About Me
Since I was a teen myself, working as a summer camp counselor, I’ve been passionate about supporting girls’ leadership and healthy development. I’ve spent decades creating and leading programs that help girls—primarily those in “elite” schools and affluent, predominantly white communities—to learn how power works in the world and how to exercise it responsibly, to care for themselves, and to build connection and shared strength with each other.
More recently, I’ve developed civic education and engagement programming for all genders and a wide range of ages. At Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut, I led a multi-year project to decrease achievement pressure and perfectionism by building student resilience and challenging the roots of toxic “achievement culture.”
I also maintain an independent practice through which I offer speaking and workshop facilitation, program development, project consulting, research, dissertation coaching, and other services to schools, nonprofit organizations, and individuals.
I live in Maplewood, New Jersey with my husband, our two young sons, and two cats.
Brief CV
Work History
Director, Westover Resiliency Project
Westover School, Middlebury, CT
Associate Director, Joseph Stern Center for Social Responsibility
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, New York, NY
Associate Director, previously Director of Research,
Ma’yan, a Program of JCC Manhattan, New York, NY
Scholarship & Speaking Experience
I’ve presented papers to the American Educational Research Association, the Society for Research on Child Development, the Society for Research on Adolescence, the National Women’s Studies Association, and the Network for Research in Jewish Education, among others.
I’ve taught classes at, spoken to, and facilitated workshops for audiences including the Girl Scout Research Institute, Colby College, the Young Feminist Collaborative, the JGirls Magazine Editorial Board, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), and the Jewish Futures Conference.
My research appears in the edited volumes Educating Elites: Class Privilege and Educational Advantage, All About the Girl: Culture, Power, and Identity, New Jewish Feminism: Probing the Past, Forging the Future, and in the Journal of Jewish Communal Service. Learn more about my newest scholarly publication, a chapter in Anti-Oppressive Education in “Elite” Schools: Promising Practices and Cautionary Tales from the Field (Teachers College Press, 2021).
Education
Doctor of Education in Human Development and Psychology
Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Master of Education in Human Development and Psychology (Concentration in Gender Studies)
Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Concentration in Feminist and Gender Studies)
Haverford College