Meet Our Faculty

"Teaching truly is my joy and passion, and I have found a home alongside many other passionate educators at Potomac."

Teaching truly is my joy and passion, and I have found a home alongside many other passionate educators at Potomac. My journey as a teacher began in Cedarville, Ohio, where I graduated from Cedarville University in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. Upon completion, I moved home to St. Petersburg, FL, where I taught third grade in the independent school where I had grown up. In 2003, my journey led me to an independent school in Maryland where I once again taught third grade while also beginning work on my master's degree in curriculum and instruction at the University of Maryland. It has been a privilege to serve as grade five teacher at Potomac since 2008. When not in the classroom, I enjoy traveling to far-off places, reading a good book, heading home to the beaches of Florida, or golfing.

"I received my master's degree in English from NC State University and my undergraduate degree in English education from UNC Chapel Hill."

I received my master's degree in English from NC State University and my undergraduate degree in English education from UNC Chapel Hill. I am joining Potomac from the Connelly School of the Holy Child where I have taught all levels of upper school English over the course of my 12‐year tenure and also served as the department chair and as a college counselor.

My class motto is “try everything!” Challenge yourself, make new friends, try a new hobby, join a club, taste new foods, listen to different types of music, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and find joy in every day.

I grew up just down the road from Potomac in Arlington and McLean. I am a graduate of Bishop O’Connell High School and then attended James Madison University where I received a bachelor of arts in early childhood education. I began my teaching career within Arlington County Public Schools at Page Traditional School (now Arlington Traditional School). My next stop was in New York City where I taught at The Dalton School, a progressive independent school on the Upper East Side. From there, a move to Hermosa Beach in Southern California took me to Chadwick School on the Palos Verdes Peninsula where I taught fourth grade for a number of years both before and after I had my children. In between teaching and raising children, I worked in admissions at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica. Since returning to the East Coast, I’ve also taught fourth grade and was a parent at Norwood School in Bethesda.

Outside of teaching I love spending time with my two wonderful children, extended family, and friends. I enjoy running, hiking, golf, paddle boarding, cooking, traveling, and photography. I am happiest when I’m with kids or at the beach!

"As a science teacher, I work hard to create an environment that is fun, engaging, and provides a safe place for children to explore their natural imagination, curiosity and creativity. "

I am dedicated to incorporating visual and performing arts into the lessons I teach, making challenging content more meaningful and leaving a strong, lasting impression.  My passion for science, the arts, and the natural world have helped me develop as a professional and connect with my students.  After teaching science at The Lab School of Washington for 17 years, I am very excited to join the community at Potomac School. 

I grew up in Mclean, VA,  and as a child I loved riding my bike to the local creek, hopping rock to rock, catching crayfish, and exploring the woods.  That creek happens to be the same one that runs through our campus--Pimmit Run.  My summers were spent living abroad in Cairo, Egypt where I would enjoy two months of exploring the city, the ancient sites, and the Red Sea.  That experience led to a deep love of culture, history, and the beauty of our planet. 

Outside of teaching science, I enjoy spending time with my family (my wife, four teenager and a rescue dog), gardening, playing and composing music, soccer, and adventuring in the outdoors.  

"I am extremely proud and excited to become a member of the faculty of The Potomac School."

I look forward to working with and getting to know all of the teachers, staff, students and families of the School.

Prior to coming to The Potomac School, I taught special education in the emotional disabilities program at Walt Whitman High School from 2008-14. I was the defensive coordinator for the football program for over five years and was also an assistant coach for the wrestling program for three years. I also coached baseball for eight years for the KOA sports program, based out of Bethesda.

I am a 2001 graduate of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda. After Whitman, I attended a post-graduate year at Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine. (A quick fact about Bridgton: it is the oldest and only one year post-graduate program in the country.

I graduated from High Point University in North Carolina in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management. Following High Point, I enrolled in Johns Hopkins University School of Education, where I received my master’s degree in special education with an emphasis in mild to moderate disabilities.

In addition, it is fun to note that I am first cousins with another excellent faculty member at The Potomac School, Claire Berg.

“In 2007, I spent a year in Istanbul on a Fulbright Teacher Exchange Scholarship and taught high school math in a Turkish private school.”

I hail from Boston and have earned two degrees in secondary mathematics education--a bachelor’s from Boston University and a master’s from Framingham State College. After graduation, I worked for several years in a Massachusetts public school where I taught all levels of math, from Algebra 1 through AP Calculus. In 2007, I spent a year in Istanbul on a Fulbright Teacher Exchange Scholarship and taught high school math in a Turkish private school. I loved my time abroad, contracted the travel bug and, after a few years back in Massachusetts, took off for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where I spent three years teaching integrated and IB math at an international private school in Malaysia while exploring Southeast Asia.

I feel so fortunate to have had caring, inspiring and motivating teachers when I was growing up – from my third-grade teacher, who believed in my abilities; to my only female high school math teacher, who was proof that women could be both caring and smart; to my adventurous French teacher who taught me how to discover the world. I bring everything that I’ve learned from them to my students with the hope of challenging, inspiring and motivating the next generation.

“My high-school choir teacher was so inspiring that after one semester of college I changed my major from the social sciences to music education.”

I have been a musician most of my life, since reluctantly starting piano at age seven and enthusiastically beginning the violin at nine. I have had the privilege of studying with excellent teachers and playing and singing in outstanding ensembles. My high-school choir teacher was so inspiring that after one semester at the University of Kansas I changed my major from the social sciences to music education. I wanted to help students experience the joy that music had brought me. Upon hearing my plans, my high-school counselor dolefully announced that I was wasting my potential. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Every day, I get to share the joy of playing music with students of many ages and abilities. Through my teaching, I strive to help students improve their technical and expressive skills so they can better convey emotions without words. Making music makes us part of a human endeavor that started with the earliest man and will continue as long as there are people. Waste my potential? Hardly! Helping my fantastic students reach their potential is a wonderful career.