teachers, as well as focused on early childhood education.

Non-Proft Executive

I currently serve as the Director of Early Learning at a regional planning organization. We are the Head Start grantee for a three county area, and serve early learning programs and homes throughout the region, helping to ensure that educators have what they need to facilitate quality learning experiences for young children. I formerly served as the Vice President of Early Education and Workforce Development at a local non-profit. In this role, I oversaw three programs that support early educators in various ways. In these roles, I am able to take my theoretical knowledge and understanding and have a direct impact on the field as I advocate for and help to foster the necessary components of an effective early learning system.

Scholar

I graduated in two years, with honors, from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in linguistics and a minor in African and African American Studies. I immediately started a Masters's program at The University of Texas at San Antonio in Early Childhood and Elementary Education with a specialization in Child Development. I then became a certified Early Childhood through 6th-grade teacher and began my career in education. In March of 2020, I successfully defended my dissertation entitled: Developing While Black: An Exploration of Racial Discourse found in the Play of Black Preschool Girls to complete a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching with a cognate in Early Childhood Education. I am also a published researcher and use my research as a form of activism, to help create a more just society. You can see some of my publications, by going to the publications page of this website.