My Background

I grew up on a poultry farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, United States. My sister and two brothers had a childhood of great freedom and adventure. We participated in gifted programs as children and had aspirations to be a famous writer. I was also very good at math and science as was encouraged to pursue this area. I attended the University of North Carolina: Chapel Hill to study psychology and completed a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Virginia. 

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I taught courses in gifted education for James Madison University and then taught psychology at Bridgewater College. My applied work was in gifted education and I held leadership positions in NAGC and AERA. My scholarly work includes 12 peer-reviewed articles, six textbook chapters, one edited textbook, and over 50 conference presentations. My work has been cited over 430 times. I enjoyed helping people understand research and statistics.

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I have two adult children who are both awesome. My work in gifted education came in handy particularly with motivation, navigating teaching challenges, balancing intellectual and spiritual lives, sensitivity, and working through my own growth as a parent. 

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In 2025 I decided to leave academia and pursue a career in writing and consulting. In a very real way, I am returning to my first love: creative writing. I am writing a book blending stories of my Appalachian childhood with positive psychology tentatively entitled, HILLBILLY RISING.

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