Heather is currently Principal Investigator on Building CT Readiness: A Framework for Integrating Computational Thinking Across Subjects in High-Poverty Elementary Schools, an NSF-funded project investigating and refining a set of resources designed to help elementary schools clarify their definitions of CT and CT integration, articulate their vision and plans for CT implementation, and monitor the effectiveness of teacher professional development in CT instruction. She also is Co-Principal Investigator on Supporting Teacher Understanding of Emergent Computational Thinking in Early Elementary Students (Early Elementary CT), an NSF-funded project exploring how to help teachers identify and support early elementary children’s emergent CT. The project engages researchers, PD providers, and early elementary teachers (K−2) in a collaborative research and development process to design a scalable PD experience for grade K−2 teachers. 

Heather served as a researcher on the project Identifying Effective Models for Integrating Computational Thinking into NYC Elementary Schools, funded by the Robin Hood Learning + Technology Fund, conducting case studies about effective models for integration of computational thinking in New York City elementary schools.

Previously at CCT, Heather worked on a variety of research, evaluation, and development projects, including Ready To Learn, Finding Our Way Around, and Next Generation Preschool Math. She contributes her expertise as a classroom teacher and instructional designer to many of her projects, and has led development of curriculum lesson plans and contributed to a range of teacher Professional Development materials that support integrating technology within classroom practice.

Heather has worked as videographer and producer for a number of educational production projects, including developing a series of PD videos for the Zoom In! project, as well as producing video submissions for the NSF-funded Playing with Data project to both the STEM for All Video Showcase and the Digital Innovation in Learning Awards, where the video received the distinction of Honorable Mention Winner in the Mindful Data category.

Prior to joining CCT, Heather was a licensed elementary teacher who taught fourth grade. She also has experience teaching preschool, kindergarten, and middle-grades programs, including teaching Lego robotics, Scratch programming language, and computational thinking for students from preschool to fifth grade in after-school programs and parent/child co-building robotics classes. She has worked as a freelance curriculum writer for a major publisher, developing lesson plans that integrated coding into science content.

Heather earned a Master of Arts in Digital Media Design for Learning at New York University, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Education and Communications from Monmouth University.