Educational History

PhD in K-12 Educational Leadership, Walden University; M.E. in Curriculum and Instruction, Loyola College; B.A State University of New York Oswego State

Professional Highlights

Among my awards and achievements I have spent the last six years as an EIR Grant Awarded Director for a Computer Science focused grant in partnership with WPS called METRICS. I was most recently named a Women In STEM, Panelist for NSTEM (2021), nominated for the CS Educator of the Year (2023) and was JKES Teacher of the Year (2020) and and K12 Innovations in Technology Award (2020), In 2021 my METRICS team and I won the National STEM Honor Society Chapter Advisor Champion Award. In the past I was nominated as the AIAA Achievement Award in 2019, and earned the AIAA Grant in 2018 and 2019 for WPS. At Colorado Mesa University I was nominated a Professor of the Year 2017 and earned CMU Advisor of the Year Award and the NASA In-flight Downlink Commemorative Award in 2016. In my early career, I was nominated and finalist for Washington County Teacher of the Year and was invited to the Congressional Reception through Loyola College in Baltimore.

Research

My recent scholarship and creative work includes; my research book: A Qualitative Case Study of Professional development processes in the Classroom: From Initiatives to Implementation, published with ProQuest Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan, March 5, 2009 and my Journal Articles Fostering Student Interest in Computer Science and STEM Fields: A METRICS approach to Maximizing Engagement Through Regular Immersion in Computer Science, Publication VASCD Fall 2023 and Maximizing Engagement Through Regular Immersion in Computer Science, Blog with Defined Learning, Dec 2023.I have presented at multiple national and local conferences and events. My most recent was at VSTE in Dec 2024 on Computer Science Integration Through Any Subject. The focus of my research has primarily been around STEM and Computer Science education through immersive experiences.

Personal Highlights

I have been a professor at Shenandoah University within the School of Education and Leadership since 2018. I also direct the state ACSE Grant for SU in partnership with four local school systems. Within this grant I run SU’s Lego Expos, STEM summer camps, and the Starlab traveling planetarium with my SU education students and local educators. In my 27 years of education, I have served as a STEAM Lab instructor, elementary teacher, middle school science teacher and chair for my science department. I have also served as an EIR Grant Coordinator for Winchester Public Schools, Assistant Adjunct Professor of Education at Shepard University for two years, Assistant Professor of Education Colorado Mesa University for six years, a K-12 Special Projects Specialist with Washington County Public Schools in Maryland, and Science Department Leader and teacher in Columbia, Maryland.

Fields of Expertise

In recent years, I have served as a coordinator for high-impact initiatives including STARLAB programming, LEGO Expos, ACSE partnership grants, and summer STEM camps. These roles require strategic planning, cross-departmental collaboration, supervision of implementation teams, and coordination with external partners.
Over the past four years, my advising work has increasingly focused on high-impact experiences, including immersive STEM programs, research projects, grant-supported initiatives, and global learning opportunities. Supporting students as they transition from coursework to professional practice has been a meaningful area of growth in my service role.

Quote

Successful leadership cultivates the soil; engagement is the fruit.” – Steve Spangler