Follow me on Twitter @dreen317
About Me:
I’m a Senior Director of Program Management at Varsity Tutors and a former Program Manager on the Outlook Calendar Team at Microsoft. I’m also a mother of 2 with a teenage son on the Autism spectrum and a tween daughter challenged with dyslexia. I’m passionate about calendaring, time management and program management.
There are times when I’ve wondered how I would have tackled the challenges that come with Autism and children with special needs if I wasn’t a program manager by profession and a “calendar nerd” by hobby. Those 2 things have been key elements in my son’s success. After 10 years at Microsoft, working at an Ed Tech startup has given me addition perspective on how to manage the challenges of Special Needs Education.
As I’ve helped other parents in my situation, I was encouraged to share how I break down challenges my son is facing and “treat them like a project” until we’ve met a goal. A lot of the things that I share on my blog are all about sharing how I do that so that I can help as many people as possible. I also try to extend this to the challenges of being a working parent in general as many of the tips I share apply to ANY family with a busy schedule.
Finally, as a working mom, I talk to MANY professional women who are struggling to manage it all – keep the family going at home while pursuing a successful career. I hope that the tips I’m sharing will help working PARENTS develop a strategy for running their family so they can find a good balance between work and family, planning out their weeks so they can spend their time where they need to across home and the office.
Organizing Dreen 