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 I was born August 24, 1952 in beautiful and historic Charleston, South Carolina and have lived there most of my life. I must admit that my childhood years were nothing extraordinary. After graduating from St. Andrews Parish High School, I attended The University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. and received my B.A. in Journalism (Advertising/Public Relations). There, I enjoyed fraternity life as a member of Zeta Beta Tau.
Over the next several years, I served as manager of Colonial Handbag Company while at the same time, freelanced as a writer, photographer, and event organizer in the Charleston area. I founded The Charlie Post Classic Road Race in 1982, serving as its race director for the first two years. I was also the public relations director for the Cooper River Bridge Run from 1983-1986. In 1986, I established The Charleston Triathlon Club and was elected its first president. Over the past 20 years, I have been involved in a variety of capacities with the Charleston running scene including a five-year stint as coach of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's "Team in Training" program.
Since 1991, I have been a member of The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and subdivision, The Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT). I served as Treasurer of CEC’s Trident Chapter #936 ( Charleston, SC) from 1995-1998. From 1995 – 2001, I held several offices on the executive board of South Carolina’s DCDT chapter including state president in 2000.
After teaching students with special needs for the past 16 years in a variety of capacities, I recently accepted the position of Transition Consultant with Charleston County School District . I am looking forward to working with administrators, transition specialists, teachers, and staff in implementing the best practices in the field of transition and improving post-secondary outcomes for our students.
From 2006 – 2007, I worked for Berkeley County School District, serving as the transition specialist at Stratford High School. There, I taught students with a wide range of disabilities the skills needed to procure and maintain employment.
From 2000 – 2006, I was employed by Charleston County School District (CCSD) as a community specialist with the TOPS Program (Transition Opportunities for Post-Secondary Students). Specifically, the emphasis of my work focused on providing students with a variety of special needs, ages 18 to 21, with comprehensive independent living skills training, enabling them to be productive and independent citizens. TOPS is unique in that a large part of its curriculum is community-based, which teaches students the relevant skills to be gainfully employed, shop, maintain a household, travel, recreate, and much more by the time they exit the program.
From 1993-2000, I was a transition/employment specialist with CCSD, serving students with disabilities at three area high schools: those with Visual and Hearing Impairments at North Charleston High School; those with Learning Disabilities, Educable Mental Disabilities, and Emotional Disabilities at Wando High School; and those with Orthopedic Impairments at St. Andrews Parish High School. Much of my work centered on teaching students the important skills necessary to procure either competitive or supported employment by the time they graduated.
When I am not working, working out at St. Andrews Family Fitness Plus, practicing yoga at Holy Cow Yoga and Holistic Center, or coaching, I enjoy travel, cooking, reading, attending Charleston area cultural, recreational, and social events, and listening primarily to jazz. Some of my favorite groups include Fourplay, Spyro Gyra, The Pat Metheny Group, The Rippingtons, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Steely Dan, and James Taylor. I also enjoy photography both professionally as well as a hobby. My work has been featured both in Charleston Magazine and House Calls Magazine. I invite you to visit my Photo Gallery to see some of the photographs that I've taken over the years.
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