My journey to join Naiku started many years ago. Both my parents were teachers when I was very young. As I entered the school system my mother remained very involved in my education by volunteering in the classroom. I continued this tradition when I was elected to the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school board. That was nearly 18 years ago, and I still enjoy serving the community even after seeing my three daughters graduate.

I attended the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities to complete a degree in Political Science. I was involved in the Student Leadership Development Program and served as the President of the College of Liberal Arts Student Intermediary Board, I also completed an internship at the Minnesota State Legislature. Both these experiences taught me a great deal about how policy is made and the importance of being involved.

My business career over the past 25 years has involved a wide variety of positions in Sales Support, Customer Service, and Accounts Receivable. I led a variety of process improvements including a large Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation. As a Government Contract Director, I was in charge of a large General Services Administration contract. I managed an Order Fulfillment department and an Accounts Receivable department for Thomson – Reuters. Most recently, in 2007, I joined the Association of Metropolitan School districts (AMSD) as a research director. The past three years allowed me to use my skills by taking large sets of data and helping organizations understand this information in context.

Serving on the School Board and working at AMSD I am keenly aware of how education institutions have been forced to deal with increasing expectations, dwindling resources, and changing demographics. Over the past decade, districts across the country have been forced to be accountable based on NCLB provisions. Last year, I coordinated a conference on Online learning for AMSD. This brought home the fact that there are many resources that are available to improve learning by using new technologies. My business career has taught me that change is sometimes difficult, but, often it can be very beneficial to all involved.

For the past couple of years, I have been searching for ways to improve the current system. Naiku is an example of something that has great potential to transform the learning connection between teachers and students. With improved information about each student, every teacher can tailor their lessons for greater impact. By using technology, students become more engaged in their learning. Consistent use of the Naiku platform has great potential to improve learning.

I am excited to be part of Naiku, and look forward to working with districts to create successful partnerships aimed at improving learning for all students.