Who are we?
My background
When I graduated high school, I joined the Navy as an enlisted sailor working in the engine room of an aircraft carrier. Ultimately, I spent about a decade on active duty with my final duty station being as an instructor for marine engineering courses. My experience in the Navy consisted of operating and maintaining high pressure boiler systems and all related equipment. It also included numerous leadership opportunities. While on active duty, I completed a BS in Vocational Education from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. I started on a Master’s in Adult Education at Northern Illinois University and completed it once I left the Navy.
My first job after the Navy was working for a community college as a low-level administrator whose primary job was developing customized training programs for local industry partners. In this role, I set up the training programs but rarely conducted them. I left the college for an opportunity to work for a mechanical contracting company where my primary role was to operate and maintain coal and gas-fired industrial boilers. In this role, due to my background, I assisted the host company in obtaining ISO certification for its boiler house. I earned stationary engineer’s licenses in both Chicago and Elgin, IL.
I returned to my previous college employer to become faculty in their technical department. I was hired to create an industrial maintenance program from the ground up utilizing backwards course design principles. For the next two decades, I served as the program coordinator, student advisor, and lead faculty. Additionally, I was hired outside of this role to conduct customized training for companies such as ExxonMobil, Citgo, M&M/Mars, Commonwealth Edison, and many others. During this time, I completed an EdD in Community College Leadership from National Louis University and a graduate certificate in eLearning Design from the University of Georgia.
In the mid-2010s, I was elected by my peers to be the chair of the technical department, and I served in that capacity for 7 academic years. The department had 29 full-time faculty, 50+ adjuncts, 5 full-time staff, and a host of part-time employees including student workers. The department housed 15 academic programs offering more than 75 degrees and certificates.
During my time as chair, I led my department through COVID, helped to negotiate a faculty union contract, and assisted the administration on data analysis on several projects including the impacts of adopting differential tuition. I chaired the college’s academic standards committee for 7 years and served on it for over 15 years. I’ve facilitated numerous faculty learning communities on topics such as backwards course design and programs of study.
While I certainly don’t know it all, I have been in the trenches for almost 40 years and have a track record of solving problems. If you believe I may have the skills to help you out, let’s chat. If I’m not the right person, I’ll try to get you connected with someone who can help.
