My commitment to the Columbia-WHO Center for Global Mental Health Advisory Board is deeply rooted in my professional journey. I have worked professionally in the areas of early childhood learning, work/family research and mental health for children and young adults. In particular, I have worked with and on behalf of thousands of children in public and private settings. During my 30-year professional, volunteer and philanthropic career, I have committed myself to advocating for the rights of women and children to receive education, mental health support and an equitable workplace.
I am a native Ohioan who began her career as a first grade teacher at The Brearley School in NYC. My passion for researching and designing policies that support parents and children led me to the Families and Work Institute (FWI), where I contributed research that led to the Family and Medical Act. My most recent work with FWI included Mind in the Making, a national initiative that brings the science of early learning to parents, educators and the public. My passion for early learning and literacy led me to work most recently with a team of literacy experts and artists to create “Learn With Homer,” an iPad app that gained wide use nationally and internationally to teach young children how to read.
My commitment to the emotional support of women and children finds me presently serving on the Board of The JED Foundation, a leader in mental health and suicide prevention and education for teens and young adults; on the Advisory Board of NYC-Parents in Action, a leader in educating parents on how to best support children in the prevention of substance abuse; and Hearts of Gold, which serves homeless women and children in NYC.
I graduated cum laude from Wheaton College, and hold a Master of Science in Education from Bank Street College of Education. I currently live in New York City with my husband and four children.