I have spent the last fifteen years working in the technology and education fields, primarily serving in instructional technology support, teaching, and leadership roles. I have been fortunate to be exposed to a number of professional opportunities, working in K-12 education, higher education, adult education, and specialized fields including ESOL and special education.
Currently, I serve as Executive Director for Information Technology for Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Georgia. In this role, I oversee a talented staff of more than 38 full-time employees who support the diverse administrative, teaching, and research needs of the College. Together with my team, I focus our efforts on providing exceptional customer support, streamlining resources, ensuring sustainability, and promoting innovation. Since joining The University of Georgia in 2008, I have enjoyed coordinating classroom upgrades and renovation projects for over 100 classrooms and instructional computer labs, including the first two SCALE-UP classrooms on campus. This experience influenced me to pursue my Ph.D. in Learning, Design, and Technology so that I may further explore existing classroom design research and contribute my own research to others in the field.
Having recently received the promotion to Executive Director, I do not anticipate an immediate change job-wise following graduation from the Learning, Design, and Technology program. In addition, my family is firmly grounded in Athens, so any professional opportunities I pursue will need to be local or location agnostic. That said, I do have certain long-term career goals in mind. Specifically, I would like to continue conducting research following graduation, and I have an interest in returning to a more active teaching role. In addition, I would like to focus my work on service and outreach opportunities to better serve the public and the LDT community.
I am open to pursuing a faculty position. Tenure-track faculty positions at The University of Georgia or nearby institutions may be limited; however, there may be opportunities for me to pursue an adjunct faculty role following graduation. This would allow me the flexibility to maintain my current full-time staff position if desired, or I could transition fully into an active teaching and/or research role over time. Regardless of my position, I have a desire to pursue a long-term, collaborative working relationship with the faculty in the Learning, Design, and Technology program.
While a faculty position may be one career option, I am also interested in exploring opportunities as a consultant and expert in classroom design. Having a background in teaching, IT, and classroom design would make me a great asset for architectural and audio-visual consulting firms as well as technology and educational furniture vendors. It also allows me to collaborate with other higher education institutions, school systems, and serve on professional and conference panels. Working with these groups will help support my desire to conduct ongoing research and contribute to improvements in our field.
Sample Jobs
- Tenure-track Faculty in Learning, Design, and Technology
I selected this tenure-track faculty position as an example because it incorporates the teaching and research focus I desire as a long-term career goal. To be a successful candidate for this type of position following graduation, I would meet the degree requirements and have extensive professional experience; however, I would need to adapt my program of study to incorporate additional teaching and publication experience.
- Instructor/Assistant/Associate Professor of Instructional Design
I selected this non-tenure track faculty position as an example because it incorporates the teaching and research focus I desire as a long-term goal, but it allows for the flexibility to teach and conduct research in addition to my existing full-time staff role. Upon graduation, I would meet the degree, teaching, and professional experience requirements for this position.
- Senior Consultant
I selected this consulting position because it closely aligns with my research interests in physical learning space design. It also closely aligns with much of the work I do in my current full-time position. This position does not require a doctoral degree, but my professional experience, research, and program of study would support me as a possible successful candidate for this type of position following graduation.