Work and Volunteer Experience
Pennsylvania PTA President-Elect
April 2015 – Present
Scheduled to serve as President of the Pennsylvania PTA from October 2017 – 2019.
Pennsylvania Education Policy Fellowship Program Fellow
September 2015 – June 2016
Program sponsored by the Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC).
Consolidated Federal Programs Review Monitor for the Pennsylvania Department of Education
February 2008 – Present
Performing Title I and Title III onsite and desk audit district monitoring, including Priority and Focus schools.
B Allen Consulting, LLC in Education
Parent Involvement in Education (PIE) Consultant
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
August 2008 – Present
Presenting workshops focused on the importance of the role of parents in their children’s education and achievement in public school settings.
Providing family engagement training and technical assistance to Pennsylvania school districts, and developing more effective parent involvement policies and practices.
Assessing and addressing compliance of ‘Elementary and Secondary Education (ESEA)’ parent involvement requirements.
Consistently reviewing the literature on parent/family involvement and engagement, focusing on “best practices” that support student learning and achievement.
A+ Schools Project Manager
Pittsburgh’s Community Alliance
Parent Engagement Initiative for Public Education
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
April 2005 – December 2007
Parent Advocate and Volunteer
Pennsylvania PTA Board of Managers: May 2010 – Present
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: July 1996 – Present
Volunteering at all levels: classroom, school, district, city, region, state, and national.
Developed an assessment tool and conducted interviews with parents citywide to determine their needs from teachers, administrators, schools, and the district.
Extensively reviewed and recorded the wide variety of existing parent focused programs, and organized a citywide community discussion about parent engagement.
Organized community advisory and parent working groups to address needs expressed by parents; brainstorming “best practice” based ideas and solutions for effective family engagement that increases student achievement.
Developed a concept paper for SPIRIT (Staff Parent Initiative Reforming Involvement Together), a professional development protocol for staff and administrators that would be in compliance with NCLB parent involvement requirements.
Education
Work towards an Ed.D. in Human Development, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts
(Completed all but dissertation)
Qualifying Paper Title: “Depression and Maternal Nurturance”
A.B. in Psychology and Social Relations, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 1975
Board of Directors / Commission Memberships
Diversity Films, Inc.
Mayor’s Commission on Public Education
Pittsburgh Council on Public Education
A+ Schools: Pittsburgh’s Community Alliance for Public Education
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA)
Activities and Committees
- PA Division of Federal Programs Committee of Practitioners (COP): 2004 to present
- Pennsylvania Strengthening Families Leadership Team
- PA Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program (Keystone to Opportunities) Guiding Coalition
- Family and Community Partnerships for Bullying Prevention Workgroup
- PA Standards Aligned System for Parent Involvement Development Committee
- Governor’s Institute for Parental Involvement Policy and Planning Committee
- Arts Education Collaborative (AEC) Advocacy and Standards Committee
- Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) Institute for Leadership in Education
- Pennsylvania Title I State Parent Advisory Council (SPAC)
- Member 2003 to 2008 & Chairperson 2003 to 2005
- Pittsburgh PAGE (local chapter of Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education)
- Vice President 2001 to 2006
- PIAA Parents’ Advisory Committee
- Co-Chair 2002 to 2004
- Pennsylvania Parent Information and Resource Center (PA PIRC) Advisory Committee
Grant Reading and Early Title I Monitoring
- Family Literacy Grant Reviewer: 2011
- Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Grant Reviewer: 2010
- Technical Assistance Team Leader for Sto-Rox School District (SD), Hazelton Area SD and Ferndale Area SD (and team member for North Allegheny SD) assessing parent involvement practices and compliance to NCLB requirements: 2006 to 2008
- Lancaster School District Title I State Monitoring Review Team Member: 2005
Conference Presentations and Television Appearances
- Pennsylvania Association of Federal Program Coordinators (PAFPC) Conferences
- Family Involvement Conferences
- Pennsylvania Department of Education Title I State Parent Conferences
- PA Office of Child Development & Early Learning Family Engagement Conference
- Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) Conferences
- Pennsylvania Improving School Performance (ISP) Conferences
- Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) Conferences
- National Coalition of ESEA Title I Parents Conferences
- National Title I Conference
- Pennsylvania Parent Leadership Academy (PLA) Trainer
- Panelist on PCNTV’s 9/12/13 “Focus on Education” show: Parents as Education Advocates
Awards
Pennsylvania State Parent Advisory Council: Distinguished Educator Award (2005)
Honorary Mention, 100 Most Influential People in Education in Western PA,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2004)
