Building resilience across writing, research, teaching & administration
The world is increasingly messy and diverse, and being resilient and “effective” as individuals and organizations is often a rapidly moving target. What it means to work and communicate today is just as complicated. As an educator, researcher, writer, and person, I lean into this mess to strategize what people and organizations need to thoughtfully flourish within changing and challenging personal and professional contexts.
A major way I’ve engaged this mess is through extensive research and training on psychological trauma and trauma-informed principles and practices. Trauma-informed frameworks recognize that most people have experienced trauma and benefit from professional (and personal) practices that respond to this reality. Research shows that trauma-informed frameworks improve the effectiveness of our work in classrooms, across universities, and in community/business settings, and they represent respectful practices that also resonate with those who don’t claim a traumatic history. I connect people with trauma-informed training, resources, and tools to create more accessible, compassionate work environments.
I’ve further developed a diverse skill-set for encountering this messy world by seeking out diverse work experiences, spanning from journalism to college writing instruction, marketing to administering social justice research grants, and community engagement to program administration and mentoring. I also earned a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, gaining expertise in writing/multimedia composing, teaching (especially in college classes and professional development settings), research/argumentation, and critically analyzing whether systems are effective and equitable.
In these diverse academic and corporate roles, I collaborate across disciplines to (re)design organizational structures so that people have the resources, social connections, and other support they need to flourish.
Finally, as someone who has loved teaching as early as 5 years old, I am passionate about teaching writing and other skills that do (good) work in the world, especially trauma-informed skills that build personal and community resilience.
Click the navigation tabs above to learn more about my skills/experiences (or just read the short version) and how I can support you or your organization’s writing and professional development needs.
Fielding questions from a committee of experts in writing studies, literature, and social work during my (successful) dissertation defense.
Facilitating a student workshop on “Social Justice 101.”