Vanessa graduated from Elon University with a degree in Environmental Science and has spent many years working in outdoor education.

Her Waldorf teaching journey began in New York, where she assisted in a Waldorf home program. She later served as a lead Kindergarten teacher at Charlottesville Waldorf School from 2008 to 2013. After stepping away from teaching to raise her family, Vanessa homeschooled her two daughters for many years while living on a homestead in the countryside. She returned to CWS in the fall of 2025.

Vanessa is deeply passionate about plants and gardening, with a special interest in creating biodiverse habitats for wildlife through native plant cultivation. She loves spending time outdoors—whether reading beneath a tree, walking her dog along the Rivanna trails, or enjoying the river with her family.

She also cares deeply for animals and volunteers weekly at the local animal shelter, walking dogs awaiting adoption.