Educator specializing in reading and writing, with experience teaching both children and adults; expertise in urban adolescent education. Pushcart Prize-winning personal essay writer, best-selling author of young adult novels. Exceptional writing, editing, technology and communication skills. Creative, strategic thinker, with organized follow-through.
2006-present: The School at Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
- Teaching middle school: Teach 7th grade English and advisory; taught 6th grade Humanities, 8th grade English
- Teaching adults: Provide writing workshops for educators at the Teach21 Institute; mentor associate English teachers; created and led faculty writing group
- Leadership: Chaired Faculty Reading Committee; co-chaired Faculty Writing Committee; served as grade-level coordinator; chaired and sat on numerous hiring committees
- Curriculum Design and Development: Co-wrote K-8 Literacy Scope and Sequence for the school; created and ran annual multi-day 8th grade writing retreat; created 7th and 8th grade independent reading programs; co-created the school’s multi-disciplinary 8th grade social action project
2014-present: Leaf and Pen, New York, N.Y.
- Founder and director of start-up that offers writing retreats and workshops for educators and students.
- For adults: Since 2014, we have run four-day writing retreats for educators.
- For high school students: For the past three years, we have provided coaching for students writing college essays.
2001-2006: The Computer School (M.S. 245), New York, N.Y.
- Teaching middle school: Taught 6/7th grade English Language Arts; 8th grade Humanities;
8th grade Creative Writing; 6th-8th grade Computers- Leadership: Served on admissions team, helping to select each incoming class of 6th graders
1989-1993: Teachers and Writers Collaborative, New York, N.Y.
- Teaching 2nd-6th graders: Taught creative writing workshops in the NYC public school system
- Teaching adults: Provided professional development in the teaching of writing to 2nd-6th grade teachers in the
NYC public school system
1999-2000: Vice President, Content/Editorial Director, zoggle.com, New York, N.Y.
- Conceptualized and launched major website for 13-18-year-olds
- Hired, trained and managed 15-person editorial staff and freelancers
- Developed and oversaw online community, including teen member-reporter program, message boards and chat
- Worked with design and technical teams to create front- and back-ends of site and oversaw user testing
- Identified opportunities for strategic alliances, promotions and contests
1995-1996: Editor in Chief, Her Online and Her Interactive, New York, N.Y and Albuquerque, N.M.
- Built the first commercial website for girls
- Conceptualized content and architecture; created, produced and HTML-coded content.
- Hired and oversaw staff and freelance team
1984-1995 and 1997-1999: Freelance writer/editor/producer
- Wrote 30 young adult novels
- Created, developed, produced, packaged and edited fiction series for numerous major publishers
- Created, produced, wrote and edited Web-based entertainment; provided content strategy, development and implementation
1981-1984: Editor, Books for Young Reader, Cloverdale Press, New York, N.Y.
- Developed fiction series, worked with authors, edited manuscripts, negotiated authors' contracts, wrote cover copy, supervised cover production, oversaw in-house and freelance staff
- Launched the best selling Sweet Valley High series
1980-1981: Scout and Foreign Rights Assistant, Writers House Literary Agency, New York, N.Y.
- Generated weekly scouting report for six foreign publishers, researched rights and marketing information, assisted in the sale of foreign rights on titles represented by this agency
- Evaluated manuscripts and proposals
Cambridge College, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2003: Master of Science in Education: Integrated Studies
Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio
1980: Bachelor of Arts: Comparative Literature
National Council of Teachers of English, annual convention, 2009
Institutes on Academic Diversity, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 2008
NAIS People of Color Conference, 2014
National Council of Teachers of English, annual convention, 2010-2014
Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts, summer session 2001
Google Glass Explorer, 2013
Chosen by Google as early adopter and experimenter for its wearable technology. Explored and blogged about educational uses for the device.
National Council of Teachers of English; Association of Writers and Writing Programs; International Literacy Association
English, Spanish, French
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