Meet Our Counselors

I was born and raised in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, and am proud to call the Pittsburgh area home. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Education with certifications in School Counseling and Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. I earned my Doctor of Education at Northeastern University with a concentration in Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership. I am passionate about lifelong learning!

My career began at the Cornell School District, where I served students as a K–12 School Counselor. I then joined Upper St. Clair, spending five years at Fort Couch Middle School before moving to the high school, where I have proudly worked for the past twenty years. In my current role as High School Counseling Curriculum Leader and School Counselor, I am passionate about facilitating an ASCA model comprehensive school counseling program that supports each and every student. Each spring, I take great pride in watching our seniors cross the stage, knowing they are prepared for their next steps.

Beyond my work in the district, I serve as a Counselor Educator at Florida Gulf Coast University and have presented on topics such as student leadership, mentorship, collaboration, equity, and career and education planning. Over my 27 years in education, I have been honored with recognition including Pennsylvania High School Counselor of the Year, Duquesne University Internship Supervisor of the Year, College Board Nationally Recognized Counselor, Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction, and NACAC's Designing Your Life Fellow. I have also had the privilege of appearing as a school counselor expert on NBC Nightly News in a yearlong education series.

I aim to start each school day with excitement and positivity, and I truly love what I do. Working with students, families, and colleagues to help each and every learner continues to be both my passion and my privilege.

It is an honor to be a member of the School Counseling team at Upper St. Clair High School. After graduating from USCHS in 1995, I earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Organizational Behavior from Miami University in Ohio. My studies continued at the University of Virginia where I earned a Master of Education in School Counseling.

My school counseling career began in Fairfax County Public Schools in Alexandria, VA. In 2004, I returned to the Pittsburgh area where I continued my career in Mt. Lebanon School District.

I am grateful each day for my husband Andy and our three children - Tessie, Peter & Cora. We live in South Fayette, and can typically be found on a lacrosse field or trying a new restaurant!

I am committed to nurturing our students' learning & growth, celebrating their accomplishments, and supporting them through their challenges.

I am honored to have been selected to be a part of the Upper St. Clair School District. I grew up right around the corner in West Mifflin. I attended Cal U for my undergraduate degree in Psychology and K-12 Principal Certification, and Virginia Tech for my Masters degree in School Counseling. While I did work in the corporate world for several years, most of my experience in education comes from my work in Northern Virginia with Fairfax County Public Schools, where I worked in a large, suburban high school for almost eight years as a School Counselor and Director of Student Services. Since moving back to Pittsburgh in 2020, I have worked with Baldwin-Whitehall School District and Propel Schools as a counselor and Assistant Principal. I highly value open communication and building positive relationships with students and their families in order to best support students' academic, career, and social success. I find the school counselor role to be the most rewarding job and love the work I have the opportunity to do each day. 

Outside of my school counselor role, I enjoy spending time with my two daughters and husband. We are frequently on the basketball court, softball field, and swimming pool, and love spending time outdoors, especially at the beach, as a family.

I grew up in Derry, Pennsylvania, and completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology at St. Vincent College. After completing my undergraduate studies at St. Vincent, I was employed at Pressley Ridge of Westmoreland County. During my three years at Pressley Ridge, I had the opportunity to serve children and families by providing community-based, school-based, and residential mental health services. While employed at Pressley Ridge, I attended graduate classes in Duquesne University’s Counselor Education Program. I graduated from Duquesne’s Counselor Education Program in December of 2003 with a Master’s Degree in School Counseling.

I was hired by Upper St. Clair at the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year. This will be my 20th year working with students at Upper St. Clair High School. My favorite part of being a counselor has been getting to know my students and watching them grow and mature throughout their high school careers. I’m looking forward to another successful school year! 

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my wife Carrie, daughter Avery, and triplets Quinn, Reese, and Braiden. I also enjoy listening to music, going to concerts, playing guitar, outdoor activities, coaching my kids' soccer and basketball teams, and watching movies.

In January of 2017, I was so pleased to be given the opportunity to return to Upper St. Clair High School Counseling Office, where I began my school counseling career in 1993. After having worked in the district for 8 years, I left in 2001 to accept a position as Upper School Counselor at the International School of Prague for 2 years. Upon my return to the US, I served as the Associate Director of College Counseling at Shady Side Academy from 2004-2008.

My trajectory changed entirely in 2008 when I married my husband, Bill (USC Class of 1974), returned to graduate school to pursue additional coursework in educational psychology, and ultimately put my career on hold to start my family.  Motherhood, more than any educational or professional experience, has had the greatest influence on me as a counselor and educator because I have a more intimate knowledge of the challenges of helping kids to grow up well. I know that parents are only as happy as their saddest child, and I keep that in mind as I work with both my students and their parents as they face the challenges of navigating young adulthood. It’s a privilege to be here working with Upper St. Clair High School students and their families, and I am happy to be back!

I am thrilled to return to my alma mater and become a part of the Upper St. Clair Counseling Team! I graduated from USC in 2012 and went on to obtain an undergraduate degree at Penn State University in Public Relations and Advertising. After one year of working in the field, I decided to go back to school and get my master's in School Counseling at Duquesne University. I worked as a middle school counselor in Virginia for two years before deciding to move back to Pittsburgh and work as a mental health counselor in a private practice. I became an LPC in August 2022 and I continue to work with clients outside of school. I am most passionate about working with adolescents and I am excited to be back working in a school setting. It is an honor to be working for a district that played such an integral part in shaping me to be the person that I am today and I am excited about giving back to a community that I so deeply care about. 

In addition to working as a school counselor, I am the proud head coach of the Varsity USC Dance Team. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends as well as exploring the city.  My favorite forms of self-care include reading, listening to podcasts, and walking outside.