I am a former elementary school teacher, technical assistance provider, and instructional and leadership coach. Most of my career I worked in large, urban public school districts, such as New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. I was passionate about improving the quality of instruction and leadership in these districts, so that the Black, Latinx, low-income students who traditionally had been underserved in school were getting the education they deserved. After 20 years on the frontlines of school improvement, I pursued a PhD in the sociology of education at Stanford University where I conducted community-engaged research projects in partnership with district leaders. My dissertation focused on the career trajectories of African American school leaders in a large, urban California public school district. I enjoy using my mixed-methods research skills and content expertise in curriculum, instruction, leadership and professional learning to help school districts gather data and solve problems related to student learning, especially for those traditionally underserved by the American public education system.