I had an unusual path to becoming the learning design expert I am today….

Completely uninterested in college after graduating high school, I bounced around through a variety of jobs for several years—sales, retail management, modeling agency school director, and finance.

In 1995, while living in Denver, Colorado, I learned about a local company hiring people to go work in Antarctica. That changed everything for me. I was determined to go, and after my persistent follow-up efforts, they hired me. Six months later, I was on a plane to “the ice.”

Spending time working in such a harsh and far-removed environment changed my view of the world and what was possible. It taught me to be open to all possibilities and ideas, something I embrace every day in my professional and personal life.

I traveled and worked overseas for several years before settling down in California, but only for a while. All that time overseas left me restless and driven to find my professional calling. I eventually found my way back to school. It took me nine colleges and universities in eight different cities and 11 years to get my BA in Journalism with a Minor in Film, and my Masters of Science in Health Communications.

In all, I have moved 31 times. I have explored so many careers and industries in so many locations, and worn many, many hats through all those years. Despite my adventure-filled path, after graduating with honors from the University of Florida in 2009, I began working at the University of Arizona and stayed with the Arizona State University system for over 15 years.

My mind still craved new challenges, change, and diversity. And I was lucky enough to spend those 15 years working on projects that provided constant opportunities to stretch my creativity, build skills in the emerging tech and media that so deeply interested me, and work with people all over the country on developing state-of-the-art interprofessional trainings for learners across the U.S. and around the world.

Before the ASU Center I helped build and run was defunded, I had developed a streamlined, AI-driven production process for developing highly engaging and impactful eLearning trainings. My interests in innovative technology, storytelling, and high-impact teaching and learning continue as I move into the next chapter of my life.

You can read more about some my of my professional highlights below. If you are looking for a passionate and highly experienced learning architect whose skills go far beyond the typical instructional designer or learning director, please reach out to me!