Professional Background

In my professional life, I serve as an Assistant Professor of Workforce Leadership and Human Resource Education in the Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Human Resource Education at the University of Louisville. I teach in the undergraduate program in Workforce Leadership, serve as Co-Director of the M.S. in Human Resource Education program, and mentor and teach doctoral students in the Educational Leadership and Organization Development program. I'm also a researcher with the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, where I direct a national project examining online workforce development in community colleges, funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Prior to joining the faculty at Louisville, I worked as the Coordinator of Online Programs in the Department of Human Resource Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In that role, I oversaw 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 and HRD work. In my last corporate position, I worked for three years as the HR manager in a large division of a Fortune 100 grocery distributor/retailer. 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.

The common thread throughout my research is an interest in the social and political aspects of learning and change within organizations and institutions . Specifically, I address:

• Workforce and Human Resource Development
• E-Learning and Distance Education
• Online Workforce Development in Community Colleges
• Action Research
• Understanding Difference and Diversity in Organizations

My dissertation research focused on education and organization development processes resulting from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees attempting to bring about workplace changes. Since coming to Louisville, I have continued my writing in this area, but have shifted by primary research emphasis to workforce development issues.

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 also like to follow politics and current events closely. Although I primarily identify with one political party, I like to think of myself as an independent thinker who sometimes crosses party lines. I try to integrate this social awareness and independent mindedness into my teaching, research, and professional life.