I was raised as an expatriate in The Hague, NL, where I attended the American School of The Hague. I returned to the US at 18 to attend Bryn Mawr college on a significant academic scholarship. Although my childhood dream was to serve at the UN World Court as either an interpreter (I speak 4 languages) or lawyer, I realized very early in my college career my talents would served best as an educator. I have been involved in education 28 years, as a volunteer in a public school in North Philly, a substitute and private school teacher in South Bend, IN, an ELL, English and French Immersion teacher in Tacoma, an instructional coach and AVID (see avid.org) teacher in Spokane, Assistant State Superintendent and a school district director. I have worked in White communities, Black communities, and some of the most diverse communities in the nation. My husband (of 26 years) and I have 3 adult children. I ran for State Supt in the 2016 cycle, because I believed we needed someone with long and effective experience in public education to be a voice for both students and educators. I was the first Black woman WA to run for statewide office. I lost that race by 1%. I am leveraging the platform that was created to inspire youth and adults and provide training for a variety of stakeholder groups (schools, government agencies, businesses and non-profits) on how to employ equitable practices to better serve ALL. I now have a book - “Bridges to Heal US: Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing” - which is available on Amazon.