Connecting global communities  through project management, outreach, events, and marketing - leveraging 25+ years in international education, teaching, and learning design to foster meaningful global exchange.  Seeking my next 
opportunity to lead projects that make a difference.  

I grew up in a rural farming town in upstate New York:  the village of Bath.  Yes, it is even called a village.  I cherish the memories of growing up in Bath - living right next to my grandparents, chasing cows down from the pasture to the barn, catching crabs from the crick ("Bath-lingo" for creek), feeding minnows to the barn cats, playing hide-n-seek in the cornfield.... the memories go on and on.  And, in between all of those activities, I played school.  I was the teacher.  I remember getting the neighbor's kids to run laps around our house (PE), complete addition and subtraction problems on my hand-made worksheets (Math), and even read and answer comprehension questions about some of my favorite books (The Babysitters Club and anything by Christopher Pike were some of my favorites at that time).  It seems that the "teaching and learning designer" spirit was in me from a very young age....although at that time, I had no idea where it would take me.  

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At 18, I left Bath to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Government and International Studies at the University of South Carolina.  Looking back, I'm not sure why I chose this particular university or major.  I know that I wanted to go some place that was warm and NOT rural.  I wanted to see something completely different from where I grew up, and I craved diversity and variety.  I loved my government classes and teacher in high school.  And, this was not just because she used to give me her prescription medication bottles in class to refill for her at my part-time job at Peterson's Pharmacy (Oh, how things have changed).   It also wasn't because she used to tell me stories about pulling my dad's ears when he was a student in her class years ago.  She was just simply a great teacher, and she sparked something in me that made me want to learn more about government, international relations, and policy-making.  Hence, I majored in it.  

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However, the "government" and "policy-making" part of my undergraduate studies never really stuck.  The "international" part certainly did!  I believe that two key decisions from my undergraduate days set me off on a career path toward international education:  1) choosing to study Japanese, and 2) working as a server at Greek restaurants.

 

I clearly remember that moment when my undergraduate advisor asked me to choose a language to study.  "Do you want to continue with Latin ?"  I thought about the hours spent in high school watching Ben Hur and conjugating verbs.  I told her "Absolutely not".  I wanted something new and different - not the typical languages like Spanish or French that were offered in most high schools at that time.  Without any hesitation, "I want to study Japanese" came out of my mouth.  

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That decision eventually led me to a position as an English teacher at Oyama High School in Toyama, Japan as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program - a position I loved so much, I stayed for three years and decided that my future must include teaching.

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Working as a server for Gus and Tony (brothers) at the Parthenon and Zorbas Greek restaurants also influenced who I became as a person as well as my understanding of intercultural communication.  Although I was accustomed to hard work (I worked several part-time and babysitting jobs while in high school), I had never been a server before.  I also had never worked for bosses who were from Greece. I remember quite a few "communication breakdown" moments (some of which brought me to tears), and I thought that I'd never get used to Gus and Tony's abrasive style of management.  I didn't know it at the time, but I was getting first-hand experience with intercultural communication.  And, after three years of working for Gus and Tony and learning to pay rent, bills, and balance work and study all at the same time, I knew that I had grown immensely.  I had gained the respect and admiration of my Greek bosses.  This was clearly evident as I left them for my new adventure in Japan, and they left me with a very generous going away gift.  And, most importantly, I discovered my love for surrounding myself with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures.  Of course, there was also the food - who can forget the amazing Greek potatoes, salads, pizzas, chicken souvlaki with tzatziki sauce and spanakopita. I am always on the lookout, but I still haven't discovered another Greek restaurant that even comes close to the tastiness of the Parthenon and Zorbas.  

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I loved living and teaching in Japan.  I loved learning the language, traveling around the country, collaborating with other teachers, making new friends from around the world, and seeing my students learn and grow.  I had two great mentors:  Eguchi-sensei and Nakai-sensei.  Eguchi-sensei was the type of teacher who had a Hello Kitty timer on his desk as well as several other fun props and tools.  He'd get our very hesitant students to speak in English by making it a competition.  Students would be asked to speak an utterance of English on a topic like "pets" and develop a conversation with a partner.  With each utterance, an azuki bean landed in the cup between the pair.  The students who had the most beans in the cup (and who spoke the most English) by the ring of the timer won the competition.   They'd receive a "magic dollar" from me (a photocopied American dollar with my face in the middle) as a reward.  Eguchi-sensei also created projects like the "create a personality for an egg and put it in a box with your cushioning of choice and throw it off of the roof of the school after presenting on the egg's personality in English".   All video-taped, of course.  Yes, he was that kind of teacher.  Amazing, innovative, fun.  And, I learned so much from him.  

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Nakai-sensei was the nurturing and knowledgeable type.  She spoke English and French fluently and was insightful and worldly.  She helped me to plan each lesson methodically, paying special attention to make sure that each activity and teaching point built on previous ones.  She was patient and encouraging with all of her students and me, and I would have never gained confidence as a teacher if it wasn't for her.  Nakai-sensei was a strong believer in having a good rapport with her students and colleagues, and I'll never forget the time when we were team-teaching together, and we broke out into contagious laughter after a simple language mistake while delivering the lesson.  This led the entire class to break out into a round of giggles.  I don't think we ever recovered during that lesson, but we did learn that making language mistakes is a huge part of language learning.  And, we exemplified that to our students.  We also learned the importance of being able to laugh at ourselves. 

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I'll never forget my experience as an English teacher in Japan and how the experience influenced me both professionally and personally.

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This is how my journey as an international educator began.  Since then, I've worked with the most amazing students and teachers.  I've taught numerous courses at various institutions to diverse learners across the country and the globe.  I've learned to use  engaging and interactive student-centered and task-based pedagogical approaches to inspire learners.  I've evaluated and developed new curriculum, courses, and learning materials.  I've become a tech-savvy educational guru, moving beyond azuki beans in cups and incorporating a number of innovative technological teaching tools to enhance my lessons while still leading with learning at the same time.  I've written grants and managed special programs and projects with varying budgets and multiple stakeholders.  I've actively participated in professional organizations, delivering presentations, workshops, and webinars that have received rewards and praise.  I've served as a conference proposal, journal submission and faculty promotion reviewer.  I've hired, observed, supervised, trained and mentored teachers, reciprocating what I learned from my mentors in the past.  I have taught the most amazing and talented students, and I've seen them grow from having the most basic levels of English proficiency to being awarded doctorates and awards at U.S. institutions.  I learn and grow with them with each interaction, and I wouldn't change a single decision that has led me on this path of professional growth.

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I love how teaching and working with international students and educators has equipped me with a wealth of transferable skills and the confidence to take on new roles. In 2022, I joined English Language Programs, a program of the U.S. Department of State—an exciting full-circle moment for me.  As an alumna of the program, having served as an English Language Fellow in Durango, Mexico (2006–2007), I was thrilled to contribute from the administrative side to an initiative that was a defining experience in my career. Stepping into the role of Marketing and Outreach Manager was both exciting and a bit intimidating—I didn’t have a business degree, and the shift felt like a leap. However, my experience as a teacher, program director, project manager, and program administrator provided a strong foundation. And it proved invaluable.

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Now, I have the privilege of recruiting outstanding educators and amplifying their powerful stories—stories that showcase the transformative impact of cultural exchange and public diplomacy. Working with an incredible team, I design exhibitor booths that captivate and engage. I lead the creation of presentations and networking activities for major recruitment events, and together, we organize career fairs, train our alumni community to serve as ambassadors and recruiters, and build robust, dynamic social media campaigns that expand our reach. We promote and deliver webinars reaching audiences of 500+ and create eye-catching brochures, posters, banners, and branded materials. Most importantly, we play a vital role in sustaining high-quality English language programs and advancing public diplomacy and mutual understanding through cultural exchange. Working for a program that has profoundly shaped my own journey—and continues to transform lives around the world—is both an honor and a privilege. I’m truly grateful to be part of it.

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I love what I do, what I've learned, and who I have become, and I cannot wait for my next experience to make a difference.