What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?

There are three primary experiences that have prepared me to be an effective member of the Board of Education. 

First, in my professional life, I am an associate professor at Saint Louis University and hold a PhD from Princeton University. In my work life, I spend a lot of time teaching and researching American history and culture. I also spend a lot of time creating spaces for people--students, staff, faculty, and others--to achieve their potential and build knowledge together. In addition to my work in classrooms, teaching introductory and advanced topics, I have more than a decade of experience participating in and leading professional committees, each of which has required sharing expertise, deliberating solutions, and subordinating individual ambitions to the good of the whole. I also direct a research center at SLU that I founded with external funding from a private foundation and have nearly ten years experience with grantwriting, donor relations, and managing a complex budget.

Second, I have been part of this community for thirteen years and am invested in its future far beyond my own children’s graduation. I've lived in the district since 2013, both in Maplewood and in Richmond Heights, and my kids have been in MRH schools from the ECC to high school. When my kids were young, I wasn’t as involved in the social life of MRH schools as other parents were, largely due to my own extensive teaching load and campus responsibilities. During these years I leaned heavily on after-school programs, the generosity of neighbors, and the investment teachers had in my kids’ success both in and outside of the classroom. As my kids got older, and my career was more established, I was able to volunteer more of my time to the community as a field trip chaperone and MRHYS coach, then later as a Capstone judge, parent volunteer, and participant in the Booster Club. It has never been much, but I’ve done what I could to give back even a fraction to MRH what this community has given to me. And I’ve learned in every step of this journey what it takes to build community, day in and day out, whether I’m a taker or a giver, whether we agree or not.

Third, even though I am currently employed by a private university, I am a product of public schools and am committed to protecting them for current and future generations. I attended public schools from Kindergarten through college. I understand how essential public education is to the health of our democracy and to the flourishing of our local communities, especially as public education faces dire challenges in state and federal legislation. As the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of public educators, by the time I came along multiple generations of my family had benefited from the opportunities of public education. And throughout my girlhood, they taught me the responsibilities that came with these benefits. Those lessons have stayed with me as I have raised my own children to value their education not only as an instrument of personal advancement but as a part of creating and sustaining a just society. I think my experiences as an educator, university administrator, parent, product of public education, and neighbor all matter as I seek out this opportunity to serve my community.