I'm a committed educator and advocate for undeserved student populations. My teaching and research interests relate to the following areas: transformative education in rural and urban schools, adolescent readers, African-American males, multi-literacies, personalization and blended learning environments. I'm currently working with districts and schools to develop and implement transformative education initiatives that directly impact teaching and learning. My academic training and over 10 years working in rural and urban schools has provided a broad perspective of the demands challenging educators today. As a teacher, literacy coach, curriculum specialist, and transformation specialist, I have worked with staff and community members to create an infrastructure that meets the social, cultural and educational needs of the students. I have also been fortunate enough to serve as an instructor and co-instructor for both undergraduate and graduate students at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. My experiences teaching at the university has allowed me to lead, collaborate and grow the teaching profession.