I am a proud Arlington resident of more than 20 years, with nearly a decade of active community engagement and leadership.

 

As a leader, my first instinct always is to listen and learn. I’m a big picture kind of thinker with an appreciation for the complexities of the challenges that we face in our society and in Arlington. I embrace progressive values and want to see all Arlington citizens flourish.

 

I like to build connections – always seeking to grow my understanding of our community so that I can be thoughtful about the changes we seek. I have a good sense of how to synthesize information from multiple sources and a strong orientation to detail.

 

My perspective is grounded in a deep commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community. 

 

My professional background includes nearly 25 years of experience in higher education, with expertise in strategic planning, staff and leadership development, non-profit management, program planning and implementation, writing, editing, and fundraising. I served for 17 years in the President's office at the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U), a national higher education non-profit organization with a focus on improving the quality of undergraduate education in the US. 

 

Currently, I work as a certified leadership coach and consultant, specializing in leadership development for women in higher education and nonprofit organizations. I work also with Academic Search, a national organization focused on identifying and cultivating leaders within higher education.

 

I am married to Ben Sutton, a research officer at the International Monetary Fund. We have two children in APS--a rising 11th grader at HB Woodlawn Secondary Program and a rising 8th grader at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.  Both attended Randolph Elementary School in Douglas Park from kindergarten through 5th grade.

 

I grew up in the Philadelphia area—the youngest of five children—in a family with deep roots in community service. My father served for many years as a Scout Troop leader and my brother currently is chief of the volunteer fire department in our hometown, where he first signed up as a volunteer at age 16.

 

For service to the Randolph PTA and leadership for the Randolph Food Pantry during the pandemic, I was honored to receive the APS Honored Citizen Award in 2021 and the Distinguished County Service Award in 2020 from Volunteer Arlington & the Leadership Center for Excellence. 

 

My educational background includes a graduate certificate in Leadership Coaching from the Georgetown University Center for Transformational Leadership; completion of the HERS Leadership Institute; a master’s degree in history from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Mary Washington.