Ignite Team Bios

Home Parish:

Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Corpus Christi Catholic School

Family:

I grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana. I moved to Bloomington in high school and started the middle of my freshman year at Central Catholic. It was my first time attending a catholic school, and I loved the experience. I met my husband in college, and we have three children, Lauren, George, and Kathleen. My three children love their catholic school experience at Corpus Christi Elementary School.

Career & Hobbies:

After graduating from Eastern Illinois University with my education degree, I taught first and second grade for the Olympia School district for 11 years. During my time at Olympia, I earned my master’s degree from Illinois State University. After my third daughter was born, I wanted to work closer to home, and I was hired as a short term leave replacement at Corpus Christi as a reading and math interventionist. Three years ago, I decided to pursue a dream of mine and began mentoring and teaching at Illinois State Univerisity. I am passionate about education and the teaching profession.

Reasons for Serving on the FIRE Foundation Board:

When Renee approached me about serving on the FIRE foundation Ignite Team, I could not contain my excitement! I was on the Olympia committee when we developed a school-wide RTI model (now MTSS), and I am thrilled to share my knowledge and experience with this committee. I am confident that our catholic schools and community can create a plan that will aim for more inclusion in our Catholic schools while supporting our teachers.