Chief Academic Officers

This is my 30^th year as part of the WCSD family.  I began my career in education with Washoe County School District in 1995, teaching 5^th and 6^th grade for 9 years at Spanish Springs, Hunsberger, Smithridge and Double Diamond.  In 2004, I began my administrative career at Glen Duncan, where I served as Assistant Principal for 2 years.  I worked as a Principal from 2006 – December 2022 at Stead Elementary, Mamie Towles, Grace Warner, Sun Valley and Nick Poulakidas Elementary.   In January of 2023 I was appointed as the Area 5 Superintendent.  Prior to beginning my career in education, I was a professional baseball player and coach for the Houston Astros. 

As an Chief Academic Officer of Elementary Education, my goal is to provide knowledge, leadership, and enthusiasm in building strong interpersonal relationships with students, parents, staff and the community, while increasing student achievement, narrowing achievement gaps, improving graduation rates and decreasing drop-out rates. 

I have had the privilege of being an educator in Washoe County School District for over 25 years. I began my career as a Speech-Language Pathologist. I also served in the WCSD Special Education Department as a Program Consultant and Special Education Area Administrator, providing supports to general and special education teachers and administrators in elementary through high schools. In 2006, I became an assistant principal for Caughlin Ranch and Marvin Moss Elementary Schools. The following year, I was the assistant principal at Van Gorder ES. This led to being selected as the principal at Van Gorder in 2011.

As the Chief Academic Officer of Student Development & Success, I am committed to collaborate with our school communities and families to help all students attain their full potential.