About Me

I’m one of the lucky ones—three fascinating careers—dancer, instructional designer, technical writer! And the seeds for all were planted at the age of four.

At four, I had my first ballet lesson and charmed my first audience (so say Mom and Dad). My muse was a porcelain figurine of a dancer my mother had. I was enchanted. I became a professional dancer and choreographer and lived my first passion. I learned disciple, presence, expression, projection, and innovation. I didn’t know until later that all my dance experience would help me create and deliver experiences that move people to learn. And, yes, I have used dance as a learning activity.

At four, I also learned to read—Popular Mechanics! My grandmother taught me my numbers using the callouts on technical illustrations. I learned about the order of things, first this, then that. I learned the words “boat, train, plane, car, building,” and the words for their associated attributes: environments (water, air, land) and specifications (fast, slow, high, low). I didn’t know it then, but I would become an instructional designer and technical writer for things that work— software, hardware, drilling rigs, paper mills, banks, and chemical plants among others. But first, I had to dance!

After my dancing career, I reinvented myself as an instructional designer and technical writer. Then I was back in the land of how things work and discovered my second passion—helping people to be successful in their jobs. I’ve worked in banks, cheese factories, paper mills, refineries, IT organizations, and chemical plants. I’ve worked with attorneys, financial managers, inventors, engineers, chemists, mathematicians, and plant operators. In all cases, the goal was to improve employee performance.

Along the way, I’ve developed a reputation for innovative learning programs, a rapid development methodology, and successful management of projects with tight and unrealistic delivery schedules. I also have a knack for challenging the process so we can expand our vision and expectations about a worthwhile learning experience. My favorite Far Side cartoon pictures a flock of sheep moving, heads down, and one sheep standing, calling out, “Wait, wait, we don’t all have to be sheep.”