Biography
I took an early interest in computers, starting in sixth grade. Of course that meant learning Basic and Cobol. :-) In college I knew that I wanted to have Information Systems as part of my degree, but I also wanted to flex my creative muscles as well, so I partnered that aspect of my degree with Marketing.
After graduation, I got a terrific opportunity to learn a lot about management and marketing by working as a Branch Manager for KeyBank, NA. After a few years I realized that banking, although providing me with solid experience and a taste of training, was not my passion. So I took a chance and changed careers to corporate training. I was fortunate to be hired by I-many, Inc. and completely immersed myself in my passion for training. I was able to gain invaluable experience and knowledge but knew that I would again need to make a change to get my career where I really wanted it.
That is when I started working for the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School as a Technology Trainer. It was there that I was able to work with both my passions, training and technology. And I REALLY started to pursue what I consider my ultimate goal, to be an e-learning developer. By partnering with State of Maine agencies, I was able to create a wide array of diverse e-learning modules and learned about many ways to do things well (and ways to NOT do things well too).
One of the downsides to partnering with State government is that when the State faces budget cuts, so do its contractors. And that is where I found myself in 2012 -- looking for another avenue to pursue my ultimate goals, and provide another organization with my skills and passion in order to meet their needs. That is when I found Justice Planning and Management Associates (well, they found me). There I was able to continue working in the e-learning field and gain in-depth experience in using and designing a few Learning Management Systems (LMSs). I also had the opportunity to work on and manage multiple projects concurrently. As a smaller firm, this meant that I was responsible for the entire process from start until finish. That for me is my "sweet spot," detailed development tasks all the way to managing the big picture.
Unfortunately the owner of that company passed away suddenly in late 2016. I was faced with a decision: do I try to replicate this great job at another company, or do I take over the company and ensure that I can keep doing what I love. I chose the latter and that is where I am today - the president and instructional development manager for JPMA-Staff Development Solutions LLC. So not only do I get to use all my favorite skills in e-learning development, I have also gained and honed all the skills necessary to run a profitable business.
Please use the links above to view some samples of my work and to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
