About

My professional career has taken me from the high school classroom to school and district administration, university teaching, and leadership on educational boards. I served fourteen years as superintendent of Davis School District before returning to teaching at Brigham Young University, where I taught and advised future educational leaders. My university teaching experience also includes appointments at the University of Utah and Utah State University. I have served on the Weber State University Board of Trustees and chaired the Utah State Charter School Board. These experiences have given me a broad perspective on the strengths of Utah's educational system and the challenges of sustaining and improving it. As superintendent, I was responsible for decisions that affected the education of tens of thousands of students, the livelihoods of thousands of employees, and the communities we served. The work required balancing immediate educational needs with long-term financial responsibilities, competing priorities, and public accountability. My experience in higher education and educational board leadership has broadened that perspective, particularly my understanding of how we prepare educators to exercise sound judgment in their own professional responsibilities.

One of the greatest tests of my leadership came during the 2008–2009 recession. Davis School District faced an approximately $80 million funding shortfall to maintain existing services while accommodating 500 to 1,000 additional students each year. We had to make difficult decisions. We reduced programs, increased class sizes, suspended pay raises, and implemented teacher furlough days. Rather than laying off district-office employees, we reassigned more than 100 of them to teaching positions. Despite these difficult circumstances, no one lost their job. I have always treated budget decisions as people decisions.

Throughout my fourteen years as superintendent, Davis School District experienced substantial growth. By 2016, the district operated 87 schools, served more than 72,000 students, and employed more than 7,000 people. Its final legal budget for the 2015–2016 fiscal year totaled approximately $738 million across all funds. Managing an institution of that size required careful financial planning, responsible allocation of resources, and continued investment in school facilities. I worked with the Board of Education and the community on three major bond measures approved by voters: $230 million in 2006, $250 million in 2009, and $298 million in 2015. These investments helped us construct new schools, improve existing facilities, and accommodate continued enrollment growth.

Alongside these administrative responsibilities, student achievement remained a central priority. By 2016, Davis reported a 93 percent high school graduation rate, an increase of nine percentage points over four years. Davis School District was also recognized on the College Board's Advanced Placement District Honor Roll every year since its inception, an achievement shared by only a handful of districts. I am proud of these accomplishments and of the teachers, administrators, students, and families whose efforts made them possible.

Teaching has remained an important part of my professional life, regardless of the position I held. Before becoming superintendent, I taught high school English and served as an assistant principal, curriculum supervisor, and high school principal. Even during my years as superintendent, I regularly returned to the classroom as a substitute teacher, working with students from kindergarten through high school. I kept lesson plans and teaching materials in my office so I could be prepared whenever the opportunity arose. These experiences helped me remain connected to the daily work of teachers and the students we were responsible for serving.

In 2016, I returned to teaching as a professor of Educational Leadership and Foundations at Brigham Young University. During my nine years there, I taught courses in instructional leadership, school improvement, educational policy, organizational behavior, and human resource management. I advised doctoral students, participated in faculty governance, and chaired the McKay School of Education's Awards Nomination Committee. I also valued opportunities to connect academic study with professional experience. In 2023, for example, I took doctoral students to the Utah Legislature to observe the policymaking process firsthand. My scholarly work has addressed school finance, learning-centered leadership, the professional experiences of female high school principals, and educational achievement in high-poverty schools. I particularly valued bringing my experience in public education into the university classroom and helping prepare future educational leaders.

My experience also includes extensive service in educational governance and public policy. In addition to chairing the Utah State Charter School Board, I served as a trustee of Weber State University, a board member of WestEd, where I chaired the Development Committee, and president of the Utah School Superintendents Association. During my superintendency, I also worked with the Davis Education Foundation and business partners whose contributions supported educational programs and resources. More recently, in 2025, I served alongside Cynthia Phillips as an interim executive director at Rockwell Charter High School. These responsibilities have provided valuable experience in institutional oversight, public policy, external partnerships, and the relationships that support educational institutions.

Throughout my career, I have valued the opportunity to work with dedicated educators and help create conditions in which students and teachers can succeed.