I was born in St. Lawrence on the Burin Peninsula and raised on a small farm in Lord's Cove where generations of my family have worked in inshore fishing industries. Both of my Grandfathers, James Hodge and Richard Kirby, were trap skiff skippers and miners at the underground fluorspar mine in St. Lawrence. My Grandmothers Winnifred "Sis" Hodge (nee Walsh) and Mary Ann Kirby (nee Lambe) raised families of nine and eleven children, respectively.
In high school I was active with Allied Youth and gave five years of service to our local Sea Cadet Corps, RCSCC 289 Corvette, achieving the rank of Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class. I graduated from St. Joseph's Academy in Lamaline in 1989.
I earned Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and Master of Education (Post-Secondary Studies) degrees from Memorial University of Newfoundland before completing a Doctorate in Higher Education Theory and Policy Studies at the University of Toronto in 2003.
Through my university years, I held a number of elected student union positions at the local and national levels. As Chairperson of the Newfoundland and Labrador component of the Canadian Federation of Students in the 1990s, I led a successful campaign to freeze college and university tuition fees in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Prior to joining the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2006, I worked for several years as a senior advisor on education policy in the Ontario Public Service.
Political Activism
I have been an active member of the New Democratic Party since the late-1990's. I have served in a number of elected Party positions, including the position of President of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democrats from October 2010 to November 2011. On October 11, 2011, I was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly by voters in the District of St. John's North.
Interests
My research interests in post-secondary education are relatively wide-ranging and include "college" choice and post-secondary education transitions; finance and economics of post-secondary education; history of higher education; inter-institutional collaboration in post-secondary education; student persistence in post-secondary education; and student financial assistance. My personal interests include camping and the great outdoors, home improvement (not the TV show), travel, current events, politics and government.
Awards and Distinctions
- 2011 – Recipient of the Canadian Educational Researchers’ Association R.W.B. Jackson Award (shared with M. Gardner) for the best article in Volume 33 of the Canadian Journal of Education
- 2011 – Recipient of the Best Research Paper Award (shared with D. Sharpe and M. K. Barbour) at the 2011 European Distance and E-Learning Network Annual Conference
- 2010 – Short-listed for the Best Research Paper Award (shared with D. Sharpe) at the 2010 European Distance and E-Learning Network Annual Conference
- 2007-2008 – Recognized as a distinguished Minerva Scholar by the Canadian Council on Learning
- 2001-2004 – Recipient of Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto Doctoral Scholarship
