Born and raised in Australia, I taught and played with infants through school-age children for over a decade in various schools and programs before pursuing adult education. Prior to coming to the UNH in 2003 I spent 10 years on the faculty in Human Development at Pacific Oaks College, known for its anti-bias curriculum and support of children’s play.

My publications include Emergent Curriculum and chapters in The Hundred Languages of Children drawn from my research on the Reggio Emilia Approach from Italy. My writing focuses on the connections between young children in child care and the adult community. I hold a doctorate in early childhood from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and degrees in human development and elementary education. I hold a NH Director’s Credential (Level 4).

My spouse Shelly is a child therapist and I have a son at middle school and a daughter at college. At CSDC my contributions include the development of a professional and research-oriented staff, a deeper understanding of the impact of culture and diversity on everything that we do, and continued exploration of our inquiry-based early childhood education with children, their families and student-teachers.

Born in Taiwan but raised in the Southeast Asian countries of Thailand and Singapore, I came to the US in 1977 for my undergraduate studies, trying to decide what I want to be “when I grow up.” I stumbled into the field of early childhood education while at Michigan State University’s Lab Preschool Program, and have never left it since. Over the last 27 years, I have served in the capacities of preschool teacher, childcare program administrator, and as early childhood pre-service program placement coordinator, supervisor, and as instructor / faculty at the University of Houston, University of Maryland, University of Nebraska at Omaha, and presently, here at UNH since 2005.

My research and publications focus on the role of teachers in children’s developing conflict resolution skills and the translation of the principles of developmentally appropriate practice in curriculum design and implementation, including the role of educational technologies and anti-bias curriculum in early childhood education. The publication of the development of a self-study guide to support teachers in their implementation of culturally responsive curriculum is a recent example. At the CSDC, I continue to support teachers in their efforts to deepen their thinking about best practice for young children through self-study and classroom action research, and to be advocates for best practice through professional presentations and authorship.

I came to the Child Study and Development Center at UNH in 2006 and appreciate its mission focused on providing learning opportunities for children, staff and students. As the center manager at CSDC, I have focused on developing administrative systems, supervision of UNH students and staff, and facilitating the Special Rights component of our program. I hold a BS degree in art education from the University of Southern Maine, and a Master of Science degree in early childhood education from Wheelock College.

Early childhood care and education has been a passion of mine for over 30 years. I have worked as an early childhood teacher, center director, education coordinator, staff development manager and faculty member. My professional experiences have fostered my commitment to equity issues for children and families and the importance of family involvement in children’s care and education. I live in Nashua with my husband, Mark. We have two sons, Sam and Ben, who are attending college..

I came to the CSDC in 2005 from the Dover School District where I had worked for 5 years. I held positions at Horne Street School, Garrison Elementary School and the Professional Development Department so I was able to meet many people and learn a lot too. I have my Bachelors Degree in Organizational Management at Daniel Webster College and am pursuing a graduate degree in Counseling at Plymouth State University.

Our family lives in Strafford. I have two sons, Michael and Matthew and my husband, Dave. We share our home with our pets Scott, Pepper, Julep and Ophie. We enjoy spending time together biking, running, skiing, walking and spending time with family and friends.