Biography

Resume

I was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1969 and moved to South Florida in 1977. My degrees include a Bachelor of Business Administration, a Master of Arts, and a Doctor of Philosophy, all from Florida Atlantic University. My dissertation is titled, “Improving Communication Based on Cultural Competency in the Business Environment.”

After graduating in 1992 and working in several industries, I decided to take a leap of faith and open my own media business. Over the following ten years, it grew from a two-person business into a company that staffed over 100 full-time employees. The many failures and successes I've experienced during this journey gives me an opportunity to share genuine, real-life, and current examples with my students. These examples help bring to life the concepts we study in the classroom.

I have the same passion and dedication for teaching that I consistently showed as a successful entrepreneur. I’ve mentored students with their career choices and business ideas, created internship opportunities, developed new business relationships, and created events that help college students better understand and compete in today’s business environment. I’ve taught a wide variety of communication and business courses with great success and accolades. Still, I am inspired daily by students and most gratified by the reviews I’ve received and the relationships I’ve built along the way.

Recently, I created and led TEDxBrowardCollege. The goal was to create an event that would bring together the students and faculty of Broward College with people from the community as well as neighboring universities. The sold-out event was professionally produced and recorded, and the final edited “TED Talks” were submitted and accepted by the folks at TED and continue to be played on their website for viewers all over the world. This successful event and the resulting “TED Talks” are a notable accomplishment for each student, staff member and community leader who participated and for the college itself. Looking forward, I am delighted knowing that each year TEDxBrowardCollege will continue to grow and gain momentum in our community.

Additionally, I created a series of events entitled “IGNITE the Entrepreneurial Spirit” that had over 250 students in attendance. These events featured local business owners who have faced and overcame similar challenges in their lives as the students who gather to listen. The goal was to create an event that students can clearly identify and relate to the speakers and be inspired by their testimonies.

After identifying a need by employers, I researched, designed and co-created a new degree track called AS in New Media. This new degree track included the establishment of an industry advisory board, framework, objectives, job statistics, and the creation of many “new media” inspired communication and business courses. This degree uniquely focuses on today’s trend to pivot towards virtual and digital media platforms, which has created an employee demand from businesses who want to compete in today’s virtual economy.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

I begin each semester by telling students why I choose to teach each course. The reason I choose to teach communication courses is because I know how important excellent communication is when it comes to getting a good job, performing in a career, getting promotions, managing a group of people, and ultimately accomplishing one’s goals in life.

When I graduated with my undergraduate degree (1992), the number one characteristic that employers looked for when they described the type of person they wanted to hire was excellent communication skills. Today, with technology, social media, virtual communication, and the growing trend of work from home, excellent communication skills IS STILL the number one characteristic employers are looking for when it comes to describing the type of employee they are looking to hire. I will ask the students why they think the process of getting a job starts with submitting a resume and ends with doing an interview. The answer to getting a good, career type-job requires a person who can write well (resume) and communicate well (interview).

I am humbled to be able to share my passion with students who have had challenging lives and overcame so much just to be in college. I am honest with these students about the need to complete their degree. I’ve designed my assignments to help students understand how human beings are influenced and persuaded. The methods I use and feedback I give help students become more confident in their communication skills.

Success, to me, in the classroom requires a wide-ranging approach, utilizing many different teaching methods that apply to an extremely diverse student body. I am particularly aware to utilize examples and stories that students can identify with and relate to. For example, all of the many speakers that I have invited to speak at my events and in the classroom were once in similar situations as the students who are listening to their stories. Their relatability quickly becomes apparent as we discuss their speeches and talk about what was gleaned from their message. The reasoning and importance behind the student’s assignments then becomes apparent.

Passion is contagious! I begin each class filled with passion for the subject matter. This enthusiasm helps me to influence and inspire my students. Approached with the right mix of passion, humility, storytelling, respect, discipline and flexibility, students will commit themselves to achieving success in the classroom, realizing the importance of graduation, and ultimately achieving their goals after college.