What is it they say you do:
They say I am “the new Jan” and that I coordinate curriculum.
Who are your early influences/who inspired you most:
My undergraduate faculty, especially in the English Department, were early influencers. In the 1970s, the traditionally taught canon was being questioned, and I had the opportunity to take some interesting courses related to race and gender that changed my world view. I was also deeply influenced by Kate Millett, and her books, especially Sexual Politics and Flying, were life-changing. In my early 20s, I was invited to spend a summer at her artist colony in Poughkeepsie, New York where I worked in the silk screen studio and as the cook. Prints from that time are currently being shown to coincide with what would have been her 84th birthday in the exhibition “Kate Millett, Nudes” opening Sept. 14 at Espaces des femmes in Paris.
What has been your greatest source of career satisfaction/ proudest achievement:
My greatest source of career satisfaction was working with creative young people, and my proudest achievement is the work of my former students. Here’s a short list:
•Heather McCain is an amazing designer and art director at Bozell
•Katrina Taylor is a Senior Advisor of Digital Experience at World Vision International
•Travis Alber is a UX Design Manager at Google
•Shelton Crouch is the User Experience Manager at Swanson Russell
•Karla Harshbarger is an Interactive Art Director at Cabela’s (her EXACT goal as an undergraduate)
•Kendall Burke is the Database Information Coordinator at Avila University
•Carolyn Kruger is a Digital Strategist at Corporate 3 Design
•Max Riffner is the Creative Director at B2 Interactive
•Teonne Clark is the Media Integration Director at MCC
•Chris Johnson is a Senior UX Designer at Swanson Russell
Where do you hope to be in five years:
I’m a change agent, and I love big projects. The CCFL training curriculum feels like a doozy of a big project, so I expect it will keep me busy for the next five years.
The quotation I live my life by is......
One of my favorite sayings is: Failure is an illusion. Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want. (I used this as the header on the grade sheet that I returned to students for a number of years.)