I have been teaching at NBHS for seven years. At ECU (Go Pirates!) I obtained my Bachelor's in Family and Consumer Sciences Education as well as my Master's in Family and Consumer Sciences. My undergraduate research was done as part of a USDA Grant for Leadership. It dealt with teaching life and computer safety classes to military families. In graduate school my research dealt with best practices in Culinary Arts and Hospitality. I presented the findings of my focus group at the 2013 Spring NCAFCS conference in 2013. In 2014 I received my ServSafe Instructor Certification. I have trained at Johnson and Wales as well as other culinary schools in North Carolina. My favorite was at Chatham County Community College Natural Chef program. I am a member of several professional organizations, including American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. I have a passion for cold food production: I enjoy the colors, textures, and flavors of well made sandwiches and salads - especially those made from "unusual" ingredients. Conversely, I also like to bake. I'm originally from Newport, North Carolina and I enjoy spending time with my family; my husband; my dog, Reese; and my friends. My dog, Reese, is a certified AKC Community Canine and we are considering service dog training in the future. In recent years, I started gardening and I am very interested in learning more to create a sustainable culinary arts program. In some ways, each garden is a "learning garden" with each successive crop better than the last. I look forward to learning more and more because aside from teaching, learning is my passion.