• Assistant Professor of Education
  • Director of Early Childhood Education Program
  • Director of Child Development Studies Program
Liffrig Family School of Education and Behavioral Sciences

About Me

For most of my life, I was drawn to teaching and serving others. This was evident through the jobs I took, starting with babysitting to working as a preschool paraprofessional, teacher, assistant director, and director of childcare centers in both North Dakota and Minnesota. I knew education was my passion and life-long career. My first public school teaching experience was in a departmentalized fifth-grade teaching setting. Later, I pursued my graduate degree in early childhood special education, allowing me to teach preschool special education; and, most recently, teaching kindergarten for Mandan Public Schools.

Why I’m At Mary

Growing up in Bismarck, I considered the University of Mary to be a 'city on a hill' and hoped to one day serve on the hill. I look very forward to working in a Christian environment while supporting and guiding our future early childhood educators as the early childhood education and child development studies program director and assistant professor of education.

Expertise

Having held a number of positions in the field of childhood development, I have been blessed to work closely with students and their families as well as with support staff, specialist staff, administrators, and stakeholders. Additionally, I served/led a number of committees and supported/developed technology interactive opportunities for early learners.

Education

MEd (Early Childhood Special Education): Minot State University, 2013
BS (Elementary Education): Minnesota State University at Moorhead, 1990