Candidate for
Superintendent of School District; County of San Mateo

My career in public education spans 39 years of service to local school districts in San Mateo County. With a Bachelor's Degree in American Literature from Scripps College and a Master's Degree in Education from Stanford University, I was hired by Principal John Belforte in 1974 as a seventh grade language arts and social studies teacher at Abbott Middle School in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. While at Abbott I also taught drama, multimedia, creative writing, and served as the student council advisor.

Intrigued by middle school students and the challenges they face as they enter adolescence, I returned to school to work on a Master's Degree in Counseling at California State University at Hayward. I served as an intern counselor at Hillsdale High School in the San Mateo Union High School District and eventually returned to Abbott as a middle school counselor in 1981. I developed an award-winning school-wide advisement program and became active in the San Mateo Elementary Teachers Association (SMETA), serving as a member of the SMETA Negotiations Team for several years.

Encouraged by then Abbott Principal Bill Kramer, I returned to Cal. State Hayward to seek an administrative credential, and, with my newly minted credential in-hand, I became Abbott's assistant principal in 1988 where I was responsible for the school's day-to-day operations and also developed a school-wide discipline policy.

When the principal's position at Ralston Middle School in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District opened up, I applied and was selected. I served as Ralston's principal between July 1990 and July 1997. My main goal as Ralston's principal was to design a school program that met the unique needs of middle school students, using Caught in the Middle as a template. I worked together with the staff to develop and implement a restructuring of the instructional program, including the formation of grade-level interdisciplinary teaching teams and the implementation of an eight-period day with a diverse elective program.

With Superintendent Carol Worthington's decision to retire in July 1997, the Belmont-Redwood Shores School Board asked if I would serve as Superintendent. The community had just passed a school bond, and I took on the oversight of a multitude of bond projects, including the construction of Sandpiper School in Redwood Shores, the addition of a new gym and four science laboratories at Ralston, and modernization of facilities throughout the district. Because the bond dollars did not stretch quite as far as needed, I spearheaded a fund-raising campaign that brought in more than $3.5 million in donations and grants that were used for construction and technology. I also helped start School-Force, an educational foundation that continues to grow and thrive as it supports the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District.

As Superintendent, I also coordinated the district-wide development of curriculum standards and standards-based assessments, including a new standards-based report card, benchmark grade-level assessments, and assessment data analysis. In addition, I promoted an active outreach effort to the community through strategic planning, community forums, and electronic newsletters designed to communicate the great work being done by teachers and students in classrooms throughout Belmont-Redwood Shores. In recognition of these efforts, I received the Belmont Chamber of Commerce Award of Special Recognition.

Deciding it was time for a change and wanting again to work more closely with teachers and students, I applied to serve as superintendent in the Portola Valley School District. I was was appointed in August 2003 and served in this capacity until elected to the County Superintendent position in 2010. While in Portola Valley, I helped develop and then implement a bold and far-reaching strategic plan whose focus was educating students to confront the challenges posed by the 21st Century. During my time in Portola Valley we launched a variety of innovative initiatives as part of our strategic plan, including Investigative Learning, 1:1 laptop pilots, and assistive technology. During my tenure, Portola Valley Schools achieved California Distinguished School status and Corte Madera Middle School was named an NCLB Blue Ribbon School.

I have served as President of the San Mateo County Superintendents Association (2006-07) and as Chair of the San Mateo County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) Governing Board (2005-06, 2009-10). In 2006, I traveled to China as a member of a delegation of superintendents and school board members and got a chance to see the Chinese educational system in action.

In 2008 the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) honored my accomplishments as an educational leader by naming me Superintendent of the Year for Region 5, which spans both San Francisco and San Mateo Counties.

When I'm not busy with my professional duties, I serve on the Board of Trustees of Art-in-Action, a non-profit organization devoted to providing hands-on art instruction to K-12 students. I can often be found teaching preschoolers on Sunday mornings at the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto.

A devoted Stanford Women's Basketball fan, I also love to travel. My favorite escape destinations include the Oregon Coast and Maui. A recent travel highlight was a three-week trip to Africa with visits to Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

I live in Redwood City with my partner, Michelle, and my two daughters, Carson and Emma. I also have two grown children - Catherine, who is an anesthesiologist and lives in San Francisco with her husband, Dan, and Doug, who is an entrepreneur in Los Angeles. After a busy day at the office, I like nothing more than taking our Australian Cattle Dog, Bailey, to the park for an energetic game of Chuck It!