State Department Representative

Partnership: Building a member-focused community is the heart of CSTA. In my Board role as State Dept. Representative, I have been a leader in fostering an engaged national community of CS Supervisors with our partners at Code.org. I hope to continue to nurture the community through our quarterly meetings, PD & resource sharing, & the network that we all have built together. Growth: I’ve had the privilege to watch the growth of CSTA in membership, financial stability, PD offerings, & organizational strategies to strengthen our members. I hope to continue serving the team in this role & contribute to the growth of the individual members. Support: of and for the CS community is vital for its overall health & stability. I have supported the national CSTA efforts to bring a sharper focus on equity & diversity by serving on the elections and policy committees. Supporting teachers as they advocate for CS education & continuing to build relationships is what I am most passionate about.

I have a vast array of leadership skills and experience that I do, and can, bring to the Board that I have developed over the years. I have been a HS CS classroom teacher and leader for over 11 years lending expertise to state standards writing, district initiatives & legislative advocacy, peer-to-peer coaching, and equity & diversity projects that have now become a standard each year in the Clark County School District where I taught. Prior to teaching, I worked in the computing industry as a programmer and business consultant. In my current state department role, I help lead CS initiatives with team members in the state, assist with state standards development, design policy and regulatory language to support CS, and am a key member of the AI Alliance of Nevada to ensure CS is part of that conversation and guidance. I am also a university adjunct professor where I instruct in-service K-12 teachers in the coursework and knowledge they need to receive their CS endorsement.

Every child in the nation & world deserves equitable access to CS education. I am fortunate to have like minded individuals around me globally that help move this vision forward. We need diverse perspectives to prevent biased consequences in policy, practice, & prejudicial decisions, and in the development of present & future computational artifacts. I support efforts that our districts have initiated into policy, like the inclusion of CS on all student elementary report cards. We analyze CS data regularly to ensure targeted efforts & resources are provided for typically marginalized students. I work with our licensing office to streamline efforts toward a diverse CS teacher workforce so our students see themselves in computing. I work with other talented individuals to train administrators to remove barriers of race in our educational system & bridge gaps that have prevented females & diverse folks from reaching their full potential and qualifying for jobs previously unattainable.

I was a founding member of our Silver State CSTA chapter & now serve as our policy liaison. I am also currently serving as the national Board of Directors State Representative. I have had the privilege of attending and presenting multiple times at the CSTA national conference on the standards resources & toolkit that our team developed to support CS teachers, administrators, & coaches. I am a volunteer on several committees: standards resource development, policy, State CS Supervisors community, national conference committee, contributed to the CSTA Voice, & participate in webinars & mini-conferences when possible. I actively participate in Board discussions to provide my input & perspective from a state leader position. I am also serving as the Board lead on the Strategic Planning committee as we plan for the next three years as an organization. Lastly, I am a member of the Reimagining CS Pathways Project development team & actively participate & support broadening CS wherever I can.

As a CS leader at the MN Department of Education, I believe educators are change agents. I am eager to contribute to the CSTA board as a voice for CS educators at all levels. If given the opportunity to serve on the board, I am committed to engaging DOE leaders in CSTA initiatives, including enhancing CSTA’s focus on equity and sustainability within state plans for CSed. My vision includes expanding CSTA initiatives for CS coaching, mentoring, and sponsorship programs for educators at all levels. I also propose a strategic lens for scaling equity-focused PD through CSTA channels, ensuring widespread access to valuable resources. Additionally, I propose establishing an internal, peer-led, and equity-focused PLC within the CSTA team. This goal-setting PLC could foster reflection, sharing, accountability, and growth among the CSTA leadership team. By championing these initiatives, I believe we can build upon CSTA’s values around educator voice, equity, continuous growth, and membership.

In my role as the Computer Science Specialist at the MN Department of Education, I’ve cultivated robust leadership skills through implementing policies and initiatives to elevate the quality of CS education statewide. My time as a CSTA Equity Fellow and involvement in the NSF Coaching for Equity in CS project attest to my commitment to fostering inclusivity within the field. As former Deputy Director of the ECEP Alliance, I honed strategic planning and advocacy skills vital for navigating the evolving landscape of state and national CS education. My role as a ScIP course developer and facilitator reflects my dedication to scaling equity focused PD and effective pedagogy. Founding and leading the MNCodes educator training programs for 8 years at Code Savvy, I’ve championed accessible and high-quality CS education. My experience in schools as a K12 instructional coach, makerEd and CS educator, as well as a teacher of English learners, underscores my adaptability and versatility.

Every conversation in CS ed is a conversation about equity. I adapted this phrase from Elena Aguilar’s book Coaching for Equity. This mindset informs the way I view my state’s CS data: MN is in last place in the nation in access to CS at the HS level. In my role as state CS specialist, I prioritize the collection and use of data to help ID gaps in access to CS across our state, including data related to student enrollment by subgroup. This data informs MN’s CS working group’s recommendations for dismantling barriers to CS for all students. As an Equity Fellow, I collaborated on the development of the SET-UP CS Framework, guiding admin to center equity by reviewing their local CS access & participation data. In Coaching for Equity in CS and the CSforELs projects, coaching and PLC models were transformative for educators’ sustained use of inclusive practices for ELs and students on IEPs. My contributions to the ScIP course highlight my commitment to scalable, equity-focused CS PD.

As the former co-president of CSTA-MN, I fostered community engagement and collaboration in a state that has ranked last in terms of students’ access to CS at the HS level. Serving as an Equity Fellow, I collaborated on an administrator-focused framework to help establish equity-centered CS pathways. I contributed over 3 years to the Equity in Action summit, became a mentor for current equity fellows, extended my support as a guest speaker at Equity Fellow events, and designed an ongoing goal-setting structure for Equity Fellow alumni. In my 3 years with CSTA’s CSforELs project, I was a participant and a lead facilitator, driving inclusive practices for ELs within AP CSP classes. As a presenter at CSTA Chapter Leader calls and conferences, I have been called upon to share insights on equity-focused coaching, mentoring, and the CSTA coaching toolkit. I have my PD listed on CSTA’s high-quality PD page and I am supporting the next iteration of the CSTA coaching toolkit.

CSTA has been pivotal in shaping my professional journey in computer science education, offering indispensable support and fostering a community throughout my career. Often the sole computer science educator, CSTA played a critical role in my growth, connecting me with supportive peers and providing motivation and inspiration. As a CSTA Board nominee, my goals align seamlessly with CSTA’s vision. I believe quality computer science education is essential for all students and educators, emphasizing the need for proper support and resources. Computer science deserves recognition across all schools, and CSTA, as a national voice, plays a crucial role in advocating cs education and educators. If elected to the CSTA Board, I aim to contribute to initiatives focusing on observational tools for high-quality computer science instruction, supporting professional development in specialized areas and emerging technologies, and participating in committees related to standards review/ development.

As the Virginia state lead, I collaborate with strategic partner CodeVA, overseeing the agreed-upon scope of work. This includes active participation in a university research project studying the impact of specialized computer science programs, managing a statewide grant for local school divisions, and developing multimedia projects to facilitate the implementation of computer science standards of learning. Prior to joining the VDOE, I served as the Computer Science Technology Specialist at CodeRVA High School. In this role, I directed the development of a comprehensive computer science program, collaborated with industry partners, managed technology, provided guidance to teachers, and delivered professional development on computer science integration. My career contributions extend to serving on statewide committees, developing a micro credential for the National Education Association, serving on a curriculum writing team, and being one of CodeVA’s first ECS facilitators.

Computer science can no longer be perceived as an exclusive academic discipline for some and must be one that embraces inclusivity, ensuring equitable access for all students. In my current role at the state agency, I co-lead our State’s ECEP team. Our focus is on documenting the impact of capacity, access, participation, and the overall student experience. We are currently collecting and organizing data to create a comprehensive computer science dashboard. This will play a vital role in supporting our broader initiatives, particularly in crafting a computer science landscape report. This report delineates the state’s goals and action items to enhance high-quality computer science instruction, fostering a more inclusive and equitable learning experience. Furthermore, I am currently engaged in accessing opportunities to support diverse learners, specifically English Learners and special populations. This is a collaborative project with various agency departments and external partners.

A colleague introduced me to the Computer Science Teacher Association (CSTA), sparking my interest and garnering my ongoing involvement. Eventually, I joined the chapter officer team for central Richmond. My commitment deepened when I received a scholarship for CSTA chapter officer sessions in Baltimore. As a CSTA officer, I’ve met with other computer science educators in which we forged meaningful relationships. As a state officer we facilitated events and meetings. Our officer team was small and we were constantly evaluating the landscape and needs of our local CS educators. This experience was my initial realization to the challenges faced by educators in the computer science community. Thus, providing greater context to the need and value of participation in CSTA. In conclusion, CSTA has been valuable in my growth serving as a platform for leadership, collaboration, and continuous learning.