Record
National STEM leadership. Local roots.
The only candidate in this field whose day job is improving instruction across hundreds of districts — and who is raising three children here: two in BR public schools, and one on the way.
Credentials
- Chief School Administrator (CSA) — Superintendent certification
- Principal (K–12) and Supervisor (K–12)
- Standard teaching: Elementary (K–5), Earth Science (K–12), Middle School Science (6–8)
- Completing School Business Administrator certification
- Ed.D., Curriculum & Instruction — Rutgers University
- M.Ed., Educational Leadership & Administration — Thomas Edison State University
- Honors B.S., Elementary Education — University of Delaware
Honors
- NJASA & ClassLink NJ Visionary Award for Community Impact (2025)
- Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award: Best PD in Higher Education (2023)
- Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year — Eastern U.S. & New Jersey (2012)
- Fulbright Japan–U.S. Exchange Fellow (2011)
- New Jersey Governor’s Teacher of the Year (2009)
Selected leadership
| Years | Role | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 – 2013 | Eighth-grade science teacher & pre-service mentor | Piscataway Public Schools |
| 2013 – 2015 | Vice Principal / Supervisor of Instruction | Frelinghuysen Middle School, Morris School District |
| 2015 – 2019 | District Supervisor of Science, K–12 | Princeton Public Schools |
| 2019 – 2021 | District STEAM Specialist & Grant Coordinator | New Brunswick Public Schools |
| 2021 – Present | Associate Director | Rutgers Center for Mathematics, Science, and Computer Education |
Scholarship that shows up in classrooms
- Co-designed VERA, an AI-supported data platform with SaferSTEM for instructional feedback and lab safety compliance.
- Presented a mathematics and AI workshop for the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey (AMTNJ).
- Co-editor, CSSS K–12 Science & CTE Safety Manual Series (7 volumes, 2026), Council of State Science Supervisors — including AI-supported safety decision-making.
- Cohen & Kociolek (2025), climate and design-thinking chapter in Climate Change Education Across Disciplines K–12, Rowman & Littlefield.
- National workshops in 2026 at NSTA (Anaheim) and FETC (Orlando) on climate pedagogy, data tools, and problem-based learning.
- Co-designed New Jersey’s only state-approved Maker Education Graduate Certificate; instructs graduate courses on maker pedagogy and safety.