My academic qualifications include a BSc in Health and Human Development from Penn State University, an MBA in International Business at Pittsburgh State University, an MA in Education at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in English as a second language, and a PhD at the University of Central Florida in Exceptional Education. Prior to becoming the IOE Head of Department for Psychology and Human Development at UCL, I served as the Academic Head of Learning and Teaching for the department. I also spent five years at the National Institute of Education in Singapore as an Assistant Professor and in a variety of academic and leadership roles. It is this background that provided the foundations for my extensive academic and leadership experience.

At present, I am the Academic Director of the Laidlaw Scholarship Programme and sit on the Global Perspectives Strategic Advisory Group for Advanced HE. I am also a member of both the UCLs Art Collections Advisory group and UCL ARENA Teaching and Learning Steering group. I am an active member of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and served on their Leadership Development Committee for five years. At UCL, I also serve as a BME Mentor for academics from diverse backgrounds. I also serve on a variety of leadership committees and editorial boards for selected academic journals.