Emily has lived in Durham for nearly 18 years and has been an education practitioner for over 15 years. She currently works as the Project Director for DREAM, a UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education program created in partnership with DPS to recruit and retain teachers of color and those from underrepresented backgrounds for DPS.
Over the course of her career Emily has been an advocate for social justice education and worked to create opportunities for equitable educational access, particularly for students of color, undocumented students, and LGBTQ+ students. Emily has taught and advised middle school, high school, and undergraduate students as well as led professional development on Latin American and Caribbean Studies for teachers around the state of North Carolina. She is the co-editor, along with Dr. Kia Caldwell, of Engaging the African Diaspora in K-12 Education (Peter Lang Publishing, 2020).
In addition to these roles, Emily has served on a number of committees and boards, including Safe Schools NC from 2017-2019, which provides resources to educators to better address the needs of LGBTQ youth and which serves many DPS educators each year. Emily also served as a member of and co-chaired the Durham Public Schools Budget Process Advisory Committee in 2016-2018, which sought to align budgetary decisions with district priorities, including racial equity. Throughout her career Emily has held positions that allowed her to directly address social inequities, increase culturally responsive practices, and promote social justice in schools and in the field of education, affecting the lives of many students, families, and educators.
Outside of her work, Emily enjoys writing, running, and spending time with family and friends. She has a passion for entertaining and facilitating connections. Emily also enjoys exploring new trails and parks in the Triangle area and beyond. She is a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Durham.
With over 15 years of experience in the field of education, Emily is ready to take on the role of school board member, utilizing what she has learned as a teacher, professional development facilitator, education administrator, and organizational change agent. Emily is a bridge-builder who consistently keeps in mind the experiences, needs, and voices of people, especially those most systematically marginalized, while strategically and collaboratively moving in the direction of our mission and shared vision.
Emily’s 2020 Book Launch:
Engaging the African Diaspora in K-12 Education
As co-editor along with Dr. Kia Caldwell, Emily hosted a virtual book launch of Engaging the African Diaspora in K-12 Education in 2020.
Engaging the African Diaspora in K-12 Education provides in-service and pre-service teachers with valuable information and resources related to African diaspora communities in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. This unique anthology fills an important gap in current pedagogical and curricular publications by combining the writings of leading scholars of the African diaspora with practical, hands-on tips and resources from middle and high school teachers and administrators. Drawing on cutting-edge academic scholarship, chapters of the book address topics such as the transatlantic slave trade, slavery in Latin America, the Haitian Revolution, the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, Pan-Africanism, Black German Studies, and literature and art by Black women in the diaspora. In addition, Engaging the African Diaspora in K-12 Education includes chapters on anti-racist education, use of the performing arts to teach African American history, and critical reflections by several middle and high school teachers on practices they have adopted to increase their students’ exposure to the African diaspora in the classroom.