I was already a secondary school teacher in Western Pennsylvania when the first personal computers were introduced into my building. I became a computer science teacher because of the cool things that I wanted to do with computers. And I have found that the best way for me to learn about anything is to teach someone else.

I was a teacher and technology director at Sewickley Academy, a private school in the Pittsburgh area. In 1998, I began teaching introductory programming part time at Carnegie Mellon University. In 2000, I was invited to become a full time member of the Computer Science Department as an Assistant Teaching Professor.

I joined the Alice Team in the fall of 2005 as I introduced Alice into my Introductory Programming course. Wanda

Dann happened to be on sabbatical at Carnegie Mellon that fall. and she became a valuable advisor as we explored the use of Alice in my course. With Wanda and Steve Cooper, I have since presented at teacher training workshops around the country, as well as at various conferences, including NECC, SIGCSE, IMICT, and ISECON.

I am a consultant for the College Board in Advanced Placement Computer Science. I have served as a reader and leader at the yearly Advanced Placement Computer Science Exam grading since 1991. I have written articles for the College Board and led teacher workshops throughout the east, and I now direct the Advanced Placement Teacher Workshop held each summer at Carnegie Mellon.

I am a native of Western Pennsylvania, growing up in Oil City, PA. Unlike many who grew up in the 70's with the obligatory guitar accessory, I did not give it up at the beginning of the disco craze, but continue to enjoy playing my guitar whenever I have an opportunity.