From the Executive Director

Greetings, everyone! I am delighted to introduce myself to you as Growth Through Learning's new Executive Director. I would like to give you some background on the expertise and experience that I bring to GTL.

My education is in the fields of education, psychology, and music. In my work as a public health training and education specialist I have educated countless individuals from all walks of life – from adolescents, to inmates, to physicians at MIT. Much of my career in education has been devoted to helping girls and young women achieve their full potential. This was the driving force behind my desire to play an integral role in helping to carry out GTL’s mission.

I directed a project in the Metro West region of Massachusetts whose mission was to educate middle- and high school-aged youth. The program I designed focused on young people learning and practicing negotiation skills, thereby empowering them to make healthy decisions.

Throughout my career I have served as an appointed and elected leader on the local, state, and national levels: as Chair of Project ABLE (AIDS Budget Legislative Effort), Chair of the HIV Consortium of Central Massachusetts, and Coordinator of the National American Red Cross’s HIV/AIDS Advisory Council Network in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I am proud of my contributions to the development, legislation, and implementation of public policy.

As I begin this new journey with GTL I am eager to utilize my talents and experience as resources in support of GTL’s mission. It is particularly exciting to be coming on board as GTL celebrates its tenth year anniversary. Isn’t it amazing what can be accomplished when we stop thinking about how to help and just dive in? In the words of Anne Frank, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”