I am a former teacher-researcher, an author, and a pedagogical consultant with nearly 50 years of experience, more than 35 of them as a student of the Reggio Emilia philosophy. When I first began to explore Reggio principles, there was no local Reggio-inspired community, few opportunities to see firsthand what Reggio-inspired education looks like, and very little published in English. I traveled to Washington, DC and St. Louis to see schools that were exploring Reggio principles. And I learned that others across the country were searching for more as well. In 1996, I joined a group of educators from all over the U.S. to form the Lugano-Reggio Collaborative, spearheaded by colleagues at Virginia Tech. Together we traveled to Reggio Emilia, gathered (physically and virtually) to study aspects of the philosophy, presented at national conferences, and wrote a book (Teaching And Learning: Collaborative Exploration of The Reggio Emilia Approach. See bibliography). In time, the collaborative disbanded, but many of its members have become central in advancing our understanding of children, teaching, and learning. I found my niche as a teacher-researcher with 4-6 year olds, writing and consulting as time allowed.
Now, I enjoy writing and collaborating with educators who are exploring teaching and learning in these ways about which I am so passionate. I want to help educators see the one thousand moments of brilliance in front of them every single day they are with children, and know how to encourage them. I want to help them design their classrooms to support children’s research and representation. I want to offer them tools and strategies to help children develop a sense of agency that will astound them. I want to help you help your faculty (re)discover their own potential as curious, creative, innovative learners right alongside the children they teach.
Contact me for more information.
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Sample of Past and Current Projects
- 2026. Leader for “Through the Kaleidoscope,” a 7-month long virtual course offering mentoring/coaching for educators, based on my book, Embracing Challenges in Early Childhood Education (2025), hosted by the Studio for Playful Inquiry.
- Thought partner for Sabot School Richmond, VA since 1996
- 2016-2019. Consultant at Bensley Elementary School, Chesterfield County, VA
- 2016-2018. Consultant at Children First, Durham, NC (check out Pursuing Bad Guys by Donna King for insights from this experience)
- 2019. Week-long residency at Colegio Hebreo Tarbut, Mexico City, Mexico
Sample of past speaking engagements
- Interviews on the “Awakening to Reggio” podcast, 2025 & 2026
- 2019. Presented with the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA) at the NAEYC annual conference
- 2018. Keynote, Reggio Track, ASK Conference, Chapel Hill, NC
- 2013 to 2026. Regular Presenter, Sabot Institute For Teaching And Learning Symposium
- 2015. Presenter, National Council Of Girls’ Schools annual conference
- 2011. Keynote, Lesley University Reggio Emilia conference
- Frequent Presenter from 2000 to 2009, NAEYC annual conference
- 2009. Speaker for Innovations in Early Education Seminar Series, Wayne State University, Detroit
- Keynotes, Inspired Teaching Institute Conference, Ohio
- Presenter and consultant, Syracuse University early childhood programs
- Presenter and discussant at a meeting of the Lugano Research Collaborative, Burlington, VT
- Keynote for the Ohio Reggio Study Group colloquium, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.
- Presenter for a full-day session for educators in the San Francisco Bay Area, sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area Reggio Group. Consultant, full-day study with the sponsoring group
- Presenter and consultant, Gallaudet University Demonstration Schools
- Keynote, Wisconsin Reggio Network annual conference, Milwaukee, WI
- Presenter, Virginia Association of Independent Schools, Richmond, VA
- Presenter at the conference, “Recasting the Reggio Emilia Approach to Inform Teaching in the United States, A Landscape of Possibilities.” Blacksburg, VA
- Keynote, Innovations in Early Education Seminar Series, Detroit, MI
- Keynote, Annual conference of the Rocky Mountain Reggio Group, Denver, CO
- Keynote, Butler University Reggio Series, Indianapolis, IN