I am a human resource and organization development professional. I fell into this field straight out of college and it's at the core of my professional identity. As this profession and my own perspectives have grown and expanded, I value the work we do more and more each day. At it's core, the field is about nurturing human and organizational potential. What's not to love about that?
Professional Background
University of Louisville
Currently, I serve as an Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Workforce and Human Resource Education Program in the Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Human Resource Education at the University of Louisville.
I teach at the undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels, primarily in the area of Organization Development. Additionally, I consult with companies and other organizations in the areas of organization development, process facilitation, needs assessment, and evaluation.
Recently, I have collaborated with our partners at Quality Leadership University in Panama City, Panama to develop an executive-format master's program there. University of Louisville faculty will travel for residencies in Panama to offer classes in a blended online/face-to-face format. I serve as director of that program, which will be the first human resource master's degree in the Republic of Panama.
I have also served as a researcher with the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education,
where I directed a national project examining online workforce
development in community colleges, funded by the U.S. Department of
Education.
Other Professional Experiences
Prior to joining the faculty at
Louisville, I worked in the
Department of Human Resource Education at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign where I oversaw online programs. In that role, I directed all aspects of three online
graduate programs, including course scheduling, budget management,
faculty support, and administrative issues. I oversaw the offering of 30
courses per year, supervised a staff of 13, and coordinated with
faculty who taught in the program.
I also worked for several years in the
corporate sector doing HR work. In my last corporate position, I
worked for three years as the Human Resources Manager in a large division of a
Fortune 100 grocery distributor/retailer. Prior to that, I was a training specialist in a privately-held mid-sized company. I've also done adult education
work, in the area of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction.
Education and Research
I completed my Ph.D. in Human Resource
Education at the University of Illinois. My previous educational
experiences include a master's degree in human resource development and
bachelor's degrees in history and religion.
My research is centered around fostering humane, accessible, and diverse workplaces through workforce and human resource development. Specifically, I focus on:
- Creating Diverse and Humane Organizations
- Increasing Access to Self-sustaining Careers through Workforce Development
- E-Learning and Distance Education
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Please see the
Research section of this website for more information and PDFs of my work.
Personal
Outside of official work and school
responsibilities, I've been involved in non-profit organizations that
focus on professional, community, spiritual, and advocacy issues. While
living In Champaign-Urbana, IL, I served as the co-chair of a local
grassroots organization that addresses human rights issues and I served
on the board of directors of the local HRD professional organization.
I like to think of myself as an independent thinker with eclectic views that cross typical partisan lines. I try to integrate my social awareness
and independent mindedness into my teaching, research, and professional
life.
