So…

I was born in Texas. Yee-Haw! As a military kiddo, I was lucky enough to live in Athens, Greece, where I saw the Parthenon, the Acropolis, and a bunch of other really old rocks (at least that is what I thought they were at the time, just part of the landscape, perfectly normal everyday life.) A few years later, I was back in the States, growing up in gorgeous Colorado Springs, Colorado, and meeting some of the best people of my life (Hi Alan! Hi Shay!) After a few trips around the country, a big visit to Finland and Russia, and working on my education, I planted roots in Northwest Ohio. Most people find that the craziest thing I have ever done! I love Ohio. I love the people here. I love the possibility.

These days, I am a practicing designer, associate professor, and division chair of graphic design at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) AND a Ph.D. candidate in the Higher Education Administration (HIED) program. I am the co-founder of AIGA Toledo, the Professional Association for Design, where I have been able to create and implement many design experiences, including the award-winning community projects::  You Are Here Toledo and the Sit&Tell Project. As the co-founder of SWEAT, the Summer Workshop for Experimentation and Thought, I have engaged in experimental making, mentoring, and collaboration with some of the best young minds in NW Ohio. Finally, as the co-founder of BGSU’s In The Round, we are actively working to bring more visibility and presence to Indigenous/Native American Creatives through an ongoing speaker series.

Beyond design and teaching, running is a big part of my spare time. I have been daring enough to run many half marathons and six full marathons with aspirations to run many more half marathons (no more fulls! too ridiculous). When not teaching, designing, running, traveling, or enjoying my incredible family and pets, my spare time is filled with cutting paper from the every day in response to the vivid colors and the curvaceous forms I encounter.

About MY Teaching

I teach courses from across the BGSU GD undergraduate and MDes graduate curricula and have taught for the Schmidthorst College of Business and the College of Technology, Architecture, and Applied Engineering. At the core of my teaching and the design programs are developing mindful individuals responsible for engaging in the social, cultural, and technological world through collaboration, facilitation, and leadership. My goal is to provide the understanding of foundational tools of design practice in response to the changing demands while encouraging an academic environment that seeks to support the growth of responsible learners and practitioners interested in enhancing their communities, engaging in collaborations, and exploring their sense of self for the betterment of society.

About my Work

Four interconnected modes guide my research, creative work, and investigation of the world: Design as Artist and Practitioner, Design as Scholarship of Engagement, Scholarship of Design Pedagogy, and Higher Education Administration. Working within these modes requires flexibility to be a leader, communicator, facilitator, collaborator, sympathizer, participator, and innovator in various self-initiated projects. Through Design as Artist and Practitioner (mode one), I work toward experimental approaches to form-giving to expand and refine my skills in design practice and deepen my tacit knowledge of collaborative dynamics. Mode two involves creative placemaking through community engagement. I seek to foster growth, promote positivity, and contribute to the design community and public good. In the third mode, I approach the Scholarship of Design Pedagogy to define, interrogate, and elevate the education of the design field. Finally, through Higher Education Administration, the fourth mode, my research explores the unique qualities of a designer in higher education frameworks toward progressive change. All of these endeavors are deeply interconnected. Therefore I would define myself as a designer-citizen-educator.