NDVS/SB Assistive Technology Teacher
If you asked me years ago whether I would someday return to North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind (NDVS/SB), I probably would have been surprised. Yet, in many ways, coming to NDVS/SB feels less like starting over and more like coming home.
Where did you grow up and go to school?
I grew up in northeastern Minnesota, where being outdoors and participating in sports were a big part of my childhood. I spent a lot of time outside, and that love of activity, adventure, and being part of a team has stayed with me throughout my life.
I also come from a family of healthcare providers, so for much of my childhood, I assumed my destiny would be to become a nurse or a doctor. My first experiences in that world came through working as a lifeguard at Camp Courage and later at Camp Esquagama. Those experiences gave me a glimpse into healthcare and confirmed that I enjoyed the medical side of helping people.
But I discovered something else, too. I really enjoyed working with people, building relationships, teaching, and helping others learn and grow.
That realization helped change the direction of my life.
I eventually found my way to education and discovered that it allowed me to combine my love of people with my curiosity, creativity, and passion for learning. Education became much more than a career—it became a calling.
I attended the University of North Dakota, where I earned bachelor's degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education, with a minor in mathematics. I later earned a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas and an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from UND.
My connection to NDVS/SB actually goes back much further than my current position. I was a UND student when I first spent time on this campus, so walking through the doors again brings back a lot of memories. The campus has changed, my role has changed, and I have certainly changed—but there is still something wonderfully familiar about being here.
What other jobs have you held?
My career has always centered around education, learning, technology, and helping people succeed.
I spent more than 30 years in education, including many years with Grand Forks Public Schools. During my career, I served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, curriculum and technology integrationist, administrator, and District Assessment Coordinator. I worked with students and educators across K–12, led professional learning, supported curriculum development and assessment, helped with standards alignment and material adoptions, and worked extensively with educational technology.
I have always been particularly interested in the intersection of people, learning, and technology—finding ways technology can make learning more meaningful, engaging, and accessible.
I also spent time working with adult learners and technology platforms in the private sector, developing training, standard operating procedures, and professional learning experiences.
Most recently, I served as Director of Unified Champion Schools and Young Athletes for Special Olympics North Dakota. That role gave me the opportunity to work across the state with schools, students, educators, families, and community partners to create more inclusive opportunities for young people with and without disabilities.
Although the settings and job titles have changed throughout my career, there has been a common thread: I love helping people discover what they can do.
How did you end up at NDVS/SB?
The short answer is that the opportunity felt right—and the mission felt like home.
After several years of working in different areas of education, technology, professional learning, and inclusion, I realized I wanted to return to working more directly with learners and with the people who support them.
When the Assistive Technology Teacher position at NDVS/SB became an opportunity, it immediately caught my attention. It brings together so many pieces of my professional journey: special education, instructional technology, curriculum, accessibility, professional learning, problem-solving, and, most importantly, students.
There is also something special about returning to a place that was part of my own educational journey. I know the campus from a different time in my life, and now I get to experience it through a completely different lens.
It truly feels like coming home to a place that has continued to grow and change while still holding a familiar place in my story.
How long have you worked at NDVS/SB?
I joined NDVS/SB in August 2026, so I am still very much the “new person” around here!
That said, one of the things that has surprised me most is how quickly it has felt familiar. There are familiar faces, new friends, outstanding professionals, and so much knowledge to learn from. I have been incredibly grateful for the warm welcome I have received.
Every day I am learning something new, and I am reminded that sometimes the best new chapters in our lives are connected to places and people who have been part of our story all along.
What is your role at NDVS/SB?
I am an Assistive Technology Teacher.
My role is focused on helping children and adults with visual impairments access learning and participate as independently as possible through assistive technology. That means getting to know students and clients, understanding their individual needs, exploring technology and accessibility tools, collaborating with teachers and other professionals, and helping determine what tools and strategies can make learning more accessible.
It is a role that requires equal parts technology knowledge, creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, and curiosity—which is a pretty good combination for me!
What keeps you excited about your job?
The possibilities.
Technology can remove barriers. The right tool, strategy, or adaptation can change the way a student accesses information, communicates, learns, or demonstrates what they know.
I love that assistive technology isn't simply about giving someone a piece of technology. It is about asking, “What does this individual need to be able to do, and what can we do to help make that possible?”
In many ways, that question reminds me of why I love sports. Whether I am running an ultra-trail race, completing a triathlon, swimming open water, or simply taking a walk, I am interested in the challenge in front of me. What can I do? What can I learn? How can I improve? What happens if I push myself a little farther?
I bring that same curiosity to my work. There is always another tool to explore, another strategy to try, another problem to solve, and another possibility for a student.
After decades in education, I still get excited when I discover something new that can make a difference for a learner.
What is a typical day like?
One of the things I enjoy about my job is that there really isn't a completely “typical” day.
My work may include observing or working with students, exploring assistive technology, troubleshooting technology challenges with adult clients, collaborating with teachers and other professionals, researching tools and accessibility features, supporting instruction, and providing professional learning.
Some days may be very technology focused. Other days may involve a lot of conversation, collaboration, planning, or problem-solving.
And, of course, there is always learning. I am spending these first months getting to know students, clients, staff, systems, resources, and the many ways NDVS/SB supports learners.
I suspect that my days here will be much like a good race: I may have a plan when I start, but I need to be ready to adjust, learn from what is happening around me, and keep moving forward.
Is there anything people might be surprised to know about NDVS/SB?
There is so much history here—and apparently, even a little bit of mystery!
During a tour my first week, there was a strange occurrence in the apartment, and that was when I discovered that the NDVS/SB building has been known to have some ghost stories attached to it. I am still learning the details, so I may have to do a little investigating before I can tell the best version of the story.
But perhaps the most interesting thing to me isn't the ghost story. It is the amount of history contained within these walls.
NDVS/SB has served generations of students and families, and there is a tremendous depth of knowledge and experience among the people who work here. Being part of that history while also looking toward the future is pretty special.
What about life outside of work?
Family, friends, animals, learning, movement, and a good cup of tea are all important parts of my life.
I am still very active in “sport.” I run, swim, bike, practice yoga and Pilates, and lift weights. Over the years, I have participated in everything from 5Ks to ultra trail races, completed triathlons, marathons and open-water swims, rollerbladed marathons, and taken on a variety of bike challenges.
For me, racing has never really been about the podium. It is about the mind, the soul, and the personal challenge.
I love setting a goal, putting in the work, pushing myself beyond what I thought I could do, and discovering what I am capable of. Sometimes the challenge is finishing. Sometimes it is simply showing up. Sometimes it is accepting that the day didn't go as planned and being proud that I finished.
The finish line is important, but it isn't always the point.
That philosophy has carried over into other parts of my life as well. I believe we each have our own starting line to toe, our own obstacles, our own pace, and our own definition of success. The goal isn't necessarily to be first. The goal is to keep moving, keep learning, and become the best version of yourself that you can be. This mindset has let me to build my career—and my life—around one question: “What’s possible?”
I also love taking walks, especially with the “girls”—my two dogs, Saige and Hazel. They are always ready for an adventure and are excellent walking companions! Fun fact about Saige and Hazel is that they are “sisters” born to the same female and male parents a year apart in separate litters.
And then there is Leo, my orange long-haired cat, who was found as a kitten in a soybean field before a harvester could reach him. Needless to say, he has a pretty good story of his own, and we just love having him as part of the family.
Outside of physical activity, I love writing, reading, educational technology, creativity, and finding new ways to connect learning with real life. I also enjoy speaking and presenting at conferences and connecting with educators from across the country and around the world.
And one important fact about me: I usually drink tea—not coffee!
Anything else people should know?
Perhaps the most important thing is that I believe strongly in the power of inclusion and possibility.
When I look back at my journey—from growing up in northeastern Minnesota, to thinking I would become a healthcare provider, to discovering my love of education, to more than 30 years working with students and educators, to educational technology and statewide inclusion work, and now to assistive technology—I can see how each experience prepared me for the next.
My career has taken me through summer camps, classrooms, curriculum offices, technology initiatives, professional learning, statewide inclusion work, and now assistive technology. At first glance, those may seem like very different paths. But there has always been a common thread: helping people find ways to participate, learn, contribute, and succeed.
Perhaps that is why NDVS/SB feels so right.
I am excited about this next chapter—not just because of the work I get to do, but because of the people I get to do it with.
I am grateful for the warm welcome I have received, excited about the learning ahead, and honored to be part of a community that believes everyone deserves the opportunity to discover what is possible.
After all these years in education, I think I may have finally found my way back to where I was meant to be.