About Me

I was born in Bucharest, Romania, and came to the United States as a political refugee and immigrant when I was still in high-school.  I am a naturalized U.S. citizen.  I identify as a White, cis-gender woman. Although in school I always excelled in mathematics and STEM, as a young immigrant to the U.S., I spent many years feeling isolated and yearning to be valued or even accepted by my new community. These experiences have deeply impacted who I am and what I strive to change in the bigger educational community. In particular, I am aware of the need to diversify and change the culture of many of our STEM programs. This culture has left many groups on the outside. There are great inequities in our traditional educational practices and much of my work in the last decade, both in the classroom as a teacher, and within the STEM community have been devoted to addressing these failures.

Outside Academia

I enjoy hiking, running, reading and theater. Two of my favorite plays are Copenhagen by Michael Fray and Arcadia by Tom Stoppard. I like coffee. 

Inside Academia

I am currently a senior lecturer in the department of Mathematical Sciences at Smith College, after retiring from a long term postion of professor of mathematics and chair of mathematics at Holyoke Community College (HCC). I am a STEM educator, researcher and consultant. In 2016 I was awarded the Elaine Marieb Faculty Chair for Teaching Excellence Award at HCC. My interests include STEM education, implications for diversity and inclusion in STEM spaces, promoting, researching and advancing culturally responsive teaching and mentoring. I am also passionate about mathematics and promoting teaching with inquiry.

During my career, I have worked on several NSF initiatives, including two notable S-STEM grants. Of these, the current grant, STEM Cohorts for Research and Engagement (SCoRE), NSF # 2030890, focuses on embedding culturally responsive practices in program interventions. I have designed and facilitated workshops focused on culturally responsive pedagogy and mentoring specifically designed for STEM faculty and STEM programs. 

Within the region, I am one of the founders of the New England Community for Mathematics Inquiry in Teaching, NE-COMMIT, a community of more than 200 college and K-12 mathematics educators from New England advocating for active and inquiry oriented teaching.