“Mom. Wife. Bubbie. Ed.D. Ed Tech. Apple Distinguished Educator. Freelance Writer. Web Developer. Dreamer. Designer. Animal Lover... cool chick.”
I was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi and, at the age of 11, my family moved to Memphis, Tennessee where I still live. There have been times when I considered moving away but decided to stay in Memphis. However, that hasn't stopped me from exploring the world.
Three careers? Yep—and each one was unique. I spent 10 years as a retail professional. At first, I dressed mannequins for windows (more creative and fun than it sounds!) and eventually was an assistant manager of a boutique and then an assistant buyer for the designer shoe division of a shoe company.
I was an educator for more than 15 years, an interest that evolved when my young daughters started school. I was ambitious and passionate about teaching technology in the 1980s. Being a trailblazer in that area of education was exciting! At that time, there were no books, leaders, or teaching manuals about how to teach technology to children. In fact, there was only one trade magazine on the topic. However, I felt invigorated when I helped children learn. I was motivated to complete my college degree which had been on hold for years. My graduate education gave me direction, helped strengthen my skills and develop expertise about educational technology. My education also gave me a sense of accomplishment.
- Doctor of Education from Pepperdine
University
Area of Study: Educational Technology - Research Topic: ABC Technology Camp - Preparing Students for the Future
- Master of Education from Rosemont
College
Area of Study: Technology in Education - Bachelor of Professional Studies from University of Memphis
Area of Study: Technology in Education
I seized opportunities to have a fulfilling career in education and a successful career in the corporate world.
Today, I am a freelance writer. My work has been published in academic journals, trade magazines, on websites, and a variety of corporate publications.
Education Experience
I accomplished something that mattered.
As Lower School Computer Coordinator at Auburndale School, I taught students to write code in BASIC while younger students used educational software. By nature, children are enthusiastic learners and educators are problem solvers. I recognized the need to help children whose standardized test results did not identify them as gifted; those students were relegated to study hall while their classmates attended special outings. I created a series of classes that consisted of topics that fascinate children like astronauts (one visited us), whales (we adopted one), bats (always intriguing), and dinosaurs (our 3-foot, recycled can dinosaur named Canosaurus won first place in a dinosaur contest at a local museum). The program was successful.
Empowerment for girls in the sciences was beginning to gain momentum and I was energized by that fact.
Educational technology was growing in popularity. I was teaching at St. Mary's Episcopal School and developed the technology curriculum for students, based on the skills needed for a rapidly changing world. Faculty and the school administration supported infusing technology into classroom curriculum. To walk classroom teachers through the mechanics of customizing more than 150 unique educational software programs as student skills advanced, I wrote a book and shared it with classrooms. Winner of state, national, and international awards and recognitions including Apple Distinguished Educator, teaching at St. Mary's was an honor itself. A professional highlight was that Steve Jobs nominated two of my projects for inclusion in the Computerworld Smithsonian Awards Program. The project documents are housed in the educational archives at
Smithsonian Institute: The National Museum of American History.
How exciting it is to see women today as leaders and who, at that time, were inquisitive young girls I taught.
Corporate Experience
I accomplished something that mattered.
How did I transition from working at an outstanding Blue Ribbon School to a job at one of the best corporations in the world? While working on my doctorate, I commuted to Pepperdine for classes which, in turn, benefited my students at St. Mary's. I was able to use teaching strategies with my students, that were based on how I was being taught at Pepperdine. Experiencing learning through technology was cutting edge for high school students in the 1990s.
At Parent Night at St. Mary's, a leader at FedEx was excited about how I taught the students. That conversation led to an invitation for me to become a FedEx intern, developing a summer technology camp as a free community service opportunity for middle school students in the Memphis area.
Collaborating with a team at this Fortune 500 corporation was an inspiring experience that matched various aspects of
my Pepperdine requirements and ultimately became the topic of my dissertation. The camp was hosted
in 8 domestic cities for a few years. I was able to merge my educational technology expertise into a
corporate setting. Creating
FedEx
Technology Camp, and plans to grow the camp internationally, led to my decision to accept a fulltime position at FedEx.
Over the years, my roles and responsibilities varied. One exhilarating assignment was to design, write
and publish a series of booklets about the roles and customer impact of seven particular teams. The guides were distributed domestically and internationally, expanding the
concept. I provided templates and offered training so that other teams were able to produce consistent,
similar guides. I won the prestigious FedEx Five Star Award. The work that I
did was part of the implementation of a long-range strategic vision.
Reflection
Involved in the academic world as an ambitious technology educator was an enriching experience. It was fantastic to work with young children and watch them turn into responsible adults, empowered with the skills they needed for the future. Pairing that with a career at a Fortune 500 company helped me gain new perspectives about the world. I loved my careers. My broad knowledge, understanding and appreciation for the uniqueness and importance of these careers prepared me for my next adventure.
