My Story
A lifetime of service to the Cape Fear community
“I bought that.”
This is the first act that I can remember of me contributing to the Cape Fear community. We, the children of NC, donated our nickels and dimes to buy the USS North Carolina from the US government in the 1960's and moved it to its permanent home here in Wilmington.
Growing Up in North Carolina
I grew up just north of New Hanover County. My father fought in three wars and was a Sergeant Major in the Marines. My mother was the town Librarian of our small town, Swansboro. They both instilled in me the importance of public service in our society.
After extensive travel in my twenties, I settled on the west coast, attended college there and then worked in media and entertainment while starting a family. I returned to live in Wilmington in the 1980's along with my children and husband after realizing I missed North Carolina.
A Career in Education
At that point in my life I also decided to go into education because of my love of learning and children. I earned degrees in communications and history from UNCW. I taught history and civics at Laney through the 1990s. In fact, some of the current leaders in Wilmington are my former students.
During that time, I also was awarded a NC Principal Fellows scholarship which allowed me to earn my Masters in School Administration. I then worked as a school administrator in several other school districts in our state, along with working in a variety of educational non-profits.
I returned home to New Hanover County in 2016 and decided to run for the school board. In 2018 I was elected for my first term on the school board and again in 2024, always with the aim to not just improve the quality of our schools but the lives of all the people of NHC.