I am the seventh grade counselor and Peer Helper sponsor at Homewood Middle School. I am also the Community Service Program Coordinator, Outstanding Character of the Year Program Coordinator, and Duke TIP Coordinator.

Born and raised in the Birmingham area, I graduated from Birmingham-Southern College in 1995 where I majored in history and math, minored in music, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. As a lifelong learner, I hold two Master’s degrees: Math Secondary Education (1996) and Community/Agency Counseling (2001), both from the University of Montevallo. In 2005, I earned National Board Certification in Math and received my state certification in School Counseling and Guidance. In 2007, I added an Ed.S. degree in School Counseling to my resume (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and became a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), which allows me to engage in private practice counseling in the state of Alabama.

I began my professional career as a middle school math teacher in Hoover, AL, where I taught both in an alternative school setting (grades 6-9) and at Berry Middle (grades 7-8). After three and a half years in this capacity, I left Berry to pursue work as a counselor in an adolescent residential facility in Shelby County. I later returned to Hoover and Bumpus Middle School, where I spent an additional five years: three as an eighth grade math teacher and two as the seventh grade counselor. I have also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I joined the Homewood Middle School family in 2007. 

I have been a member of the Governing Board of the Alabama School Counselor Association since 2014 and have served in a variety of appointed and elected roles, including: President (2018-19), Professional Development Committee Assistant Chair, Communications Committee Assistant Chair (website), Vice-President Middle/Junior High School, Professional Recognition Chair, and the Bylaws and Handbook Review Committee Chair. I have also served as a division officer for the Alabama Counseling Association. I have presented at the local, state, and national level and am an active member of several professional organizations, including: the Alabama School Counselor Association, the American School Counselor Association, and the Alabama Counseling Association. During my time at HMS, the Homewood Middle School Counseling Program has earned the RAVE (Recognition of Accountability and Verification of Excellence) Bronze (2016), Silver (2017), and Gold (2018) Awards. Our program was also designated as an Alabama School Counseling Program of Distinction in 2019 and earned RAMP (Recognized ASCA Model Program) designation from the American School Counselor Association in 2020. I am very honored to have been named the 2019 Alabama Secondary Counselor of the Year and the 2021 Alabama School Counselor of the Year.

Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do for you!