I received my Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Missouri - Columbia, my MSED in Elementary Education from D'Youville College in Buffalo, NY, and my Bachelors in Kinesiology from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

My research is situated in the field of science teacher education, particularly elementary teacher professional knowledge development. I am interested in understanding how engaging preservice and inservice teachers in high-leveraged teaching practices can result in them providing ambitious learning opportunities for their students. Also, how does a teacher's personal orientation, and the context in which they teach, both support and constrain teachers in accomplishing their instructional objectives. Lastly, considering the constraints identified, what supports can be offered by a variety of stakeholders (e.g., school administrators, teacher mentors, teacher education programs, etc.) to reduce or even eliminate these barriers.

I am also the faculty supervisor for the Saturday Science QUEST Program.