As a native of Houston, I attended River Oaks Elementary School, The Kinkaid School and Lamar High School. I earned a B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of St. Thomas and M.Ed. from The University of Texas in Curriculum and Instruction with a special focus in English as a Second Language and G/T curriculum. After twenty-five years in education, I founded SCHOOL SOLUTIONS in Houston, Texas, in 2004 as the natural next step in the mission of my career - to help students become confident, competent learners who look forward to going to school.
My career includes fifteen years teaching in public and private schools and ten years in administration. My subject areas were English, history, Latin, world religions, and study skills – a course I co-wrote for Tyler ISD. I have the unique experience of having taught in both traditional and Montessori schools and to be the lead administrator in growing two new Episcopal high schools. At All Saints, Tyler, I was Director of Studies, establishing AP curriculum and the office of College Counseling. I became certified as a College Counselor thru a summer TACAC program at Rice University. I staffed the program for the first two years myself at both high schools. At St. Stephen's, I served as Director of Development and Admissions, and then High School Principal. I retired in 2003 to begin my consulting practice.
Since then, I have earned over 700 hours of professional growth in topics such as childhood and teen-age brain development, educational testing, preschool assessment, entrance tests such as the WPPSI, WISC, ISEE, SSAT, and OLSAT; technology in education and the impact of technology on children; education for the gifted and the 2E/ “twice-gifted learner”; executive functioning skills, dyslexia, dysgraphia, social skills, autism, non-verbal learning disability, ADHD, anxiety in children, gap year programs, student internships, special education law, assessment of school learning centers, and best practices in educational consulting.
In 2016, I was awarded the highest mark of distinction by my peers, the Certified Educational Planner and recertified in 2021. To reach this level, a consultant must pass a board certified examination, hold a master’s degree or equivalent, visit and evaluate a required number of schools annually, and demonstrate past and present commitment to professional development. As a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, for 18 years, I adhered to the IECA Principles of Good Practice. I do not take fees from schools for placing students. I represent families and students to schools with integrity, doing all work necessary to know that the student is a right fit for the schools I suggest. I have served as an Expert Witness in seven cases in three states to give my opinion about a right school for a child when parents could not agree.
