When our children flourish,
our community thrives

My role at Growing Minds

You can call me Chief Team Cheerleader. I oversee the safety, programs, finances, and operations of the entire organization. I ensure that we are operating in a safe and nurturing environment in all five of our locations and in our administrative offices. I collaborate with our Board of Directors, community partners, and donors in an effort to continue to offer the highest quality of care to our children and families.

The many hats I wear

Donning a turkey costume is part of the job. I read to the children, engage with them, listen to them, chat with them, and provide support to them. My Annual Executive Director Turkey Trot and Annual Executive Director Bunny Hop are popular events. I don my turkey attire and bunny ears, depending on the holiday, and visit the children and read to them, or we make crafts together, and I listen as they tell me about themselves and their day. Engaging with the children is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job!

What inspires me

Making children feel respected, seen, and heard is very important to me. Their voices need to be heard, and that they are treated with the utmost of respect, nurture, compassion, and care.

The road to Growing Minds

With over 35 years of work experience and a master’s degree in psychology, I have had a successful career. The various positions I have held include school counselor, director, social worker, parent educator, teacher, girl’s athletic coach, Clinical Director of Pediatrics at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, co-founder of the Counseling Program at the Los Angeles Archdiocese, and social worker providing care for foster children.

And outside of work:

I love going to movies with friends for a couple of escapist hours. A big bowl of buttered popcorn is essential.

My role at Growing Minds

As the program director,I make sure our program is meeting all expectations and guideline for community care licensing, child development social services, and California state preschool program.

The many hats I wear

 I enjoy the working with the children. I am passionate about supporting teachers in obtaining their educational goals to become successful teachers now and in the future. 

The road to Growing Minds

 I earned a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. I began teaching in my early 20’s and have worked for Growing Minds for over 25 years. I have held the position of a teacher, assistant site supervisor, site supervisor, enrollment manager and program director. 

What inspires me

I am dedicated to the field of early childhood education because I realize the impact of a quality experience in the early years that last a life time. It is my role to ensure we offer children quality experiences that keep them safe and support them in recognizing they are special and unique just the way they are. 

And outside of work

I love binge-researching and learning a new topic, cooking, or catching up on Netflix marathons

I enjoy traveling to places I’ve never been, hiking, cooking and watching movies.

My role at Growing Minds

I am the finance director at Growing Minds. I prepare the annual budget, monthly forecasts, cash flow analysis and financial statements. I report to the Board of Directors and work closely with our independent auditor by preparing schedules and workpapers for our annual audit. My most important job is to protect our funding from the state, federal government, and donors by ensuring we are spending wisely while providing the tools needed for the children to succeed.

The many hats I wear

I enjoy working at Growing Minds because I can use my expertise and education in my position as Finance Director. I collaborate with an amazing team of professionals, and I am extremely proud of our accomplishments over the past few years. The culture at Growing Minds is supportive. We encourage each other and all staff members to further their education, to participate in conferences or webinars, etc.

What inspires me

The children at our centers inspire me. It brings me joy to see pictures of the students smiling, knowing that a team of caring staff members made the day special for the children. We have an amazing group of supervisors, teachers, aides, cooks, and parent advocates at each of our centers. And we all work together to ensure that Growing Minds is a wonderful place for children to learn and dream of endless possibilities in their future.

The road to Growing Minds

I was born and raised in Pacific Beach, California. I attended the University of San Diego and obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in international business administration. Additionally, I achieved a CPA license in both Virginia in 1996 and in California in 2019. Over the course of my career, I have been involved in auditing non profit organizations for a CPA firm, and working as a business manager for a childcare facility. Several years ago, I moved from Northern Virginia to Southern California and accepted a role at Growing Minds.

And outside of work

I enjoy watching or reading crime stories, murder mysteries, and romantic comedies. I am a member of the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park and try to go to the zoo as often as I can.