About Me

I am currently an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. I received my Ph.D. from the University of Washington (Seattle) in 2010 with a specialization in leadership, policy, and organizations. My research currently focuses on issues related to K-12 educational leadership. Broadly, my research explores how leaders develop capacity to effect positive changes in teaching and learning through the development of human resources and investment of fiscal resources. I focus my research on four independent strands of inquiry. First, I examine how administrators practice instructional leadership and supervision at the secondary level. I am particularly interested in the ways in which leaders respond to differences attributed to content areas and how their responses are reflected in the instructional feedback they provide to classroom teachers. Second, I study leadership coaching in pre-service and in-service settings. Within my research, I position coaching as a form of professional development and as a discreet leadership practice that can be linked to instructional leadership. I am particularly interested in how coaching can support, sustain, and create coherence within improvement activities. Third, I focus on school finance and fiscal leadership within K-12 school settings. I am particularly interested in the politics of resource allocation and leaders' efforts to manage and mitigate these politics as they strive to influence teaching and learning. Fourth, I write about research methods that are applicable to study of leadership and policy. I have published one co-authored research methods textbook and edited a research methods volume.