About Me
The path to instructional design was not intentional. The intersection of creativity, engagement, and design occurred in an unlikely setting. As the Director of Sales for a Best Western property in suburban Maryland, I was tasked to create a thirty minute session for call center employees in Wichita, KS to increase reservation activity. This group was accustomed to multiple visits from properties all over the country with power point presentations.
In order to make an impression that would change their behavior to benefit our property, the general manager and I created a session, "Where's Washimore?" similar to the "Where's Waldo" franchise. We printed a map of the Baltimore/Washington area on T-shirts that we wore at the presentation. A small toy car was used as a prop to "drive" the area represented on the back of the general manager. This irreverant presentation grabbed the interest of the group and increased our reservations.
It also was an ephiphany moment for me. I wasn't aware of what career would allow for that feeling of exuberance connecting to a group and motivating them to take action, but I knew that is what I wanted to do.
Years later I left the hospitality industry to join a publications firm selling small informational booklets. That led to an invitation to a conference of training professionals which prompted a second epiphany moment. These people were really enjoying their work. A client recommended me for a position with a premiere traning and development firm, Development Dimensions International. In the three years as an Account Executive, I learned the discipline of organizational design, assessment, job analysis and management development.
I discovered Celemi and business simulations through a colleague and worked with him as an independent consultant for ten years. I was originally hired to sell the programs but a third epiphany moment happened when a client double-booked us thinking I was a facilitator. I nearly bombed but I found the connection to that experience at the call center. The simulation designs engaged the learner so actively that facilitation became a natural skill. Client needs led to opportunity to design complementary activites to the simulations. Current requests for blended learning to incorporate technology have presented the opportunity to stretch my comfort to embrace technology solutions with a certificate in Instructional Technology through UNCW.
Conferences
I have been a featured speaker at the HR Future Connect Conference 2011 and 2013 for FMI, at the NRF National Convention in 2009 and at the Strategic Account Managers Association National Conference from 2005-2009.
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