Candidate for Region C Director 

Candidate's Statement

My transition into Hillsborough County Public School’s district leadership has been an unexpected and organic one. After teaching high school science in urban schools in Virginia and Florida for 16 years, I genuinely planned to retire as a classroom teacher. Nevertheless, Lauren King, my former HCPS supervisor, asked me to join her district team for three years and I finally said ‘yes’! I started in my district leadership capacity as a 9-12 Science Instructional Coach in 2022 and was promoted to the 9-12 District Resource Teacher in 2023.

As a district leader, I have been afforded the opportunity to attend several national conferences this year, to include the NSELA Leadership Summit in Denver and the Leadership Institute in Seattle. I also applied to take a team to the Smithsonian Institute’s Diversity in STEM 2024 Summit. Our four-person team was accepted, and we attended the three-day Summit in Washington DC at Howard University. After attending the STEM Summit, I was asked to attend a “think tank” symposium with The Knowles Teacher Initiative. The reason I included each of these professional learning opportunities is to make the connection as to why I am pursuing a leadership position with NSELA. While attending EACH of these opportunities, conversations arose regarding underrepresentation of the Deep South at national conferences. Because I’ve always been an action-oriented educator, I kept saying, “Let’s not just talk about it, let’s be about it!” These questions led to numerous conversations with formal and informal science educators who have pledged their support of providing intentional and targeted STEM support to educators in the south. One such collaboration will result in a joint session at NSTA (New Orleans) that will include the Program Manager from the Smithsonian Science Education Center, the NSTA President, and myself.

The unintentional outcomes of each of these PL experiences this year have solidified my calling to provide intentional support to STEM educators in the south with particular attention to our BIPOC STEM educators. As an African American, female science teacher, I truly understand what it feels like to be “one of a few” who look like me. As a result, there isn’t always an instant sense of belonging and you’re sometimes hesitant to be proactive within a community where most don’t have similar shared experiences. I truly hope that I can be a servant leader within NSELA who can encourage all educators to participate in relevant PL opportunities, motivate our BIOPOC educators to connect to our collegial network that will provide a sense of belonging, and provide access to resources to improve instruction and build capacity of our science leaders. I am committed to working with the NSELA leadership team and its members to continue to push the organization forward so we can all work together towards providing equitable and accessible science opportunities for our teachers and ultimately our students.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

My heart work IS building community & creating equitable and inclusive experiences in diverse spaces. Promoting diversity starts with intentional representation. Representation begins with creating an inclusive village. I hope to represent as a woman of color as a symbol of NSELA's diversity goals and to be included because my lived experience, my professional experiences, and my passion for education.

I’ve worked with a team to create a network of STEM Teachers of Color (STEM TOC). The goal is to create a community of teachers who feel connected and valued. We are creating inclusive science spaces for teachers that includes identity and representation opportunities, invitations to PL, affinity groups, & community building. I hope to bring similar opportunities to NSELA. By partnering with experts in DEI, I hope to create opportunities for teachers in Region C to provide PL, where their voices and experiences are valued. I hope that representing NSELA will inspire other educators to share their experiences in their communities. I also plan to offer affinity groups at each NSELA conference to create a connected & inclusive space for from underrepresented voices.

Vision for NSELA

Building instructional leadership capacity with science department heads, curriculum writers, and other teacher leaders in my district has brought true joy to my role as a district leader in HCPS. My vision for advancing science education leadership will always be aligned with NSELA’s existing mission of providing high quality professional learning, a collegial network, access to research and resources, and provide a voice for leaders in education. It is my goal to enhance the existing structures and resources by bringing diverse perspectives to the NSELA board that will contribute to building leadership capacity. I hope to become a servant leader for the organization who works to serve the unique needs of our southern states. It is also my goal to advocate for and/or lead difficult conversations regarding the sometimes-difficult climate regarding education in the south.

It has been an honor and privilege to teach and represent as an African American, female, first-generation science educator in the south. Recognizing and understanding the additional burden of teachers of color in STEM education could serve as an asset to NSELA regarding advancing science education leadership.