Biography

As a third-generation history teacher I’m super-excited to work and learn with Menlo students! I always love learning. Aside from my bachelor’s in political science from Carleton College I also received a certificate in theological studies from the Pacific School of Religion part of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, my teaching credential in Secondary Social Studies and English/Language Arts from San Francisco State University, and a Master’s in Law & Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. I am also national-board certified for Professional Teaching Standards in social studies-history.

Besides teaching history at public and independent schools since 2006 (of which the last eight years were in Menlo Park), I’ve also worked in international development while living in Jerusalem, Hong Kong, and Sana’a, Yemen. I’ve worked in politics at the state, local and national level running a congressional field campaign, staffing a national convention, interning on Capitol Hill, and even winning a small local elected office. I also studied archaeology in college working on digs in Belize, Spain, and San Francisco’s Presidio. My parents’  sabbaticals inspired me to pursue three study-abroad programs in college to Ireland (literature), Ghana (history), and China (political economy), then to travel on my own to 43 countries including Tibet, Iraq, and Burma/Myanmar.

I grew up in San Francisco where I still live with my spouse, three kids (age 9, 7 and 7), and a very small doggie. Teaching is my passion but in my free time I love cooking, exploring San Francisco history and curiosities, and hiking or playing with my kids.