Q: What were your school years like?
I grew up in Philadelphia’s Logan section and had great childhood experiences. I was a typical teenager and didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. But the lightbulb went on for me thanks to my English teacher, Mr. Smith. He made it fun. He told us Shakespeare was the greatest rapper who’d lived – when we were listening to Run DMC and LL Cool J – so that got my interest. So did the time he came into the classroom on a broomstick to talk about Macbeth. Reading and understanding works like Shakespeare’s gave me a lot of confidence. I also saw a lot of shows and plays at Temple University while in high school, and those opened up new worlds to me. I went on to be an English teacher myself.
Q: So, how did you go from the classroom to the school board room?
I had a lot of fun being a teacher and was very involved in the district I worked for – as an educator, a coach, a volunteer. My supervisor asked if I’d ever thought of becoming an assistant principal because what I was doing had a positive impact in so many ways. So I took a position as Dean of Students with the Manheim School District. My mentor there said I had all the characteristics of a superintendent, and here I am. I had a lot of people cheering me on. Now I want to do that for others and emulate the really good superintendents I’ve known – getting out of the office and talking to kids, mentoring students, encouraging teachers to be mentors as well. Relationships are really the foundation of helping kids succeed.
Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
That I meet so many people in the course of it in the community, in schools, at awards banquets or sporting events – everywhere. And they’re hopeful, the kids and adults. We’re in a challenging urban setting and stories of adversity choke me up, but we talk – about positive choices and leadership – and it’s heartwarming to see so many people working hard for our kids, for our community. My job is extremely rewarding. Though it can be hard, I liken it to a swan on a lake – a beautiful swan, so graceful on the water, but underneath it’s paddling like crazy. Let’s make the hard work look easy.
Q: What do you do for fun?
Oh, and since it's back-to-school time, should I ask what you did on your summer vacation? Two of my favorite things are music – all kinds, from pop to R&B to classical and jazz – and cooking. I like to experiment and create new dishes. I’ve been working with pizza dough and made a lump crab-topped pizza. It was a hit! I also like to do what I call ‘food hopping’ – trying different restaurants. Here in Berks County we have so many great options for dining. For my summer vacation, I went to West Palm Beach, Florida, to visit family, play golf and go deep-sea fishing. I love to get out on the water in a boat. I had my catch packaged and sent home so I can relive summer all the way into fall.
