Professor and Dean, School of Education; Director, MAT Program
I am currently Dean of the School of Education, Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching program, and a professor in our Education Studies Minor. An overarching goal of my professional work is to heighten appreciation for the complexity of teachers’ work--as well as to encourage close attention to the nuances of student learning in classrooms. A primary area of interest is literacy development at both elementary and secondary levels. I teach courses related to curriculum and instruction, with specialization in English/language arts and adolescent literacies and identities. At Puget Sound, I have helped to design school-university partnerships, researched teacher mentoring practices, and recently have studied reflection practices among pre-service teachers as well as alternative methods of student teaching.
I grew up in Seattle, and much of my family lives in the Northwest. I studied in the Bay Area before moving to Chicago, where I received my teaching degree. I taught primarily English/language arts for more than 12 years, in both urban and suburban high school settings in Illinois and Washington, before coming to University of Puget Sound in 2000. I’m married with two kids, grown now, both of whom attended Tacoma schools. I’ve played soccer for more than 40 years and still coach and play occasionally.