I came to UW-Superior in 1997, from Wheeling Jesuit University where I served as Assistant Professor of Modern Languages. At WJU and here at UW-Superior I have played an integral role in both the German and Spanish Programs. I spent three years studying abroad at the University of Cologne (Germany), as well as three years teaching English at German public schools (Gymnasien); I also worked for about a year with a German publishing firm. During these years, I spent time traveling in Spain in order to gain firsthand experience of that nation's language and culture. In addition to completing extensive postgraduate work in Spanish at the Ohio State University, I have also studied at various institutes in Costa Rica. I have formerly served on the advisory board of one of these schools in San José. I previously served two years as Teaching Assistant for Spanish at West Virginia University while completing my MA, and five years as Teaching Associate for German at the Ohio State University while completing my Ph.D.   

Since coming to UW-Superior, I have been active in the Wisconsin Association For Language Teachers (WAFLT) and have been a Wisconsin Teaching Fellow through UW System. I am currently serving on the UW System German Placement Test Committee through Educational Sciences in Madison; and have participated in international symposia on the European Union (Goethe Institut in Schwäbisch Hall) and Bertolt Brecht ( Internationale Brecht-Gesellschaft in Augsburg); as well as in an ACTFL Modified Oral Proficiency Interview Tester Training Workshop.   

My most recent conference presentations and research have dealt with Costa Rican culture and literature, particularly with the people and culture of that country's Caribbean province of Limón. 

I have published articles on various topics including, Grimmelshausen, Luther, Women in Germany, Minorities and their literatures in Germany; as well as pedagogical teaching ideas and classroom strategies.