I am a teacher educator, former university professor, author, reading clinician, and literacy researcher. My career in education began as a middle school teacher in Oakland with Teach For America. I hold a doctorate in reading education from the University of Virginia, where I served as the director of the McGuffey Reading Center. I spent 16 years as a university professor;  I am a prolific researcher and writer; I have written four books and numerous articles in top-tiered educational journals.  In 2019, I created the End Book Deserts podcast, and in 2022 created the Coalition for Literacy Equity.