|
Welcome to my website!
I am an educator, nonprofit leader, and Appreciative Inquiry facilitator with a deep commitment to helping other leaders and organizations succeed.
I currently serve part-time as Interim Coordinator for the Mirani Foundation, a family foundation in Knoxville, TN, that supports organizations working in the areas of health, education, and social justice.
I also provide coaching, consulting, and collaborative planning services to noprofit organizations and schools, and I serve on the Board of the Montessori Alliance of Tennessee.
For an overview of my experience and the organizations I have worked with in the past, see below - or view/download a copy of my resume here.
Thank you for your interest in my work!
Experience
2025-present
Interim Coordinator • Mirani Foundation • Knoxville, TN
- Coordinate East Tennessee grantmaking for the Mirani Foundation, a family foundation in Knoxville, TN, that supports organizations working in the areas of health, education, and social justice.
- Communicate with applicants and grantees.
- Schedule site visits and applicant presentations at meetings of the Mirani Foundaton Advisory Council (MFAC).
2018-Present
Charles Biggs & Associates • Knoxville, TN
- Provide coaching, consulting, and collaborative planning services to nonprofit organizations and independent schools. Past clients include the Ijams Nature Preschool (Knoxville, TN), United We Read (Kingsport, TN), and the Tennessee Geographic Alliance.
- Facilitate professional development courses, workshops, and webinars (see below for details).
- Write and publish articles on organizational leadership, nonprofit management, and staff development, among other topics. (see below for details).
2009-2017
Director • Knoxville Montessori School • Knoxville, TN
- Coordinated the work of the Knoxville Montessori School (KMS), a nonprofit private school that provides high-quality Montessori education to children from preschool through 5th grade.
- Increased KMS’s enrollment by 30% - from 57 students in 2009-2010 to 74 students in 2017-2018.
- Grew the school’s operating income by 50% - from $436,288 in 2009-2010 to $655,483 in 2017-2018.
- Established a need-based financial aid program that provided up to 50% of tuition to 20%-25% of our students each year.
- Coordinated facilities upgrades that included renovating the school’s classrooms and transforming the playground into a more natural play space.
- Coordinated KMS's accreditation by the International Montessori Council.
2002-2009
Capital Campaign Coordinator • Highlander Research and Education Center • New Market, TN
- Worked collaboratively as part of the Fundraising and Communications Team, a multi-racial, intergenerational team supporting Highlander’s work for social, economic, and racial justice.
- Helped raise over $500,000 annually for Highlander’s operating budget and approximately $250,000 for Phase I of Highlander’s 75th Anniversary Capital Campaign.
- Coordinated upgrades to Highlander’s Workshop Center and residential facilities.
1996-2002
Managing Editor • Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal • University of Tennessee • Knoxville, TN
- Coordinated editing and production of Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal, which publishes scholarly articles in the humanities and social sciences.
- Helped organize conferences and symposia, including a national conference in 1997 on “The Future of the Harlem Renaissance.”
1990-2001
Adjunct Instructor • Department of English, University of Tennessee • Knoxville, TN
- Designed and taught freshman composition, sophomore literature, and upper-division literature and American Studies courses.
- Received the John C. Hodges Excellence in Teaching Award from the English Department, 1992.
1984—1990
Adjunct Instructor • Dept. of English, City College of New York • New York, NY
- Designed and taught basic writing and freshman composition courses, including the first sections of computer-assisted freshman composition offered at CCNY.
1980—1984
Foundation & Nonprofit Consultant • New York, NY
- Provided program evaluation, docket writing, and other services to the New World Foundation, the J.C. Penney Foundation, Joint Foundation Support, and the Norman Foundation.
- Provided management and fundraising assistance to local and national nonprofit organizations, including Philanthropy Concerned (a network of individuals in philanthropy concerned about the threat of
nuclear war) and Arts Alive! (which helped organize artists and musicians to participate in the June 12, 1982 anti-nuclear rally in New York’s Central Park).
1974—1979
The Youth Project • Washington, DC
- Eastern Office Field Director (1977-1979) - Directed the Youth Project’s Eastern Office, which provided funding and organizational assistance to grassroots social-justice organizations in the Northeast, Midwest, and Appalachia. Supervised a staff of four in offices in Washington, DC, and Knoxville, TN.
- Eastern Office Field Representative (1975-1977) - Provided funding and organizational assistance to grassroots social-justice organizations in New England and the Midwest.
|
Professional Development Workshops, Webinars, and Courses(partial)
"Appreciative Leadership for Montessori School Leaders" - A six-session online course sponsored by the International Montessori Council, Cohort 1: August-September 2021; Cohort 2: March-April 2022; Cohort 3: September-October 2023.
Presentations for the International Montessori Council's weekly Leadership Webinars: Setting Goals with Appreciative Inquiry (5/15/24), Leadership by Invitation and Welcome (10/18/23), and Appreciative Practices for
Montessori Leaders (3/8/23 & 7/11/23).
"Introduction to Appreciative Leadership: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Enhance Your Leadership, Engage Your Staff and Families, and Strengthen Your School! - Association of Illinois Montessori Schools, Annual Conference, 2/26/22.
“Hope Is a Practice”: Building Resilience through Appreciative Inquiry” - Montessori Alliance of Tennessee “Caring for Our Community” series, 2/6/21.
“Exploring Montessori: A Child-centered, Developmentally Appropriate Approach to Early Childhood Education” (with Rebecca Carpenter) - Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance, Roane State Community College, 5/14/20.
“Public Montessori Roundtable” - Montessori Alliance of Tennessee Annual Conference, 9/28/2019.
|
Publications(partial)
"Leading Your School the Montessori Way: Flip Your Organizational Chart." Montessori Leadership, Vol. 24.2 (2022).
“Notes on Financial Stability for Montessori Schools during COVID-19 – or Any Time.” Montessori Leadership, Vol. 22.4 (2020).
“’Follow Your Teachers!’ - Running a Montessori School with an Entrepreneurial Spirit and Non-Profit Values.” Montessori Leadership, Vol. 22.1 (2020).
|
Community Service(partial)
Mirani Foundation – Member of the Advisory Council (2022-Present).
Montessori Alliance of Tennessee – Member of the Board of Directors (2017-Present), Chair of the Education Committee (2018-2024), Secretary (2018-2022), Treasurer (2022-Present).
Association for Infant Mental Health in the USA - Member of the Board of Directors (2024-2025)
Association of Infant Mental Health in Tennessee – Member of the Board of Directors (2019-2025), Board Secretary (2020-21), Vice President (2021-2022), President (2022-2024), Past President (2024-2025).
|
Education and Professional Development(partial)
Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Certification, Center for Appreciative Inquiry, Las Vegas, NV (2021).
The Five Most Important Questions You’ll Ever Ask About Your School: Strategic Planning for Montessori Schools, Maren Schmidt, Kids Talk (2018).
Consortium for Social Enterprise Effectiveness, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2017).
M.Phil., English, Columbia University, New York, NY (1984).
M.A., English, Columbia University, New York, NY (1982).
B.A., History and American Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (1974).
|
Back to top of page
|
